Learn social media for sales & marketing

While I agree that social is the important focus of new media, I often am asked if it is only for personal use. I use social media for many of business interactions, and with
great success!

Social media is for the most part opt-in. If I don’t want to have you following me on Twitter, I block you. If I don’t want to connect with you on LinkedIn, I don’t accept you request. But, if I want to build a community of like-minded people who want to learn about a product or service, research its origins, discuss its use or any other number of topics, social media is a great way to to build my own network. Make them fans—but don’t shove your product or service down their throat. That’s why I blog. I want to share insights, build community and generate some conversations.

A great example is a new blog written by my client Scott MacDonald. Scott owns the Rocky Mountain Soap Company store in Victoria, BC. His blog—Natural Matters—explores all kinds of things, from the science of natural products to like-minded organizations. He is interesting, well researched and a great writer.

If you are on Vancouver Island and want to learn some basic tools and see how they are applied, come to a great luncheon and education session called “Social Media Marketing in Action: Using Social Media to Build Brand and Generate Leads.” Darren Barefoot and Julie Szabo of Capulet Communications will show how social media can fit into an organization’s marketing mix. Ling Chan of the Vancouver Opera will show us how she’s used blogs, online outreach and Twitter to reach new audiences and generate over 1,000 followers.

Social media is  like any other social interaction. Mind your manners, learn the language and rules of the community, then have a good time.

Social Media 101 with Darren Barefoot and Julie Szabo

If you are on BC’s coast, are interested in social media (or need a refresher), here is a one-day workshop you can’t afford to miss. Darren Barefoot and Julie Szabo of Capulet Communications are presenting their  Social Media Marketing Bootcamp in both Victoria and Vancouver.

As Julie writes in a recent blog post, “adding social media into the marketing mix is increasingly important for marketers who want to establish an online presence for their businesses.” As a full-time PR and marketing professional, I would say that anyone who ignores this important medium is in danger of missing their market altogether. The full-day workshop will teach you to:

• Bring more visitors to your website
• Increase your company’s visibility online
• Approach bloggers and other online influencers about your products and services
• Get your website social media ready
• Craft a potent social media pitch
• Incorporate online channels like Facebook, YouTube and Twitter into your marketing programs
• Avoid campaign killers and online faux pas.

Julie and Darren are old friends (well the friendship is old, but they aren’t) who were pioneers in the social media world. They have such wisdom and experience to share based on experience from Canada, Dublin and other wonderful, exotic locations. All for only $299, which includes a copy of their first book and many useful templates.

The Victoria workshop takes place Thursday, April 30th; Vancouver’s is Thursday, May 28th. Go to their website, Capulet Communications, to register. And hey, let them know that you heard about it here. Like all good marketers, they will want to know what worked.

Hope to see you there!