Social Media Breakfast » Recap

Local Social Media Stars Who Are Doing it Right

Amanda O'Brien — Mon, 20 Dec 2010 17:38:00 +0000

Photo credit: Enokson

This past Social Media Breakfast Maine we had an all-star line-up to help us recap the last year and prepare for 2011. We were lucky to have the three organizers of Social Media FTW, Rich Brooks, Chrystie Corns and Jaica Kinsman to share with us their thoughts on the current social media landscape.

For the second half of the breakfast, we opened up into a panel and the attendees were able to ask the presenters questions that they had. One of those questions was prepared by me and I wanted to share the responses I got from the speakers with you.

What is one local success story that you found inspiration in this past year?

Sea Bags – Chrystie Corns said she was really impressed with how well Sea Bags is doing with their online marketing. They always have deals, specials, quizzes and contests running on their Facebook page. They have a large fan base and interact with them regularly.
Comedian Bob Marley – Jaica told us about an experience she had with one of her clients, Bob Marley, this year. Together they were using social media to promote his attempt (and success) breaking a world record for the longest stand-up performance. The event was also a fundraiser for the Barbara Bush Children’s Hospital. Jaica told us about the power of social media she felt with such a big event. People were following along online and she was interacting with viewers in real time.
Calvin Gilbert and Goodwill of Northern New England – Rich told us that he was really impressed with the work Calvin is doing for Goodwill of Northern New England. They have been using location based services, coupons on Facebook and Facebook ads to target people geographically with new store openings.
Beadin’ Path – Rich also said he has always been impressed with the work Heather DeSimone has done creating a community online around her brand, Beadin’ Path.
Chantal – Both Rich and Jaica chimed in on how impressed they are with Chantal, a clothing store in the Old Port. They say that the owner does a good job creating regular content and interacting with their network online. Rich said she is very good about putting up content about trends we see on popular television shows and where you can buy the look. Jaica told us about their amazing fleece lined tights and how when she was telling a friend about them on Twitter, the owner of Chantal was quick to jump in on the conversation.

That was the list that our experts came up with. I think they did a good job. Part of the reason I think the breakfasts are so successful is because we can learn from our neighbors. It is great to read case studies about how the Gap, Starbucks and Dell are using social media but it is easier for us to relate to what our friends and neighbors are using, versus the big brands. That is why I wanted to share this list with you here, so as we come into the new year we can take a peek at some people who killed it in 2010 in social media and learn from them.

Thanks again to our speakers and everyone who made our last breakfast such a huge success.

SMBME 7 Recap – Head off problems with a social media policy

admin — Tue, 16 Feb 2010 16:04:09 +0000

Carl Natale needed a full weekend to process all the information we threw at him at last weeks breakfast. Sarah Wallace and Brad Lawwill did a really great job covering why having a social media policy is important and how to get started. Carl wrote another really great recap of the morning and included both presenters slides.

Read Carl’s full recap here.

Read more about SMBME #7 on our archive page

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SMB Maine #2 Recap

admin — Fri, 18 Sep 2009 19:15:51 +0000

Engaging speakers, free goodies and delicious bagels. This is how EVERY morning should start! SMB Maine had its second installment this Friday (9/18) at MPX in Portland. This month’s topic was “Creating Trust and Communities Online.”

Kicking off a morning of great presentations was Fred Abaroa, Marketing Imagineer from Costa Vida Mexican Grill. Fred explained how getting people to “Know” you, “Like” you, “Trust” you and “Buy” you is essential to building trust and personality, and he showed some convincing stats as to why an online personality is worth building!

Fred believes that people should recognize your name and that you should “Have an answer” for all possible questions for your industry and services. Solution based conversation is essential for trust. Do not become one of the “7 Deadly Creatures;” The Sucker, The Puker, The Topper, The Whiner, Narcissus, The Vulture and Mr. Halitosis.

Alex Steed, the second presenter, is a communication consultant for nonprofit organizations and advocacy groups. Alex explained that data mining is a means to an end, and took a neutral stance as to whether this is a “good” or “bad” thing.

Alex may be the first person to ever bring up Michel Foucault in a discussion of social media. He used a model of power defined by information – those in trouble give confessions to others, the confessed to come up with a diagnosis, and from that diagnosis there comes a prescription (did I tell you this all happened at 8:30 in the morning?)

He demonstrated this principle in practice by revealing his “obsession” with discovering information (mostly personal!) about people in need of non-profit services. He told a crazy criminal story about a man and a woman in a Bonnie & Clyde-esque misadventure stealing items from cars and confessing it with no short amount of drama online. Alex was able to follow the whole thing because these real names of these people were revealed in the paper, and a few searches later he was able to find their social media profiles.

Some may call this stalking, but to a Social Marketing guru, this is client research!

Our final speaker, Franklin McMahon delivered practical tips on making your social networking profiles work effectively for your personal brand. Making your personal profile pictures look as professional as possible will benefit you. So will making your audience the stars, interviewing people who inspire you and positioning yourself as an expert are all great tips for trust and transparency. Franklin also adds that winning over people in the middle or “on the fence” is key to succeeding in marketing your personal brand – those who love you or hate you have already made up their minds.

After the speakers delivered their valuable content, we raffled off a few copies of Chris Brogan and Julien Smith’s “Trust Agents,” fired off some flying monkey and gave away free tickets to two upcoming social media events “Social Media FTW” and “The Big Conference.” Congratulations to the winners and a big Thank You to all attendees! We hope to see you at next month’s SMB Maine!

Check back here next week and we will have video and each presenters slides on our archive page.

Please contact us if you would like to see a particular topic covered at Social Media Breakfast Maine, would like to sponsor, donate an item to our raffle or be on our mailing list to hear about other upcoming breakfasts!

Thank you,
Kyle

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