Part one of eat.drink.tweet
Well, if Twitter wasn’t addicting before, it is now. I’m still fuzzy on the application for my personal life; however, for business and branding, it’s a no brainer. After attending my 1st social media boot camp this weekend, eat.drink.tweet., orchestrated by All She Wrote Consulting, I realize I’m in the right place at the right time. I started actively Tweeting in early November 2010 and with just over 200 Tweets prior to the event, I increased by Tweet count by nearly 20% in 3 days. There’s not a better feeling in the world than being in a room of people who all share the same passion.
The weekend started with a keynote speech from Rick Bakas, social media entrepreneur and bacon lover. Rick’s accomplishment’s and accolades are so awesome please visit his sites www.bakasmedia.com or www.rickbakas.com. In summary, Rick is a certified sommelier and was the 1st social media director for a winery. Rick’s talk, titled “Not in new media by 2011? Out of Business by 2016,” was bold and energetic. This was particularly frightening for businesses that hadn’t figured it out yet. They were scared on Friday but by Sunday they had embraced at least part of new media. Rick talked about the investment of social media as being a return on attention instead of an ROI. With the focus of your Tweeting on @replies and not general statements you’ll build a network of faithful followers. For larger companies he suggests having a team of Tweeters, not just a sole-Tweeter. From the gardener to the owner, people want to know all the unique aspects of your business.
Rick left promptly for a major social media conference in Texas, South by Southwest, to continue his busy speaking tour. He didn’t leave the Okanagan without some of our fabulous wine, bringing Tinhorn Creek, Black Cloud and Poplar Grove, which he shared with some of his Twitter followers on the road.
Stay alert for the next installment of post-conference eat.drink.tweet.
