The Social Media Kool-Aid Guzzler: For many businesses after taking their first step (sip of the Kool-Aid) in social media they tend to immediately jump all in or start guzzling.  Businesses try to drink the entire pitcher of Kool-Aid in one sitting.  They set up profiles on every possible social media network barely stopping to take a breath and not even considering how they will keep up with all these profiles.  Social media strategy is out the door but they are sure all these profiles will bring them business.  Eventually these businesses decide the Kool-Aid doesn’t taste all that great.  It could be within a few weeks or a few months but all the social media activity stops and these businesses will now tell you “I tried that social media thing and it does not work”.

The Social Media Kool-Aid Big Gulpers:  Have you seen these before?  The 44 oz, 64oz, wait that’s not big enough the 1 gallon jug people carry around with a big straw hanging out?  Picture this jug full of Social Media Kool-Aid.  These Kool-Aid Gulpers are social media super users.  They are similar to the Guzzlers typically not having a social media strategy but don’t seem to quit.  They are constantly drinking, updating too many profiles and are the types of users you always see iPhone or Droid phone in hand.  In the middle of a meeting, party, or conversation these users are trying to update Twitter, Facebook, or LinkedIn.  They may be taking pictures and uploading to Flickr or even shooting video and trying to get it up on YouTube on the spot.

If you are one of these two users how can you possibly be losing business?  You are doing everything right… right?

For the Guzzlers they lose business by spending so much time learning and applying social media as fast as they can and then just let it all go.   A lot of businesses think they need to do social media and think they can do it themselves.  Business owners and executives step away from their primary roles and try to become social media experts.  By doing this their business actually goes down and then a few months later they stop using social media anyway.  All that time and effort goes to waste.

For the Gulpers they don’t realize they are alienating the people around them.  These could be prospects or customers who don’t understand why you have your phone out and in hand.  The perception is you don’t care about the meeting or conversation which creates a feeling of indifference.  This indifference can grow to the point of losing long standing customers or prospects that are ready to buy.

The moral of the social media Kool-Aid story is to be aware of what you can become.  You truly do not want to be a Guzzler or a Gulper in social media.  If you are a business wanting to get started in social media ask for help.  Seek out social media marketing firms within your network and find out how they work.  Create a social media strategy and implement it over time.  Social media works for all types of business but you must have a strategy and plan.

If you want to learn how you can work with Square Martini Media on your social media strategy please visit or contact us page and use the form, email, or call us today.

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I don’t work for Blog World Expo…

It really did….

And if you are a business owner who wants to learn more about Social Media and you’ve been looking for a one-stop learning experience where you can immerse yourself in an environment and really understand what the Social Media industry is all about, well folks, this is the one.  Not to mention you get the bonus opportunity to learn all about podcasting because Blog World Expo merged with New Media Expo this year too (the premier conference for podcasters).

Prior to Blog World Expo ‘08, I had a very solid understanding of Social Media and I was already using many of the tools.  However, once I attended Blog World Expo, my knowledge level jettisoned and I was quite certain within hours of arriving in Las Vegas that I would be working in this industry for the rest of my life.

Social Media is such an obvious must-add to your marketing toolbox.  You may remember that I have a business background. I’m a CPA and an MBA.  I’ve been working in Business for 20 years.  At the time I attended Blog World Expo last year, my focus was business consulting and executive coaching.  It was so obvious that Social Media was such a “must-have” for all of my clients that it seemed it would be a crime not to add it to my company’s list of offerings.  I decided on the spot that I would study and drink this industry like kool aid and do my best to become a subject matter expert in Social Media Strategy.

But enough about me.  Why am I writing this post and why should YOU go to Blog World Expo?  I don’t want you to miss this terrific learning experience that only comes along once each year.

This year’s conference takes place at the Las Vegas Convention Center and has over 200 speakers, over 85 sessions with many different specialty tracks to choose from.  A special 20% discount code “Tweet20″ is available through Sept 20 for early registrants.

Blog World Expo confirmed the following key points for me last year:

• Social Media is filled with smart, educated, authentic, genuine people who are passionate about what they do.
• These people are generous and excited and willing to teach you and help advance your learning.
• Nothing can replace face-to-face interaction and “making friends in the blogosphere” means making connections in person as well as virtually (i.e., leaving blog comments on other peoples blogs).
• The Social Media Industry moves fast and everyone is still learning.  Great people are and will be learning right beside you!  People like Gary Vaynerchuk, Brian Clark, Mari Smith, Dave Taylor, Tim Ferriss, Mike Shinoda, Chris Brogan, Warren Whitlock, Doyle Albee, Denise Wakeman, and SOOOO many more!
• Twitter is an amazing tool and promotes an interactive, fast paced experience at conferences like none I’d ever experienced before.
• The Power of the Tweetup is amazing and is demonstrated right before your eyes.
• There was a whole community in San Diego that I needed to embrace and meet. The Social Media San Diego landscape was an unknown one to me that I would discover because of Blog World Expo. Since last year, I’ve met hundreds of people because Blog World Expo opened my eyes to the power of social media connecting. This is true not just in San Diego but in many cities all over the world.

So, yes Blog World Expo changed my life forever. Since returning a year ago, I launched Square Martini Media, started a social network, launched 2 new blogs, started 2 new internet radio shows/podcasts, became a keynote speaker on social media, attended at least 10 other social media seminars, read countless books, read what seems like millions of blogposts and sent over 8,500 tweets, met and now love the San Diego Social Media and San Diego Twitterati scenes, formed countless relationships due to social media.  My love affair with social media grows daily and I’m oh so thankful.

How can you not attend?

I know I can’t wait to get there and see everyone I met last year at #BWE09 and make new friends this year!

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1) Reconnect
With so many users on Facebook it’s become very easy to connect with friends, clients, and co-workers both current and past.  With each connection (friend) you have the opportunity to let people know what you are currently doing and possibly turn this connection into a new client.  It’s amazing the amount of new business you can create with old friends.

2) Expand your network
Meet new people in your target market within your target area.  This can be very local or you can expand your Facebook connections globally.  Members of a network like Facebook are open and want to network!  Just keep in mind accepting friend requests without engaging them will not expand your network…  Becoming part of the conversation is the key.

3) Personal Branding
Facebook allows you to promote yourself and your company.  The info tab within Facebook can be very detailed allowing your connections (friends) to learn more about you. Adding your websites and additional Social Media sites is highly recommended.  Facebook also allows you to update your status or what you are currently working.  This helps create conversation within your network, conversation creates relationships, relationships bring new clients and referrals.

4) Advertising
Facebook has a powerful advertising engine that enables businesses to specify a specific demographic target, see how many people that demographic will hit, and advertise to that demographic.  This is very similar to Google Adwords but targeted in the Facebook network.  Advertising success within Facebook will be different depending on your company but should be tested especially if you are currently advertising on Google Adwords.

5) Visibility
Staying top of mind with clients, prospects, and friends leads to more business and referrals.  By updating your status, adding pictures, and letting your network know what you are doing you are creating stronger relationships with very little effort.  I cannot express how valuable this is!  The more people you have in your network the more potential you have to create top of mind awareness with your connections.

6) Fan Pages
Pages give your business or brand an identity on Facebook.  With a Page, those interested and following your brand can become “fans”, and when they do so, all their friends will see this.  These Pages also add to your website SEO as they are indexed by Google!

7) Groups
Groups on Facebook are similar to Pages, but are meant to be built around a group of people rather than an individual business or brand.  Becoming part of a group helps you expand your network with potential clients.

Hopefully these 7 Top Reasons Facebook is a Must Have for Your Business has opened your eyes to the potential of Facebook for your business.  For those of you still deciding if it’s worth your time investment spend a moment digesting a few of the current Facebook demographics:

• 35-54 year old demographic segment continues to grow the fastest, but it accelerated to a 276.4% growth rate over the past 6 months This segment is doubling every 2 months!
• The 55+ demo is not far behind with a 194.3% growth rate
• The 25-34 year population on Facebook is doubling every 6 months
• There are more females (55.7%) than males (42.2%) on Facebook
• Over 26 million users on Facebook are living in the US

So the question for you is how many of your customers or potential customers are in Facebook and are you going to reach out to them?

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Seth gives the example of Mother Theresa who was an Atheist but used her actions to define herself.  Further, he says, “Authenticity, for me, is doing what you promise, not “being who you are”.  His post is really fabulous and discusses how we’re all filled with self doubt but our actions can easily drown out negative self talk.  You must go read it for yourself.

So, how does this apply to our friend Neophyte Joe?  Neophyte Joe thinks he’s a social media expert but he acts like a newbie.  How does a newbie act?  Let’s walk through a couple of examples.

But first, let me add a little disclaimer about our friend Neophyte Joe.  He’s a friend, here to help those of you who might be forgetting your manners a bit or new to the social media party.

So let’s look at some of his faux pas examples:

• Making Relationship Building a #1 Priority. He often forgets that social media is all about relationships and getting to know each other.

Neophyte Joe has a bad habit of walking up to you on Twitter  without introducing himself or trying to get to know you, and immediately trys to jump into bed.  Hey, how about we get right to it?

“Buy this “never thought of before box product about facebook for business, watch my fabulous video, hear my bio and tell all your followers, I’m the BOMB”

• Using Twitter Personalities for Selling

Using Twitter “friends” with many followers to sell your products.  Neophyte Joe only uses twitter for selling and he tweets to twitter personalites like @scobleizer and @chrisbrogan about his product and articles just for the hits to these popular twitter guys large number of followers.  Thumbs down Neophyte Joe.

So that’s it for our lesson today.  Go read Seth’s post and add him to your RSS feeder if you haven’t already. (Is there still anyone in Social Media that hasn’t? I wonder.)  My favorite thing about reading Seth is that he says mountains in very few words. I get loads of inspiration in a time efficient manner.  Bingo!

And no, Brad Crooks and Jim Turner, Sorry, he’s not either of you. You’re both far too courteous and giving to others to be Mr. Neophyte Joe.  Neophyte Joe is happy to look up to both of you as his mentors.  Stay tuned for another post on Joe in the future.  He’s got a lot of examples for all of us   Thanks for reading and Happy Monday!

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