Well, I am snowed in completely in Fleetwood, and there’s no sign of stopping any time soon!

We will postpone our meeting scheduled for tomorrow until next Tuesday January 18 from 9AM – 12Noon.  Let me know if you have any questions!

Elizabeth Norton lives in a Victorian town in Cape May, New Jersey.  She is a Social Media Mom in the midst of the old school way of living.  Here is her talk from the 140 Conference, encouraging people to be thought leaders and show people a new way to interact in your town!

First, they ignore you, then they laugh at you, then they fight you, then, you win! ~Ghandi

“The Talk of the Town” team will be at Broyhill Inn again on November 9, teaching all about Facebook for businesses. If you don’t have a business page, yet… If you have one but it’s not “working”… If you’ve just set up and want to grow quickly… or if you need advanced strategies to spice up your page… you should come!

Please register beforehand! The three hour session is $75, with a 15% discount for Chamber or High Country Host Members. (At-the-Door price is $10 more)  Sign up here: http://www.talkofthetownworkshop.com/register/

Here are some of the things we’ll cover, and let us know if you have a specific question!

* Facebook for Business basics

* Why you might not show up on your fans’ News Feed, and how to make sure you get there!

* Making a custom Welcome Page

* Engagement strategies

* Measuring results

* Facebook Terms of Use (restrictions you may not know about)

* Hands on time, individual suggestions to improve your page!

We had a great overview seminar yesterday at the Broyhill Inn in Boone! We covered the philosophy of relationship marketing using New Media Tools, like Facebook, Twitter and Blogs. We covered the basics, and are about to launch our 5-session Comprehensive Course on Social Media Marketing.

The First Session, October 12: Why Your Company Needs a Blog/RSS Feed, Intro to Blogging, is coming up OCTOBER 12! If you’re wondering whether our Talk of the Town Course is worth your precious time and resources, check out these testimonials from past attendees.

If you missed the seminar yesterday, you can still get in on all the learning in a few ways.  Watch the first 40 minutes of the Introductory Seminar below.  And/or… go ahead and register for our Workshop Series (You can sign up for one or multiple sessions) We will be covering all this information and MORE in the course sessions.

This is our guarantee: If you attend the sessions and really feel that you cannot benefit from the information given, we will refund your money.  It’s that simple!

Ive included the video recording, and the presentation below.  The presentation may not make sense without  the teaching, but there are some key questions you need to ask yourself when you are considering using blogs, Facebook, and Twitter.

Anytime an article comes out saying how to avoid Social Media Sheisters, I always read it. Partly, to gain any social media knowledge from the author. Partly to make sure I’m not doing the things they cite! (Don’t worry, I haven’t been guilty yet)  While reading 5 Signs Your Social Media Guru is a Quack, from www.imediaconnection.com, I perked up when I read the part about your social media consultant being the devil’s advocate.

I have instinctively done this, mostly because I always question conventions, authority and the way “it’s always been done.” Sometimes that puts people off.  But other times, it helps spark the creative and analytic fires and create a towering inferno of awesomeness! (If I do say so myself.)

You do NOT want a “Yes Man” (or woman), as a consultant in any aspect, least of all social media, where every success- and horrible #fail- is public.  Here is Steve Lubetkin’s perspective, which I happen to agree with wholeheartedly.

Is your consultant a lemming, or do they occasionally take the road less traveled?
Does your consultant give you predictable counsel that just mimics the social media advice of others, or does he or she raise provocative, counter-intuitive questions about the social media strategies you are thinking about using? Sometimes the value a consultant adds is through the inappropriate costs or embarrassing social media gaffes they help you avoid….

You want a consultant to be a devil’s advocate and challenge assumptions about social media. If the way you want to use your Twitter feed isn’t appropriate, or if you shouldn’t be engaging on Facebook or YouTube, will your consultant tell you so, or will they encourage you to use these tools anyway?

Read the rest of the article

And if I challenge conventions or the way a client wants to run things, it may be for a few reasons:

• The idea has been tried and failed.
• The ROI may not be worth the effort/expenditure.
• The tactic goes against the conventional “rules” of social media and will result in embarrassment or alienation of followers.
• Something you’re doing is spammy, or not disclosed properly.
• Sometimes I hear behind-the-scenes rumbling and “shop-talk” that may not have bubbled to the surface yet.  If we’re working together, it’s implied that you trust my judgment.  Yes, sometimes I’m wrong, but I usually have reliable sources! At least get a second trusted opinion before steaming ahead.

Have you ever had a Social Media Consultant play the Devil’s Advocate?  How did the situation turn out?

Sarah Pinnix, founder- Talk of the Town Workshop, Boone, NC

We’ll let these testimonials speak for themselves…

Doug Uzelac, General Manager of The Broyhill Inn & Conference Center and host of our workshop series,

“Social Media Marketing is such a fast growing segment and it is the Broyhill Inn’s pleasure to be to be able to host these very informative sessions.  I would greatly recommend folks that have an interest in increasing their social media knowledge to attend.”

Vicki Stevens, Marketing Manager for the Appalachian Regional Healthcare System,

“The Talk of the Town series provided phenomenal insight to the world of social media and assisted our organization in establishing a new presence with our audience. I highly recommend the series!”

Sheri Moretz, Marketing Director for Mast General Store,

The Talk of the Town Series helped us understand the power of social media and how we might use it to start a conversation with our customers. We found the interaction with Sarah, Boomer, and Scott to be informative and refreshing and also enjoyed brainstorming ideas with our fellow classmates. Our Facebook page has grown by leaps and bounds – surpassing all of our expectations, and it is a ready resource to convey timely happenings.

Julie Haye, Marketing Director for NC Christmas Tree Association,

“The Talk of the Town workshops showed us what Social Media is, gave helpful hints, and provided resources to get us started.”

Barbara Kelley, Owner of My Sister’s Kitchen,

Attending the social media workshops put on by Talk of the Town has been the most worthwhile professional development time I’ve spent all year. Each session was practical, hands-on, and relevant; Sarah, Scott and Boomer taught me exactly what I needed to know. Before I ever left the Broyhill Inn after each session, I was able to implement what I’d learned — on my own computer for my own website. I can already see a significant up-tick in traffic to my website as a result of utilizing what I’ve learned during these last six months. Thanks so much!

Why wait? Register now!

Many of us know how to record a video and upload it to YouTube.  You may already be doing that with your business. But do you know the techniques to get your video FOUND on YouTube?  How about ways to engage your audience, and integrate your YouTube offerings with your Website, Blog, or Facebook page?

YouTube is the #2 Search Engine, aside from Google, so if your business doesn’t have a presence there, you need to!

Flickr also scores very highly on Google and other search engines. Sharing your images can be a huge part of marketing!

We’ll teach you all about photo & video sharing, and help brainstorm some specific ideas for YOUR business!

CLICK HERE TO REGISTER for the August 3 session, meeting at the Broyhill Inn!

Tips for the Beginner as well as the Veteran

• Easy, inexpensive video/photo equipment
• Top editing software
• Selecting effective keywords
• Tagging, Annotations, Comments, Response
• Creative Content
• Live Steaming!

This session does NOT necessarily build on previous sessions.  I encourage everyone to come, even if this is your first session!

Here’s an example of a last minute recruitment video I did for a Performing arts camp in Boone. We met our goal for campers in the last week before it started. This video places:

• Seventh, on the first of seven pages with results for the YouTube search “Performing Arts Camp.”
• FIRST in YouTube search for “Performing Arts Camp Boone NC”
• FIRST, Second, and Fourth in a Google Search for “Performing Arts Camp Boone NC”

Session One: Why Your Company Needs a Blog/RSS Feed, Intro to Blogging

If you came to our introductory class you already know that we’re going to cover some very important topics related to social media. One of the most important is blogging and why it’s important to your business.

Other questions we’ll be addressing are:

What blog platform should I use?
What should I blog about?
How can I make my blog posts search engine friendly?
How do I incorporate images, video and widgets into my blog?
How long should a blog post be?

We’ll cover all this and more in our first session on Tuesday, April 13th at 9am at the Broyhill Inn & Conference Center.

You can save money by signing up for a Three-or Six- Session pass. CLICK HERE to register!

Visit http://talkofthetownworkshop.com

More and more establishments are offering free WiFi lately.  It’s gone beyond the coffee shops to other restaurants, and even laundromats!  I admit, I will almost always go someplace with WiFi over someplace without, and I always make a purchase.

Free Wifi is a big draw for consumers, but how do you avoid the “WiFi Spongers”? Requiring a Purchase may turn away potential consumer relationships, and alienate those who patronize regularly. Sarah Pinnix (@reallifesarah on Twitter) offers a real life solution that creates a partnership with customers, encouraging them to purchase for mutual benefit! Getting customers to “own” your success is one way to insure that success!

Take this example a little farther: How can you forge a “partnership” with your loyal customers so they have a stake in your continued success?

For more on relationship marketing using social media, check out our Talk of the Town Workshop in Boone, NC!