The Vital Importance of Social Media for Small Wineries

Social media has been a standard part of our culture since the mid 2000s. At that time, many industries first started to recognize the possibilities of using the internet for marketing. And while some consumer product producers found great opportunities in social media, the wine industry and many wine businesses were really slow to incorporate online social networks into their marketing programs. This was likely a result of them being both skeptical of the platforms, as well as uncertain of the potential return on investment (ROI).

But over the last few years more and more wineries have found great success with social media. Such successes include better brand awareness as well as greater conversion of fans and followers into customers resulting from the type of relationship building that only social media can provide.
There are, of course, many different types of social media, including social networks like Facebook, Twitter, and Google+; blogs and web 2.0 social sites; video platforms such as YouTube and Vimeo; review sites like Citysearch & Yelp; as well as mobile "check-in" platforms like Foursquare and Foodspotting. And that's just for starters.



Why is Social Media a Good Pairing for Wine?
Wine is often talked about as an "experience" product, meaning that consumers usually need to interact with it before knowing if they actually like it. With well over 10,000 producers represented in the US market alone, wine can be especially confusing. That's why so many consumers rely on wine-savvy friends or professionals to help them with their wine purchasing. In decades past it might have been books or magazine articles or newsletter that helped them learn and make decisions about wine, but in the age of the internet, consumers are increasingly turning to the web for education and advice on just about everything, including wine. In fact, wine is one of the most searched terms on Google when it comes to consumer products.

Wine Social Media Has Grown
Consumer consumption of social content related to wine has increased significantly over the last several years. In a study conducted back in 2010, approximately 700,000 people searched for and viewed wine related videos on a monthly basis. There are over 8,000 wine related tweets per day and nearly 500 iPhone apps related to wine. According to their own internal data, 90% of wine drinkers engage with Facebook between 6 and 8 hours every week. And, according to a Google Analytics report in 2012, wineries are the third most popular subject on Pinterest. There are between 1500 and 2000 active blogs on the subject of wine at any given time, and even more bloggers who include wine among other subjects they cover. Wine is clearly on the radar of a huge portion of the internet's population.

Tips for Launching a Wine Social Media Strategy
While many major wine industry players have now embraced social media as part of their strategy, small wineries have remained slow at fully implementing social media into their overall marketing strategy. Without a dedicated staff member, it can often seem like an overwhelming task. But the fact is that by dedicating a short amount of time on a consistent basis, any small business (including small wineries) can develop a strong social media presence. Here's how:
1) Pick one or two platforms and become an expert at connecting with fans on them. Don't get distracted by thinking you need to be everywhere online.
2) Create interesting, engaging, and valuable content that will get people to interact with you. One sided content, like a photo with a caption saying "we're out in the vineyard today dropping fruit" just won't get people involved. Instead, try caption contests or ask provocative questions.
3) Include a call to action with every few posts. The idea of social platform marketing is to relate, but also to feed your business with new purchases or new clients. Make sure you don't miss opportunities to get them to buy from you.

Putting it into Action:
Do you want to learn how you can increase leads, build trust & authority in your niche, and maybe even create passive income streams for your business? Get Free Instant Access to David Baer's Video on the 3 Marketing Essentials you must know about.

And if you want to learn what "not" to do, then you might want to grab a copy of the Free Report, "7 Mistakes Most Local Businesses Make With Their Advertising"

Brought to by David Baer - Demystifying Internet Marketing for wineries, wine retailers and other small business owners.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=D._Baer

If you would like to master social media for your business, please collect my 4 free ebooks at:  www.methodsocialmedia.com 

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Waterstones Under The Bridge

Occasionally, internet dwellers remind us that social media is more than just a tool to allow desperate trolls their fifteen tweets of infamy. Sometimes, we get lucky enough to hear about something that makes us smile - instead of just leaving us shaking our respective heads about the future of mankind. Today, I'm pleased to report on the internet's latest tale of feel-goodery, and it comes from the most unlikely of sources: an empty Waterstones store in central London. Or, at least, a central London Waterstones that should have been empty.

Just after nine last Thursday, David Willis, a Dallas, Texas resident holidaying in England’s capital, walked downstairs in the Waterstones store in which he was watching an author write a book (or whatever reason people still go to bookstores now we have the internet). But instead of the welcome site of an open door leading to a grim London night-time street, he was greeted with this:

source: dailymail.co.uk

Unbeknownst to Willis, store workers had assumed the place was empty and shut up shop for the night, leaving him trapped. So he did what anyone in his situation with a device capable of calling the police would do: he turned to Twitter for help.

His initial tweet, which was to Waterstones' social media team, adorably ended with "Please let me out". This first contact has since received 12k retweets and over 8k favourites, and I like to think that after he'd sent it he sat cross-legged on the floor, stared at the door and patted himself on the back for a job well done. When all you have is 3G and a smartphone, what else can you do?

Due to Willis making the tweet public, it quickly gained traction. Soon, thousands were following his tale of woe, (im)patiently waiting for updates.


But it didn't all go to plan. Willis was unaware that a few hours earlier, Waterstones’ social media team had tweeted their last message of the day. They were now safely tucked up in their beds, and weren't set to return until 9am the next morning. Cue mass panic, and thousands of Twitter users campaigning to free Willis. No-one knew if Waterstones' social media marketing team would ever see his plea, or if they'd care enough to help (it was past 5:30; it wasn't their problem anymore). Would Willis be freed before he was forced to eat his own thumbs?

Two hours later, Waterstones’ Twitter account finally announced Willis' rescue. Cue sighs of relief, retweets of satisfaction and a confirmation tweet from the man himself, which has been shared by thousands.

source: dailymail.co.uk

The story shows the ability of social media to capture the public’s imagination in ways that simply weren’t possible before. In the space of a few short hours, an unknown tourist became a household name (at least to the Twitter-literate). It also goes to show that, for the most part, people like seeing the internet used as a tool for good. Although he was far from a celebrity or a person of interest, social media gave Willis’ plight tonnes of exposure, and Twitter's users did all they could to help grab Waterstones’ attention. Dozens even contacted the police to try and help.

While he would have eventually made it out without the help of the internet, Mr. Willis’ story would never have become such a public talking point without the communal atmosphere of Twitter. From Waterstones’ perspective, it’s also a good example of how to turn public attention into great marketing. By dealing with the situation in the way they did, and sorting it in such a good-humoured way, Waterstones used social media to hugely improve their public perception without spending a penny.

Not bad, considering they weren't meant to come back online until 9am the next day.

by Emile Cole

Source: http://www.socialmediafrontiers.com/2014/10/texan-tourist-trapped-in-uk-bookstore.html#.VEcogsk0-So

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How To Use Twitter to Build Your Brand

Launched in March of 2006, Twitter is a social media success story. On average, users now post more than 500 million tweets daily. Moreover, the use of hashtags (#) allows the grouping of similarly-themed tweets, meaning you can easily find and follow topics of interest.

Bottom line: Twitter is a powerful tool for media professionals looking to keep up with topical news, monitor a topic, research a topic, or network with others. If you think Twitter is irrelevant or full of talkers, think again. By utilising a few simple tools, you can reap valuable information with relatively little effort or cost.

And the more you know, the better prepared you are to make informed decisions.

What can you measure with Twitter?

You can't manage something you can't (or don't) measure. Twitter allows you a close look at a surprising number of important metrics, thereby giving you pertinent statistics and insight for strategic planning.

For instance, here are three important metrics you can easily determine about your Twitter account:

• Follower Count: While not a stand-alone indicator of either popularity or interaction (follower count is easily skewed, just buy a few thousand), follower count does provide insight, especially when you look deeper to WHO is doing the following. No special tool is needed to determine this metric. Every Twitter profile reveals the total number of tweets, the number of followers, and how many others are being followed.
• Follower Growth: This one takes some tracking over time. You can do that manually; simply record starting numbers on a spreadsheet and record the change at intervals. You can also find tools (paid and free) that provide growth tracking. Online services come and go, so it is always best to perform a current search for them. Check Twitaholic for an interesting look at a simple and revealing read out.
• Reach: When you tweet, are you shouting down an empty pipe or are others really listening and reacting? Reach tells you how many others your messages are (potentially) touching. Want to know how much buzz a television special generated last night? Are you wondering how well a certain hashtag is doing? Try TweetReach on for size.

These three are but a beginning. Think about the metrics important to you. Chances are the tool to determine them is already developed and waiting.REMEMBER: Twitter data is almost entirely transparent. You can look deeply at the metrics for your own account and you can scrutinise the accounts of others.

Set up a listening post

Some Twitter services are free. Some are paid. Most offer both a lite (free) and intensive (paid) version. The possibilities are constantly in flux, with new tools and services popping up (and going away) on a regular basis.

By setting up a listening post, you can monitor any person, any company, or any topic being discussed on Twitter (which covers a whole lot of ground).

Here are a few of the best-known providers:

• Hootsuite: One cool tool. Hootsuite is a command station for managing your own account, following other accounts, keeping up with the activity being generated around terms and hashtags — it is a full service monitoring tool. And you can not only listen to what is happening, but send out tweets (or schedule tweets to be sent later) directly from the dashboard. Even the free version is powerful. Hootsuite gets the Writer's Choice nod.
• Topsy: If you've yet to be overly impressed by a social media research tool, this one might turn the tide. Social search, social analytics, social trends — Topsy churns out a user-friendly ton of data. Definitely take a look at Topsy.
• SocialOomph: This service is similar to Hootsuite. Compare both to consider which would provide the best match for you and your needs. While the free version is not as robust as the one offered by Hootsuite, the premium model is stacked with research possibilities.

One more observation of importance: Twitter is especially powerful for finding out about mobile users. The 140-character limit for tweets matches the normal activity of text-messaging aficionados perfectly. The Compete 2012 study confirmed that one-fifth of all mobile Twitter use is on tablets — a growing segment as the industry evolves — with the majority being either Android or Apple tablets.

Why does type of device matter?

Mobile users tend to be more active, more engaged with brands, and more engaged with content. Once considered only a young person's favourite device, mobile has exploded. Even Grandma is carrying a smartphone — and she is using it.

By monitoring the Twitter terms, people, or topics that matter to you and engaging those who care about the same topics in conversation, you'll find out more, do more, earn more and have more fun.

Written by TeamSMF

Contact us on Twitter, on Facebook, or leave your comments below. To find out about social media training or management why not take a look at our website for more info http://socialmediacambridge.co.uk/.

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Is Emma Thompson Wrong About Social Media?

 Oscar winner shares unsavoury thoughts on social media

Hollywood actress Emma Thompson revealed in an interview with Vanity Fair that social media is killing a generation. She clearly has very strong views on the most popular way to communicate, but is she right in her extreme opinion?

Source: variety.com

The two-time Oscar winner says that she would “rather have root canal treatment for the rest of my life than join Twitter,” and would prefer “putting my head in the toilet and flushing it repeatedly” to Googling herself.

The 55-year-old actress later reveals that social media is destructive to society as a whole: “Listen, I’d rather have root canal treatment FOR THE REST OF MY LIFE than join Twitter. That’s not my scene at all. I can’t bear the thought of being connected all the time. God knows what it’s doing to us. I hope that everyone does realise that we are all just one giant human experiment at the moment. We are just a great big bunch of little gerbils on wheels.”

Thompson shares her opinion with a lot of people despite the increasing popularity, and it is clear that she is a non user of such networks. It makes her argument a difficult one to follow in a sense, as she has no experience as to what social media can achieve in society.

To a degree, she is right, and far too many people are allowing social media to dictate their lives, but where Thompson blames social media itself, the real blame lies at the individuals door. It is all about consumption, and like anything, if you consume too much, you will see the negative impact as opposed to the benefits.

Thompson’s attitude is one of someone who does not posses the education in that specific field also, and if she had done her research instead of launching an attack from the off, then she would see the picture in a more rounded fashion. Recent campaigns on Twitter including the Stephen Sutton story and the search for Gareth Huntley show that there is an intelligent community online who strive to help others, whilst utilising the tools given to prosper for themselves also. With these possibilities in place, why would anyone bypass such a tool?

Source: socialstrategy.com

Emma Thompson cannot see past the obsessive folk who refuse to put their phone down, and struggle engaging in any type of dialogue which doesn't include a device or a hashtag. What she doesn't see is the positive things that are born out of social media campaigns, and also how social media helps the film industry. With the help of networking platforms, the film industry has pushed marketing to a new level, and through this cinema has been born again. Ironically Thompson is a part of the film industry that sees the benefits out of social media, and she starred in a film for Disney, who also launched one of the biggest social media campaigns ever for their successful animated movie Frozen.

Of course, everyone is entitled to their opinion, and Thompson has never held back when expressing hers, one can only feel that she has gone in too hard in this social media argument, and she has missed some vital points when developing her argument. Social media is popular for a very good reason, and that reason is because it helps people from all over the globe connect with each other. In a time where cultural differences are high, social media could be that form of communication that allows different groups to respect one another, and the last thing we all need is an A lister shouting negative, uncooked arguments about a tool so important for the development of society.

http://www.socialmediafrontiers.com/2014/06/is-emma-thompson-wrong-about-social.html#.U5Bm4ChZj8Q

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LinkedIn's New Profile Design Takes a Hint From Facebook and Twitter

Image: Mashable composite, Linkedin

LinkedIn is taking some design inspiration from Facebook and Twitter.

The professional network is rolling out a new profile design for its premium members Wednesday, a new look that includes a larger profile photo and a customizable header image that spans the width of the screen. Users can either upload their own image, or select from a gallery of header images provided by LinkedIn.

The new look is similar in style to other major social networks like Facebook and Twitter, which are becoming more visual in their designs. Twitter began rolling out its new design in April, and just recently completed the transition for all users last week.

LinkedIn's new profiles are only available for premium members right now. The rest of LinkedIn's members — those using the service for free — are expected to get the new look in "a few months," according to a company blog post.

LinkedIn's new profile design (top) is more visual and looks more like similar profiles on Facebook and Twitter.

Image: LinkedIn

New profiles weren't the only update premium members received on Wednesday. The new design was part of a larger suite of tools added to the premium service, including enhancements to how premium users appear in search results.
Premium users can now pick from a set of personalized keywords to add to their account in hopes of showing up more frequently in search, and when they do, their profiles will be twice as large as members who are using LinkedIn's free service. LinkedIn has 300 million registered users, and "a little competitive edge can go a long way," the company wrote on its blog.

Premium users can now add keywords to their profile in hopes of appearing in more search results.

Image: linkedin

Premium users can also set their profile to "open," a setting that will allow them to receive messages and make their profile visible to anyone on the platform. Premium members could previously opt-in to this feature, but now it will come standard with premium subscriptions (users can always opt out). Unlike the profile redesign, these other features are exclusively for premium members.

Wednesday's announcement places a greater emphasis on paid memberships. LinkedIn also announced a new premium service called Premium Spotlight, a much cheaper version of the premium membership with fewer perks. The company is calling it a "starter package."

Paying members have always received superior service on the platform, but membership fees are the smallest of LinkedIn's three revenue streams, making up just 20% of total revenue in Q1. LinkedIn makes the bulk of its revenue from an area of its business known as Talent Solutions, the recruiting side of the service for businesses posting jobs and seeking qualified candidates. Talent Solutions makes up close to 60% of LinkedIn's revenue.

As LinkedIn continues to grow — and competition for jobs and visibility on the platform increases — it's likely the paid membership portion of LinkedIn's business will grow as well. Adding new features to distinguish paid memberships from free ones will be important for the company moving forward.
LinkedIn's new profiles will be available to premium members beginning Wednesday. Others interested in receiving the profile early can request one here.

Have something to add to this story? Share it in the comments.

http://mashable.com/2014/06/04/linkedin-new-profile-deisgn/

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Iran Launch War Against Social Media

 What's the real story?

It seems that not everyone is in favour of a world heavily influenced by social media, and Iran in particular have taken actions to make sure that social media does not take a hold in their country. The Iranian leadership have now banned Instagram, and this was after they banned Facebook, Twitter and YouTube.

Social: foreignpolicyblogs.com

Not surprisingly, Iran are very active on these and other social media platforms, and this is to spread their message across the globe, and let everyone know what their agenda is. A fine example of this was the famous phone call between US President Obama and Iranian President Rouhani. The call took place as Rouhani departed the United Nations following his appearance at the General Assembly. Following the conversation, which turned out to be the watershed for the US/Iranian dialogue, the entire content of the conversation was tweeted by none other than the Iranian President.

This type of behaviour online is pure politics and indoctrination. Iran’s Foreign Minister, Mohammad Zarif, is very active online, particularly when he is in negotiations with the P5+1 on the nuclear issue when a deadline approaches. He manipulates the media and world opinion through his Twitter account, and this is the way that politics is heading. Of course, the words posted are under Zarif’s name, but it is his team who are typing the messages. Further to this, these messages are not meant for the citizens of Iran, but the rest of the world, as they are not legally allowed to view the content.

Despite the vigorous efforts by the Iranian government, they have not been able to effectively stop all citizens from using social media. Together with international hackers, they have been able to find ways around the ban.

Source: ieet.org

Just a few years ago, the Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Khamenei, determined that the cyber world was so out of control in Iran that he created a special agency to combat cyber invasion. The agency’s job was to protect Iran from cyber attacks, and to halt the culture attacks that were infecting the Iranian youth. The agency recruited some of the most talented young people in Iran and now, two years down the line, Iran is a serious player in the hacking world.

Recently, the Iranian News Agency, IRNA, quoted the President saying “We should see the cyber world as an opportunity.”  He then said, “Why are we so shaky? Why don’t we trust our youth?” In the country, he is viewed as weak, and even viewed as a liberal Westerner by some. The statements were seen as a symbol of his failure.

Iran has a fascinating relationship with social media, and one that seems to be filled with both love and hate. It is a worrying prospect for many people that politicians are willing to use social media in order to indoctrinate and promote themselves, but not allow the general public to use it. This proves just how useful a tool social media is, as they want to utilise the positives but are scared of the consequences if the citizens get their hands on it.

http://www.socialmediafrontiers.com/2014/05/iran-launch-war-against-social-media.html#.U44W2ihZj8Q

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Social Media Tips - Managing Social Media From Your Mobile Phone

 Is your social media marketing smartphone friendly?

An accelerated form of modernity is here, and this means that time is ticking, and it’s worth too much to waste, so managing your social media via your mobile phone is crucial in the pursuit of success. Life moves at lightning speed, but social media moves even faster, so being able to manage your social media marketing on the go will move your company to the next level.

Source: cubiccreative.com

There are many tools via mobile stores that can help you achieve your goals, and once you master these apps, social media will be as easy as making a simple phone call. Here are just a few of the key apps you should be looking at.

Twitter

Twitter is an obvious one for business, as you can tweet text, photos and videos easily from your phone. This makes it a crucial app for anyone who wishes to advertise or connect with customers via social media. It is great for those who manage more than one account also, and multiple accounts can be stored and accessed at once. The search bar in the app also looks for trending topics so that you can make your content relevant to what the world is talking about.

Pages Manager

Keeping on top of your brand pages on Facebook can be difficult and time consuming, but the Pages Manager app simplifies and expidites this process.  This app makes it easy to stay in touch with activities happening over multiple pages at once. In addition to viewing all of your content, you can post updates, photos, and links, plus respond to comments made by others. As well as all this, you can view and reply to private messages, making it a must for all businesses who use Facebook.

Instagram

Instagram is becoming one of the most popular social media apps, and for good reason. Not only can you post photos with ease, using a host of custom filters, but you can also share instantly across your other social media platforms. This makes it a marketers dream, as it saves the time of posting the same photo over and over again on each of the platforms.

Buffer

Buffer is a great all-rounder, and fantastic for sharing all of your social media content; share to Twitter, Facebook, Google+ and LinkedIn all from one place. The most popular feature on buffer is the content schedule, where you can have multiple articles or photos ready to share, and Buffer will schedule the content over the next few hours or days.

Source: onbile.com

Bitly

Bitly is the go-to app for link shortening. You simply copy and paste your link into the designated filed, and you will be provided with a clean, shorter version of the one you put in. Additionally, you can customise how your new link will look. Bitly crucially provides analytics showing click counts, link activity, and geographic locations. From here you can organise and share your shortened links using its bundles feature.

Zite

Zite is a smart magazine that helps you find the things that you or more importantly your audience would like to read. It is a great way of leisurely connecting with your audience, and the more you read, the more Zite learns what you like and provides updated reading material. From here it is simple to connect and share articles to your other social media platforms.

These are just a few crucial apps that will help you manage your social media business on the go. Many companies now realise that mobile connectivity is the future of social networking due to how busy people are in both their work and private lives. With the right management, you could be thriving in the sphere of social media marketing. 

http://www.socialmediafrontiers.com/2014/05/social-media-tips-managing-social-media.html#.U44D9ChZj8Q

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