Social Media Marketing
Michael Wangbickler
Balzac Communications
Caveman Wines

What is Social Media?

“Social media is an umbrella term that defines the
various activities that integrate technology, social
interaction, and the construction of
words, pictures, videos and audio. This
interaction, and the manner in which information
is presented, depends on blah blah blah …this is
too much print for a power point slide.”
-Wikipedia (mostly)

Translation:
Social Media is Conversations Online

Why should I care?!
Reason #1
Social Media sites are growing
exponentially.

~ 4,000,000 articles
~ 65,000 new videos per day
~ 1,382% growth - 7 million users
~ 200,000,000 users
~ Blogs - 200,000,000
~ 1,000 Wine blogs (est)

Reason #2
The conversations are happening,
your brand is being talked about …
whether you participate or not.

73%
of active online users read blogs.
57%
have joined social networks.

14%
of people trust advertisements
[broadcast]
78%
of people trust the
recommendations
of other consumers

The top 20 wine bloggers in
aggregate represent a larger
audience than the Wine Spectator
online, and are growing at a faster
rate.

Reason #3
Fundamental shift in communication model
Monologue vs. Dialogue

Reason #4
It is only going to get
more pervasive…

“In 2009, if you’re not on a Social
Networking site, you’re not on the
Internet.”
IAB Platform Status Report: User Generated Content, Social Media, and Advertising - April 2008

Marketing in Social Media is about…
Listening
Participation
Engagement

HELP!
Where do I even begin?
10 Steps to Success

1. Do Your Homework
http://www.vintank.com/VinTank_SocialMediaReport.pdf
http://server-uk.imrworldwide.com/pdcimages/Global_Faces_and_Networked_Places-
A_Nielsen_Report_on_Social_Networkings_New_Global_Footprint.pdf
http://mashable.com/

Use caution with fee-for-service
“consulting” and “education”

2. Invest your Time
- Spend time planning
- Make time to participate
- But don’t get sucked in
- Well worth the investment

3. Monitor the Buzz
http://www.google.com/alerts
http://www.cruvee.com
http://tweetbeep.com/ http://socialmention.com/
Listen Before Participating

4. Immerse yourself in the conversations.

Messages are not conversations.
- Be Transparent and Honest
- Avoid being too “salesy”
- Don’t evade or lie
- Admit your mistakes right away

5.
- Don’t be afraid to share
- Get the most value out of Social Media
- Make it easy
- Incorporate tools to promote sharing

6.
- Be personal
- Don’t shout. Don’t broadcast. Don’t Brag.
- Use your own voice
- Give people something to relate to

7.
- Think like a contributor, not a marketer
- Be relevant
- Don’t promote every time
- Promote other’s content

8.
- Learn to take criticism
- Don’t try to delete or remove
- Listen to the argument
- Admit shortcomings
- Be open

9.
- There is no time like the present
- Build relationships now
- Stay active

10.
- You can’t control your message
- But you can participate and communicate
- Accept you can’t do it all yourself
- Consider hiring a professional

Who’s doing it right?

Blogs to Follow:
1WineDude - http://1winedude.blogspot.com/
Appellation Feiring - http://www.alicefeiring.com/
California Life - http://winedivergirl.wordpress.com/
Caveman Wines – http://cavemanwines.com/
Dirty South Wine - http://www.dirtysouthwine.com/my_weblog/
Dr. Vino - http://www.drvino.com/
Family, Love, Wine - http://familylovewine.wordpress.com/
Fermentation - http://fermentation.typepad.com/fermentation/
Gary Vaynerchuk - http://garyvaynerchuk.com/
LusciousLushes’s Blog - http://lusciouslushes.com/
Shana; not out on VHS yet - http://shanaray.wordpress.com/
Vinography - http://www.vinography.com/
Wannabe Wino - http://wannabewino.com/
Winecast - http://winecast.net/
WineLog Blog - http://www.winelog.net/blog/
Wine Life Today - http://www.winelifetoday.com/
Wine Sooth - http://www.redwinebuzz.com/winesooth/
Wine-blog (Jo Diaz) - http://www.wine-blog.org/

Additional Resources.
http://academyofwine.org/
http://www.winetwo.net/
http://www.tastelive.com/
http://winebloggersconference.org/

Acknowledgements/Thanks
Lisa de Bruin – Hahn Estates
Joel Vincent – Vintank, OWC
Paul Mabray – Vintank
Marta Z. Kagan – bonafidemarketinggenius.com

Thank You!
Michael Wangbickler
Balzac Communications
www.balzac.com
mwangbickler@balzac.com
Caveman Wines
Cavemanwines.com
mike@cavemanwines.com