5 Reasons to Attend Social Media Day San Diego @SMdaySD #smdaysd

By now you’ve probably at least seen a tweet or Facebook post about Social Media Day San Diego. It’s right around the corner! The event will be hosted on June 30th, 2012 at the Marina Kitchen inside the San Diego Marriott Marquis & Marina.  Social Media Day is an international day that celebrates the revolution of media and the digital space. We’re all connected now more than ever because of social media; so on June 30th, let’s show our appreciation by getting off our computer screens, meeting new people and hanging out with friends at Social Media Day San Diego! If this isn’t enough to convince you to go, here are 5 reasons to attend Social Media Day San Diego:

 1. Experience some of San Diego’s greatest products on Social Media- There will be tons of goodies and giveaways  from local companies on Social Media! We’re raffling off some amazing prizes and if you are one of the first 100 people to arrive at the event, you’ll receive a Social Media Day gift bag filled with surprises.

2. Enjoy the luxurious atmosphere and view- What better way to socialize with old friends and meet new ones than in the extravagant Marina Kitchen inside the Marriott?

3. Network with hundreds of Social Media savvy professionals attending this event- You won’t hear the questions “Why would I want to tweet what I ate that day?” or “Why would you check in somewhere” at this event. Come out to network and make new friends with smart and tech savvy like minded individuals.

4. Have fun with games, contests and social media inspired interactive activities- We put out a call for sponsors and have received an abundance of replies! It’s so great to see so many businesses embracing social media. Our sponsors will be conducting fun social media inspired games, contests and have additional promotional offers for you to take advantage of.

5. Put San Diego on the Map- Social Media Day events will be happening across the nation and world so this is a great opportunity for San Diego to really make a mark in the social space and show everyone just how great the San Diego Social Media community is. We’ll have the Minglestream tweet wall ready for action with the hashtag #smdaysd. The best way to celebrate Social Media Day is to actually  include social media in the mix!

 

Full event details are below:

When: Saturday, June 30th

Time: 5PM – 9PM

Where: Marina Kitchen – inside the San Diego Marriott Marquis- Get directions.

This is a free event, however, we do encourage you to RSVP 

Official Website: http://www.socialmediadaysandiego.com/ 

A special thanks to @stef_funny for compiling this post! Stephanie will be volunteering and representing Marketing Melodie at Social Media Day. Tweet her, look for her at the event and say hello! 

Delicious event marketing lessons from Taste of the Gaslamp

I have Social Media to thank for so many of my adventures! But even when I’m having fun, my marketing mind is running with ideas on how businesses can effectively market themselves. Like the time when social media gave me the opportunity to participate in an epic shopping spree @nordstrom_rack. I then took my event experience and shared tips for utilizing social media for event marketing. And the time I was able to enjoy a gorgeous day on the San Diego Harbor sampling the finest food and wine because a Twitter contact knew I would love and share this event based on my posts about food and food porn. They demonstrated effective blogger outreach. Oh and I can’t forget the time @TomGarfinkel, COO of the San Diego @Padres  gifted me VIP treatment during a  Padres game through Twitter. It was a fantastic gesture of fan appreciation!

Those are just a few of my social media adventures and last weekend was no exception! During the week I checked my Twitter feed and I see an update from @DiningOutSD about winning tickets for Taste o f the Gaslamp. I click on the link and am directed to a Facebook contest they’re hosting.

“1st to post an “I love Gaslamp dining” haiku wins a pair of tix to Taste of Gaslamp this wknd! We will also give a pair of tix to the best haiku”.

I honesty could not remember the exact rules for a haiku. I knew it had something to do with 3 lines and and a certain number of syllables. I couldn’t count on winning through having the “best” haiku so instead of spending more time looking up exactly what a “haiku” was I just took my best shot and posted an update hoping to be first. I hit the “share” button and my haiku that I’m still not even sure is a haiku was the first comment and won me 2 tickets to food paradise!

I love using photos to share my event experiences so here are a few delicious photos. One of my favorite savory tastes was from Barleymash. They had refreshing ceviche on a crunchy cucumber. Trust me, when you’re going to 30 different restaurants, it’s nice to eat something light. It was also great to see restaurants like Burger Lounge be extremely generous by offering full burgers!

I definitely have a sweet tooth and there were a plethora of dessert options at many of the restaurants. My favorite sweet taste was gelato from Cremelose. I sincerely appreciated Cremelose being accommodating when I told them I wanted to avoid dairy. All of their “taste” options had dairy but they had no problem letting me try a dairy-free flavor. Other restaurants that were extremely accommodating to food allergies during the event were Rockin’ Baja Lobster and Hooters so kudos to them.

There were  interactive activities at Taste of the Gaslamp too! Exclusive Collections, a fine arts gallery in the Gaslamp had a live artist painting photos of chefs from the different restaurants participating in Taste of the Gaslamp. They also had a  display with the cutest food related art. My favorite non-edible treat from Taste of the Gaslamp is by far the TangelOMMM from Exclusive Collections.

The event was 3 hours long  from 1-4pm. By 4pm, I noticed people stumbling from being so full! I did a great job at pacing myself, not eating every single thing from every restaurant, avoiding gluten which is extremely filling and avoiding dairy which prompts indigestion.  People saw my “Taste Card” and they were extremely impressed at how many stops I was able to make! I visited almost every single stop and truly felt like I tasted all of the Gaslamp.

So now that you’ve had a glimpse of my Taste of the Gaslamp experience, I have a few tips for businesses who participate in events that drive traffic to their location. Of all the 30+ restaurants that participated, only a handful invested any effort into retaining me as a customer. If you are a business who is going to invest time and money iton an event, you absolutely need to have a strategy to monetize from your efforts. I have 3 simple tips for you to incorporate into your next event.

1. Collect Emails- Only ONE restaurant bothered to collect emails addresses from attendees! Email marketing allows you to directly target people who have actively signed up to receive your updates. Heavenly Cupcakes collected emails through hosting a contest. If you submitted your email, you were entered to win free cupcakes. I recommend emailing a follow up to everyone who attends your event a thank you and to start building a relationship for any future email marketing you do with them. It was a delicious and smart idea for Heavenly Cupcakes to collect emails. (Heavenly Cupcakes also has a Cupcake Mascot that you’ll find roaming the Gaslamp at times)

2. A reason to return-  Create an offer or discount, exclusive to event  that encourage attendees to return. This tip is very similar to one I shared on how to attract loyal customers with daily deals. A discount may not be right for every type of restaurant and it’s important not to devalue your food. However, if done strategically, discounting does help drive traffic back to your location. Burger Lounge gave out $5 gift certificates to all attendees. Hardly anything on their menu is $5 but it’s a good enough discount to encourage people to come back and buy something.  Probably only 4 or 5 restaurants did something similar to encourage people to return with offers such as a free appetizer or free dessert.

3. Connect with attendees on Social Media- Many people attending your events are on their phones tweeting, sharing their experience on Facebook and checking in on Foursquare, etc. Reach out to people who have mentioned you on their social networks. This really personalizes someone’s experience and puts you at top of mind when someone has visited 20 other locations. I only had one restaurant connect with me on Social Media regarding Taste of the Gaslamp. @BarleymashSD retweeted the photo I posted at their spot. I thanked them and they also replied to my thanks!

Well there you have it! I had a delicious time at Taste of the Gaslamp, discovered so many new restaurants that I want to go back to and trust that I was able to offer a few valuable marketing tips based on my experience from attending the event.

Please help me choose a logo for Digital Media Now @DigitalMediaNow

Hey everyone! My seminars and webinars have really been taking off! I hosted Digital Media Now- Personal Branding on Social Media earlier this month and I plan to host more events, in addition to webinars very soon. With my seminars and webinars in full swing it’s time for me to have an official logo but I need your help choosing one. My good friend and savvy Designer Chris Kirkman provided me with these design concepts.

Please share with me your thoughts, favorite logo, ideas etc! You can comment on this blog post, tweet @MyMelodie or let me know on Facebook what you think! There are 2 different things I’m deciding on. First is the color scheme. Do you like Color Scheme 1: Blue and Orange or Color Scheme 2: Dark Blue and Red? Next I need to decide on the actual logo. Option A, B or C? Or perhaps you have some insight on tweeking the logos in general? I always sincerely appreciate help and feedback from my community so thanks in advanced for letting me know what you think!

Networking Tips I Learned from Meeting @KeithFerrazzi in San Diego

I had the honor of meeting my favorite author, Keith Ferrazzi in San Diego this week at the Entrepreneur Challenge Fall Kickoff Event at UCSD where he interviewed the renowned Dr. Irwin Jacobs, Co-founder of Qualcomm.  As I mentioned in my post welcoming Keith Ferrazzi to San Diego, there’s not a single time I recommend a business book that I don’t mention his best seller, Never Eat Alone! I’ve learned so many great tips for networking, connecting and building professional relationships through Keith’s books, blogs and videos. Meeting him in person really reinforced many of these tips  Here’s a glimpse of my amazing evening spent networking with entrepreneurs and meeting Keith Ferrazzi. I’ll end the post with valuable networking tips you can apply to the very next event you attend!

The evening started off with a networking dinner so of course, I had an opportunity to meet some great community leaders, UCSD students and affiliates. The photo below is a prime example of never eating alone!

I followed one of Keith’s golden rules for meeting the speaker at the event. Get to the speaker, before he goes on stage! I saw Keith Ferrazzi walk by and immediately went up and introduced myself to him. He’s extremely personable, enthusiastic and positive. I manifested this exact moment into my life because in 2009 when Who’s Got Your Back came out, I told Keith Ferrazzi that I would get his second book when I met him so he could autograph it and that’s exactly what happened!

 After enjoying a great dinner, Dr. Irwin Jacobs and Keith Ferrazzi took the stage. Keith Ferrazzi’s job was to be curious and ask Dr. Jacob’s questions related to the topic of “Why great relationships matter in business?” Keith did a great job at asking questions that prompted Dr. Jacobs to share his inspirational story. As both a Marketer and an Entrepreneur, I really resonated with both Dr. Jacobs and Keith Ferrazzi. I definitely learned a lot about having a vision and following it, being a great leader and of course networking! Below are some networking tips I’ve learned from Keith Ferrazzi, some of them definitely came into play during this particular event!

1. Reach out before the event- If you’re attending an event and want to meet someone specific, reach out to them before the event. I’ve already discussed how to work a conference before it begins. This tip is very similar. Social Media is a great resource that allows you to connect. Before attending the event, I tweeted Keith a bunch of times and of course wrote my post to welcome Keith to San Diego. Reaching out can also be done by a simple email. You can let someone know that you enjoyed an article they wrote, congratulate them on a recent accomplishment or connect with them on a more personal level if you know a hobby they enjoy. (In the tweets below I engaged several people in conversation about Keith Ferrazzi and I even received a reply from him acknowledging that he would see me tomorrow!)

2. Arrive Early- If you want to meet the Speakers, they’ll definitely be at the event at least 30 minutes before hand. Chances are the speaker won’t be bombarded by everyone else so you may have an opportunity to introduce yourself before anyone else. If you wait until after the event to try and connect with a speaker, chances are they’re going to be busy talking to everyone else and also thinking about going home so it’s harder to make a personal connection. I actually arrived at UCSD 30 minutes early so was one of the first one who was let into the room.

3. Talk To the Organizer- Arriving early also gives you a chance to find and introduce yourself to the organizer and let him/her know who you may be looking to connect with. Ask the organizer if there’s anyone they feel would be a great connection for your industry. The organizer knows everything that’s happening behind the scenes and everyone who’s going to be at the event. See if they can introduce you to some other attendees or even the speaker. When approaching the organizer, make sure to be mindful of their time since they’re probably still planning last minute updates and make sure to thank them for hosting you.

4. Ask Questions- After many presentations and panels there is often a chance for audience Q & A. This is your golden opportunity to get in front of the room and let others know what you do. Before asking your questions, clearly state your name with a brief intro. Since you have everyone’s attention, there very well may be others in the room who are seeking your service, product or who many want to collaborate with you. Asking questions not only gives you mic time, it also allows you to interact and stand out to the speakers and attendees.

5. Give Books as Gifts- Since the holidays are approaching so quickly, tis the season to start thinking of gifts for your prospects, clients and colleagues. Books are full of information and are personal because you’re recommending something that has helped you. Autographed books are even better! Keith reminded me of how great of gifts books can be as he was signing mine. He asked if there was anyone I’d like to give “Who’s Got Your Back” to so he could sign the book to that person. I didn’t have anyone in mind, so I just told him to sign his name in case I did want to give the book away as a gift. Well Keith came up with an even better idea by writing “Melodie’s Got Your Back”. This way I’m able to keep the book myself or also give it away as a gift.

Again, it was such an honor to meet my favorite author, hear Dr. Jacobs speak and connect with other Entrepreneurs. I’m grateful that attending the event inspired me to refresh my own networking skills, allowing me to share tips with you. If you have additional networking tips, please leave them in the comments below! I’m personally hosting a networking event and seminar coming up on Wed. November 2nd! If you’d like to attend my next seminar where you’ll definitely have a chance to apply these networking tips, you can register here. If it’s your first time attending one of my seminars, please email me: melodie at marketing melodie dot com and I’ll send you a code fore $10 off. Happy Networking and if you don’t already have Never Eat Alone and Who’s Got Your back, check them out at your local library or purchase them! You won’t be disappointed.

10 Things I do to Work a Conference Before it Begins

My company has been sending me to many conferences lately and I definitely can’t complain.  However it’s important to keep in mind that “working” a conference is different than just “attending”. I’ve already blogged about things to do DURING a conference to engage your Twitter followers. I’ve also blogged about post conference strategies AFTER you attend on how to turn a follow up email into a connection. But what about BEFORE the conference begins? As I prepare for PubCon I want to share  my top 10 personal conference preparation list . Read more

Melodie’s Trip to ERA’s D2C Convention in Las Vegas

I had the honor of attending Electronic Retail Association’s Annual D2C Convention September 13^th and 14^th in Las Vegas at the Paris Hotel. In addition to attending I was an official Vlogger for the event.  (Vlogs will be posted soon) Arriving Sunday morning, I dropped my stuff off at the Bellagio where I stayed then headed to the convention which started off with great connections at their networking lunch. I’m amazed at how much  I accomplished  during my short stay of less than 48 hours .

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