Last week, I had the opportunity and good fortune to share my Thanksgiving wine picks with Spokane area wine lovers on KXLY920 radio station and KXLY TV’s Good Morning Northwest show. While some may think of me as a media whore, I love these opportunities to showcase Spokane wine and of course Nectar Tasting Room. While these opportunities sometimes seem to come out of the blue, they are not by accident, they are by design. The great thing is that anyone can develop the relationships they need for success in their industry.

Over the last few months I’ve been doing quite a bit of thinking on “relationship marketing” and building strategic connections; so much so, that I’ve started a book about the subject (only on chapter 3 of 12 right now). While I may not “do” relationships and networking correctly all the time, I have seen the power of these strategic connections in action these last 12 months. Here are three tips for turning online relationships into offline success.

1. Be genuine

People can spot a phony. Be who you are regardless of your faults and failures. There are some people I don’t get along with. I can be impetuous and quick to speak without thinking through the consequences, but I am also quick to apologize and know my shortcomings. Many people can build a wide and shallow network but it will collapse like a house of cards if the roots are not deep and genuine.

2. Be purposeful

Build relationships that can be symbiotic. This isn’t done to meet selfish needs but it is done with thoughtful intention. As a Washington wine blogger, I knew that I needed the bigger community of established bloggers. I intentionally sought out and connected with people like Washington Wine Report, Seattle Wine Gal, Paul Gregutt, Wild Walla Walla Wine Woman and more. These relationships became mutually beneficial and even spawned some great friendships.

Knowing that social media marketing and developing a brand required a broader reach, I intentionally connected with local influencers like Pam Scott, Visit Spokane, Ally Shoshana, Monte Tareski, Barb Chamberlain (and so many others) along with the growing local traditional media population on Twitter (enter the radio and TV contacts). Be purposeful about the connections you make whether it is media, non-profits, industry alliances, or popular influencers.

I would speculate that at least 90% of my great “offline” relationships began through “online” purposeful connections.

3. Be giving

Some people are consumers and users. By their very nature their endeavors dry up because at their core they are taking more than they are giving and eventually there is nothing left to take. I love what I do. I love Spokane and the wine scene here. While I have been intentional about most everything I’ve done, I also love seeing the success of those around me and promoting our area. From day one when 5 people watched a video and 3 people read a blog post, it was about adding value to the community. A good friend recently reminded me that it was this “giving” that was so attractive at the beginning. As a business owner with bills, new stresses and responsibilities, I have to admit that I briefly lost sight of giving and became inwardly focused. People often ask if a wine bar around the corner is our competition. I always respond with, “No, I love that place. I often go there when I’m not working.” I love promoting them and their events. Regardless of whether there is a direct financial return, giving should be at the core of what you do. I’ve recently learned that there is a basic principle of the universe. Where your attention goes, your energy flows. Living life with open hands to give also allows you to receive back as well. Many of the most valuable relationships I have were birthed out of giving relationships with the Spokane Symphony, American Childhood Cancer Organization INW, Make a Wish foundation, Cancer Patient Care, Cystic Fibrosis and more.

Relationships are the key to success in any endeavor. Relationship marketing is the unique combination of building and nurturing relationships both online through social media and offline through traditional means. In my opinion, relationships grow through selfless effort and sacrificing your own needs for the greater good of others. Be genuine as you intentionally and purposefully build relationships with key people. Look for ways you can give back to each of those relationships and success will be yours.

For those of you who are interested, I’ve included both the TV and radio spots here for you

RADIO SPOT http://kxly-am.tritondigitalmedia.com/upload/wineguy.MP3

Facebook Rolls Out Recommendations

The ever evolving Facebook platform changes once again with the introduction of Facebook Recommendations. Over the next few days “places” page owners will see a new box on the right side of the screen where users (aka “likers”) can make a recommendation. With the popularity of review sites like Yelp, Google Places, and Urban Spoon, Facebook is making another shot across the bow to world domination.

The Places Recommendation offers page owners a great organic growth tool and promoting platform. A recommendations from a user carries strength. When a page user posts a recommendation the text shows up on their profile and thus in the feed of their friends. This ‘recommendation’ carries a stronger visual weight because it shows the places page logo and the recommendation. When a use posts on a page wall it only shows as a truncated text message.

Suggested Uses

Building a ‘like’ base is important to relationship marketing and social networking. These likes translate into revenue and store traffic. The instant connection with ‘likers’ is powerful element for business growth. Try these three ideas for getting recommendations:

1. Post an occasional status update asking those who ‘like’ the page to post a recommendation.
2. Give people who visit your physical location an opportunity to post a recommendation while they are there by using an iPad or from their smart phone.
3. Offer an incentive reward to users who post a recommendation (i.e. 10% off for all posted recommendations).

Q&A

Who sees the recommendation?

A. The recommendation will show up on the users wall and in their friends feed. When posting the recommendation there is an option to make the text visible to everyone or just to friends.

Can page admins hide a recommendation?

A. If you’re a page admin, you can hide public recommendations that everyone can see. Just hover over the recommendation post you want to hide and click ‘x’. To see a full list of public recommendations for your place, click the See All link in the Recommendations box.

Visit the Facebook/help page for more info.

What are your thoughts on this new feature. I would love to hear your ideas or “recommendations” in the comments.

About the Author

Josh Wade is the owner of Nectar Tasting Room, Spokane Wine Magazine and Nectar Media. Josh used the power of relationship marketing to build a following and a brand for a business before opening. Relationship marketing and social media has helped drive successful business revenue without the need to spend money on traditional marketing. Nectar Wine Blog receives 12,000-20,000 page views per month and ranks in the top wine blogs in the country for engagement, traffic, and readership. Learn more about Nectar Media here.

Dear business owner, I don’t want to be your friend. I don’t want my personal information being in your feed. I’m sure you don’t need to know about my friend drama or how high my bedazzled score is. I want to like you. I want to be a fan of your business, but we don’t need to play Mob Wars together, or ‘poke’ each other, or even chat. Please, shut down the friend page for your business and open a Facebook business page. I’ll like you, I promise.

Now, I don’t mean to be harsh. Many businesses started Facebook “friend” pages because they were misinformed or because they were early adopters before Facebook had business pages. I would like to gently encourage any business with a “friend” page to start the process of moving those friends to “likes.” Growing friends is certainly easier, but as you’ll see below there are several benefits to an active and engaging business page.

Five Reasons Why I Like You, I Really Like You

1. The Danger of Being Closed Down

Facebook terms and conditions clearly state that you will not use your personal profile for commercial gain. Additionally, profiles are to be created with real names. Business names are not “real names.” I’ve known a few businesses that have had their profile pages shut down, without warning for violating these terms. Losing connection to several hundred to several thousand people is not something you want to risk.

2. The Power of an Opt In

When a person makes the conscious choice to ‘like’ your page, they are opting in to your message. You’ve proven to them that there is a connection and through the power of engaging content you can keep them coming back for more.

3. Limited Popularity

While it may seem like a stretch to have 5000 friends, you may be surprised to learn that over time your brand may easily generate this kind of organic growth. Facebook limits the amount of friends a person can have to 5000. Ask my friend, Rick Bakas about those limitations. Rick is a person, but he is also a brand. He’s now created a business page for his brand to accommodate his popularity. Locally, I see several businesses with friend pages that will soon be at that cap. Don’t limit your growth, start thinking strategically how to move people to the correct platform.

4. Stats and Analytics

Facebook analytics can be a pretty powerful tool. At a glance business pages can see who is interacting with their page, what type of media people are consuming, and how effective their campaigns are. The demographic information alone can help make significant business decisions. Facebook also tells businesses the impressions (or reach) of each status update. Watching this information over time can tell you when people are online and what type of content generates the most interaction.

5. Facebook Ads

Don’t underestimate the power of Facebook ads. Facebook is the single most used web site in the world and those trends don’t seem to be slowing down anytime soon. With 50% of users logging in daily, and average time on site nearing an hour, Facebook is certainly giving ad spots greater visibility and power. The future of their revenue model is in ads. Business pages can utilize ads to gain more ‘likes’ or to promote a particular product or event. The beauty of ads is the ability to target who sees your advertisement. If you want wine lovers within 50 miles of Spokane, WA who are also interested in jazz to see your ad, Facebook gives you that kind of power. My personal preference is to pay per click, rather than pay per impression.

A Migration Plan

Now that you see the error of your ways and are scared to be shut down, you need a migration strategy. How are you going to move the hundreds (and potentially thousands) of people to a new location?

1. Start: The journey always begins with the first step. Create your business page, add some content updates, upload the pictures you need, get the profile complete and then start reminding your “friends” to go “like” the page. Do this frequently with a stop date in mind (90 days).
2. Create an event: From your “friend” page, create a Moving Day event to let all of your “friends” know that they should like your new page. Remind them that the “friend” page will eventually be shut down and if they want to continue to get your witty, humorous, and informative posts, then they better go like you.
3. Encourage Migration: If you can afford to, offer a special small incentive to everyone who migrates by a certain date. Make the coupon only available on the business page and promote it through all your marketing channels.

Facebook recently added a feature to allow people to migrate their profile page to a business page. The process only transfers your profile picture and automatically turns all your friends into likes. No other data is transfered. Check out this article on Mashable for more information. http://mashable.com/2011/03/31/facebook-profile-to-page-migration/

Chances are you won’t win everyone over to your like page. Some people just don’t pay attention. You’ll most likely also gain some new “likes” as the organic growth of people liking your new page shows up on hundreds or thousands of people’s feeds. Start now. There will be some attrition along the way but the results will be worth it. You’ll “like” it, I promise.

About the Author

Josh Wade is the owner of Nectar Tasting Room, Spokane Wine Magazine and Nectar Media. Josh used the power of relationship marketing to build a following and a brand for a business before opening. Relationship marketing and social media has helped drive successful business revenue without the need to spend money on traditional marketing. Nectar Wine Blog receives 12,000-20,000 page views per month and ranks in the top wine blogs in the country for engagement, traffic, and readership. Learn more about Nectar Media here.

“What happens when we live in the word of mouth world? What happens when brands can be humanized? There is enormous ROI in a tweet.” ~ Gary Vaynerchuk; ‘The Thank You Economy.’

I want to personally thank Gary Vaynerchuk for the success of DrinkNectar.com, Spokane Wine Magazine and Nectar Tasting Room. 15 months ago, Gary’s book Crush It! Why Now is the Time to Cash In On Your Passion, was the catalyst for everything I’m doing now. The concept was in my head, the business plan was written, and the timing was always considered, “sometime in the future,” until reading ‘Crush It.’

In summary, Crush It is:

• You can brand yourself using social media tools
• Using a blog as a central source is the best strategy
• Content is king
• Content, Conversation, Share, Care
• Repeat

As I started implementing the strategies presented in Crush It, I was blown away by the results. In a few short months my personal brand grew and many opportunities began to present themselves. Just three months into my experiment I was offered the opportunity to write a few articles for Gary’s web site Corkd.com. In April, 2010 I was asked to write on a regular basis for the revamped Corkd.com. While I couldn’t commit to as many articles as Gary was looking for, I was happy to provide one post per week as my time allowed.

We are living in an amazing time. Brands have the incredible potential of affordably engaging with hundreds (even thousands) of customers. The world is getting infinitely smaller as word of mouth marketing goes viral with Twitter and Facebook. When starting my social experiment, I remember the looks on people’s faces. “You’re going to do what with what?” Gary, THANK YOU. Thank you for sharing your personal experience in a real world way.

I also want to say congratulations, Gary, on the 1000^th (and final) episode of Wine Library TV. The show thatstarted it all and inspired hundreds of wine bloggers (including myself) has left its mark as it changed the wine world. Not one to stay static, the incredibly energetic Vaynerchuk launched his new venture, DailyGrape.com the same day as the wrap of Wine Library TV. Daily Grape provides a daily dose of wine education and recommendations from Gary. The site is accompanied by a free iPhone app (other platforms coming soon).  Right now, content is light but each day brings something new. At this rate, Gary will hit 1000 Daily Grape episodes in mid 2014.

AUGUST 23 UPDATE

Today, Gary announced his retirement from the daily wine video. Gary has been such an inspiration to so many people (me included). While Gary will still remain in wine with Wine Library and other ventures, he will continue to work as a marketing consultant, public speaker, author, wine educator and more. Thanks, Gary, for all your dedication and inspiration to the wine world!

In addition to all the big changes at the Vaynerchuk empire, Gary’s new book, The Thank You Economy arrived in stores in early March. Watch Gary explain, The Thank You Economy Book.

I’ve been a lot of things in life, but this is the first time I’ve been a pay per view TV channel!  I recently taught a class for Spokane’s LaunchPadINW called Planting the Seeds of Social Media Success (Part 1). The fine people at Web Share Live stopped by and filmed the 90 minute seminar. Now, through the magic of the interwebs you can watch the class from the comfort of your bunny slippers and snuggie.

For the mere cost of $39 you have unlimited access to the class now through April 5. Watch it in chunks, watch it a million times, bring the whole team together and watch it with popcorn and Red Hots.

Every business needs a social media strategy. Relationships are the key to business success. Social platforms like Twitter, Facebook and You Tube are low cost / no cost tools that can successfully be used to grow brand ambassadors that lead to increased brand influence and revenue. Part 1 of the class explains how to successfully use Facebook, Twitter, and You Tube to engage new and existing clients.

What is in the Video?

Are you looking for ways to get ahead, reach more customers and generate more revenue? He who has the most relationships wins. Statistics say that 50% of Facebook users and nearly 70% of Twitter users are more likely to BUY product from someone they follow or ‘like’. It’s time to move beyond the theory and 101 courses into some serious real world examples. Learn how to integrate social media tools into your engagement strategy. Plant the seeds that will yield a harvest of social media success.

Follow the story of Nectar Tasting Room, Spokane Wine Magazine and other real world case studies who have successfully implemented social media strategies to build or enhance a brand.

• 10 ways social media can benefit your business
• Build your followership and start developing your online currency
• Tips for converting your existing brand to an online presence
• Finding your online voice
• Facebook: Should you like me or be my friend
• Twitter: Understand the language
• Five no brainers that will have immediate impact
• Learn the three pronged approach to success, Commitment, Content and Caring!

Pay Per View Channel

LaunchPadINW PPV Channel >> http://www.websharelive.com/channel/LaunchPadPPV

The PPV class is $39 and is available through April 5 with purchase. If you live in Spokane, don’t forget to register for part II of the class, scheduled for March 16 at the LaunchPadINW training facility next to Nectar Tasting Room.