I now have a social media guru looking out for me. His name is Jeff Porter, and he’s from Lithium. This past week, my blog entitled, “I’ve Just Seen the Future, and the Future is Now: CRM with Lithium,” saw my readership go through the roof the day of that story.
That tells me that people just can’t get enough of this social media stuff. We have an insatiable appetite for all things social, because we know that it’s a revolution that’s not going away. And, if we’re in marketing, it’s a necessity to stay on the front line of understanding as much of it as we possibly can… while… in my business… also staying in front of learning all that I possibly can about wine. Being mutable, adaptable, and teachable has never been more important. It’s all about surviving.
I just spent a good part of my day putting a social media plan together for a client. Now, I’m prepared to either implement what’s on the list, or train a staff to do what’s on the list. Basically, I just compressed into the lowest common denominator bullet points, what I’ve just learned about social media over the last five years as a participant. With my bullet points, I can now go out and train the teachable and/or curious, who want and or need my skill set.
[There have been many times in my life when I’ve taught one thing or another; now it’s social media. Who saw that coming?]
So, my pal Jeff just turned me onto a whole new set of facts and figures gathered by Eric Qualman of Socialnomics.net. I’ve just ordered my book, and can hardly wait to get into its nitty gritty. I’m sure there will be more to share, but I certainly can’t share it all, as that would ruin sales for Eric, and I have no intention of doing that. I value his intellectual property, and his ability to cash in on it… We’ve all got to eat.
About Eric Qualman:
Erik Qualman is the Global Vice President of Online Marketing for EF Education, headquartered in Lucerne, Switzerland. EF Education is the world’s largest private educator. Qualman works out of the 850 person Cambridge, Massachusetts office. Prior to joining EF Education, Qualman helped grow the marketing and eBusiness functions of Cadillac & Pontiac (1994-97), BellSouth (1998-2000), Yahoo (2000-03), EarthLink (2003-05) and Travelzoo (2005-08). Qualman holds a BA from Michigan State University and an MBA from The University of Texas at Austin.
Teasers… Just a few should give you enough of a snap shot that you’re going to find this YouTube video amazing:
- By 2010, Gen Y will out number Baby Boomers
- 96 percent of them have joined a social network
- Social Media has overtaken porn as the #1 activity on the Web [Jo’s NOTE: There’s some good news]
- 1 out of 8 couples last year met via social media (Another of Jo’s NOTES: no more hanging out in bars as a necessity)
The fascinating facts and figures just keep on rolling in on this really well done presentation. It’s a must watch. We can thank Jeff Porter of Lithium for watching out for us all, and we can thank Eric Qualman for his tenacity, research abilities, and his writing skills!
You know I’ve talked about a Social Media Revolution more than once, if you read this blog with any regularity. (Some of you do, thanks!)
Here’s a video that floored me. Enjoy!
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You’re drinking the kool aid, Jo! I don’t know where the social media thing is going with respect to the wine industry, but it’s fun watching it and trying to figure it out with you.
My grandmother was the first person to give me cool aid… That’s why I trust it so much.
Fun this exploring social media world with you in it, too!
Unfortunately, while Qualman may be a Social Media expert, he tends to be somewhat naïve and foolish when it comes to general brand management.
See here: http://www.digitaltonto.com/archives/314
– Greg
Greg,
Very interesting read… Your link above.
At the end you wrote, “Full Disclosure: I do plan to buy Qualman’s new book and actually read it as well.”
My book should arrive soon, and I’ll have a better understanding of what’s inside…
What I’m learning is that no one’s got all the answers. I come from years and years of PR and marketing (11 in radio, and 16+ in wine). In the last two years I’ve watched a revolution that I can barely fathom, but I keep pushing on, because I will NOT be left behind, like the folks sitting in nursing homes, not knowing how to even turn on a computer.
Qualman offers numbers for me right now, which I need in order to explain what’s going on with social media to my clients. I just had one client ask me, “What’s a blog?” the other day. There’s so much work to do – still – with those not as connected to their computers as we are… and people like you and Qualman lead the way.
Thanks for your comment, and I’ve bookmarked you…