WANT THE KEYS TO THE SOCIAL MEDIA KINGDOM? I know that a lot of folks out there are utterly disinterested in social media. I understand. I didn't care, either. In fact, at the behest of a computer geek I know, I once opened a Twitter account. Then, I proceeded to do nothing with it because I seriously didn't understand it. In fact, I forgot I even had it. Then, one day, many months later, someone explained the power of Twitter and how to use it. I SAID, "WOW, THAT SOUNDS INTERESTING. LET'S GIVE THIS A TRY." I'm still relatively small potatoes in the Twitterscape. I have fewer than 1,000 followers. But the power of Twitter isn't necessarily in the sheer volume of followers, but in the quality of those followers. (Others will disagree, but debating that isn't our purpose here.) How well it can work hit me one evening when I was standing in front of a restaurant in Boise with a group of people I'd just met at a marketing conference. A woman I'd never met asked my name, and I told her. She said, "Really? Wow. I didn't recognize you without the hat." You have no idea what that means. Yet. You will when you open a Twitter account and start following me @BlaineParker. I presently use Twitter somewhat modestly. I don't work it like, say, Mr. Four Million Followers himself, Ashton Kutcher. BELIEVE IT OR NOT, ASHTON IS THE FACE OF NEW MEDIA AND ITS CONVERGENCE WITH ADVERTISING If you doubt that, read the Fast Company article about how his company is turning him into a new kind of media mogul. "Dude, where's the cash?" It's linked at the bottom of this screed. As important as the Fast Company article is, it's not the manifesto. It's merely grand proof that social media can work and is harbinger of where things could be going. The more important document, the "keys to the kingdom" alluded to previously, is in the form of a slim little book called Crush It!. At 142 pages (and also linked at the bottom of the page), most folks could read it in a couple of hours with no problem. Its size and price, presently about 13 bucks on Amazon, belie its significance. If you've never understood the power of Twitter or Facebook to undermine your efforts at selling traditional advertising, be prepared. If you've laughed off social media as the current, self-indulgent fad, hang on. THIS BOOK WILL SPIN YOUR HEAD OFF ITS CARRIAGE BOLT Crush It! is written by Gary Vaynerchuck, the first-generation American son of a Belarus immigrant. Gary's father emigrated to the US in the 1970s and opened a liquor store in New Jersey called Shopper's Discount Liquors. When Gary took over the business in the '90s (eventually changing the company name to Wine Library), he grew it from $4 million a year to $50 million using traditional advertising--which cost millions. In 2006, Gary began using social media. With a total investment of less than $15,000 (and many of the tools Gary uses are free), he's built a personal brand online that has blown his business out of the water and turned Gary into a celebrity. His over-the-top style and passion for selling wine to the common man have made him a fortune. You may have seen his online wine videos. He's the crazy guy with the dark eyes and short hair raving about varietals with a New York Jets spit bucket next to him on the bar. (One of Gary's lifelong goals is to own the New York Jets-and he may just achieve it.) GARY'S PERSONAL BRAND IS ALSO SUCH A HUGE SUCCESS THAT CRUSH IT! REPRESENTS THE FIRST BOOK IN A $1,000,000 DEAL WITH HARPER COLLINS The reason you should be interested in his book is that he very simply and succinctly explains how, coming from a traditional brick & mortar business background, he made social media work for him and for his business. He also explains that you better be doing what you're doing because you're passionate about it, as that's the only way it will work. Gary Vaynerchuk may not literally be the face of business you yourself want to become. He's not particularly attractive, he's somewhat loud and he's occasionally crass. But his face has become an icon for 2010 because he's using social media tools to his advantage--and cashing in on his passion. That's a desirable goal for any sane human being in The New Year. Happy Happy. Link to Fast Company's Ashton Kutcher article (http://www.fastcompany.com/magazine/141/want-a-piece-of-this.html)
(http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0061914177?ie=UTF8&tag=noodnoodnood-20&link_code=as3&camp=211189&creative=373489&creativeASIN=0061914177)
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