Karen and Chef/Author Becky Selengut at end of Good Fish, Good Cook project PHOTO: Claire Barboza Photography

As many of you have noticed, I’ve been very busy the past six months with my social media marketing and consulting, food blogging and various other business activities with entrepreneurs!  As I kickstart this blog once again, here’s a recap of what’s been going on in the world of One Smart Cooking Marketing:

• Presented four 30 minute keynote speeches about using LinkedIn for business networking professionals
• Conducted two-hour workshops teaching skills and strategies for using LinkedIn for business networking professionals
• Guest speaker on Social Media for Startup Businesses at Edmonds Chamber of Commerce “425 Launch” monthly meeting
• Cooked all 75 recipes in Good Fish cookbook – and blogged about them daily – in the 97 days between Memorial Day and Labor Day
• Earned “Food Blog of the Day” by Foodista
• Garnered media coverage of Good Fish, Good Cook project in Al Dente/Amazon.com blog
• Spoke on social media panel at Capitol Hill Chamber of Commerce monthly meeting
• Guest speaker on Social Media for startups to Entrepreneur Class at Seattle Central Community College
• Provided social media consulting/strategy services to restaurants, food trucks, dietitians, authors, event planners, promoters, attorneys, business coaches, entrepreneurs, small business owners

If you have any groups who would like to hear from an entertaining and accomplished speaker about using Social Media to increase their business, please let me know!  I also provide individual training to entrepreneurs and small businesses on how to maximize their use of the various social media platforms.  And I’m open to the possibility of cooking through another cookbook – just ask me!

I recently ventured back for my fourth visit to this fab event and found it my most rewarding time yet – and felt compelled to share with you the top 10 things I learned at Foodportunity this go-round:

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1. Social media relationships come to life when you actually get to meet IRL (in real life!). There were a handful of Twitter followers I had only interacted with online, albeit frequently! But Foodportunity delivered them in living color, right before my very eyes!  I finally was able to chat IRL with fab photographer Jackie Baisa (@JackieBaisa), food writer Julien Perry (@tastebud1), Seattle Times writer Marc Ramirez (@typewriterninja) and Taste director/chef Danielle Custer (@dcbites).
2. Many of my Twitter friends had new jobs - and I had missed the memo!  But finally getting in the same room caught me up to speed quickly – one has left social media freelancing for a full-time Yahoo gig, another is switching newspapers (and cities!), and yet another has moved from her solo PR gig to helping a local cooking store with marketing and events. But remain connected through this funny little thing called Twitter.
3. A la Mode Pies (@alamodepies) is the bomb! This amazing little company had slipped under my radar, even though I was following them on Twitter – but I am now their #1 raving fan!  Imagine fresh baked pies DELIVERED to your door (free in Seattle and Bellevue)…amazing flavor combinations…and the best, PIE ON A STICK!  Yes, the LolliPie is sure to be a new wedding/party favorite and destined to kick cupcakes to the curb. Okay, maybe not that last one, but this Pie on a Stick concept has some serious potential.  Stay tuned…
4. You can send a beer to a friend – even if they live hundreds of miles away.  Huh??  For real – check out Beer2Buds and check out this cool and frosty concept.  There are almost 40 bars/restos in Washington signed up now - who knew?!
5. I have a groupie (LOL!) and she is a very nice person.  Yes, it’s true – the lovely Jenn Davis (@AmateurGourmand) had told the world recently that I was her “Twitter Idol”, much to my surprise.  I was a little taken aback, yet flattered, and very curious…and when I finally met her at Foodportunity, she couldn’t have been any nicer.  And someone I am proud to boast as my groupie – and it isn’t creepy at all.
6. Many people are afraid to approach chefs and/or authors one-on-one, even when the event is set up for that format. I talked with several repeat attendees who longed for the “old days” of Foodportunity, when the 4-5 featured speakers were on a panel and took Q&A from the entire group for 20-30 minutes.  The current set up had featured guests in a separate room and you had to be bold/brave/dumb enough to walk up and talk with them directly. I think most would prefer hearing all the questions and responses in a public way, to gather the most of the awesome knowledge/talent in the room. We aren’t all as bold as you think. Me included.
7. Some of my “old” friends made via Twitter, that I hadn’t seen in awhile, are alive and doing well!  (as I expected…) That would be you @jeffreykingman, @taylor_tweets, @carissaang, and @yasharwinemongr, to name a few.
8. Many foodies and restaurants are still not sure how to make the most of their efforts on Twitter – and several might be inclined to use my consulting services in the near future. I am ready and waiting for your call…you know who you are.
9. The most popular bites of the night were the Beef Tongue Crostini from Luc/The Chef in the Hat and the Pork Belly Banh Mi from Matt’s in the Market. Hands down, no questions asked - nearly every attendee commented and tweeted about these tasty treats.
10. Keren is taking her Foodportunity show on the road, debuting in Portland on Sept. 13 (@foodportunityOR).  I’m thinking an Amtrak kind of weekend might be in store…

So, if you were at Foodportunity, I’d love to hear what YOU learned…the forum is open below!

The Biggest Loser is proof - less is more! NBC Photo

I say yes.  And less is more.

After reading an appropriately short blog post by Laura Petrolino at Flying Pig Communications this week, I was inspired to think through how someone could communicate what they do in 10 words or less.  Sounds impossible at first blush, right?  But I think it’s brilliant.

Some people can say more in 10 words than others can say in 60 seconds. I’m sure most of you are familiar with those typical “elevator speech” introductions people practice to death before networking events.  In my Director role at BNI, we more accurately call them “sales manager moments”, since you are educating your sales force (other BNI members) about how to bring you referrals.  And sometimes those 60 seconds can seem like 60 minutes with all the thoughts some cram into their message trying to cover ALL that they do.

But using just 10 words is so perfect.  It forces you to really think about what benefits you provide, rather than WHAT you do.  It requires you get incredibly clear on the exact words to use, since you only have 10 of them.  Imagine if someone said to you right now - you have one minute to grab only 10 personal  items before your whole house burns down.  Yikes, so what are you going to take?!  You take what is most meaningful and significant to you – and that’s exactly what your message should be.   Only that which is meaningful and significant. 

I believe it doesn’t really matter to others WHAT we do, because their top priority is WHY they should care.  Remember that old adage - WIIFM?  What’s In It For Me!

You might wonder what I replied to the blog post in question – and my response was “I help Smart Cookies share their brilliance via social media.”  And even as I type that, I realize I could be more specific about why that matters to someone.  My intent was to “compliment” them being a Smart Cookie and being brilliant, and pair that with my knowledge of social media to help them.  But I bet I can do better.

My favorite response on the blog came from a good friend, and she replied “I show adults how to run away from home.”  Now that, my friend Betsy Talbot, is a brilliant answer that tells me exactly what I can get from you and makes me want to drop everything and find out more.  And that’s a lot of power for 10 little words.

So readers, please tell us what your 10 word description is – I can’t wait for the conversation to begin!

My point is that meeting places are significant in a number of ways, and venues offer opportunities to people to connect on many different levels.  As a restaurant, you represent a meeting place, a venue, a connection place for people to develop relationships – not only with each other, but with you.

And there we have the point of a Tweetup, and the reason it should matter to you as a restaurant, bar, winery, etc.  A Tweetup is a scheduled, casual social event for people on Twitter to meet up; thus the phrase “tweetup”!  Many people that know each other on Twitter have never met in person - yet – and you get to be the good guy by providing the means to get them face to face and build a better relationship.

As a restaurant, hosting a Tweetup offers you a number of benefits:

1. 

   Appetizers are good Tweetup food!

   The opportunity for people to visit you for the first time (“I’ve been meaning to eat there someday…”)

2. A chance to deepen your relationship with current customers and build a loyal clientele
3. Establish yourself as the “hot spot” for happy hour or lunch meetings or whatever status you are hoping to gain
4. Create goodwill by providing a venue for a like-minded community (Twitterers!) to meet, often for the first time, in a relaxing, welcoming place
5. Help build community and encourage networking – later those very people will bring back their meetings and parties to your venue, because of how hospitable you were and because they’ve seen a fun, successful event there
6. Increased exposure and visibility for you – when these Twitterers are in your restaurant, they’ll likely be “tweeting” out messages about the food, the venue, the people, etc. which can add up to a constant two-hour “commercial” for your business. And many have blogs and websites where they will later write about their experience, giving you further attention

So, you might wonder, what do you need to offer for the Tweetup to be successful?

1. A private room is nice, but at least a designated area in your restaurant for the group to mingle freely and not interfere with your other clientele
2. A few complimentary food items are always nice, but at the very least, offer special pricing on beverages and/or snacks. These people have come to meet each other, but also would like to sample your food too (and they aren’t there to critique it!)
3. A dedicated server is helpful, to show that you value the group and want to be sure they are taken care of
4. If your owner is onsite, have them come out and welcome everyone, talk about the establishment and answer any questions.  It’s also a huge bonus to have the chef come out to say hello, chat about the food and just be visible even for a few moments
5. Consider offering a discount coupon for a future visit – you have a group of captive, hopefully happy (!) customers, and if you hand them a reason to return with more friends, it’s good for everyone
6. Nametags!  Remember, we only know each other by our Twitter names (@incrediblechef) and we may not recognize faces right away

To give you a real-life example of how Tweetups can work, I was invited by Barbara Evans (@SeattleWineGal on Twitter) to a recent Tweetup at Alexandria Nicole Cellars.  I had never visited that winery (bonus #1), I’d been anxious to meet the very effective Twitter fiend SeattleWineGal (bonus #2) and there were 10-12 other active wine/food enthusiasts attending that I hadn’t met but knew from Twitter (bonus #3).  And I must add, there was a major “strike 1″ in addition to the 3 bonuses - the Tweetup was scheduled on an NFL playoff day!  And being the huge football fan I am, it took A LOT to convince me to leave the TV that day, but the 3 bonuses (above) – and gentle nudging to “get a life” – won out.  And I’m so glad it did.

The winery earned great exposure with a smart group of enthusiasts that are vocal on a very public forum (Twitter), so the PR gain there was huge! Plus ANC was able to give us some behind-the-scenes info and educate us about all the great things they offer.  And to top it all off, they invited Rob Williamson, the general manager of Russell’s Dining & Bar, to tantalize us with appetizers from his restaurant, specifically created to pair with each wine – how’s that for added value?! 

Everyone came out a winner in this Tweetup, and it’s only one example of the opportunities out there by hosting Tweetups. 

Next week (Feb 2) I’m hosting a Tweetup with Epulo Bistro in Edmonds, so we can continue to build better face-to-face community in our little seaside town – many people attending do ”follow” each other on Twitter but have never actually met.  So Epulo has the opportunity to provide that meeting venue for us, entertain us, get to know us, and most likely, to earn our ongoing patronage.  And that is something most of us will remember for awhile…(see first paragraph!)

So tell me, what do you think makes a good Tweetup? What have you like about past Tweetups you’ve attended and what would make them better?  We’re all ears (below)