How to Socialize Events

Within chapter seven of The Art of Social Media the author, Guy Kawasaki teaches the reader how to promote their event by using social media. He focuses on topics such as, creating a lasting hashtag, and covering the event. These two topics can help create an eternal image for the event you are promoting. Lets’ begin with creating a hashtag. The phrase “less is more” comes into play. A hashtag should be easy to remember so your followers can use it when talking about the event or business. In my case we use #235Grill because it is easy to recognize and remember, it is the name of our business. It should be mostly unique so it is not getting mixed up with other events or businesses hashtags. Considering we are the only Grill located on State Route 235 it is mostly original. Once you have created and linked your hashtag to every platform you want to get everyone to use it. When people come to our restaurant and dine it they may check in on Facebook and use are hashtag. This then allows people who follow them but do not follow us to view other post involving #235Grill in hopes they will like our page and most importantly come dine with us.

            Continuing on, for a business it is important to dedicate a single person to promote your social media podiums. Kawasaki talks mostly about promoting an event. Starting with getting the followers excited for the event! This may include tweets, post and photos to promote, and make people aware of the event. In the past, we have hosted events at the Grill and we would share photos of the raffle baskets, band that were playing, and items that would be auctioned off. By doing this people get a feel for what the event will consist of. However, the promoting doesn’t end there. During the event you want someone taking pictures of the individuals having fun! If the public see this, they may end up stopping by to check out the event. Furthermore, find positive post that people have posted and share them. Finally, after the event you want to recap what happened, what the event was for and thank everyone for their support. Overall, use social media to your advantage when planning an event, or promoting your business on a daily basis follow these tips to market efficiently.

In 2010 my family took on a new adventure, we bought the “Alger Bar.” Yes, we all thought my dad went crazy starting into a new industry at the age of 50. However, it has been both a blessing and a curse. Now seven years later we have turning that run down bar into a thriving family friendly restaurant. One of our biggest battles was altering people’s opinion of our establishment. Before we bought and renovated the Grill it was a wild and rowdy bar with drunks, bar fights and greasy food. Social media has been able to help us reach out and get new customers attention but now I want to improve our online social media strategy with these tips to not only benefit our business but also to benefit the customer.

            First, prior to engaging in the social media world one must think about what their business is trying to promote? What are your assets? Finally, who is your target market? In my case, I want to promote a family friendly atmosphere where people can come for any occasion and enjoy consistently great tasting food. Our assets include making everyone feel welcomed, when you’re dining with us you’re not just another customer you’re family. We appreciate and value each customer we take the time to ask how your day was or how your son is doing at college. It’s the little things that show we care the most. Finally our target market is a wide range because everyone needs to eat! Young, or elderly we look to provide you with a quality experience. Once you have answered these questions you are ready for the next step. Sign up for social media. Many sites allow you to create a business page, be sure to use this to its’ full advantage.

            Furthermore, using all the platforms for your business can get a little hectic at times so do yourself a favor and download a social media manager such as, HootSuite. This website allows you to manage all of your accounts from one site. HootSuite will permit one to schedule your post to deploy at a certain time of the day so you don’t have to watch over each account all day. You will save yourself a  lot of time by doing this, and in the business world time is money.

            Moreover, content is the most important part of your social media page before people start following your page you want to have post that make people want to follow or like your page. Many people react more to visuals so post pictures of the business. Make it easily recognizable for the consumer. Show people enjoying their time at your business. We love to post pictures of birthday parties, class reunions, and benefit dinners that we host at the Grill.

            Finally, as a business you want to engage friends and followers. In my business I have found our customers love seeing what we give back to the community. Each year we put on a Veterans Day breakfast at my local high school. Also, I love to get their opinions on what their favorite meal may be to incorporate it into the months’ dinner specials. In my experience people value you more when you value their opinion. Overall, you want to spend time to better your social media platforms. Social media is a huge thing in this day and age, it will allow you to reach more people than one would ever think.

Showing.... It's a Lifestyle

Showing…. It’s a lifestyle.

With graduation approaching fast I find myself looking back on my past years to see how far I have come and what has shaped me into the individual I have become.  Over the years I have played multiple sports, been involved in numerous organizations but none of them even compare to the impact showing livestock had on me. I cannot stress enough the responsibility, leadership, work ethic, and value of friendship showing will bestow on you.

Starting at the young age of five I way allowed to show in open class at our local county fair. This is where it all began. I can remember getting ready for my first time in the big arena. We would take the pig to the wash racks get them all shined up making sure they looked the best in the arena. Mom then took me back to the campers to get myself “show ready” bursting with excitement she braided my hair, tucked in my freshly ironed flannel, put my pig grooming brush in my back pocket and off to the show we went! Back in the barns we waited for my class to be called into the arena knees shaking, heart pounding I was a nervous wreck. I heard the announcer call “class seven to the area.” I headed to the arena trying to remember all the tips my parents had told me, keep your eye on the judge, do not ever stand between the judge and the pig, keep him moving and most importantly be confident, you will do great! After what seemed like forever the judge started placing the top five exhibitors. I was now more nervous than ever! When the judge final said “and this young lady in the pink flannel will take the class” I did not know to cry to jump for joy. My very first time showing and I won showmanship! This is where it all started, not knowing it would be the beginning of so much more.

From this point forward I knew livestock would be in my life forever. My parents told me how much work and time I would have to put into these fair projects. Now old enough to show as an exhibitor I did not care nothing could keep me from showing pigs. However, it was not long after receiving my pigs I learned how much work they were. I had to be up early, remind you this is my summer vacation, I want to sleep in. Nope, had to be out at the barn by 8a.m. Once we got the pigs fed and watered it was time to walk them. It never failed we were back in the bars that night feeding, washing and walking them all over. It was a huge adjustment for the first couple weeks. I mean I was only nine and had never successful raised a goldfish. I now know the responsibility this taught me. Responsible behaviors in the 4-H livestock program include providing timely and appropriate care, feed and housing for the animal, as well as preparing for the show. Maintaining an accurate project record book is another important component of the 4-H livestock program; members should responsibly record their animal’s health, feed, age, and take pictures of their livestock project to document growth.

Furthermore, starting at such a young age I had already learned the value of leadership. Leadership for some is something they are born with, for others it’s something they have to work at to learn. In the stock show world, they learn this lesson very early on. No matter what animal they take into the show ring they have to lead it in there or drive it. These animals have to learn to trust these kids and that’s why you can tell the kids that work with their animals from the kids that don’t. The animals from the kids that work with them stride in the ring, because they trust the person behind or in front of them. The kids that don’t work at it have to deal with an animal that is resistant to go anywhere with them. Just like how being a leader really is. Before people follow you they must first trust you.

Moreover, I knew what it was like to work hard and see the rewards you earn from your hard work. I started ahead of the game, which I am so very thankful for now! My earnings from selling my market projects were placed into a savings account that helped me pay for my college tuition. Once I was too old for showing I had so much extra time on my hands, getting a job was the only thing that seemed to occupy my excess time. This continued to build on my work ethic I gained from raising livestock.

Finally, the best thing I gained out of this experience a vast amount of lifelong friendships. Making lifelong friends and memories is something all livestock exhibitors will obtain after stepping into to the show world. Some of the best memories aren’t always made inside the show ring, but rather at home working, sitting in the trailer preparing for the show, or headed towards the show. Showing brought my family together closer. We had to spend hours upon hours traveling together in the truck for miles and we had plenty of time to talk about anything and everything. Family and friends are the most important people in your life. Without their love and support it would be tough to do anything.

In conclusion, in life dedication, integrity, and hard work can get you anywhere you want to be. Those are just some of the characteristics that describe what FFA and 4-H push kids to possess. Which is why FFA and 4-H are beyond important for the agriculture industry. Stock show kids are always working towards conquering a goal and accomplishing their dreams.That is why show kids really are the best kids.

Ohhh Monday.

Where to begin. Mondays are usually the day I dread, I dread waking up to start my day, trying to motivate myself to in the mood to get a good work out in and then off to college, work and so on. However, today was oddly rare. I woke up alert and ready to start my day! after a good nights rest I was off to the gym where my cardio workout didn't seem like such a drag. Continuing on my day got  even better. As I was scrolling through Facebook I see a post about Menards having patio chairs for $.01. No Joke! each chair was a penny! Did I need these chairs, no. Was I in the search for new patio furniture, no...but what a deal do I bought 12! I got 12 chairs for .13 cents! This had to be my day! nothing could go wrong. As I was thinking my day couldn't get much better, I was wrong yet again. As I was at work this gentleman sat up at the counter and handed me a lottery ticket and asked me to scratch it off for me. Well he won $100.00! To my surprise, he split it with me! This Monday was defiantly a Monday to mark on the calendar!

How is Social Media most useful for a business?

Today I would like to touch on how I have used social media for our local business. My family owns a restaurant just inside the Village of Alger, Ohio called the 235 Grill. Our business has been family owned and operated for the last seven years. As a small business in rural area we look for ways to draw people from larger cities in to visit our restaurant. I have found social media to be a great use.

We have tried to find ways to advertise to different clientele but also keep our regular customers informed. Facebook has been a huge hit for us. I use Facebook daily to share our dinner specials, promote our entertainment events and communicate with our customers. I have found this to be effective because of the amount of people that do have Facebook. It is now the social media that people of all ages use. This is a helping factor because our clientele ranges in age.

The Art of Social Media

Throughout the first three chapters of "The Art of Social Media" one concept that Guy Kawasaki hit on really took me by surprise. He stated "you aren't using social media right if you're not pissing someone off." I read this over thinking in my head is that really what he wrote; sure enough it is. In the world today I believe people are more worried about being people pleasers than pissing someone off. We continually bite our tongues trying not to step on anyone toes. However, this author has a different take on this situation.

Furthermore, in the book they touch on posting many times a day to gain the most views, likes and most important the amount of shares your post receive. I find myself taking to my friends about people who live on social media, that post a lot. Posting on social media sites a lot is not something I ever thought to be a positive thing. However, now I know when posting about the right things, things people relate to and impact them can be. Moreover, I became aware of the multiple  tools that can be used to schedule post during the day when at work, school or just too busy to check social media sites.  Going forward, I look forward to using these tips to optimize my accounts and display a more professional appearance through social media