Get To The Grapes

Last year, Merlot Marketing was hired by Smashburger to help launch the emerging “better burger” restaurants to the Sacramento region. Since then, the number of stores nationwide has eclipsed 100, and in that time Merlot has opened locations in Citrus Heights, Folsom, and as of this week, Roseville.

Using a combination of social media and public relations, the Merlot Marketing team helped turn Wednesday’s Smashburger grand opening in Roseville into a wonderful success!

On Tuesday, our team kicked off the grand opening festivities with Roseville Mayor Pauline Roccucci, city representatives and the Roseville Chamber of Commerce.  We abandoned the oversized novelty scissors and yards of red ribbon. Instead of the traditional ribbon cutting ceremony, we did a ‘burger’ cutting ceremony! And what better way to celebrate than with a bite?

Merlot Marketing also invited select members of the Roseville community to preview of the restaurant before it opened to the public. Nearly 250 community influencers, bloggers, neighbors and burger fans packed the restaurant to enjoy dinner and dessert!

Doug Branigan , VP Franchise Operations and Roseville Mayor, Pauline Roccucci get ready to enjoy a burger cutting ceremony!

Then, on Wednesday (6/8/11) morning, the official public Grand Opening, Merlot Marketing secured coverage on KCRA Channel 3’s morning show. KCRA 3 reporter (and resident good sport), Mike TeSelle, joined us at the restaurant and learned how we put the smash in Smashburger.

The segment with KCRA aired live with Smashburger’s own David Cannon serving as spokesperson, and even included some additional coverage (thanks to the news team back in the studio) for Smashburger’s delicious fried pickles.

It has been a whirlwind this week with all of the activities and success. As a reward, we may just treat ourselves to another Smashburger.  And maybe we’ll splurge on a side of those fried pickles as well. And for a limited time only, be sure to try the new Nutter Butter Milkshake. They are, well deliciously decadent!

Now that's the right way to celebrate a Smashburger Grand Opening!

Friday, March 25, 2011

Sacramento Business Journal – by Debi Hammond, Contributing writer, Marketing

Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn are all great options for small companies

Many companies view social media as a way to create connections with customers. But social networks also can help you reach a broader audience.

If you’re not using social media to enhance your public relations efforts, you’re missing out. Every major — and not so major — news outlet now uses social media to uncover leads and reach readers, viewers and listeners.

CNN, The Wall Street Journal, Newsweek and Fox News all have Facebook and Twitter accounts. Locally, The Sacramento Bee, Sacramento Magazine, Sacramento Business Journal and Comstock’s magazine (which just launched an iPad app) all engage in social media for business use.

Here are few tips to help get your public relations program more “social.”

• Follow: Start following editors and reporters who cover news important to your business. You never know, they just might start “following” you, too. Get to know what they cover and share appropriate information with them.

• Friend: A lot of media are surprisingly open with their Facebook accounts. This is a great place to learn more about them, both personally and professionally. If you’re not actually “friends,” this is not the place to try and become one. It’s a place to connect and learn, but leave the pitching to the appropriate venues and business hours.

• Connect: LinkedIn is a great tool for creating business connections, and the media is no different. Media outlets use it too for their own professional career connections as well as company information and news. LinkedIn is a powerful tool for doing preliminary research on media outlets and journalists. If you don’t have an account, sign up! And if you’re not currently using it to connect with the media, you should start. (more…)

We are thrilled to announce that we took home six CAPPIE awards at this year’s SPRA CAPPIE Awards.  The ‘wins’ included:

GOLD AWARD:

• Client: River City Bank
• Category: New Media (Viral Video)
• Project: River City Bank “Ask Steve” Video Series

BRONZE AWARD

• Client: Dave & Buster’s
• Category: Promotional Device
• Project: Dave & Buster’s Smart Car Promotion

Photo: Tim Engle

SILVER AWARD

• Client: Everpure
• Category: Media Kit
• Project: Press Kit Packaging

BRONZE AWARD

• Client: Smashburger
• Category: Social Media Campaign
• Project: Sacramento Social Media Campaign

BRONZE AWARD

• Client: Dave & Buster’s
• Category: Short-term Public Relations Campaign
• Project: Dave & Buster’s Grand Opening Campaign

Fox40's Bethany Crouch, with Dave & Buster's general manager Brandon Ball, gets some practice before going live to the Sacramento Area.

GOLD AWARD

• Client: Eldorado Stone
• Category: Continuing Public Relations Campaign
• Project: Eldorado Stone PR Program

Eldorado Stone's VinoWall featured in Sunset magazine's headquarters in Menlo Park, CA.

Congratulations to the entire Merlot team for all of their amazing work!

Recent data provided by Skillpath shows:

• 350 Million: Number of Facebook users
• 60 Million: Number of LinkedIn users
• 50 Million: Number of Tweets created each day (scary that Charlie Sheen is now tweeting… And no, I’m not following.)
• 2.5 Billion: Number of visits Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn together received in one month
• 133 Million: Number of active blogs
• 5 Million: Number of users on the online bookmarking service Delicious (the one I use…)

Let me tell you, as someone who drinks more than 128 ounces of water a day, I know a thing or two about the importance of clean water.

As a company, we at Merlot Marketing have taken small, yet significant, steps to become more socially responsible, by offering our employees, clients and guests filtered tap water instead of bottled water. We feel it is our responsibility to provide the highest quality of service, right down to the H2O we provide our clients.

We must say, we are a bit biased when it comes to the water filtration we use.  Our client, Everpure, has led the water filtration industry as the number one provider of commercial grade water filtration throughout the world for more than 75 years.  So, naturally, we serve Everpure filtered water to all of our guests from national, regional and local media representatives to industry influencers and beyond.

On a much more serious note, we shouldn’t take having access to the best-tasting water possible for granted.  Did you know that wars have broken out for years around the world due to a lack of access to clean water? According to a report dating back to 1999 and sponsored by the UN Development Program, fighting over the scarcity of water, over the next 25 years, will possibly be the leading reason for major conflicts in Africa, not oil.  This is why we are getting involved in today’s Blog Action Day 2010.

During today’s celebration of Blog Action Day 2010, we ask you to take a moment and consider the amount of water you and your family consume each day.  While we of course don’t recommend cutting down on (Everpure filtered) drinking water (yes, that’s a not-so-subtle hint), we do ask that you think about how much water you’re consuming other than drinking water.  To get your juices flowing on how you can help reduce water waste, I’ve included a list below, provided by Treehugger.com, on the many products we each buy and how much water it takes to produce them.  I realize that water is a necessity for the things we eat, drink and use everyday, so I’m by no means saying we shouldn’t manufacturer or consume these products, but the statistics below should at least get you thinking about just how water is consumed and how we might be able to help conserve it.
Car
It takes an estimated 39,090 gallons of water to make a car. It’s unclear if that includes the more 2,000 gallons used to make its tires–each tire takes 518 gallons.

Pair of Jeans
It takes around 1,800 gallons of water to grow enough cotton to produce just one pair of regular ol’ blue jeans.

Cotton T-Shirt
Not as bad as jeans, it still takes a whopping 400 gallons of water to grow the cotton required for an ordinary cotton shirt.

Single Board of Lumber
5.4 gallons of water are used to grow enough wood for one lumber board.

Barrel of Beer
In order to process a single barrel of beer (32 gallons of booze), 1,500 gallons of water are sucked down.

To-Go Latte
It takes 53 gallons to make every latte.

So, what do you think? Can we make changes in our lifestyle so that there is enough water for others in the world?  I’m not saying to reduce your lattes, after all, your latte-drinking provides jobs; however, I am saying to think about your overall consumption and where we all might cut back, i.e. watering the lawn, letting your water run while doing the dishes and brushing your teeth. If we all make small changes, we all can make a big impact.

Forget ribbons, we cut burgers!

Here are just two TV features of many we garnered for Smashburger‘s second restaurant opening here in the Sacramento region.  We opened the first in March 2010 in Citrus Heights and a second recently in Folsom.  Be on the lookout for a third opening soon in Roseville!  Meanwhile, these video clips should wet your appetite.

KCRA 3/31/10:

Fox40 3/29/10:

Friday, June 4, 2010

Target your social media efforts by going for quality over quantity

Sacramento Business Journal – by Debi Hammond, Contributing writer, Marketing

Dunkin’ Donuts has 80 percent fewer Facebook and Twitter followers than Starbucks. So it is losing the social media game, right? Well, it depends on your definition of social media success.

If your goal is to be like Ashton Kutcher (he was the first to reach the 1 million “follower” mark on Twitter, even before CNN), then I guess you could consider your social media program a success. However, my recommendation is to focus on quality over quantity.

Besides, what do those 1 million followers really represent for a celebrity? More movies? More money? Or was it simply a bunch of people experimenting with a new medium who now have inactive accounts?

After all, according to a recent Nielsen Online data study, 60 percent of Twitter users quit after a month.

From a business perspective, the question you want to ask yourself is, does having more “followers/friends” equate to having more business and more brand equity? If you want to use social media effectively, then stop “selling” and be more “social.”

Be authentic

The biggest mistake marketers and small businesses make when trying to market their businesses is trying to use social media the same way they do traditional media. Social media is not traditional media and should not be treated the same way.

Television and radio use a “hard sell” approach. It’s one way and directional: “buy me” now. Social media is “social,” meaning people need to be engaged to want and to learn about your product, service or other information. You can, and in most cases, should, use it as an integral part of your marketing campaign, but don’t treat it as a traditional marketing tool.

Social media is about engagement. It’s bi-directional. It’s about providing value. It’s about being authentic. If all you do is tweet about what’s on sale, promotions and the number of “friends/followers” you want, buy an ad because social media is not the place for the “hard sell.”

You want followers that want to follow you. You want followers who are truly engaged in your brand and are following you because of the value you bring to their lives. If you’re wondering what kind of social media marketer you are, take this brief quiz (answer yes or no): See article at the Sacramento Business Journal (more…)

The Sacramento Business Journal received close to 400 entries, narrowed it down to 100 finalists and named its 2010 class of 40 Under 40 leading business professionals.

A judging panel selected the 40 honorees based on their leadership, entrepreneurship, creativity, accomplishments and community involvement. The event, held at one of Sacramento’s newest eateries – Cafeteria – was sold out. I was humbled to be named among so many talented “young” people. So who are these talented and driven individuals?

See all 40!

Read more…

My 40U40 Profile

Get the Entrepreneur’s Edge at NAWBO’s premier educational symposium for Business Owners and potential Business Owners scheduled for Wednesday, February 10, 2010 from 3 – 7:30 pm at IKEA in West Sacramento. Afternoon includes hors d’oeuvres, beverages, and networking (3 pm), two sets of break-out sessions, and interview panel during dinner buffet with wine 6 – 7:30 pm.

Scheduled Breakout Sessions

* Social Media 101: What is it and What Does it Mean to My Business

-presentation by Debi Hammond, Founder/CEO, Merlot Marketing, Inc.

* Social Media 201 Learn how to Use LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter effectively for Business

* Redesign Your Life to Step into Balance, Power, and Success

* Online Security Savvy — Protecting Your Business Assets

* Preparing and Interpreting your Financial Reports from a Banker’s Perspective

* Texting to Twitter — Understanding and Effectively Relating to Generation X and Y

* Channeling: Establish Your Business Future Through Pre-Sold Referrals

Plus “Women Who Built Their Business from the Ground Up”

Introducing NAWBO’s Expert Speakers

Date: Wednesday, February 10, 2010

Time: 3:00-7:30 pm

Place: IKEA West Sacramento, 700 IKEA Court (I-80 & Reed Ave)

Price: $39/member, $49/non-members by February 6, 2010; $10 more at the door.

For more info, click here

I am almost finished with “Trust Agents: Using the Web to Build Influence, Improve Reputation, and Earn Trust,” by Chris Brogan and Julien Smith and although it does get a bit, well, deep into the techie scene and their inner circle of social media gurus, it’s a great book on how to approach social media successfully.  In a nut shell, when it comes to social media, keep it helpful and keep it real. 

As marketers (and clients as salespeople), we tend to get aggressive with our messages – wanting responses and ROI immediately, but the fact of the matter is, that’s just not how social media works.  Personal relationships and connections take time and some giving of yourself.  So before you expect to get, start to give first.  Want to build influence and earn trust? I’d recommend picking up a copy of this book: Trust Agents.