WSWA 2011Social Media as a Marketing Tool

April 2011

About Liquor.com

Liquor.com is the premium digital media brand and platform for all things related to cocktails, spirits, mixology and the lifestyle of “cocktail culture.”

Created by the “industry experts” for consumers, enthusiasts and key influencers.

Cross Platform Reach

Growth & Reach

Significant growth in 16 months •Liquor.com website – ~400,000 to 450,000 unique visitors/month •Email – 85,000+ subscribers•Facebook – 110,000+ Fans/Likes•Twitter – 15,000+ Followers (@Liquor + Local Accounts)•Partners – Reaching another 1mm to 3mm/month

– Huffington Post, AOL/Slashfood, 7x7.com, SFGate.com, AskMen/A.List, The Rundown, Maxim, GiltCity…

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Digital-to-Local Platform

A Digital-to-Local platform created to very effectively market, promote and drive depletions for spirits brands.

Expert guide toentertaining, inspiringand educating enthusiasts.

Social platform to actively engage and communicate.

Marketing vehicle to drive customers into local experiences.

Success Promoting Premium Brands

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Liquor.com has successfully collaborated with a large number of premium brands on campaigns that have encompassed web, email, social media and online contests.

Facebook vs. Twitter

Facebook and Twitter are both excellent and essential social mediums for reaching and interacting with people.

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Facebook – wider mainstream appeal and reach; more conversational and relationship-based.

Twitter - more broadcast-based, timely, and where you’ll find many of your most brand-loyal trendsetters.

Both are key to an effective social media operation, although, you will likely find wider reach and more interaction on Facebook than

Twitter.

VS.

Our Stats - Facebook

Liquor.com Facebook Fan Page•110,000 Fans on Facebook in 16 months•17,700,000+ Post views (Newsfeed and Page)

– Over 3,000,000 per month•High engagement / Feedback (Likes/Comments)

– 75,000 points of feedback– Averaging 12,000+/month, 400/day– 1,050 highest in one day

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Tip #1: Plan Your Posts

Create a Posting Calendar•Planning is Important – Don’t Wing It•Spread out your posts

– Tip: Mix up different types of updates•Schedule moderation periods for comments

– Tip: Most interaction will occur w/in 24 hrs of an update

•Use measurement tools to track performance– Tip: Map results (Comments, Likes,

Follow/Unfollows) against the calendar to gain insights

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Tip #2: Timing Matters

Focus on WHEN you are posting•Three main peaks for engagement on FB

– Early morning – 7am EST– After work – 5pm EST– Late night – 11pm EST

•Day of the week can be important– Thurs/Friday typically have higher engagement

•Consider scheduling FB posts during high volume engagement windows (nights/weekends)•Note that content and brand may affect when peak times occur

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Tip #3: Be Concise

Be concise – less usually is more•On average, posts less than 80 characters have a higher engagement rate than longer posts.

– Tip: When it comes to writing posts, shorter is sweeter in social media.

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Tip #4: Don’t Be Afraid to Ask

Ask for Engagement•Outright instructions and call-to-actions are much more effective at getting a Like than a post with a long explanation of why to “Like” something.

– E.g. “Like us if ____”•Ask for the comment by using questions with “where” / “when” / “would” / “what” at the END of the post.

– Try to avoid asking “why” questions (perceived as invasive)

•We have found occasional quotes to be very effective at generating Like and Comments.

– E.g. ‘“Drinking is a way of ending the day.” – Ernest Hemmingway.’ Drove 514 Likes / 50 Comments

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Tip #5: Listen, Don’t Just Talk

Listen to your audience•Read comments regularly to see what your Fans/Followers are saying about your brand, products or general level of engagement.•Praise, thank, reward positive feedback with attention.•Show concern, empathy and care to those who express negative thoughts and feelings.•Censor/remove off topic or off color remarks (on FB)

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Tip #6: Contests Can Work

Consider contests for deeper engagement and activation•Contests and sweepstakes can virally attract new Fans and Followers and engage existing users.•Great way to convert from one medium to another (FB to email subscriber)•Balance Quantity of prizes with Quality

– Surprising results with higher volume, lower quality prize– 100 Liquor.com Mixology Kit Sweeps when we hit 100,000

•Balance Quantity vs. Quality of Entrants – Higher hurdles = less entrants, but higher quality fans– Easy entry = many more entrants, but lower quality

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Social Media Contests

Social Media Contest Examples1.Glenfiddich 50 year – trip to NY + GF50 experience2.Glenrothes Operation Whisky Maker – Trip to Scotland3.Jetsetter – $500 travel credit giveaway4.Belvedere – $100,000 Brand Ambassador search5.Liquor.com 100 Mixology Kits

Tips:•Know what you are hoping to achieve from the contest

– PR, User Engagement, High Volume, High Quality, Likes, Email addresses…

•Don’t ask for more information than you need– Ask More, Get Less. But less might be higher quality.

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Learn From Other’s Mistakes

Key Mistakes Often Made in Social Media1.Broadcasting your message

– Engage your audience2.Being too predictable

– Mix it up. Have fun.3.Not investing time to manage

– Can’t make it and forget it4.Not using social media tools properly (or at all)

– Image, analytics, geo-targeting5.Violating social networks’ Terms of Service

– e.g. Contests on FB

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Where to Find Us

Presentation slides available for download at:

http://liqr.co/WSWA2011

• Website: http://Liquor.com• Facebook: www.facebook.com/Liquor.com• Twitter: www.twitter.com/Liquor (@Liquor)

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Contact

Kit CodikCEO / Co-Founderkit@liquor.com 415.938.7227

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