WanderingSalsero

What could a Social Media/Public Relations Manager do for you?

Image via CrunchBase

I've been trying to crystallize the answer to that question in my mind lately.  It's of concern to me first of all ...'just because' I'm a naturally curious kind of guy.  But secondly, because I'm kinda getting 'ants in my pants' to get outta the English teaching business and start using some of the skills I've developed (some more fully than others) since I've been over here in Korea.

As I've said several time before, I because aware several months ago about this field called 'social media management'.  As you'll recall, "social media" refers simply to user generated content shared with other....e.g. Facebook, Twitter, LinkeIn, Digg, Posterous, et.al.

I read that more and more companies, from big to small, are spending money and lots of it on social media.  It's spent in a variety of ways that are sometimes pretty simple and other times very sophisticated.  But what I wanted to know was, "What exactly do these 'Social Media Managers' do?"

Well, how 'bout things like these?

• Set up any important social media platforms you don't have yet...e.g. Facebook, Twitter, LinkIn and possible others.
• Clean up social media sites that you have which might be perhaps kinda neglected and junky by now.
• Help you with growing your follower list through selective targeting and inviting...and maintaining those relation ships through constant communication....e.g. 2 status posts/tweets a day on each of your major platforms.
• Help with reputation management....e.g. monitor the 'net' to immediately catch anytime somebody says something good or bad about you/your company/your brand.  And respond accordingly.
• Function as a first-line of customer service(especially valuable if you have actuall products to sell)
• Function as your eye on the market...e.g. monitor your industry and keep you advised of any new developments you need to be aware of.
• Function as the publics eye on you.....e.g. as you become better know, people are curious about what you're doing.  You might not be comfortable with the task of telling people what you're doing......you might be reluctant to toot your own horn.  So let somebody do it's who's presumably better at it that you are.
• As you get more successful and your goals get larger, you can use your social media/PR manager to actually generate more extensive 'content' for you....blog post, reports,  make appointments, etc.

Undoubtedly there's other things that go on too but these things listed above should serve to illustrate that there's more to it than maybe you realized.

So let's go to the dance business that I know a little bit about because I've been a serious 'social dancer' for a long time. 

There's no doubt that the dance business is just as competitive as anything else.  There's still a lot of money to be made.  But I don't see much, if any, high powered 'social media' in it. 

What I do see is inward oriented....i.e. to the people who already dance.  They're 'preaching to the choir.  In my opinion, very few of the major players in it think as big as they could and use social media to expand their market.

Should you be thinking bigger?

Well, I don't know for sure.  But ask yourself this question:  "Is there anybody else out there who doesn't know how to dance but would probably like to learn?"

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Bachata is alive and well

Well, Bachata is alive and well.  Our friend Jorge Elizanda is doing his second big Bachata congress in Dallas as I write this.  Of course I wish I could be there but....it wasn't in the cards.

I also hear that one of the other major players in the Bachata business, Rodney Aquino, has been and is doing some big events.  And I also get emails from Juan Ruiz, the Bachata ambassador from "Down Under".  He continues to host a steady stream of Bachata events down in his nect of the globe.  The folks in Sydney are very lucky to live in his territory.

I got an email today from out of nowhere promoting some Bachata guy I'd never heard of.  Of course that's not hard to do because I'm not at the stage yet where I recognize singers and band's names.  I just know I love the music and I love the dance (although I will admit I haven't developed a particular taste for Bachata Dominicana....yet).

Here's a couple of the videos I got today.  The first one is especially nice.  I think this guy has a lot of talent.  He's good looking, he plays guitar reasonably well and the stuff he's singing (if it's original) shows he's a good songwriter.

Here ya go:

 

 

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Bachatango Volume 1 from Jorge Elizando

I just finished reviewing Jorge Elizando's new DVD, Bachatango, Volume 1, Int/Adv., featuring Pablo Vilches.   I like it.  I can see the basics of the Bachata that I know in it but also that there's some new steps that I'll have to learn.  There's definately a lot of Tango in it.

Now I'm going to look at his other new DVD, "Dominican Style Bachata".

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Does innovation always win?

I just read an editorial discussing the big winners and surprise losers at the Oscars.  The biggest surprise apparently was that Avatar didn't win more than it did in spite of how profitable it's been for the studio and how innovative it was technically.

I'm thinking that there's some similarity in the dance world.  It's been a while since I've been to a congress but I do remember dance groups, performing couples and solos who were very innovative in what they did yet they lost to more traditional routines from by other entrants.

Strange, isn't it?

But I saw something else recently that relates to this phenomenon. 

It was a video about leadership and it's point was that it's not the 'leader' (or the innovator) that starts a 'movement'.  It is instead the first follower.

In this video, which didn't have any sound, it was a scene of a buch of people, apparetnly at some kind of park and obviously listening to some music somewhere (off camera).  Then it focused on one lone, shirtless, goofy guy dancing to the music and looking very silly. 

This continues for about 20 seconds or so.  You can tell the surrounding crowd, although themselves pretty mellow about it, were somewhat amused but still thought the guy was nuts.

Then, from 'stage left', another guy comes up and starts dancing with him.  You know the style.....totally silly and zero actual skill involved.  Just two guys tripping the afternoon away.  Then eventually a third person joins in.  Then a whole group of people join in.

And that accelerates until eventually darn near whole park is dancing with this guy and it's no longer about 'that guy' but rather 'that movement'.

The narrator (of the video I saw) describes how the pivitol moment in this occasion was when that second person joined in.  It wasn't the first guy.  The first guy was a 'nut job' until somebody else, the 'first follower', joined in.  That first follower changed the dynamic of the whole scene.

I think dance can be like that.  It's just my opinion of course but I think Jorge Elizando could be an example.   When Jorge first started out, my perception anyway was that nobody gave him very much support or respect.  And for that matter, bachata itself was sorta the 'scruffy little salsa step-child' of the dance business.  The 'why's' of the matter are a separate topic.

But the point is......Jorge had strong convictions.  He didn't mind the lack of support.  He didn't mind that bachata wasn't regarded as 'prime time'.  He kept dancing. 

Primarily because he 'kept on keeping on' Jorge slowly but surely built up the tsunami that bachata has become.  Whereas before having a bachata class wasn't a class that had very high expectations, nowadays dancers expect a lot more content and a lot more 'wow'  when they attend a bachata class.  And nowadays people are eagerly trying to capitalize on the 'bachata rush' that was, in my humble opinion, pioneered by Jorge Elizando. 

I'm not saying that there weren't people who were doing a good job in other parts of the country or the world.  There's 3 that I can think of right now.  All I'm saying is that Jorge was the first to push the tradional concept of bachata out of it's old skin into the new,  much more exotic and flexible dance it's become now.

Jorge has been proactive and busy and focused enough to basically not have time to be bothered especially by who is or is not supporting his 'bachata fusion' concept.  But I suspect that in the cosmic scheme of things he's not hurt anybody's existing dance business but has rather made it even more lucrative. 

If anything, I think Jorge's efforts somewhat paved the way for the current interest in 'bachata Dominicana'. 

It's forces of change such as Avatar and 'Bachata Fusion' that although they sometimes don't initially win the 'Academy Awards', are suquently recognized as the major turning points in their industry.

I read somewhere that the Avatar guy (i.e. the director...what's his name?) is planning a sequel.  What do you suppose Jorge is up too?

Two questions come to my mind now:

(1)  Is Kizomba such a 'new' element, a game changer, in the dance game?  I think so.

(2)  Will successful dance entrepreneurs of the future make better us of "PR campaigns" (public relations)?  I think so.

P.S.  I'll post that video I referenced....if I can find it again.

Salsa Crazy uses a 'press release' to announce new Bachata DVD series

I gotta give credit where credit is due.  Evan Margolin, CEO of Salsa Crazy, Inc.,  knows the right things to do to sell stuff.  Take a look at this press release he just did announcing the release of a new 3 DVD bachata dancing instructional series.

It was interesting to me because I've recently learned how to do press releases myself. I know that press releases can be a valuable part of a marketing program.  While it's true that press releases rank below both audio and video on the hierarchy of Google preferred content on search engine results....still, very often they'll wind up on the first page for awhile.  Depending on competition for the 'term' of course.

There's a very specific structure you have to use for a press release.  The reason for that is that a press release is designed to give members of 'the press' the information they need to either (a) write a short article in their publication or (2) know whether or not they want to contact you to get more information with which to write a larger article.  Thus the name ....."press" release.  And it has to be done correctly or they won't read it.

Press releases can be submitted to free services or to paid services.  Or both.  The difference is that the paid services have more credibility and better connections with the media.   

Sure, most people like 'free' better but when you consider the value of getting with the instant credibility that comes from being mentioned favorably in major national, regional or local media the price is well worth it.

Who does press releases?

Well, big public relations (PR) firms do'em.  But if you're the average small business don't think you're going to be able to walk into their office and get them to do one for you.  They don't have the time anymore because their business has become much more competitive too and they're busy focusing on major corporate clients with big PR budgets. 

In recent years some of the PR professionals who used to work for the larger PR firms have set up their own agencies or PR shops.  If you can find one of them, you might have a chance on getting a press release done.  In essence, that's what I'm doing myself lately with Art Williams Coypwriting.

Press releases do work though.  Evan doesn't through his money around frivilously.  Those companies who can still afford PR firms or who perhaps have thier own full fledged internal PR functions know that press releases are an important part of an effective marketing campaign.  

I believe Evan's press release is the first one I've ever seen from anybody in the dance business..... although I wouldn't be surprised if there are a few other dance organizations who have done them.  But even so.......very few dance business entrepreneurs who could use them do use them.

If you'd like some info about having one or more press releases done for you and/or your business, let me know.  Since I've recently opened the doors of Art Williams Copywriting, my online PR and copywriting business, I can promise you'll get good value and good service.  My services also include writing auto-responder email series and blog posts designed for effective 'on page search engine opimization(OPSEO)'.

Kizomba in comparison to other dances

I did this video as a response to a dance friend if mine in Seoul named Michelle.  Michelle is a member of a salsa social group I'm part of up there.  She likes casino rueda and came to several of the casino rueda classes I did up there.  Plus she also likes Kizomba and I was able to show her what little I knew about it at the time I was living up there (near Seoul).

Michelle is also a member of my site, www.kizombadancer.com but I hadn't seen or talked to her for several months because I'd actually forgotten my ID and PW.  Well, I recently remembered my ID and PW so I sent everybody a group message to let'em know I was still alive and still interested in Kizomba.

Thus......the motivation for this video.  The reason I'm putting it here is because I thought what I had to tell her might be of interest to anybody else interested in Kizomba.  Here's the video:

The gist of my thoughts are that, as I get further into studying Kizomba, I'm more and more getting the feeling that lots of what's in Kizomba can be integrated into Bachata.  

I haven't talked to him lately but I wouldn't be surprised if Jorge Elizando isn't working on a DVD product right now called something like........ Bachazomba or something like that.

Why might he want to do that?

Easy.....

As Jorge himself pointed out to me in a previous conversation, there simply isn't any kizomba music in the US right now.  Nor are the clubs familiar with it at all.  So that means it would be hard (although not impossible) to birth a totally new kizomba culture in the US market.  

But there is another way to get kizomba into the 'body social' of American dance.

The answer is to take certain attractive elements of Kizomba and integrate them into a dance that is well accepted...i.e. bachata.  Isn't that the exact thing that Jorge did with tango and his 'bachata-tango'?

It's always been my belief that it's a lot easier than most dancers realize or even think about to integrate elements of one dance into another.  Jorge did it and he, or anybody else, could do it again.

Who is Pablo Vilches?

You'll find out.

If you've read "Atlas Shrugged" by Ann Ryand, you'll probably recognize the question, "Who is John Gault?".  As the story in the book develops, John Gault turns out to be the mysterious, Zorro-like hero of the story.

Well, according to Jorge Elizando, this guy Pablo Vilches is somewhat of a regional bachatatango hero (i.e. innovator) too.  Pablo lives in Spain.  And I think Jorge told me he's coming out with a bachatatango video by Pablo. 

This new DVD is going to be in Spanish but....Jorge seems to think it'll still be a good DVD to get.  I haven't looked on Jorge's site yet if it's there, I plan to get it today.....i.e. after seeing the sample of Pablo on Jorge's Facebook site:

Bachamante Dance Co. and Anthony Umina and Marissa Johnson

As many of you will know by now, Jorge Elizando and Rodchata are doing their own big bachata events in the near future.  I can' find the email I got from Rodney now but I think he's got one coming up in Reno in just a week or so and then he's also got one planned in Reno in July.  Jorge's event will be in Dallas in early February 2010. 

The positive side of doing separate events is that now there's two entities on the US bachata scene sowing the seeds of progressive bachata (my term for it).  That means there's now two forces of change on the bachata scene.  That much is good.

And of course there's Juan Ruiz and his Bachata Moderna down in Australia.  I like his stuff too.

I got the 'guide' that Jorge is sending out for his Dallas Bachata Festival and it looks like that event is shaping up to be an excellent one.  Of course, I'm very sorry I can't be there.  I thought the guide itself was a very good piece of work too.  As is most of what Jorge does.

I also saw, today, the Guide for Rodney's event.  Looks like lots of nice, progressive, bachata stuff going on there too.  He seems to be having several instructors there who will expand the concept of bachata.  

Of course, Jorge Elizando was the first person to really take a risk and go out on a limb and pursue bachata as a fully legitimate dance form.  As far as I'm concerned everybody else, although they're all doing a good job withing their relative environments, I still think Jorge was and still is the 'name of the game' in progressive bachata.

So....where does 'Bachatamante' and Anthony Umina and Marissa Johnson come into the picture?

Well, I noticed one of the things on Rodney's guide which said that somebody named Anthony and Marissa are doing something called 'bachatamante'.  Ever on the watch for innovation, I thought to myself, "Bachatamante....?  What's that??!!"

Searching for clues, I looked for that term on YouTube.  That's where I found the video of the dance routine done by Umina and Marissa.  Is there a connection between them and the class(?) at Rodney's event?

I don't know.  Probably not. 

But I really liked the video.  All except the announcer who seemed to be real excited about the new microphone he got for Christmas (uhhh....just shutup and let the dancers do their thing, please..)

At first I wasn't expecting too much but as the video progressed I got the feeling that these two dancers are much 'better than average'.  Of course, I'm looking at the chica, right?

I thought her dancing was very impressive not only because her timing was absolutely 'spot on' (I think the English say that, don't they?) but her styling was very nice. 

I liked what they didn't do too.  They didn't try to look like they were fucking on the dance floor.  I don't know about you but I've really had it with all the 'dry humping' that passes for sexy bachata nowadays. 

For that matter, who says that bachata has to be 'sexy' anyway.  And what defines....'sexy'?  But, I digress.

Of course I don't know this gal, Marissa, but I kinda get the idea that she's got some good, solid, professional dance training.  She executed too well to be simply a 'good amateur, local girl'.

I thought several of their moves were very creative too.  Yeah.....I definately think it's a 'keeper' video and I'm putting it in my list of 'saves' on my YouTube page.  Matter of fact, there's one particular thing they did that I think I can do next time I go dancing.

It's nice to see that bachata is alive, healthy and growing.  Here's the video:

Jorge Elizando....self improvement machine

I've said it before but it's worth saying again:

Jorge Elizando is the best thing to have happened to bachata in a long time.  Sure, it's a big world out there and everybody can't like the same thing.  If that were so, it'd be a pretty dull world.

But still......I'm not personally aware of any bachatero who has spent more time, let alone made a conscious effort like Jorge has, to learn more about different kinds of dancing and integrate it into bachata.

If more salseros were as progressive about salsa as Jorge has been about bachata, I think the salsa world would be much the better for it.  That's not likely to happen however because the reality of life is there's always a lot more hamburgers sold than steacks.  Most people go for the outward glamor of salsa.....at first. 

The result is that salsa congresses, it seems to me anyway, have become more like martial arts tournements.....i.e. everybody does the same old stuff.  Just re-hashed.  Yeah, there's a few groups and dancer who bring in innovation and creativity.  But not many.

What brings this up is that I just had a brief Skype chat with Jorge.  He's in Buenas Aires now, doing some classes and also taking tango lessons.  You can bet-the-bank that what's he's learning in all these travels is showing up in what he's teaching.  In the biological world it's called 'cross-pollination.  And it's a good thing. 

God doesn't just part the clouds and give certain individuals a master DVD of 'HIS' latest styles.  It takes real people to actually open their minds and seek out innovation and creativity.  Like Jorge Elizando has been doing for the last 3+ years. 

Those of you who are lucky enough to attend his upcoming Dallas Bachata Festival, February 5-7, 2001, are most assuredly in for a globally oriented treat!

Nice Bachat and music from Italy

No really super fancy steps here but I thought their styling and interaction was very good.  And I especially liked the music.  It's romantic like bachata is supposed to be.