Speaking on Social Media at the WSWA April 12

I'll be speaking on a social media panel at the Wine and Spirits Wholesalers of America annual Convention on April 12. 

Last year I also attended the convention. I learned what the WSWA is and what goes on at the convention, with some notes about the strengths and weaknesses of the three-tier system. I also looked at how the convention is changing and plans for the future. 

Here's the tentative title and info:

Social Media Marketing:  It’s Not an Option, It's Mandatory

 Forget the theory and the lectures, this hard-hitting panel will give attendees the street smart perspective on social media marketing.  Whether you’re a supplier, wholesaler or retailer, social media marketing must be an integral part of your marketing strategy,  The panel will provide the straight scoop on:

-What does success look like?

-Case histories with lessons learned that you can leverage right now.

- What are the wrong ways to use Facebook and Twitter, and how do you handle temperamental bloggers?

-Why  social media marketing needs to be a core strategy- the liquid in marketing’s bottle and not the label slapped on top.

- Should your distiller be tweeting?

The panel was assembled and will be moderated by Steve Raye of Brand Action Team. Also on the panel are Alyssa Rapp of Bottlenotes.com, Kit Codik of Liquor.com, Camper English of Alcademics.com (hey, that's me!), and Vincenza Kelly of ItalTrade/Vino 2011.

This should be interesting because Steve Raye is a social media marketing consultant, Alyssa and Kit do websites but interact with brands throwing large and small events, relatively, Vincenza coordinated the social media aspect of an event from the front end, and I'm a blogger and journalist. We have different needs from brands and their social media marketing, and thus will have different perspectives on what brands need to do to be more effective in the socia media space. 

I'm looking forward to it, and if you're attending the WSWA in Orlando this April I hope you'll join us there.