#WINNING:A FORUM ABOUT #SOCIALMEDIA STRATEGY

Wellness Mats@wellnessmats@Julia_Gillespie

Julia Gillespie is a public relations, social media and branding expert. Together with her team at mo (www.lessismo.com), Julia creates multi-level, integrated national communication campaigns for a breadth of clients across the country.With over 20 years of experience building brands, Julia works with a variety of clients across numerous industries, including; housewares, lifestyle, design, B2B and B2C-specific. Julia is attending IHA again this year on behalf of WellnessMats and has been supporting the brand since they first launched at the IHA Show in March of 2010. Building the WellnessMats brand and identity with consumers and businesses across the United States, WellnessMats presence in the market is supported with a strategic blend of PR, social media, key endorsements, sales support, viral marketing and visual branding.

Prior to joining mo, Julia was the Director of Communications for Crypton Super Fabrics. While there she integrated all marketing and branding initiatives including ads, collateral, website, PR, new business ventures, retail, consumer outreach, etc. Prior to joining Crypton, Julia was the founding Senior VP of Clifford Public Relations (in New York, Los Angeles) for ten years. She has created successful campaigns for the likes of Nike, Bernhardt Design, Smithsonian National Portrait Gallery, and AT&T Wireless to name a few.Julia currently lives and works in Detroit, Michigan with her (devastingly handsome) husband and two children, and thinks her twitter profile says it best….Julia is a pr, marketing & social media expert. An avid listener, fast talker, design, food & wine lover, entrepreneur and mother of two trying to survive in suburbia.

Julia Gillespie

BetterRecipes.com@betterrecipes

Television host, food writer, and award-winning cook, Kristina Vanni offers her easy, elegant and everyday approach to cooking in print, online and on TV.  She is the host of BetterRecipes.com (part of the Meredith Corporation Food Sites) as well as a contributing writer for the National Pork Board, and the National Restaurant association.  Kristina appears regularly on Better TV and can often be seen as a culinary expert and product spokesperson on local and national morning talk shows.  Kristina’s passion for food began at the tender age of 12 when she earned a spot in the winner’s circle at the Pillsbury Bake-Off.  Since then she has gone on to win top honors from Martha Stewart, Betty Crocker, and Kraft, just to name a few.  She was named the “Hot Chef” by the National Restaurant Association and recently represented the USA and won an international chef competition in Australia.  Today she is on the other side of food competitions, serving as a judge for several national recipe contests.  Check out Kristina’s recipes, cooking tips and culinary adventures on her blog “The Daily Dish” at www.betterrecipes.com/blogs/daily-dish.  She can also be found at www.facebook.com/betterrecipes and @BetterRecipes on Twitter.      

Kristina Vanni

Progressive InternationalFacebook: Progressive Intl

Sabrena Wright serves as the Consumer Marketing Manager for Progressive International, where she spearheads the company’s Social Media strategy. Prior to her role at Progressive, Sabrena spent 13 years in consumer product development leading product design, package design, consumer insights, consumer trends and marketing.

About Progressive:Founded in 1973, Progressive International® is a leading designer and global marketer of an extensive line of kitchenware products. The company designs, develops, imports, and distributes food prep products to various retail channels throughout the world.

Sabrena Wright

cookingwithcaitlin.com@cookingwcaitlin

Cooking with Caitlin is a 360-degree brand powered by the many and varied dimensions of traditional and new media. Centered at cookingwithcaitlin.com, and built upon the connective nature of food, we are a marketing house grounded in strong and relevant partnerships.

Using video, television, radio, print, in-person events, and the many avenues of social media, we – Molly, Kelly, and Caitlin – have sparked and nurtured a community of food- and housewares-devotees. By carefully aligning brands with our own, and custom-tailoring programming to meet their message, we have been optimizing our collective strength since 2007.

We are marketers, mothers, sisters, wives, friends -- and oh, one of us is a classically-trained chef. A classically-trained chef who has authored hundreds of original recipes and, together with the team that is Cooking with Caitlin, is endlessly designing custom culinary experiences tailored to inspire confidence in and out of the kitchen. We, then, are able to translate the connection made through experience into intimacy between a brand and its intended audience.

Question One: What are your social media objectives and whatsites/tools do you use to accomplish your goals?

RT: @themartinidiva: To build my brand recognition

RT: @exceptionalfood: Twitter is best, more interaction with people #fnichat

Question Two: In what specific ways have your social media habits and intentions changed in the last year?

RT: @ParmaHam_USA: We have started to expand from talking strictly about PdP to the broader topics of Italian lifestyle & culture, etc. #FNIchatRT: @renh77: It can't all be advertising. Biz has to interact with there customers. Straight promo tweets and I am unfollowing #FNIchat

Question Three: How purposeful are you in programming your socialmedia efforts?

RT: @themartinidiva: my social media efforts are a scheduled part of my marketing, every day. First thing in the am. #FNIchat

RT: @CoziFamily: Same #socialmedia etiquette rules apply to everyone. Deliver value, entertainment, info. No more, no less. #FNIChat

Question Four: Social Media Results: What has worked intentionallyand unintentionally? Surprises? What will you doagain or not do again?

RT: @dreamfishing: I find that humor and a good attitude work best for me. I don't curse and I try not to be mean. #FNIchat

Question Five: Look ahead. What will you be doing more of thisyear? What new sites or tools interest you?

RT: @TableFare: Twitter, FB, Google+ and most recently Pinterest, which has been generating more site visits than any of the others. #FNIchat

Question Six: If you had to pick only one site to put forth energy,would it be Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, LinkedIn orPinterest?

Questions?