SMBME #12 – Using Social Media for Marketing and PR

This was one of our most popular and informative breakfasts. Ross Lasley, the Internet Educator, started off the morning talking about what social media is, creating policies to protect yourself and measuring your results. Ross’ humor and experience breaking down the internet into plain English made his presentation entertaining and informative.

A PDF version of the handouts Ross had from the breakfast can be found here: Defining Social Media Goals and Social Policy Template.

Laurie Brooks, from LL Bean was our second speaker. Many of us first met Laurie at The Big Conference a year ago but she showed us how much had changed in a year, a lot! As Laurie’s work on social networks got more popular, the company started to show much more interest in this new way to communicate with their customers. Laurie showed us how LL Bean uses social media and how they are working to use in the next few months. Her slidedeck is embedded below.

Eric Little from the Maine Red Claws, was our closer at this month’s breakfast. He shared with us how the Red Claws organization used social media to launch a basketball team, choose a team name, get more attendees to their games and to promote local events. Below is a YouTube video that the Red Claws used to announce their team mascot to the world.

Eric Little

Eric Little is originally from Milton, Vermont and he is a graduate of the University of Vermont with a degree in Business Administration. He has a MBA and Master’s in Sports Business Management from the DeVos Program at the University of Central Florida, where he worked in The Institute for Diversity and Ethics in Sport. He has been involved in consulting projects for the Pittsburgh Pirates and the NBA D-League. Eric joined the Red Claws in 2009, and his role with the team is as an account executive, matching individuals and businesses to the ideal ticket plans and sponsorships.

Find the Maine Red Claws on Twitter @maineredclaws

Laurie Brooks

Laurie spearheaded L.L.Bean into the social media space in November 2008 with the introduction of the company’s corporate Facebook page, and subsequent exposure on social media sites such as Twitter, Flickr, YouTube, Delicious, and FriendFeed.

In addition to being “the voice” behind L.L. Bean’s social media presence, Laurie also has job responsibilities for government, environmental affairs, and corporate public relations.

Before joining L.L.Bean in 1997 Laurie worked for Walt Disney Pictures and Twentieth Century Fox Studios in Los Angeles. Laurie holds a degree in Communications from Jacksonville University and an MBA from the University of Southern Maine.

L.L.Bean, Inc. is a leading multi-channel merchant of quality outdoor gear and apparel. Founded in 1912 by Leon Leonwood Bean, the company began as a one-room operation selling a single product, the Maine Hunting Shoe.

Find Laurie on Twitter @LLBean_PR

Ross Lasley

Ross Lasley was on the web before “www” even existed – and he has been working on “websites” since he was 10. Interested in technology as a young child, Ross got his computer hardware certifications at the age of 12. A serial entrepreneur, Ross was involved with a multitude of businesses before founding the web development company, KISS Computing, in 1997.

Started from a home office, KISS grew to be Cape Cod area’s number one website firm garnering a SCORE “Build a Better Mousetrap” Award, The Commonwealth of Massachusetts “Governor’s Entrepreneurial Spirit” Award, and a Webby Award in the process. Ross was a member of Mitt Romney’s Regional Competitiveness Council and served as the co-chair of the creative economy group. Ross regularly gave a variety of speeches and seminars; speaking to chambers, accommodations associations, and Umass’s E-Commerce Network.

In 2006 – in typical successful technology company fashion – the firm was sold to Michael McGrath, an employee who continues to run KISS with gusto. At the same time Ross moved out to the rural country to get back to the land and explore the art of homesteading. He helped start Spruce Nubble Farm, where a variety of animals are bred and raised, create a huge garden, and enjoy the country life. In 2007 his “inner geek” began calling loudly and it could no longer be ignored – The Internet Educator was born.

Ross now lives in Manchester, Maine on a lovely, private 35-acre piece of land with his two pugs: Frodo and Sam (aka Frodo Puggins and Sam-Wise Pug-gee).
Ross was a speaker at Internet Retailer in 2009 and has been a presenter at SEMNE as well as Maine’s Governor’s Conference on Tourism.

Ross has worked on the websites of thousands of businesses since the early 1990s. His efforts have generated more than 100 million dollars in online sales for his clients. His background and knowledge base are diverse and he is always happy to offer advice or a historical perspective on the Internet.