At the meeting, Erika signed copies of her new book entitled,  ‘The Power of Unpopular: A Guide to Building Your Brand for the Audience Who Will Love You (and why no one else matters)’ .  A limited number may still be available via ALSocme  HERE or you can purchase one at Books-A-Million.

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She stressed that likeability is a subjective thing, and return customers always prefer a strong brand.  Erika admitted that while her fiery style was ‘not for everyone‘, it was also why her loyal audience keeps following her sometimes bawdy, but never boring, RedHeadWriting.com .

Her book, The Power of Un-Popular,  includes the ‘how’ of many of the points that she made during the educational meeting, including the widely retweeted quote,  “Give away the why, sell them the how!”

A long-time resident of Denver, Erika is originally from Opelika, Alabama.  Consequently,  she enjoyed connecting with the Southern audience via phrases like, ‘Bless your heart‘,  (which can have multiple meanings) and ‘roadkill’ as in, “Don’t build for the middle or you’ll be roadkill“.

And whether you’re an aspiring business of just one person, or part of a major corporation, she stressed, “Think BIG“.  Create an infrastructure that includes the following:

1. Approachability – which gives your customers ownership in your brand
2. Scalability – which is your pricing and production infrastructure and
3. Profitability – which includes emotional AND financial profitability

In addition to her own book, she highly recommended the following which provided her with inspiration:

• The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho
• The Last Lecture by Randy Pausch
• Flat Stanley by Jeff Brown

A few other highlights included her assertion that being unpopular as a child prepares you for business success because you learn early to ‘figure things out‘ and you don’t ‘follow the crowd‘.

• “Bring it down a notch“  is one of her least favorite phrases.
• “Stay to the right or the left and you won’t get run over.“
• “We are all inherently altruistic and want to share“, so give your audience something to share and let them be invested in your brand.

Thank you Erika, for reminding us that it’s not only cool but might be good for businesses to think outside the box and dare to be unpopular!  There are some segments in every audience that will never like your brand, regardless of how much you dilute it for mass appeal.  So be genuine, be daring, be honest, and your audience will find you.

Note: To hear the entire presentation or view photos, stay tuned for the video by Vulcan Media and photos by Arik Sokol which will be posted soon at www.alsocme.com.

Thanks to Vulcan Media and Arik Sokol who donated their media services, as well as our sponsors:  Location sponsor is the Hill Event Center at the Alabama Theatre; catering sponsor is Momentum Telecom. Door prizes will be provided by Griffin Technology and MailChimp. Beverage sponsor is Dekalb Office.  Please support our sponsors!  We couldn’t have these meetings without them.

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Thanks to our friends at Books-A-Million, we’ll have a limited number of copies of her new book, “The Power of Unpopular,” for purchase. (You can take a sneak peek at her book on the website.)

We’ll take cash, we’ll take checks, we’ll even take credit cards (though we make less that way) at the event.

The books, with tax included, will be $27.20 each, of which $4.69 to $5.44 goes directly to ALsocme! In addition, Erika will be signing copies after the event.

If you want to be absolutely certain to get a book, you can purchase them now below using Paypal.

We’ll see you on Tuesday! (Don’t forget to order your free tickets …)

Video: Jay Baer and Erika Napoletano discuss “The Power of Unpopular.”

Napoletano will discuss “Branding: The Inherent Power of Unpopular” at the Alabama Social Media Association April 24 meeting.

Find out her five key features of the unpopular brand and the difference between “unlikeable” and “unpopular” business decisions, which are often confused.

She will be on hand after the event to sign copies of her book.

Networking begins at 11:15 a.m., with a free lunch sponsored by Momentum Telecom and presentation at noon, taking place at the Hill Event Center at the Alabama Theatre, 1811 Third Ave. N. The event is free and open to the public, but registration is required.

Location sponsor is the Hill Event Center at the Alabama Theatre; catering sponsor is Momentum Telecom. Door prizes will be provided by Griffin Technology and MailChimp. Beverage sponsor is Dekalb Office.

See who’s coming to this event!

Tickets are limited, so reserve your seat today.

Our ticket policy: Your ticket does not guarantee entrance; the first 120 ticket holders to arrive will be seated, and the next 25 will be in our standing section.

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Special note: Birmingham-based Books-A-Million will have Erika Napoletano’s book, “The Power of Unpopular,” available for purchase and signing at our event.

By buying the books, you help support ALsocme as 20 percent of the profits will be donated to our nonprofit organization. Supplies are limited.

“educating community members about leadership skills and fundamentals that can be applied in any setting (non-profit, for profit, as a leader or as a volunteer) and provide a network for community members as future community trustees.”

Anyone with an interest in leadership is encouraged to attend and, after completing 6 one-hour courses, will be certified and can attend annual updates at no additional charge.  The curriculum includes:

• Topic 1:  Board Basics
• Topic 2:  Marketing
• Topic 3:  Leading Change
• Topic 4:  Finance
• Topic 5:  Risk Management
• Topic 6:  Strategic Planning

The final session for the JLB league year is Friday, April 20th, 1PM at the Junior League Building.  Three of the topics listed in the curriculum above will be offered. Please register in advance by clicking HERE

The dynamic line-up of speakers on Friday includes:

*   Finance (1:30 p.m. to 2:45 p.m.): Coleman Loper and Lori Goodson from Ernst and Young
*   Risk Management (3:00 p.m. to 4:15 p.m.): Grant Brigham from Jones Valley Urban Farm
*   Strategic Planning (4:30 p.m. to 5:45 p.m.): Caroline Yeilding from Clarus Consulting Group

Hope to see you there!

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Thank you to everyone — we look forward to continuing to educate people in social media in Year 2.

If you’d like to become more involved with ALsocme, you can …

• Volunteer;
• Sign up for our free newsletter;
• Sponsor our events;
• Watch our seminar videos;
• Or contact us with questions.

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Spann (@spann) spoke to a packed audience at the Hill Event Center at the Alabama Theatre (the first sold-out event for ALsocme.)  The Emmy Award winner  passionately portrayed the impact social media has recently had in his life with the following three powerful examples:

• The first example, graphically portrayed on the screen behind him, was 4/27/11, or the day that 252 people were killed by a sweep of tornadoes through Alabama. He admitted that he was affected so deeply by the damage that it was six months before he was even able to speak about it. He vividly portrayed the destruction and his role in alerting citizens to the danger. He shared that he manages all his social media himself and hand-types every tornado weather alert on Twitter, responding to as many messages as possible. In his own words, “I’m not an all-caps kind of guy, but when you see me type TORNADO EMERGENCY about your town, dig a hole!”

• His second example regarded the enormous outpouring of support for victims after the tornadoes. Because of his huge following on Twitter, he became by default the channel for the Alabama ‘needs’ and the ‘haves.’ He did not anticipate the role social media would have in providing relief and connecting people throughout the state. And he believes that it was the first time that social media became an imperative part of relief following a natural disaster in Alabama. He said that although he’s a meteorologist first, he believes in providing useful information beyond the weather when necessary.

• The third example was the social media outrage directed at Diane Sawyer and ABC News after her comment that Alabama residents were not warned about the sweep of tornadoes through the state.  Spann challenged Diane Sawyer to a now-famous Twitter debate with the whole-hearted support of the Alabama social media community firmly behind him. Diane Sawyer was forced to recant (although she never apologized) after officials at ABC News were overwhelmed by the response.  As he said, it was a proud moment for the social media community of Alabama.

Finally, a few James Spann words of wisdom regarding social media included:

• When people follow you (on Twitter), follow them back
• Be genuine; People will find you out if you’re not
• Handle your words yourself. No one else can do it for you effectively
• Have a servant’s heart in social media
• Provide useful information in a timely way
• Everyone is important and deserves useful information even in remote rural areas
• Business leaders who belittle social media just don’t get it!
• Everyone has time for social media — it’s a matter of making it a priority

We’re most appreciative of James Spann taking time out of his busy schedule to address ALsocme.

Note: To hear the entire presentation or view photos, stay tuned for the video by Amy Polley and photos by Lynsey Weatherspoon which will be posted soon at www.alsocme.com.

Thanks to Amy and Lynsey who donated their services, as well as our sponsors The Hill Event Center at the Alabama Theatre, Ted’s Restaurant, Instant Sign Center, MailChimp, and Griffin Technology.

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Spann, who has received national attention for his innovative use of social media to educate his audiences, will share his practical advice on using Facebook, Twitter and Google+ more effectively.

“The secret to social media is all about treating people right, and getting them engaged,” Spann says. Attendees will learn how to increase followers and create more meaningful conversations through his practical examples and insight.

Networking begins at 11:15 a.m., with a free lunch from Ted’s Restaurant and presentation at noon, taking place at the Hill Event Center at the Alabama Theatre, 1811 Third Ave. N. The event is free and open to the public, but registration is required.

Spann, a Hunstville native and Emmy winner, has received accolades for his efforts to harness social media to educate thousands of Alabamians during the tornadoes of April 27, 2011, as well as Jan. 23. He has utilized social media to convey real-time breaking weather events, and to organize community efforts to rebuild in the wake of disaster. With more than 30 years of broadcast experience, Spann has been named “Best Weather Anchor” in Alabama by the Associated Press and Alabama Broadcasters Association multiple times.

Location sponsor is the Hill Event Center at the Alabama Theatre; catering sponsor is Ted’s Restaurant. Door prizes will be provided by Griffin Technology and MailChimp.

See who’s coming to this event!

Tickets are limited, so reserve your seat today.

Our ticket policy: Your ticket does not guarantee entrance; the first 120 ticket holders to arrive will be seated, and the next 25 will be in our standing section.

•

Sorry — sold out!

• Be sure to sign up for our free mailing list — subscribers get the first opportunity for tickets to our educational events.
• Check our site for the latest ALsocme events.