When Founder Ralph Rubio was in college, he and his buddies would head to the Baja village of San Felipe, where you could camp on the beach for free, catch some rays, and forget about studying. One night, a hungry Ralph spotted a taco shop with an unusual specialty advertised in the window: fish tacos. He ordered one, took a few bites, and was hooked.

Several years later, he opened his first restaurant – a walk-up stand in Mission Bay. Since that day back in 1983, Ralph has sold more than 50 million fish tacos. Rubio’s Fresh Mexican Grill now has over 180 locations. The Rubio’s menu continues to expand and evolve, with inspiration from Ralph’s continued culinary exploration of Mexico. In addition to the World Famous Fish Taco, Rubio’s also offers a plethora of other signature menu items and they’ll even make your event tasty with Rubio’s a-Go-Go Catering.

As a partner for Digital Media Dinners, Rubio’s Fresh Mexican Grill is also a  prime example of how a business is successfully using social media to build their community. Their 40K+ fans on Facebook are loyal and their Twitter followers are very interactive.

How exactly is Rubio’s involved in Digital Media Dinners?

• Dinner will consist of Rubio’s healthy and delicious Beach Mex Buffet with Grilled Chicken and Steak, rice, “no-fried” pinto beans, jack and cheddar cheese, lettuce, fresh guacamole, three signature salsas, soft tortillas and tortilla chips. Veggie Burritos are available by request.
• Each guest who attends Digital Media Dinners will receive a voucher for a free taco of their choice when they visit Rubio’s Fresh Mexican Grill
• Rubio’s is giving away a $50 Rubio’s a-Go-Go® Certificate Good toward the purchase of Rubio’s a-Go-Go® catering menu items only.

To enter to win follow both Marketing Melodie and Rubio’s on Twitter and tweet “I want to win a ticket to @MyMelodie’s Digital Media Dinners & $50 @RubiosTweets gift card #DMDinners http://bit.ly/mz36lK”

For an additional entry,  comment on this blog post and tell us what you’re looking forward to learning about most at Digital Media Dinners. Each person is allowed 2 entries. A winner will be chosen Tuesday July 5^th at 9am PST. If you don’t win this contest, you can still be a winner by receiving $10 of the event by joining Marketing Melodie on Facebook. Facebook fans enter code: MelodieVIP upon check out. Code valid until July 7th, 2011. Good luck to everyone !

The panelists are:
Kevin La Rue, Marketing Director of Nik Software
Daniel Matthews, Marketing Director of the San Diego Asian Film Foundation
Steve Stoloff, CEO of VAVi Sport and Social Club

I’m providing an opportunity for two lucky people to win complimentary entry into the Digital Media Dinners event.  Please post a comment on this blog post answering either question:

1. (If you’re already using Social Media) How has Social Media helped with the growth of your business?
2. (If you’re new to Social Media) How do you envision Social Media helping your business?

Anyone who retweets this blog post on Twitter will also receive an additional entry.

Two lucky winners will be randomly chosen on Monday Nov. 8^th, 2010. If you don’t win you can still receive $5 off by joining Marketing Melodie on Facebook. Good luck and see you next Tuesday!

SDAFF’s Marketing Director, Daniel Matthews shares that “Social Media has allowed us to connect with our audience in ways that weren’t available before.  We’re able to  personally stay in touch with everyone that we’ve connected with at the festival and create a stronger brand within the community”. With film screenings that pop up throughout the year they’re able to market for those screenings virally. The San Diego Asian Film Festival also uses Social Media to help with contests and promotions during the film festival.

At Marketing Melodie, we support local initiatives of organizations who provide value, education and entertainment to San Diego and recognize events that have strategically incorporated social media into their marketing plan. So in honor the 11^th annual San Diego Asian Film Festival, Marketing Melodie’s community will have an opportunity to win passes to the Festival.  Five lucky readers will win a pair of tickets for the film festival.  To enter to win you must complete both of the following:

1.  Follow @MyMelodie on Twitter and Retweet this blog post

2. Leave a comment on this blog post with an idea on how events or movies can use Social Media OR a comment with an example of how an event you’ve attended or movies you’ve seen has successfully used social media.

Winners will be chosen on Thursday October 21^st, the opening day of the San Diego Asian Film Festival. Additional film festival details and ticket information can be found on the @SDAFF Twitter account, Facebook Page and the official San Diego Asian Film Festival Website

*Festival tickets are good for any film or panel except the opening and closing night showings of Legend of the Fist or Au Revoir Taipei.

The co-founders Dr. Vakas Sial and Roland Ligtenberg recognize San Diego as a city with a vibrant and growing electronic music scene and decided to take this reality to the next level with an event that provides a forum to celebrate the convergence between music producers, enthusiasts and technology innovators.

In just  one paragraph Ligtenberg is able to sum up the epitome of  the event to take place next Thursday and Friday September 16- 17^th, 2010 the Hard Rock Hotel in downtown San Diego “SDMTC is an open innovation platform for the advancement of electronic music by bringing the music industry and leading technology companies together,” explains SDMTC co-founder, “We wanted to bridge the gap between music and technology experts, between successful and amateur artists, in a setting that will inspire conversation and advance the industry as a whole.”

SDMTC will consist of panels, workshops and showcases of the latest trends in music and technology from 10am to 6pm each day. Simultaneously, poolside music events will be taking place from noon to 6pm Float, outside the conference rooms at the Hard Rock Hotel. The evening will be comprised of networking events from 7pm to 2am. As you can see the event has gone above and beyond to ensure a valuable, fun and diverse experience for all attendees.

At Marketing Melodie, we support innovative technology events such as SDMTC and would like to take this opportunity to offer one lucky reader a chance to win a full conference pass to the event.

Here’s how to win:

You must be following @MyMelodie on Twitter and retweet this blog post to your network through the Tweet button on the top left. You will receive an additional entry by commenting on this blog post as to why you would like to attend. All participants can enter twice: once through Twitter and once through a blog comment. A winner will be announced next Tuesday September 14^th at 12 noon PST. Good luck and see you at the inaugural San Diego Music & Technology Conference

*Photo Credit- Photos from San Diego Music & Technology Conference

To thank everyone for their support, I’m hosting another Social Media Swag Bag giveaway! I know Swag can often be clutter but I’ve taken the initiative to find things that are practical and useful. I’ve posted tips on Hosting Successful contests on Social Media and  have already given away fun Social Media Swag but since I’m very active in the social media scene, I’m constantly acquiring more goodies to share with you!

The winner receives the following plus a few other surprises:
1. Yelp Lunchbox complete with a Yelp Thermos, bottle opener and buttons. Yelp is one of the best resources for receiving authentic and honest feedback from consumers about any place you may consider trying whether it’s a restaurant, retail store or a service provider.
2. A very comfy PitchEngine t-shirt. PitchEngine is a great resource to accelerate your PR presence in Social Media.
3. Google Keychain that lights up in different colors. I’m not sure if this has a practical use but it’s always cool to have Google Swag!
4. Bing Pen and sticker
5. Rackspace stress relief cloud. Because we can all use a de-stresser and clouds remind me of being a carefree kid staring at the clouds while intrigued at all the animals and things I cold see in the sky.
6. Cool Twitter Conferences Lanyard
7. An assortment of Social Media Stickers
8. Hoovers Mobile Phone Couch from the Hoovie Robot
9. An assortment of Social Media stickers
10. iContact Cups that change color depending on the temperature of the liquid you’re drinking. Email marketing is a very targeted form of direct marketing because consumers have to opt in. iContact offers a free trial. I’ve personally used them before, very user friendly interface.

11. Everything comes in your very own Reusable Windows 7 Bag (Remember to bring your own bags to the grocery store). I’m finally using Windows 7 on my HP Netbook.

There are 3 ways you can win. You can enter up to 3 different times:
1. Leave a comment on this blog telling me what your favorite social network is and why
2. Follow me on Twitter and Tweet this blog via the “Tweet” button on this post.
3. “Like” Marketing Melodie on Facebook and leave a comment on my wall about  how Social Media benefits you either personally or professionally.
I’ll choose a winner at the end of May. Good luck to everyone and thank you all again for supporting Marketing Melodie!

*Photo Credit: Photos taken by Marketing Melodie

BEFORE THE EVENT

1. Offer a promotional code: Ask the event coordinator to provide you with a promotional discount code. This allows you to offer value to your network through a discount when inviting them to the event. This code may be shared by your friends to others outside of you network, therefore allowing your speaking engagement to gain publicity to new audiences.

2. Create buzz through a contest: Ask the event coordinator to provide you with a complimentary entry to give away. Whenever I ask, the event coordinator is more than happy to do this after I explain the benefits of hosting a contest. Follow my 6 Tips for Hosting Successful Contests on Social Media and you’ll be well on your way to not only gaining more visibility, but growing your network to those interested in your topic. You will supply a demand to those who want to attend,  increase the value of your business by creating a relevant promotion and showcase benefits of attending your speaking engagement. Here’s an example of a contest I created for DOMAINfest, a speaking engagement I participated in January: Marketing Melodie Socializes DOMAINfest 2010. Another example is a contest I created for Cool Twitter Conferences where I spoke last year: Cool Twitter Conferences World Tour in Full Swing.

3. Post Tips as teasers for your presentation: Take all of the main points of your presentation and turn these into  short “Tips of the Day”. Preferably 120 characters or less they can be tweeted and easily retweeted on Twitter.  Start posting these around 2 weeks out before your speaking engagement. These tips are designed to educate your following and also serve as teasers to hook them into wanting more information.

4. Write your own blog entry about your speaking engagement: This doesn’t need to be a long post, but it’s an opportunity to direct people to your own website when posting about your speaking engagement on your different networks. Give a brief background about the event and organization. Link back to the event website where people can register to attend. If you’re offering a promotional code include this in your post. Here’s an example of a blog post I wrote for my speaking engagement coming up for AIGA:  Melodie Speaks at AIGA: Social Media Design Techniques

DURING THE EVENT

5. Promote your Twitter handle in the beginning: During your introduction, let people know they can follow you on Twitter. Many people will tweet facts, quotes and valuable information they learn during presentations so their followers who aren’t at the event can gain insight. By providing the audience with your handle, you’re empowering them to cite you in their tweet.  This provides more credibility to those reading the tweets and will prompt others to follow you if they’re interested in your topic.

6. Create a Hashtag: Create a specific hashtag for your speaking engagement. Promote this in the beginning along with your Twitter handle. This allows you to track buzz, tone and sentiment during your talk.  If you’re speaking at a large conference with many other speakers, this also allows the updates from your specific session to stand out to people following the general conference hashtag.

7. Tweet Questions: Encourage user participation by asking your audience to tweet questions during your presentation with the hashtag you created. This allows your audience to ask questions on the fly as they come to mind. Q & A is often reserved for the end of presentations. Many times, people have questions but forget to ask by the time Q & A comes up. By allowing them to tweet questions you get more people inquiring which allows you understand patterns of interest and areas where your audiences would like more explanation. Some conferences broadcast the tweet stream to their audience through services such as TweetWall.

AFTER THE EVENT

8. Offer incentives to connect: Provide incentives for people to join your Facebook fan page, connect with you on LinkedIn or follow you on Twitter with a valuable offer. Examples of offerings include: “Send me a Tweet after the event and I’ll email you my presentation”. “Add me on LinkedIn after the event and you’ll find a link to my SlideShare account where the presentation is posted”.

9. Immediate follow up: Many people will come up to you after the event to ask additional questions and leave you their card because they are interested in your service or product. Collect everyone’s contact information and send an immediate follow up thanking them for attending. This personalizes your audience’s experience and allows you to be top of mind.

10. Collect testimonials: Review the tweets that occurred during your presentation (which can be easily tracked by your hashtag) and take screen shots of posts that can serve as positive testimonials. Testimonials are a great tool to help you get hired for future speaking engagements.

It may not be necessary for you to use every single tip I’ve listed, but I trust you can apply at least a few to enhance your speaking engagements.  Stay tuned for even more posts that related to professional speaking!

Weekend University is an innovative educational institution focused on practical in-person and online digital skills education. Their courses deliver practical knowledge from experienced practitioners, providing students with real world skills they can use the next day in their professional and personal lives.

WeekendU is lead by Dmitry Shapiro, a pioneer in the tech industry and one of the most well respected leaders in the online space. I can honestly say that this course revolutionized the way I use the internet. I’m more efficient, organized and the information I want is coming to me.  During the course I had my laptop open and implemented many of Dmitry’s recommendations. I immediately noticed my productivity skyrocket. My enthusiasm for this course is conveyed in the WeekendU Internet Power Video.

In addition to improving my own skills, I was empowered with technology and information that allowed me to teach others the same innovations I learned. Many of the talks I give and classes I teach are founded on the principals from this course.  Since I’ve been an evangelist for WeekendU’s education for the past year, it is now an absolute honor to announce that I’ll be an Instructor at WeekendU, along with Dmitry and other experienced technology and online entrepreneurs.  Please stay tuned for upcoming webinars and in person classes I’ll be teaching. WeekendU has big plans in store for 2010 and beyond.

The first course I’ll be teaching is Internet Power this Saturday February 27^th at UCLA. Dmitry will lead the class on finding information faster, organizing and managing information flow, leveraging power tools and I’ll be teaching a section on Social Media.

I’m giving away one complimentary pass to attend the course and as always offering you 3 ways to win. If you participate all 3 ways, you’ll be entered 3 different times. The winner will be chosen Thursday evening so you have a couple days to plan for Saturday.

1. Join my Facebook page and leave a comment my Facebook “Discussion”  about WeekendU

2. Retweet this blog post with the Tweet button on the top left of this post and make sure to include my Twitter name @MyMelodie in the tweet.

3. Leave a comment on this blog post telling me your biggest challenge with managing your internet use (ie: overloaded email inbox, difficulty finding relevant information, etc)

Additionally I’m offering my entire network $100 off this Saturday’s course.  So please let me know if you’d like a promo code.

Whether you’re a novice internet user or an online industry leader, I guarantee you will learn something valuable from this class. In fact we’re so confident  we offer  “100% Satisfaction Guranteed – Or We Will Refund Your Registration Fee” I look forward to seeing you on Saturday at UCLA!

You may think Personal Assistants are just for the rich and famous and cost a fortune. You may also be an excellent multitasker and see no need for a Personal Assistant. BlackBerrys and laptops have definitely improved our efficiency, but even the most organized business professional can appreciate a helping hand. I’m grateful for my helping hand and Personal Assistant, AskSunday. I began using the AskSunday 24/7 Assistance almost 2 years ago and can confidently say they’ve significantly increased my productivity by helping me accomplish tasks that are important and urgent but don’t require my specialized skill or knowledge.

AskSunday is a service that provides Virtual Personal Assistants. They offer various packages for their 24/7 Assistance that begin as low as $37/month. They accept requests via email, phone, and even Twitter! They also offer Dedicated Assistants that provide help at a higher level. I’d like to share personal examples of how AskSunday has helped me optimize my valuable time.

1. Reservations- Reservations may seem simple but when I need a specific type of environment for a business meeting that has tables and chairs set up a certain way, a specific location in the room, various food preferences, want to prepay the bill and don’t have a restaurant in mind because the meeting is in a location I’m not familiar with, I AskSunday and they deliver. They do the research and provide me with various options.They also provide alternatives and let me know if there may conflicts with my request. I get back to them with my choice and they confirm the reservation by telling me who they spoke with in case anything comes up.

2. Price Comparisons- There are many times when I want to buy a product and know I can easily spend 20-30 minutes price comparing online but don’t because I’m busy working on a more important task. Same goes with booking travel. With AskSunday I can find the most cost effective solutions for purchases and travel without investing any extra time. They look things up, send me the options then go through with the actual purchasing, always making sure to send me a confirmation.

3. Booking Appointments and Cancellations- There are many appointments we put off booking because it’s on the bottom of our to-do list. AskSunday will book health appointments, spa treatments and other personal appointments. Many often put off cancellations more than booking because we already went through the hassle of setting it up. We know it may take a while to get through and confirm the cancellation. AskSunday has also helped me cancel other things that are necessary but not priorities. I somehow get on mailing lists for many magazines and catalogs that I don’t wish to receive. They help me help the environment by canceling these extraneous subscriptions.

4. Data Entry- Have a stack of business cards that need to be entered in your address book? Evernote your business cards and AskSunday will enter them for you. Have other data that needs to be organized in an excel spreadsheet? No problem! AskSunday does this in your sleep!

These are just a few of many requests AskSunday has assisted me with. Additional resources I have learned from are two books that have tremendously enhanced my knowledge on first prioritizing my tasks- Getting Things Done: The Art of Stress-Free Productivity and then outsourcing certain tasks and knowing how to determine which items to delegate – The 4-Hour Workweek: Escape 9-5, Live Anywhere, and Join the New Rich

Now that you’ve read all about the possibility of having a Personal Assistant and how they have immensely increased my productivity I’m absolutely thrilled to announce that I’m giving away an entire month of AskSunday’s 24/7 Assistance’s Gold Plan! I’m very grateful to now have an opportunity to share my positive experience with one of you.

Here’s How you will win a complimentary month of AskSunday’s 24/7 Assistant service:
First you Must be a fan of Marketing Melodie’s Facebook Page to qualify. Once you’re a fan you can enter 3 ways. If you participate in all 3, you will be entered 3 different times.
1. Leave a comment my Facebook “Discussion” telling me how AskSunday will make your life more productive.
2. Retweet this blog post with the Tweet button on the top left of this post and make sure to include my Twitter name @MyMelodie in the tweet.
3. Leave a comment on this blog post with insight on what you personally do to increase productivity.

I will choose 1 lucky winner on Sunday December 13th, 2009. I’m choosing this date because it’s my birthday so there’s no better day to give away something very valuable to me! I wish everyone the best and success to increased productivity!

If you’re wondering where I got my enthusiasm for hosting contests and giveaway here’s a little background. I began my career working in radio promotions. You will hear me say this over and over again but I’m so grateful I had an opportunity to work in the Radio industry. Successful contesting is one of the things I learned in Radio which is an industry known for hosting contests that receive the most hype and having the hottest giveaways in town! Working in radio gives you the keys to the city and access to all major events, concerts and funky swag meaning there’s a lot of fun stuff to give away!

I always enjoy seeing people  happy because they received free tickets to our next event, an awesome prize pack for summer, music to their ears concert tickets, etc. Giving people what they want makes you a valuable resource and sought after commodity. When I entered into the professional online industry I decided to take contesting to the next level and incorporate elements of social media. Here are six great things to keep in mind to host a successful contest.

1.  Supply a Demand- Give something away that’s not easily accessible by everyone. If you give something away people can’t get anywhere, your giveaway is more likely to be highly perceived as a valuable promotion. When deciding what to give away do some research, which in this day and age means listen to the Social Media space to see if there is a high demand for something you plan to give away.

2. Increase the Value of Your Business - It’s important not to confuse giveaways and contests with giving away your product  for free. Giving away your product for free may devalue it into the eyes of your consumers.   Why would I want to pay for something that I once was able to get for free? My friend Chris Brogan shares great insight on the Audacity of FREE. With contesting you aren’t giving away your product for free. You’re creating a promotion that provides value, showcases all the benefits and perks of your product and giving one lucky person a chance to win. Make sure to highlight important features in your giveaway. If giving away tickets to an event emphasize the benefits of winning the tickets. Perhaps you’re giving away VIP access or the chance to meet and greet a celebrity. What are you providing that’s not readily available?

3. Make it Viral- Utilize social media to incorporate viral elements into entering your contests. This increases the awareness and reach of your promotion. There are several ways I generally allow people to enter my contests. They include retweeting my contest on Twitter. This promotes my contests to networks far beyond my own. Joining my Facebook page which grows my fan base so more people receive the content I put out and subscribing to my YouTube channel so my videos are viewed by influencers in my industry and so on. Take this even a step further by encouraging contestants to enter by submitting user generated content. Ask people to create blog and vlog entries. Social media is a powerful tool in contesting and can create a lot of buzz in a short period of time. Take advantage of it’s power.

4. Keep it Simple- While it’s fine to have multiple ways to enter your contest make sure the rules and conditions of your contest are very easy and clear. Having too many restrictions may cause confusion with people who don’t read your rules carefully because it’s too long. In our fast paced society almost everyone, myself included skims long instructions. Be succinct when you define the rules and what the winner receives so there’s no confusion.

5. Collect Information- Make sure you have a way to collect contact information so you can reach out to contestants in the future and contact the winner. I do recommend you make it mandatory to enter contact information but please disclose to the contestants if they will be entered into an email list or receive future information for entering your contest. Respect privacy for any contact information given. You want everyone to feel safe when entering your contests.

6.  Have Fun!- Get creative and add fun elements to your contest! This increases the chances hype you’ll receive. The best way to do this is to ask contestants to create user generated content as mentioned above. This really engages your audience and gives them an active way to participate in your community.

Check out successful contests I’ve hosted in the past. I’m a marketing professional and educator so you will notice I give away prizes that relate to marketing education and tie in marketing insight to all of my contests. I have yet to participate in a Blog Carnival which I’ve heard is another great promotion. Please leave your comments about contests you’ve won, cool contests that are currently happening, information about blog carnivals, ideas for future contests and anything else you’d like to share.

If you’re a business that would like to provide a prize for me to give away, please contact me and if you’re a fit lets discuss ways to create a mutually beneficial contest.

The Lucky Winner receives:

1. GOOGLE Silly Putty

2. Blend Tec Will It Blend DVD (made themselves famous on YouTube)

3. BING Sticker

4. TWITTER Koozies from @nbcsandiego

5. Central Desktop WIKI T-shirt

6. Sun Cloud Pen/Bottle Opener with magnet!

7. DIDDIT Beanie, Notebook and Pen

8. Resuable Kodak canvas bag to carry all of your SWAG

Watch my video to check out all the cool Social Media SWAG.

To WIN you must be a fan of Marketing Melodie’s Facebook Page. Once you are a fan you can enter several different ways for a total of 3 entries.

1. Leave a comment my Facebook “Discussion”

2. Retweet this blog post AND post a comment letting me know

3. Subscribe to Marketing Melodie’s BRAND NEW YouTube Channel

I have not decided on the exact date, but I will choose a winner soon! GOOD LUCK!