You’ve got something to say. Say it louder.

There are certain words that cause joy deep down in the heart of every foodie. These words include: farm-to-table, handmade charcuterie, and oysters on the half-shell.

When I first encountered the cheffing team behind Reserve GR, an up-and-coming oenophile’s paradise in Grand Rapids, Michigan, I knew they were onto something with their enthusiastic accounts of reviving the lost arts of slow cooking. The question was, how could I help them maximize their potential in the social space?

They were off to a running start. They had a blog set up, a solid Facebook fan page, and a Twitter feed. Also their kitchen adventures were compelling and photogenic. But as I did an audit of their existing holdings, I identified a number of areas where some small tweaks would make a big difference in term of growing fans and visibility.

Here are a few of the tips I gave to Reserve GR (but you’ll notice these can can be adapted for a number of business scenarios)
HOW-TO: A Crash Course in Social Media Between Sips of Wine and Slurps of Oysters

Quick tips on raising your voice

✓ The best thing you can do

Pull together an integrated set of tools, such as blog, Facebook and Twitter and use those tools to spark regular updates that showcases what really makes you special.

✓ The worst thing you can do

Stay in your hiding hole, cold-smoking duck breast for an audience of your dog. You love something, share it with the world!

✓ The best place to start

Take ownership of a niche, whether that niche is selling car insurance or baking bread by hand, and let the world in on what you know best. Start with a Twitter account or a Facebook page and start the two-way communication that is so vital to visibility-building.

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