Creating a Digital Footprint: My Journey

“In the future, your digital footprint will carry far more weight than anything you might include on a resume.” -Chris Betcher

I was sitting in my kitchen with friends getting ready to leave for the Reno-Tahoe open when my phone alerted me that I had been mentioned in a tweet. I check it out; come to realize that a local business wrote a story about me and what I’ve been doing with the small businesses in Reno (through my blog).  Gah! The eCommerce Director for Dolan Automotive Group had been following my work via social media, and my attention was grabbed when they put together a blog about my work. I was honored, and reached out to them to meet face-to-face. Long story short… they end up offering me a position as an eMarketing Coordinator. I started on September 1^st.

Pinch me. I’m floored. I am getting paid to do what I love, and I understand the value of that. I did a post back in June (Oh Hello Voice, There You Are: The Power of a Blog), which reflects on my discovery of the power of a blog and my social media journey. I felt the need to add a second part to my journey-as it has taken another turn in the past 30 days. This has nothing to do with self-promotion, I am not boasting, I don’t care if you have never liked or even read anything I have pushed out in the past-but I want to inspire others. I hope that as I continue to share my journey, I will inspire others to understand the importance of personal branding.  Also, I hope I will inspire others to take advantage of the infinite space on the World Wide Web and start blogging. It hasn’t just been a rewarding experience professionally, but personally.

I made a commitment in February to be completely transparent on Facebook, Twitter and through this WordPress site that they call a blog. This is what I did:

• I cleaned up my Facebook page (would Nana be ok with seeing this? No. Delete)
• I made my Facebook profile public
• I made my Twitter public
• I accepted anyone and everyone that added me
• I developed content, which offered VALUE to others (this is the big one, this is a whole different blog post)
• I shared my hobbies, passions, interests…I shared my life
• I was transparent. What’s the big secret, anyway?
• I blogged my heart out.

It was uncomfortable at first. So many people have a fear of opening up on the Internet (whether it be personally or for their business), and I completely understand. If you open up those gates, you are opening up a huge opportunity for people to: hate, judge, copy, spy, intrude, embarrass, harass… all that Jerry Springer shit. But, it’s controllable. Now that I have opened up myself to all of this criticism, I wonder why I didn’t do it years ago. I have made more friends, created more connections and have fully exploited my voice more in the past 7 months than I have in my whole 27 years on this earth.

My journey is really just getting started and I am thrilled to share my adventure as an eMarketing Coordinator for the Dolan Automotive Group. I am going to start sharing my experiences out in the “real world” as a social media professional, and my experience as the voice of a big business in a small town. I have figured out what works for me in terms of personal branding. Now, I get to step up to the plate and see how “human” we can make a business. Also, I will be sharing some of my blog posts from Dolan Auto Group’s blog, as I will be continuing my journey experiencing the Biggest Little City.

What’s your personal brand? How are you marketing yourself online? What does your digital footprint say about you? Don’t ignore it, because I promise you- others aren’t.

Dolan Auto Group Gives Back via Facebook

Dolan Auto Group has donated $80,000 to schools in the Washoe County School District by way of Facebook. A commercial was launched in March of 2011, calling all locals to go on Dolan Auto Group’s Facebook page and vote for their favorite school project. 20 classrooms were awarded $2,500 and 3 schools were rewarded $10,000. Word spread like wildfire amongst the community, and the race was on. The Dolan family didn’t have a say in which schools received the generous donations; it was strictly the fans that voted. Over 20,000 people from all across the country participated by visiting Dolan’s Facebook page, and each of the winners received a check personally delivered by Tom or Ryan Dolan. If you ask me, this is social media at its best.

Tom Dolan moved to Reno from Redlands, Calif. in 1969 with his brother Mike to attend the University of Nevada. During his time at UNR, Tom befriended and became roommates with Don Weir. Tom earned his degree in social psychology and entered the real world. Selling insurance wasn’t exactly what he had in mind. Soon enough Tom joined his buddy Don Weir at Reno Dodge selling cars for Don Weir Sr. Years later, Tom Dolan became General Manager at Reno Toyota on April 1, 1982. Tom’s successes lead to ownership of Reno Toyota, then in 1990 Lexus of Reno, then most recently Reno Mazda Kia in 2011.

Ryan, Danielle and Brady Dolan spent many days running around their Dad’s dealerships.  If Ryan and Brady weren’t on the baseball field or in the classroom, they were washing cars or picking up cigarette butts in the parking lot.

“If the words ‘I’m bored’ came out of our mouths, you bet the next day we would be at the dealership picking and pulling weeds.”

Tom always emphasized hard work with his kids. Ryan, Danielle, and Brady’s mother Pamela Dolan was a special education teacher; education was also heavily emphasized in the Dolan household. Ryan graduated from ASU in 2000 with a degree in business marketing, Danielle also graduated from ASU in 2002 with a degree in travel and tourism, and Brady graduated from UCLA in 2007 with a degree in sociology. All three also graduated from NADA (National Automobile Dealers Association) in Washington, D.C.

“The business was never forced on us, it was our decision. The only pressure that was put on us was school. We had to go to college.”

All three of Tom’s kids joined the business once they graduated. Ryan and Brady have been put through an extensive training program, cycling them through every department of a dealership. Ryan Dolan became General Manager of Reno Toyota in 2011.

In 2011, Dolan Automotive Group was created as a means to encompass all of Dolan’s dealerships under the same brand, and the slogan “Get in. And join the family.” was coined. Pamela Dolan’s heavy involvement within Washoe’s school district was a big influence in the school project fundraisers. Everyone apart of Dolan Auto Group couldn’t be happier with the successes of the fundraisers. The Facebook campaign not only helped many schools in need, but it also launched Dolan Auto Group’s brand into a household name. Want to witness an incredible display of the N. Nevada community coming together through social media for the greater good? Check out what this business is doing on Facebook as they continue to give back to the community. Hats off to Dolan Auto Group.