Oh, Hello Voice! There You Are: The Power of a Blog

When it comes to blogging, I am about four months old.  Prior to these four months, I had never even conceived the idea of publishing MY own thoughts and opinions on the World Wide Web. Who cares what I have to say? I had a Facebook, I had a weak LinkedIn profile (this is still debatable), and that’s it. No Twitter to microblog, and no blog. This all changed in February when I was forced to step outside of my box, jump in headfirst, and start cranking out some content on this nifty site they call WordPress. Now, there are a lot…a lot…of bloggers out there.  I just wanted to post something today that reflected my experience, thus far, as a “blogger.” Being exposed to the world of blogging has been one the most empowering experiences of my life.

The anxiety. What am I going to write about? I like to do yoga, I was bartending at the time, a former college athlete…what can I write about that will offer people valuable information? My first 10 blog posts nearly sent me to crazy town. What if people don’t like what I have to say? What if my grammar is terrible? What if no one reads my stuff? Traumatizing. But, I got through it. In three months, I spit out 25 posts, consisting of 18 interviews I had with small business owners in Reno, and produced a 5-minute slideshow of all the businesses I featured. It was stressful, but I now have a voice that I never knew I had. Here’s the video I put together:

Still being fairly new to the blogging world, I have seen results. Doors have been opened for me. I have been offered jobs, I have landed an internship, I started my own business, I have found a new career, I have been asked to speak about my experience, I have reconnected with friends, I have made so many new friends, I have built an invaluable network underneath me, and I may have even gotten a date or two (hey, this is my blog, this is real life). I have met some of the most AMAZING people, and I have seen a side of this town that has just blown me away. The picture to the right is of myself with the talented chef and owner of Campo, Mark Estee. I wouldn’t have experienced any of this, if it weren’t for my blog, if I didn’t position my voice in front of the world. The power of taking thoughts and ideas, creating them into a post, and publishing YOUR voice on the Internet has an insurmountable amount of potential.

We all have information in our minds that will offer value to someone else. I don’t care what it is that you write about. I have witnessed individuals writing about do-it-yourself, self-esteem, tough motivation, “mommy blogs”, quality control…I can go on for days, there is brilliance everywhere. Point is, all of these bloggers are producing groundbreaking content because they are passionate about their topic and they understand that what they are producing is offering value to people. Challenge yourself. Step out of your comfort zone and put your thoughts out there for everyone to enjoy, or hate! I promise you that there is someone out there that cares about what you have to say, and you never know what it could lead to. Is it a lot of work? You betcha’. Does it take time to see results? Ugh, yes. Is it worth it? Absolutely. The power of a blog is insurmountable.

What kind of value can you offer to people? I challenge you.

Social Media Marketing for Dummies

I really don’t want to leave anyone in the dark here. I am going to take a moment to give a brief over view of the different social networking platforms that I will be discussing in future blog posts.

Here’s an extremely simple example of traditional marketing:

“Buy Toms.”

Here’s an extremely simple example of social media marketing:

“I love my Toms, look at how cute they are on me (insert picture here).”

Who are consumers more likely to listen to? The billboard sitting on the side of the road telling them to buy the Toms? Or to their friend who just posted about their recent Toms experience, all over their Facebook page- where all of their friends have now told them how great they look? Basically, social media marketing has given us the ability to set up a free booth, marketing ourselves, our product or service in front of millions and millions of people. During this time, we also get to witness everyone’s reaction and interact with the consumers. Did I mention it’s free? Here is a brief break-down of some of the social media platforms available to us:

Myspace: Once upon a time there was this networking tool called Myspace. I once referred to Myspace with my 9-year-old cousin this past year, and she looked at me in disgust and scowled, “What. Is. THAT?” Well my dear, it’s Facebook’s very old and tired big sister. However, Myspace is nothing less than a cultural phenomenon. Myspace was the first time I witnessed a personal media-hosting site where I could create “my own space” on the World Wide Web. It ‘s still very much apart of the social networking world, but in 2008 Myspace showed a major slowdown.

Facebook: Whether you buy into this social-networking-craze or not, please go see the film The Social Network. It’s a great story of how Facebook was born into the hands of Mark Zuckerberg. Facebook has +300 million users. Everyone is on Facebook for their own reasons, but either way- everyone is on Facebook, and they all want to talk. It’s not just for college students anymore. This social site is made up of 4 components: profiles, groups, pages and events. Each of these components can be utilized to market who you are, and/or what your business has to offer. I solely blame Facebook for reconnecting me with all my childhood and high school friends, if you don’t have a Facebook you aren’t cool.

Twitter: I am new to Twitter, I was not cool. I will admit, I thought it was juvenile. The only exposure I have had to Twitter is listening to my 19 year-old sister giggle every time Kim Kardashian or Joe Jonas “tweeted” something useless about their lives.  I gave in, and now I kind of love it. This is all it is: You get 140 characters to announce or “tweet” to your followers anything you want. When you hit the send button, your followers have your words right in their hands via text. I personally select to follow people who offer valuable information to me; it’s like an infinite blog roll of things I actually care about.

LinkedIn: Is a social networking platform for professionals. LinkedIn is your profile on steroids, with a lot less capabilities than Facebook.  LinkedIn definitely lacks that “now” affect which most of the other sites have, you could update your info on this site once every 6 months and still be current. Be careful, your past, present and future bosses ARE on LinkedIn, be good.

Google+: I am very new to Google+, however so is everyone else. I haven’t decided how I feel about it. Google+ does have the “now” effect. You can connect with others and form circles- it is very clean and professional. According to my professor, Dr. Bret Simmons, Google+ will dominate Facebook in a couple years, as Google+ has more capabilities.

Pinterest: This site cracks me up. Everyone has the ability to “pin” to their categorized profile. You would pin pictures you take, a cool quote you read, maybe a great idea for a bride, or a tasty recipe you just saw in a magazine. Others can look at your profile too and “pin” your ideas to their wall, everyone can leave comments and thoughts. User be aware: Pinning is addicting. Can’t. Stop. Pinning.

Blog posting: The wonderful world of blogging is a MUST. If you have a passion, interest, or great idea- tell the world about it and blog. Simple sites such a WordPress.com offer free (there’s that lovely word, again) hosting capabilities where you start with a cool little template and you can turn your site into whatever you want. Look at my blog, looks ok right? I had no clue what I was doing, I still have no clue what I am doing, and this is what happened! It’s foolproof really. You want to utilize the “now” platforms such as Facebook, Twitter and Google+ to direct people to your blog. This is the ultimate goal for everyone, especially business owners- DRIVE THE TRAFFIC TO YOUR MAIN SITE. The blog is your home base where you give away the bread and butter, and pull people in.

That’s social media, for me- in a nutshell.

An Intro: Bridging Reno and Social Media Marketing

One of the first things I noticed about this town when I moved here are all of the small locally-owned businesses. It’s a beautiful thing! I come from Southern California; a world of monstrous shopping malls, chain stores, the “Who’s who” of brand names, and any and every restaurant chain you could possibly think of. I do slightly miss the shopping, however my bank account has benefited.

So what does keep the Biggest Little City…well…little? If you ask me, it’s all of the locally and proudly owned/operated businesses. I can almost guarantee that everyone in Reno knows an owner of a business in town. Whether it be a great bar on the Truckee River, a charming little coffee shop downtown, a clothing store, a car dealership, a gym, or one of Reno’s amazing restaurants… The small businesses are one of the things which keep this city “little” and charming.

So what makes this little city the “biggest” city? This town is growing! According to the US Census Bureau- as of 2011, Reno’s population is 216,830 people. Since 2000, it has had a population growth of 20.22%. In my time here (I’ve been in touch with Reno since 2003) I have seen 2 huge shopping malls (Legends and The Summit) go into business. When I first moved here, my 18 year-old brain immediately acknowledged the lack of In-n-Outs. Detrimental right? There are now 2 in town, whew. We have major chain restaurants and businesses, many in fact. But to a big-city girl this town is very little.

I am currently researching social media marketing. For those of you who have been living under a rock the past couple years- social media are made for social interaction using highly scalable publishing techniques.  Online networking platforms such as Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Google+, and the wonderful world of blogging, are among the most popular online tools being used to market businesses, organizations, causes, and individuals all across the world.

Existing in such a condensed area, small businesses in Reno are taking off by utilizing these social networking tools. I would like to study how businesses are utilizing social media. How have these marketing tools helped or hurt businesses? How did they get started? Who are the people chosen to manage these social networking accounts?

I have also met business owners in Reno who are NOT taking advantage of social networking simply because they don’t know where to begin! The idea of opening up these accounts and placing your product or service right in front your community (or world even!) can be extremely intimidating. As soon as a business is launched in the world of social media marketing- you are opening the floodgates for people to compliment, hate, praise, judge, or love your business and publicly tell the world all about it. It’s quite a responsibility. Many small business owners have reservations about this kind of marketing, and I would like to research what these reservations may be- and hopefully help them address these concerns. This is FREE MARKETING people! Let your success stories be told online and help grow your business.

I am going to meet with businesses in Reno within the next couple months and discover how they’re utilizing (or not utilizing) social media marketing. I have to mention that I am by no means a social media-marketing, nor a Reno expert. I am a Southern California transplant. I am simply a student of the subject of social media marketing, who is interested in how it is being utilized by businesses. As I learn, I will blog. I hope to accomplish a few things with this blog. 1. I want to extend my knowledge of the uses of social media. 2. I would love to help support small businesses in Reno. 3. I want to help people who feel lost in the world wide workings of social media, and give them some answers and hopefully a direction.