Born to Blog | Mark Shaefer on Courage

I'm finding some inspiration in the social media marketers I've been bumping into at Social Slam and Social media Marketing World. Mark Shaefer was so kind to be my first video interview on my blog. So fitting that the topic is "courage to publish" from his book, "Born to Blog".

 

[VIDEO]

Mark Shaefer, Co-author of "Born to Blog" and I discuss blogging and the "courage to push publish" at the Social Media Marketing World 2013 Conference in San Diego. (April 2013)

Get the book, "Born to Blog" at Amazon.com (This is not an affiliate link.)

Learn more about Mark Schaefer

Former First Lady, Elanor Roosevelt said it best back in the day:
“Do one thing every day that scares you.”
 I successfully have checked that off my list today when hitting "publish."

Return on Opportunity: Reflections from #SMMW13

I'm winding down from attending Social Media Explorer's first live conference, Social Media Marketing World (#SMMW13). There were 1,100+ attendees, amazing networking events, packed sessions with the top social media thought leaders, authors, and speakers- which was overwhelming for even a high flying social butterfly like me. Check out the pics with fellow social media marketers at #SMMW13's networking cruise. Everyone there shared a passion for social media! So what did I learn?

Social Media is Return on Opportunity.

This is the theme that comes to mind, as I am reflecting on all the new friends I've made at SMMW13, connections with these thought leaders, and their words of social media marketing wisdom.

A lot of the SMMW13 speakers emphasized how social media is about building a community, having passion for the content, and genuinely connecting and helping others via social networks.

What if that Tweet was shared and brought in a new customer that again shared their experience on Facebook and another person liked it and someone they were connected to saw it and went to your website to buy? Sounds dreamy, right?

Social Media Club Nashville Celebrating 4th year | Nashville.com Article

I'm very proud and pleased that Social Media Club Nashville (SMCNash) is celebrating it's forth year this April in bringing Nashville's social media marketing enthusiasts and business professionals together to network and learn from each other.

Apparently, you can get famous in Nashville without a song or a TV show...just by connecting people and having a passion. Check out this article about Social Media Club Nashville (and me!) on Nashville.com: Help for the New Nashville Entrepreneur

via Nashville.com

Marketing Buzzwords VS Thought Leaders at #SoSlam and #SMMW13

Buzz, buzz, buzz...optimize your content on the social web...increase brand reach and customer influence...buzz, buzz, buzz...targeted inbound marketing campaign...Content, Content, Content...buzz, buzz, buzz....Expert, Guru, Maven...buzz, buzz, buzz...

Everyone's an expert and then again, no one's an expert in social media marketing. There's a thin line between saying you are knowledgeable in an area of marketing and actually having an expertise or concentration in that area.

There are those that were raised on traditional marketing principles in their career and have gravitated to digital (like me), and then there are those that learned the tools, are savvy salespeople, and convince others that don't know any better that they are experts.

Spring Cleaning! Refresh Your Personal Brand

Spring is here and nothing puts a little pep in your step more than a makeover! It's time to dust off that profile pic and freshen up your social media profiles to refresh your personal brand.

Think you don't have a brand? Are you on the internet? Have you ever created a profile on a social networking site? Guess what? You do, and it probably needs some polishing.

I recently refreshed all my social networking profiles, so I will guide you through it with examples. It is a little time consuming, but the investment in YOU is well worth it.

Refresh Your Personal Brand

1. Assess your digital footprint. What sites and social networks do you have a profile on? List them all. Remember to check your phone for apps you may have downloaded that are also social networks: GetGlue, Vine, Viddy, FourSquare, etc.

2. Say cheese! You're going to need some current pics. Dogs, cats, children, and even your significant other are cute but they don't belong in your profile pictures...especially on LinkedIn. 

Time to shine like a star with a photo shoot. Pick a location that will give you several interesting background angles. I chose Nashville's downtown buildings as my background.


Take lots of photos so you have enough to vary them on all your profiles. I kept the same outfit on for consistency. Be sure to get several head shots, since most social profile pics are small and that's about all you can fit into the viewable area.