Ten years ago, I had just moved to the Triangle area andworked for Binary Press, a start-up consulting firm, doing anything and everything related to marketing and PR. This was back at the time when intranets, the notion of sharing content on websites, and email marketing were just starting up. It was "long" before social media. So, I headed off to area networking events and met Kristy Stevenson.
Ten years ago, Kristy was a new Mom too and had started her own online, parenting magazine called Bundles of Joy which she was promoting.
Turns out Binary Press only lasted a couple of years. My networking for that company ended and I didn't see Kristy for years - literally. I worked on other things before finally starting up Purple Phone in 2008. Not honestly sure how Kristy spent those days: given her portfolio, I imagine she was writing away.
Then came social media. For whatever Kristy was working on, she continued to network out in the North Raleigh area. I got back into it more locally in Holly Springs as I lauched Purple Phone: I was about 30 minutes away. (Now, dig in your mind for how that Kevin Bacon game works.) She was connected to someone. I to someone else. And, there was a connection in the middle. In time, thanks to aid of our online tools, we found one another again and reconnected. We chatted here and there sharing resources and tools and comments about our local area.
A couple months ago, Kristy was assigned an article by Carolina Parent that was to focus on how social media plays into ones personal branding. Like all good reporters, Kristy needed expert opinions. In looking through the many contacts that she'd gathered over the years, she knew several local marketing and social media professionals, myself included. Kristy, as a small business owner herself, benefitted from social media simply by having the right network to go to when she needed to produce her product.
As for me, I was fortunate enough to be interviewed for her article, Maximize Your Own Brand with Social Media. Does it mean the world is knocking down my door this AM for me to work with them? No - it's not quite that tangible. But, it does mean that my name and business name have spread to all of the readers of Carolina Parent. It means that my search engine rankings will get a bit of a boost by being tied to that article. And, it offers one more step in presenting me as an expert in my field.
The point: if you are still dangling your feet on the edge of social media and are afraid to dive on in, don't be. Think of it most simply as a way connect (or as is the case here re-connect) with people. Share experiences and questions. It's the biggest networking event ever, so don't be shy!
(Photo credit: mikecogh)
