New Adventure

So until I find another home for my thoughts, this blog continues…

Friday was my last day working for The Man. For now, anyway. I have finally decided to go out on my own, 100%, full time, to give this entrepreneur* thing a go.

My business is Untapped Media: brand storytelling visualized. I offer companies social media strategy, training, and management, plus photography and other content marketing services, plus….plus…plus. Obviously I need to nail this down.

So far, in the last 1.5 days, I have…

• Changed out of my pajamas and back into them 7 times.
• Felt guilty for going to Starbucks and Chase during work hours 2 times.
• Felt overwhelmed and scattered 100 times.
• Used the word "discombobulated" 6 times.
• Yelled at my computer 3 times.
• Talked to another human being 4 times.
• Gotten really giddy about starting this new chapter of life 0 times.
• Hoped to get giddy about starting this new chapter of life 78 times.
• Gone for a run 2 times.

I hope to feel better, get excited, finish my website and get into the groove within the next 4 weeks.

Goal #1: obtain one brewery client within 12 months.

Wish me luck.

*I hesitate to use the word "entrepreneur." To me, that word denotes incredible success in starting a new business and while I hope for that, I can't say I'm there yet. I'll use it occasionally because I get to connect with the true entrepreneurs out there in social, but know that I am just starting this new venture and am wary of blowing this out of proportion. That is all.

Integrating Social Media Marketing

Social media marketing is about to become just marketing. I don't think this is a revolutionary statement by any means. I do believe that while most companies are hiring someone to do social media in conjunction with brand managers or marketing managers, the time will come - hopefully soon - where social media marketing is just a part of the marketing manager's job.

Social media should be fully integrated into marketing strategies & plans. It shouldn't be an afterthought or an add on. Social media marketing takes the brand's marketing plan and executes it across different channels. That's it. I know by making these statements I'm basically writing myself out of a job, but I do think that true marketing managers in this new world of marketing need to holistically incorporate social media marketing, print advertising, digital advertising, point of sale marketing materials, influencer outreach and blogger relationship building (brand ambassadors!) into their marketing plans. I don't think it's optional. The marketing managers who do this now, or start soon, will be way ahead of the pack. There's a reason they're called 360 campaigns...