Marketing Melodie in 2011: A Year in Review

Happy 2012 everyone! I can’t believe another year has gone by. The start of a new year is always a great time for me to reflect on the previous year and set goals for the upcoming year but also appreciate the present moment and everything that’s led me to where I am today.

At the end of 2010 I decided to write Marketing Melodie in 2010: A Year in Review. I have a habit of discrediting many of my accomplishments because I feel like I can always do more. Writing this really allows me to appreciate and be grateful for everything that I have done rather than focus on what I haven’t. Just like I did for 2010 here’s a year in review of 2011 highlighting noteworthy events, clients, blog posts, friends, accomplishments, adventures and amazing opportunities.

*JANUARY*

While marketing is my expertise and passion, I have another passion; YOGA! I’m very grateful for one of my clients this year, La Jolla Yoga Center. Creating marketing campaigns and strategies for a yoga studio I love definitely makes me happy.  I trained their team on using social media to grow their business and helped them get set up on Facebook and Twitter. They’re definitely doing a great job connecting with yogis on social media!

I’ve been practicing yoga for a few years and really wanted to strengthen my practice and take it to the next level. I contemplated getting my yoga teaching certification for a while. It’s a huge time commitment and I was really on the fence. Well I made the decision to go ahead with yoga teacher training and can now say, if you are ever on the fence, DO IT! I am so happy I completed my Yoga Teacher Training and wouldn’t trade the experience for anything. I began my training in January and completed my 200 RYT Vinyasa Yoga Teacher Training at the inspirational La Jolla Yoga Center, located right on the beach! I met so many amazing new friends, learned so much about myself and really took my yoga practice to the next level.

*FEBRUARY*

I hosted the 2^nd event in my Digital Media Dinners series. The topic: Social Media Branding. This was a great milestone because it officially turned Digital Media Dinners into a series rather than a one off event.  I taught strategies on how to strengthen people’s brand across various social networks including review sites such as Yelp, group buying sites such as Groupon and location based sites such as Foursquare. I incorporated a variety of sites because marketing and social media is growing beyond just Facebook and Twitter.

*MARCH*

Since I learn and receive so much from my online and social media community, I really want to give back. I did this by hosting Twestival San Diego. This event is hosted all over the nation using social media for social good by connecting communities offline on a single day to highlight a great cause and have a fun event. It’s entirely promoted via social media. Twestival San Diego was hosted at the Keating Hotel and all proceeds benefited the San Diego After School All Stars.

Me and a few other lovely Yogis were featured on KUSI demonstrating Bootcamp for Yogis run by my fellow yoga teacher trainee, Body By Mags. Check out the video below where I get my 5 minutes of fame while I’m smiling through holding a yoga tough pose and demonstrating yoga boot camp moves (Warrior has got nothing on me!).

VIDEO: Yoga Boot Camp Video

*APRIL*

I successfully pulled my second April Fool’s Joke on Social Media! Everyone decided to wish me a Happy Birthday on April Fool’s this year!

The first annual Foursquare Day celebration took place in 2010 and I hosted Foursquare Day Hong Kong. This year I was in my home town, San Diego and had the opportunity to host Foursquare Day San Diego for my community at R Gang Eatery. Check in specials, complimentary wine, cocktails, delicious comfort food with an upscale twist, friends, badges and a good time was had! Foursquare Day on 4/16 (Yep that’s 4 squared which equals 16) is officially, my favorite geek Holiday!

Oh not to mention, I met my first Celebrity Chef, Rich Sweeney @ChefRicSweeney from Season 5 of Top Chef who is also the head of R Gang Eatery. You can read all about my addiction to food porn and cooking shows here.

*MAY*

I was interviewed by the San Diego Reader on using LinkedIn for Job Seekers. I shared my insight, advice and was gratefulto have my article published both in their paper and online! You can read the full article here.

Another Geek Holiday takes place in May! Star Wars day on May 4^th! May the Fourth be with you! I celebrated with some fun posts on Social Media!

 

*JUNE*

I really want to help others with yoga passion so I hosted my first yoga event: Yoga For the Busy Body at Hera Hub! I really want to provide an opportunity for other busy professionals and entrepreneurs to have a chance to experience the benefits of yoga while teaching them poses they can do on their own despite their busy lives. That’s exactly what I accomplished at this event.

*JULY*

I was cast in a Microsoft Commercial!  It was such an amazing experience to work a full day on set as talent! You can read all about how I was casted in the Microsoft Commercial and then watch my commercial when it finally aired below!

VIDEO: Marketing Melodie’s Microsoft Commercial

 I hosted my third Digital Media Dinners in my series. This time I educated attendees on How to Build Your Social Media Community. I had generous sponsors, expert speakers, delicious food and of course a captive audience who made the event a success. Check out the event recap in the video below.

VIDEO: Digital Media Dinners- How To Build your Social Media Community 

*AUGUST*

I attended BlogHer for the first time as it was hosted right here in America’s Finest City. I connected with inspirational bloggers from all across the nation. It was great talking to so many people about their passions and seeing  them creatively share it with others through their writing. I had a good time at the conference itself, attending workshops, checking out the booths, the networking events, parties and left with more swag than I knew what to do with!

Oh and I met another Celebrity Chef, Brian Markaley in the Season Final of Top Chef Season 3. He was hosting a BlogHer party!

 *SEPTEMBER* 

Marketing Melodie is growing quickly! I sent out a call for interns and bring Allison Schummer @AllisonSchummer on board to help me!

Allison recently graduated from SDSU and I give her my highest recommendation to anyone who’s hiring as she’s currently on the market for a new job!

San Diegans experience a MAJOR BLACKOUT! But we united and got through it while making new friends! We proved that even during a black out social media still shines!

*OCTOBER*

Fall is in the air (even though it’s always sunny in San Diego) which means time for a new fall wardrobe! I attended one of my favorite tweetups ever, an Epic event at the Nordstrom Rack Plaza Bonita Grand Opening. I’m a very lucky person, I always win things and that night I won a pair of Designer Hudson Jeans.

In 2009 I said to the universe that I want  to meet my favorite author, Keith Ferrazzi. I finally met him 2 years later in San Diego at the Entrepreneur Challenge Fall Kickoff Event at UCSD. He autographed both my books and I learned some awesome networking tips from meeting Keith Ferrazzi.

The Nerds United! I tweeted and connected with amazing new friends  from the Talk Nerdy To Me Lover community by hosting @JenFriel and the #nerdsunite crew in San Diego. We had a fun night at the Tilted Kilt San Diego and a nerdy sleepover!

You can read all about the things that make me a nerd here.

*NOVEMBER*

After completing a successful Digital Media Dinners series, I hosted my first Digital Media Now Seminar- Personal Branding on Social Media at Pangea Bakery Cafe. Attendees learned how to make their personal brand cohesive with their business brand.

I was honored with an opportunity to speak to NATAS- National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences at their Social Media Workshop. Teaching television professionals how to use Social Media in their industry.

Thanks to the luxury car company, Infiniti and Social Media I enjoyed an amazing afternoon at the San Diego Bay Wine and Food Festival. I also met my 3rd celebrity chef this year, Sam The Cooking Guy!

*DECEMBER* 

I hosted my first Digital Media Now Webinar on How To Integrat Social Media Into Your Marketing. It gave me a chance to share my knowledge with people who can’t always be available and in San Diego to attend an in person seminar. While there were challenges to work out with my first webinar, I received great feedback and plan to host additional Digital Media Now Webinars in 2012!

I celebrated my Birthday on my lucky day, December 13^th (It’s clearly not on April 1^st). In the photo below I’m dressed as a Monster, holding a class with an M and Minty Wonderland and Mozart cupcakes. Yep M THEME PARTY!

I began my new venture at National University. I was hired as a Course Developer and Adjunt Professor at National University. My first class starts in January where I’m teaching a marketing class on Interactive Strategies.

Wow a lot has happened in 2012! If you read this entire post or even part of it, THANK YOU!  As I reflect on 2011 I just can’t help but smile and be grateful for everyone and everything in my life right now. I am truly blessed and so excited to ring in 2012!

10 people I’m Thankful for this Thanksgiving on Twitter

Happy Thanksgiving everyone! For me, today is a day of gratitude and a day for expressing my appreciation for everyone who’s had a positive impact on my life. My Twitter family has provided me with unbelievable support this past year. I am honored, humbled and so grateful for my Twitter community. I have learned so much, expanded my business, grown personally and I really can’t imagine being where I am now without some amazing people I’ve connected with online. Here are 10 people in my Twitter community who I’d like to give thanks to. If you’re not on this list, just know that I’m grateful for each and every single follower, and that includes YOU.

In alphabetical order….

@AllisonSchummer- She’s a rising star in the marketing world! She’s about to graduate from SDSU in December and for the past couple months has been training with me to be completely well versed in all things Social Media when she’s done with school. Allison is one of the most efficient and fast learners I know and helps me be more efficient as well.

@AnneDorko- Anne is amazing! I’m so happy that she recently began her venture as an Entrepreneur by launching her own business dedicated to helping small businesses succeed through their websites and online presence. My website has improved so much because of her and it’s only going to get better!

ChrisKirkman- My Design Guru! Thanks to Chris for not only being a great friend but also helping me out with all my design needs! Whenever I have a Design question for myself or my client, Chris is there to help. He’s done great work for both my clients and myself and for that I’m grateful and will continue to recommend him for anyone who needs creative work.

@DowntownRob- Rob is so generous and always gives back to his Social Media community through volunteering, raising money for great causes and just sharing information that’s useful. He’s helped me plan and produce awesome Tweetups such as TwestivalSD which raised money for San Diego After School All Stars, Foursquare Day San Diego which spread the word about Foursquare and he helped me host my last Digital Media Dinners by opening up the doors to his office Nik Software to host the event!

@ItsMeJoolie- Julie and I know each other through @JenFriel’s @TNTML Community. I’m so proud of her for being brave and sharing her story online. Reading her stories has been instrumental for me in healing myself and continuing on in life despite personal challenges. I know she’s not writing with a mission to inspire, but she truly does inspire me. She also has an awesome job where she gets to attend concerts and fun events all the time.

@JenFriel- What Jen does on her site Talk Nerdy To Me Lover and now GirlsIRL is too awesome to describe. You just have to check it out! She’s provided a forum and creative outline to connect nerds from all over #NerdsUnite! Her writing, adventures and life story have really motivated me to take action in doing what I love and sharing on a more personal level!

@LaurenHuston- I’ve never met Lauren in real life but I feel like she’s my Social Media sister! We both LOVE sweets (mmm froyo, cupcakes), both work in Marketing and both love supporting each other online. I can feel her ambition all the way across the country! Keeping up with her blog and work is truly inspirational. I definitely admire other women in the space who are Entrepreneurs and getting things done!

@robotfaith- Rebekah is good friend of mine who I actually convinced to join Twitter a while back when I invited her to a Tweetup with me! I told her she couldn’t attend unless she had a Twitter account. Since then she’s built her own twitter community and is always there for me to support and volunteer at my events! My events wouldn’t be run so smoothly if it weren’t for Rebekah’s help. She also invites me to awesome movie screenings where I get a sneak Peak of flicks before they even come out!

@ryanscottlum- Helping me check off one bucket list item at a time! Ryan is the founder of Forward Motion and being connected to him has really inspired me to not be afraid of reaching my goals no matter how extreme them seem. Sadly, Ryan is moving out of San Diego soon, but Forward Motion continues to grow and provide amazing opportunities for everyone. There are so many fun events that allow you to experience things you’ve always wanted to try but somehow never got around to.

@SI_JimTrotter- Jim and I connected on Twitter earlier this year then met at a Tweetup. I was honored and humbled when he reached out to me for advice on branding himself through Social Media. Jim is a rockstar in the sports world, if you follow sports, you probably already follow Jim. Jim generously volunteered his time to speak at my Digital Media Dinners event and he always provides me with all the insight I need to know about sports! If only he were a Chargers Fan .

Thank you again to everyone on this list and so many more who aren’t! Twitter is an amazing tool and if it weren’t for Twitter I wouldn’t be connected to anyone on this list! Happy Thanksgiving! Enjoy a wonderful day filled with friends, family, food and of course technology as I’m sure people will still be tweeting away! I leave you with an image I find quite amusing!

Marketing Melodie’s Ode to Steve Jobs, a True Inspiration

“You can’t connect the dots looking forward; you can only connect them looking backwards. So you have to trust that the dots will somehow connect in your future. You have to trust in something — your gut, destiny, life, karma, whatever. This approach has never let me down, and it has made all the difference in my life.” ~Steve Jobs — Stanford University commencement address, June 2005.

Today we lost a true legend and icon, Steve Jobs. I’m not going to shy away from saying that  he can even be compared to a modern day Thomas Edison. I usually have a goal with my blogs to share tips, educate or tell a story. However my “ode”  is more a stream of consciousness on how I feel, how I found out and what I’m thinking about regarding what’s happened today. It’s not lyrical or poetic in any way, but it’s real.  With Social Media being such a powerful communication tool, Steve Jobs’ death was amplified and spread within seconds. This alone amazes me. I was working away at my desk late after noon and I see a tweet pop up on Tweetdeck that I immediately thought was a rumor.

I found out about Michael Jackson’s death on Twitter. I found out about Osama Bin Ladin’s death on Twitter and now, Steve Jobs?! To confirm the news I tweeted to see if anyone could send me an official link. Sure enough I received the link within seconds. I’m truly grateful to have my online community to interact with during a time like this.

My next instinct was to Google it!

Seconds later I see a flood of other tweets related to Steve Jobs. I log on to Facebook and it’s no different. My heart skipped a beat. This is surreal I thought.

I remember being a kid with an Apple computer that had 2 colors: purple and green. My very first interaction with a computer, something I now use and rely on daily was an Apple. I’m by no means an Apple Fan girl, I own a couple iPods and my favorite music lists are purchased through iTunes, but that’s about it. Even though I’m not an Apple fanatic, I do recognize and appreciate the innovation from Steve Jobs to revolutionize much of the technology we use today.

I got goosebumps when I went on the Apple website. In fact I’m getting goosebumps again even as I’m writing this.

Today is truly a day that will go in history books. Although we lost Steve Jobs, his passion, inspiration and spirit will continue to live on each and every day. His entrepreneurial spirit is something I admire, respect and identify with. I feel blessed to live in a day and age where virtually anything is made possible through innovation and technology. Steve Jobs is a man who’s played a significant role in how we live, communicate and connect. I cannot continue to emphasize how grateful I am to be in an era where Steve Jobs lived his inspiration! I leave you with a quote from Steve Jobs that is near and dear to my heart, In the words of a visionary…

 ”Have the courage to follow your heart and intuition. They somehow already know what you truly want to become.” ~Steve Jobs

Ask (Social Media) and You Shall Receive

Ask and you shall receive. No seriously, add social media into the mix and you -really- do receive when you ask. Social Media is an amazing outlet for me to project into the Universe things I’d like to attract into my life. By the simple fact that the Law of Attraction is a LAW; like energy always attracts like energy even in the social space! I’ve made 2 significant connections with people who are helping me grow my business. I work and collaborate with both of these people and it’s all made possible thanks to the power of Social Media. I give them both my highest recommendation for anyone who’s looking to hire in their area of expertise. I’d like to take this time to introduce them to you.

Chris Kirkman- Chris is a San Diego based creative consultant, providing Southern California with functional and visually appealing graphic design, web design, videography, and creative direction over the past ten years. With experience and expertise spanning broad over many creative disciplines, Chris has been able to provide services from concept to execution for a wide range of industries. Visit his website and follow him on Twitter @ChrisKirkman.

How I Met Chris: Chris and I first connected on Twitter in January 2010. I recall chatting back and forth on there a few times. January 2010 is also around the time where my entrepreneurial spirit and ambitions came to life as I declared my intention to run my own marketing company to specializes in Digital Marketing and Social Media. Having my own marketing company, also meant that I’d need my own marketing materials. One of the first things I needed was creative design work to brand my company. I posted on Twitter that I was looking for someone to help with my Social Media Design work and Chris came to the rescue! He replied to my post and generously offered to help with my Social Media Design needs. However, it wasn’t until April 2010 that I met him in person when he attended an AIGA event that I spoke at. To this day, Chris is a true business alliance and a great friend!

THANKS TO CHRIS I have a cool Twitter background, YouTube Background and a business card design that are all cohesively branded. I also have a spiffy logo for my Digital Media Dinners seminars. He’s also designed awesome Facebook pages for some of my clients. Chris goes above and beyond to ensure his work is produced strategically, executed efficiently and exactly aligned with the client’s needs. He is extremely knowledgeable so is able to add his own expertise insight throughout the design process to ensure a final product that’s top quality.

Next up is Anne Dorko!

Anne Dorko- Anne is helping you and your small business succeed online. She shares freely on her blog, newsletter and videos. If you need even more help than that, she offers paid one-on-one consultations. If you’re tired of being confused when learning website strategy, you’ll be refreshed by Anne’s simplified perspective (which often involves humor).  Visit her website and follow her on Twitter @AnneDorko.

How I Met Anne: I posted a tweet that I was seeking a someone to help me update some things on my website. Things that I knew were probably very easy for anyone with WordPress experience yet would take me hours to even figure out where to begin. I started accepting proposals from people who replied to my post. I was quoted various rates and hours. Anne, however, responded by sending me a professional email detailing steps she’d take to complete each request and even did a little trouble shooting for me! I confirmed with Anne immediately that she was the right woman for the job.

THANKS TO ANNE I now have a visible RSS feed, my defunct Tweetmeme plugin on my blog was removed and I have updated social sharing buttons on my blog. Anne is quick! She asked for info she needed and wow, before I knew it the changes were done!

 

I know I said I was introducing two people to you but I want to give a shout out to another person. This is the person responsible for getting me on Twitter. He goes by the name of @RichAndCreamy. When I thought of other situations where Ask (Social Media) and You Shall Receive applied. I immediately thought of Richie and his strange request the other day to find a shower through Twitter! His profile has NSFW for a reason! His request worked because I generously opened up home to him to shower before his meeting!

Ask (Social Media) and You Shall Receive! Don’t be afraid to tell the universe what you want. What better platform to do it than on Social Media? Try it yourself! And remember to follow all these amazing people on Twitter @ChrisKirkman, @AnneDorko, @richandcreamy! Perhaps they’ll help you out some day too!

16 Things to Write About in Your Business Blog

My inspiration for this post is two-fold. First, I couldn’t think of a topic to blog about today so I wanted a resource for getting rid of bloggers block. My entrepreneurial spirit kicked in as I thought, why don’t I just create the resource myself? My 2nd inspiration is the recent blog launch for my client SafeList. We just launched, SafeBlog and during the process of creating a blog strategy we brainstormed on a variety of blog topics their team can write about. Some of the topics are industry specific and others are general that can apply to your own business too.

So whether you just launched a business blog, are thinking of starting one or just need a little inspiration on what to write for your existing blog here are a list of topics to choose from:

1. Feature Business Partners- Are there other companies you work with who add value to your service? Tell us about them!
2. Your Event- What cool event are you hosting? Why should people attend? Here are some sample event posts: Yoga for the Busy Body with Marketing Melodie , Tweet for After-School All-Stars at Twestival San Diego and Digital Media Dinners- Social Media Branding Panelists .
3. An Event You Attended- Recap a conference or event your company participated in. Did you learn anything new? You can also highlight community members you met at the event. @HeyStephanie did a great job summarizing my one of my events she attended: Digital Media Dinner- Social Media Branding Recap
4. Tour of Your Office- Videos or photos of your office humanize your brand, especially if you’re a larger corporation.
5. Community Service Projects- Does your company participate in charity drives? Beach cleanups? Other projects that give back? Cause campaigns are great stories for a blog post!
6. News- Is there breaking news about your industry? Although major blogs and news sites may have already written about it, do a quick recap adding your own insight or possible solutions.
7. Your Customers- Feature customers, tell us about who buys your product or uses your service. This is a way to give back to your customers while also humanizing the customer experience.
8. How did your company get started?- The “History” may be somewhere on your website, but you can personalize your story on the blog.
9. Going Green- What is your company is doing to create a more sustainable environment? Are you recycling in the office? Are you eliminating paper documents and making them electronic? Are you encouraging employees to bring reusable mugs to work
10. Holidays- Are there any holidays coming up? How is your company celebrating? Are you offering any deals for customers? Are you hosting an awesome party? Holiday related posts are always festive! During the Christmas season I wrote a post related to Marketing: Tis the Season for Marketing Yourself to Advance Your Career.
11. Job Openings- Is your company hiring for a new position or intern? Create a blog post so others can easy repost and share your opportunities.
12. Your Social Networks- Most companies have profiles on Facebook and Twitter. Write a blog post telling your customers why they should Like and Follow you on these sites. Are you offering something exclusive to followers they can’t receive unless they’re a part of your community? Will you be providing useful tips to people in your networks?
13. New Hires- Tell us who the new guy is that just joined your team!
14. Overcoming Objections- Are there common objections you receive from potential customers who are hesitant to use your product or service? List these objections and give explanations that overcome any misconceptions.
15. New Products or Services- Has your company recently launched something new? Tell us about it! Why will your new product or service benefit your customers? What are some reasons to try it?
16. Media Appearances- Was your business recently featured on the news, in an article, the radio or even another blog? Share a clip of your feature while telling us about it! Check out my tips on How To Optimize Your Public Relations Effort for Social Media when you get featured in the media.

What are some other topics you’d like to see a business write about in their blog? Please share your ideas. I’ll be compiling a follow up list in the future and may use your tip!

[EVENT] Yoga for the Busy Body with Marketing Melodie

Many of you who follow me on Twitter know that while Marketing is my expertise, my yoga practice is a passion that plays a significant part of my life. Yoga brings me peace, serenity and clarity. I share events, information and inspiration about yoga and its powerful impact so I decided to take my yogic ventures to the next level by completing a teacher training to deepen my own practice and provide me with an opportunity to teach yoga to others. I’m proud to have completed my 200 Hour Yoga Teacher Teacher in April, 2011 at La Jolla Yoga Center.

 

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