An Example of Someone Who Gets It…
By James Plouf
When I say ‘gets it’ I mean gets ‘new media’ and social media.
Earlier today I got a call from travel writer Kim Mance. Someone on the Travelwriters.com BBS was trashing her and one of the events that she is promoting (probably jealousy motivated). I rarely deleted posts because that can get you in trouble as an online publisher. I fixed her account and she sent me a ‘thank you’ email and that is when I started noticing that this writer is doing everything right.
First thing I noticed is she has her name as a registered domain name and a beautifully designed website (www.kimmance.com). That site is just for her personal brand. Gary Vee has drilled it into my head that we are all brands. Believe it people. It’s true.
Next I click over to her Twitter profile @kimmance (which is prominently displayed on her personal site). She has 7,500 followers. Now I’m the jealous one. Having this many people following you on twitter is like money in the bank. It’s like an ATM machine if you use it properly.
Next I surf on over to her video site (http://galavanting.tv) - a must in new media. Again, gorgeous design. Great content. Tons of prompts to follow her stuff on Facebook and Twitter.
Then she has the mandatory facebook profile with Vanity URL (facebook.com/kimmance)
Anyway, Kim is on fire and probably in high demand to teach other writers how to do this. The point here is that Kim has leveraged social media to perfection to accelerate her career and brand.
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Good going, Kim! Keep up the great work!
James, I’m curious.
Do you have any details that support success gained through Kim’s social media interaction? … such as Kim landed a book deal, Kim was sought out by a glossy travel mag, Kim hooked up with famous person, Kim was asked to do a program on the Travel Channel … as a result of her engagement with Social Media?
I hear a lot about people doing the right things in social media, but not a lot about specific gains because of a deliberate strategy .. gains that make money.
I’m sure they are there for Kim. I’d just like to know what those gains are and how they relate to her social media efforts.
Thanks,
Mindie Burgoyne
(your fan on FB)
I love Kim, think she’s a class act, and agree that she gets it. As for Twitter followers being money in the bank, I only wish that were true!
Mindie raises good points about return on investment (ROI) and I too would be curious about the results that Kim has enjoyed. As someone who does many of the same things as Kim, my only direct return has been making contacts with new editors via social media and those relationships have led to assignments.
As for Kim Mance, I can’t wait to meet her in person this summer at the second annual TBEX in New York City! http://www.travelblogexchange.com
James – that’s just about the nicest thing I’ve ever read…I’m humbled, thanks so much.
Mindie & Karen – Great question and even six months ago I wouldn’t have had a good answer for you. Like you, I’ve I made some amazing connections, as well as found some great sources for stories, but in the last few months it’s been pretty much a deluge of ROI on my social media efforts. Indeed, I did get a great literary agent and a book deal! (Working on it now…) We’re also in talks with another offer for Galavanting, so I can’t really name them, but you’re pretty much bang on with the list of things you’d wish would happen thanks to social media. I could never have predicted the random but valuable benefits that came my way, so I’ll just keep it up. But importantly, I really like people and interacting, so it comes pretty naturally. It’s always a win-win when something really fun turns out to also be a great career investment.
Can’t wait to meet you at TBEX ‘10 in NYC either – can’t believe the high-energy excitement already in the air!
Cheers,
Kim
Very good blog article.Really looking forward to read more. Really Cool.