The Facts
Name: Joanna Sutter
Business Name: Fitness & Spice Marketing
Product(s)/Service: Strategic Marketing, Results-driven Public Relations, Real-time Social Media Marketing
Years in business: Just over 1 year
The Business Challenge
To blend corporate marketing, product management, and new business development expertise with a personal brand to build a new business venture.
Joanna’s Story
When and why did you first engage in using social media tools?
My job was eliminated during a corporate layoff just over a year ago and while exploring career options I decided to use the time to add new tools to my marketing toolbox, namely social media. I went home and started blogging, jumping into Twitter conversations, and hopping on as many free-webinars as I could.
What venues did you find most successful while building your personal brand?
I find that networking both online and offline are critical in building a well-rounded brand. To keep in touch with my business-contacts and keep my tools sharp, I rely heavily on online newspapers, marketing, and social media sites as well as LinkedIn and LinkedIn groups. To keep in almost-daily contact with my “fans” I rely on Facebook. To keep the conversation going, I look no further than Twitter. Outside of the web, conferences are king!
Which tools do you use to monitor your social media successes?
I gauge my success by how people, clients, and prospects react to my message. Sure, I have Google analytics built into my websites but what matters most to me is the number of word-of-mouth referrals and real connections I make along the way.
What top three factors do you take into account when assessing your efforts?
- Personal growth and satisfaction.
- Client Satisfaction.
- Income!
What lead you to branch out and start a new business using your existing brand?
I have a passion for fitness and nutrition and that’s what I write about on my personal blog, Fitness & Spice. After making connections with some of the brands I’ve written about, and learning they needed marketing and public relations support, Fitness & Spice Marketing was born.
What does this business entail?
I provide marketing strategy, public relations, and social media support for healthy-living brands.
How have you been able to use your existing network to build the client base for your new business?
My clients , some of my biggest fans, and people I now call my friends that I’ve met along the way, are very gracious to refer me to brands in need of marketing, PR, or social media support.
How has your online community responded to your new venture?
I don’t “over-expose” my business with my personal brand, but I don’t hide it either. I think my online community respects that I am sincerely interested in them and not just about my company.
Having already built a successful personal online brand, how do you keep from getting discouraged as you build this new company?
I am blessed to have a network of entrepreneurs that are either a few steps ahead of me in the business lifecycle or who are right there with me. I learn from their experiences and am motivated by their success.
What advice do you have for people considering a similar approach?
To be very, very blunt: Charge what you’re worth! Your clients don’t work for free (or at a cut rate in most cases) and neither should you.
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