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Archive for the ‘Content marketing’ Category

Dana Peloso, Founder of Dana Peloso Content Marketing (Webster, MA)

Dana Peloso’s BIOGRAPHY~
In my 18+ years of service in public safety, I have exemplified exceptional leadership while under immense pressure. While my “verbal judo’ has aided me in de-escalating some of the most serious situations in the past, these skills along with my entrepreneurial drive have enabled me to successfully impact public relations and marketing campaigns.
Leveraging my past experiences and my endless desire to educate, improve myself has been among my greatest joys throughout all of my collaborations.

 

 

 

 

 

IN THE SPOTLIGHT INTERVIEW

BSO: Tell us about the inception of your freelance content marketing work (www.danapeloso.com).

DP:

My  freelance marketing career began a little over a month ago. I had just recently left a career in law enforcement due to a significant on the job injury.

I have always been involved in marketing in one way or another throughout my life in some facet of life so this seemed like a natural  transition from sworn life to civilian life.

In doing so, I was met with some uphill battles.  Marketing and public relations are a tough field to break into.  There are a lot of great people already established here.  I had to learn fast.  So I dedicated nearly a month prior to “breaking out”, if you will, and I studied everything and anything in order to improve my skills.

When I felt that I was ready,  I released my own brand and began to hit the ground running!

 

BSO: There is no typical day when creating online content for mission-driven organizations. Share with us your a.m. to p.m. schedule.

DP:

There absolutely is no typical day with creating online content!  Thankfully I have a supportive wife and family!

When I was a police officer my phone was always on and ringing at all hours of the night for various things.  Now, it rings nonstop during the day.

I start my day at 5am with a cup of coffee and some household chores.  That allows me the quiet time to be alone and get my mind cleared and in place.  I then will typically read a verse from the Bible.  It is God who got me here and I have to keep God in the forefront of my mind in order to continue to push through and succeed.  Then, I go for a walk around our block for a bit to burn some energy.  When I am done and ready to go for the day, I open up my planner.  I am old school with some facets of life, I keep a written journal of tasks, scheduled items and then some simple reminders and affirmations that I turn to throughout the day.

I try and spread my week out with various things based on their respective deadlines.

Sunday nights into Mondays are content production, Monday will be content production and follow up phone calls and emails and so on.  I am very structured and regimented so a lot of my routine is just that, routine!

 

BSO: What are your ‘can’t live without’ apps?

DP:

The apps that I can’t live without is a pretty simple list… Hootsuite, Act! and my calendar!  I absolutely can’t live without my day planner, and note book. They travel everywhere with me as well as my Bible.

 

BSO: What are your proudest achievements, professional & personal ?

DP:

My proudest achievements professionally is what I am living through right now.  If you ask any Cop what the best job in the world is and they will tell you it’s being a cop.  So many of us identify ourselves by our badge that it is unfortunately a difficult persona to escape.

I say escape because it truly is that.  From the moment you cross the threshold into the Police Academy and throughout your career it is beat (sometimes literally) into you head that there is no other career besides being a cop.

It’s simply not true.  There is more to life than the tin on your chest and the patch on your sleeve.  I hung up my duty belt due to complications from an injury that I incurred on the job yet I still had a massive identity crisis thereafter.  My proudest profession achievement is moving on.  It isn’t easy.

My proudest achievement personally has been the number of times that I have ridden in the Pan Mass Challenge (PMC). I have four solid years under the belt of various miles, but what truly matters is the good that it has done for so many.  I continue to fundraise for Dana Farber every year using my PMC fundraising site (Shameless plug! Pmc.org/dp0229  GO DONATE!). The amount of good that the Dana Farber Cancer Institute does every day for their patients battling cancer is truly amazing.  So I have made it my life’s mission to continue to do my part to help DFCI!

 

BSO: What are your favorite news feeds?

DP:

My favorite news feeds have grown lately!  I have always been a fan of Matt Drudge, so I read the Drudge Report daily.  I recently subscribed and absolutely love Boston Business Journal and I have always been a fan of Boston Magazine since I lived there in 2003!  I tend to read a lot of news articles throughout the day, it would be tough to narrow it down much more than that!

 

BSO: What are your most rewarding charitable involvements?

DP:

My most rewarding Charitable involvements sort of piggy backs on the aforementioned.

Dana Farber Cancer Institute is by far my top pick.  I did a lot of work as a Police Officer for the CT chapter of Mothers Against Drunk Driving.  They are an amazing organization.  They provide so much for the families of victims of drunk or distracted driving and they push on even through these tough times.  I have helped a number of others, but those two are my go to’s.  I have helped with the Special Olympics on a number of occasions as well as the CT Cancer Foundation, High Pointe Church Youth Ministry in Thompson CT.

 

BSO: You have a diverse career path of public safety, fundraising and social media content creation. Who has influenced your career the most and what is your vision for your future career path? Also, How has Covid19 impacted your work ?

DP:

My career has been extremely diverse yet extremely focused.

I have mostly always been involved in some form of public safety since I was 16 years old when I started volunteering with my local fire department.  To say that any one PERSON influenced me in particular I cannot.  I have had a LOT of great people who have had influences on me both good and bad and with the bad you have to use that as a learning experience.

Matt Garcia, Jon Cerruti and Mark Divine were three Sergeants whom  I once worked for while dispatching with the CT State Police.  Those three men were some of the most honorable and respectful men I have ever known and ever worked for.  They taught me what it is to be a great leader, to be fair and honest at all times and then some.

I would be remisced if I didn’t mention one of my best friends, Joe Sharkey.  I have known him since I was 18 years old.  I always looked up to him as a kid and wanted to be the type of cop that he was only to realize his more than just a cop.  He was one of the most amazing people I have ever known.  I was like a little kid meeting his favorite baseball player when I finally got to work with him as a cop.  He and I still stay in close contact now and he continues to be an exemplary mentor although he will say he has done nothing….

Last in this list, however foremost in my life, is God.  God has led me in times that I wasn’t aware he was leading me straight through today now that I know he is.  We can’t fight God.  He has the plan mapped out for us, its up to us to see the signs and follow them.  I left law enforcement for a reason at a time that I will never understand and it is not up to me to understand.  I just have to roll with it and make the best of it and hope that I am doing right by God.

COVID 19 (un)fortunately has been a huge help for me.  It has allowed me the personal time to break through the funk that I was in and study.  It allowed me to hit the ground running with the determination and stamina like no other.  I hate that so many people have to go through what they are going and want it to stop but my family has never been closer than it is right now.  Check out my blog where I  wrote about this! I can attach it too for anyone who may want to see it.

 

BSO: What is your advice for anyone interested in a career in mission-driven content creation ? 

DP:

The advice that I have for anyone looking for mission driven content creation is simple: Do it.

Get out there, make a big splash in the pond and continue to splash around until you are seen by someone.  Then keep going.  Its corny, but I tell my kids all the time, Life’s a Garden, Dig it!

Category:

Content marketing, Digital marketing, Entrepreneur, Non-Profit, personal branding, Social impact

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Angela Giles, Business Coach | Social Media & Marketing Expert | Speaker | Author (Boulder City, Nevada)

Angela Giles is a self-made businesswoman, author, speaker and consultant leading people to their path to success. She is one of the most sought-after business coaches for lead generation on the West Coast.

As co-founder of YES! MethodTM, Angela offers her clients a dynamic program that is based on simple secrets for BIG results. She is committed to helping independent entrepreneurs, business owners and professionals accelerate their business profits and increase their bottom line. Since launching YES! MethodTM, she has helped her clients to achieve 6-figure launches and go from making mediocre sales to effortlessly generating $32,000 within a 6-week period.

Angela has a solid 17-year background with proven performance in business coaching and marketing. She also holds a bachelor degree in political science. It is this combination that has helped to develop her entirely unique and highly successful approach to analyzing consumer behavior and staying on top of an ever-changing industry.

She is a regular speaker on the topic of influential communication and marketing and her book From Mind to Mouth walks readers through the essentials of communicating effectively with anybody, anywhere— as this is the key (and often missing) ingredient when it comes to closing a sale.

Angela offers private business coaching and consulting, as well as select advertising services to a limited number of clients per year. Her passion is helping people significantly increase their revenue through added traffic, subscribers, clients, affiliates, lucrative strategic alliances and targeted media attention. See some of her testimonials at https://angelagiles.com/testimonials.

You are welcome to get in touch with Angela at angela@angelagiles.com

Specialties: Marketing, Lead Generation, Social Media Marketing, Sales Strategy, Advertising, Media, Coaching, Consulting, Training, Speaking, Success, Entrepreneur, Public Relations

 

IN THE SPOTLIGHT INTERVIEW

 

BSO : Since our interview years ago, please share with us ways in which you’ve 1) challenged yourself and 2) grown, personally AND professionally.

 

AG:

I have started doing some more speaking and using a new time management system.  I use timer and set it for 25 mins. I then focus entirely on one task with no distractions for 25 mins!  I only do 8 of these a day! It has been super effective for me to get things done.

 

BSO : With what you’ve learned about yourself and all that you’ve achieved, what are 3 pieces of advice you’d give your younger self ?

AG: 

Dont take yourself so seriously.

Save money every month for retirement.

Spend time with people you love.

 

BSO : That never ending ‘balance’ question (wellness, career and family). What’s your typical day look like ? 

AG:

Really it goes back to the 25 minute segments I utilize.  I also make sure I get a good nights sleep. I also have really incorporated eating healthy organic foods.

 

BSO: To function at our highest level and to continue tapping into our creativity, Weekends should be restorative, physically and mentally. What does yours look like ?

AG:

To be quite frank, I spend Saturday doing all the little things that didn’t get done during the week.  My husband and I have a date night every weekend. We have been married 21 years and it has kept our relationship strong.  Sunday is family and worship day.

 

BSO: Please share with us what we can look forward to in terms of projects you are working on or your next exciting venture.

AG:

I am building out my blogging more and developing a new course on how to actually make a SHIZZ ton of money selling an info product on line.

Category:

Business Services, Content marketing, Digital marketing, Entrepreneur, personal branding

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Quentin Allums, TEDx Speaker |CEO, Urban Misfit Ventures | Video Storytelling (Milwaukee, Wisconsin)

 

Quentin Allums is a speaker, community builder, as well as the CEO of Urban Misfit Ventures, a fast growing startup based out of Milwaukee (www.urbanmisfitventures.com). He has amassed over 10 million views on LinkedIn content and was one of the first video creators on the platform. He’s spoken at events such as VidCon, TEDx, and is an upcoming speaking at Inbound 2019.

IN THE SPOTLIGHT INTERVIEW

 

BSO: Tell us about the inception of your business.

QA:

I was at a point in my entrepreneurial career where I finally found something that was working after failing so many times before.

I had just gone into a large organization to do a training on personal branding for their executives and I had a handful of retainer clients. But I had an idea for another company. Something that excited me. Because I was tired of doing “work”. I wanted to have fun. I wanted to impact people. And do it alongside people that I cared about.

It’s kind of a crazy story honestly, but it goes back to college.

Izzy was one of my first friends in college. He was the reason I got into marketing in the first place. I remember there was an internship, that I really wanted, but was WAY underqualified for. I applied and didn’t hear anything back. Izzy went to a networking event and ran into a person that would later be my boss. Izzy went to bat for me. And I got an email to meet the next day.

I got the job.

Izzy also introduced me to a guy that was crushing it on Instagram, Optic.Legacy

Six years later,  I met him. His name is Brema, and we met through a group that was trying to do something similar (at least at the time that we started) as my company now. They ended up kicking myself and Brema out of the group for creative differences. I hired Brema to shoot video for that personal branding training that I had mentioned above. I loved his work.

And Eric, I met through Twitter. I reached out to get coffee because he was in Milwaukee and did great work. We talked about everything and it blew my mind that this guy didn’t see the talent and potential that I saw in him almost immediately. I pushed him to jump on LinkedIn. And at the time I had convinced a lot of people to do so (and most of them quit). Eric created for 90 days straight. Which impressed me. We started a YouTube channel together. That wasn’t enough so I asked him to start a company. This company.

We hired Brema to do our inital photo shoot. He liked what we were doing so he asked to join. And then Izzy, my old college roommate, was transitioning from a previous role as Director of Corporate Sponsorships. He joined.

The company has morphed and pivoted but that was our inception. And it’s grown faster than any of us ever expected.

BSO: There is no typical day in the life of an entrepreneur. Share with us your a.m. to p.m.

QA:

I’m typically up by 5am. I work best in the morning and late in the evenings. I listen to an e-book or my meditation app on my walk into the office. My dog is usually always with me as well.

I like to work alone for the first few hours of my day, so that’s usually in the office or just at my place. I usually focus on my major task of the day during this time.

We have a daily team meeting every morning at 10am. From there all structure goes out of the door for me. Meetings, calls, content, strategy, hires, emails, putting out a fire, more meetings, meeting with our business coach, client meetings when I am needed, etc. I lift every other day at 2pm as well. And my evenings, I am either with my girlfriend, at an event, speaking, or doing research on the e-sports industry (or just playing video games).

BSO: What are your ‘can’t live without’ software applications?

QA:

Google Calendar is all I need. To-Do-ist is also pretty rad. And my personal assistant. I would be lost without my personal assistant haha.

BSO: What was the best advice you received when you started your business ?

QA:

You don’t have a business until you sell something.

 

BSO: What has been your strategy for building awareness of your business ?

QA:

    1. Building a community.
    2. Bringing constant value
    3. Crafting a story that is about our followers and the lifestyle. It’s not about us.

BSO: What are your proudest achievements, professional & personal ?

QA:

Honestly, I feel like I am just getting started. I still have so much that I want to accomplish. It still shocks me every day that we employ people. We have changed lives and I will never take that for granted.

I’m proud of how far I’ve come. TEDx was awesome. VidCon was awesome. I’m excited to speak at Inbound 2019 in a month. I love the impact that we’ve been able to have on our clients.

BSO: What are you currently reading ?

QA:

    1. The Strategies of War
    2. This Is Not a T-Shirt: A Brand, a Culture, a Community–a Life in Streetwear

 

BSO: What are your most rewarding charitable involvements?

QA:

The community that we are building. Honestly, it is just the beginning but seeing people achieve their dreams is more fullfilling that achieving my own sometimes.

 

BSO: Who has influenced your career the most? 

    1. My friend Kendrick, who is the reason that I got into video. He also helped me out a ton when I launched my first venture.
    2. Izzy for pushing me towards marketing & showing me that age is just a number.
    3. Brittany Krystle has impacted me a lot when it comes to my personal branding ideology. She also is a main reason why I continued to speak after performing poorly.
    4. My mother.
    5. Kobe Bryant. For showing me that it’s okay to be “competitive”. And that you need to lean into who you are, it doesn’t matter what works for other people.
    6. Sophia Amoruso for showing me that being different is better than being better.
    7. Jason Silva, who is by far my biggest content inspiration.
    8. Jackie Hermes, who is now a client. But she was the second boss that I had in the marketing field. She taught me a lot. She still teaches me a lot and I hope I do as well in return.

 

BSO: What is your advice for starting a business?

QA:

Don’t listen (too much) to people giving advice.

Find what works for you.

You could read a million books and listen to a million podcasts. But at the end of the day you have to DO something.

Test. Try. Fail. Find something that works and lean into it. Again, you don’t have a business until you sell something. Go sell.

Category:

Content marketing, Digital marketing, Entrepreneur, Non-Profit, personal branding

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Erika T. Montgomery, CEO Three Girls Media, Inc.

Erika T. Montgomery, CEO Three Girls Media, Inc.

BSO : Since our interview years ago, please share with us ways in which you’ve 1) challenged yourself and 2) grown, personally AND professionally.

ETM : Professionally, I’ve continued to grow and revise my business over the last several years. Three Girls Media (www.ThreeGirlsMedia.com) has now expanded to include working with mid-size businesses, and has put a greater focus on our content marketing services including:

 

  • Social Media Management
  • Social Media Advertising
  • Blogging for Businesses
  • Email Marketing and Newsletter
  • Custom Graphics
  • Custom Videos

Our client base is growing rapidly and so is our team of Marketing & PR Specialists.

I’ve also started a micro-podcast, Two Minute Marketing Tips, which is available under my name, Erika Taylor Montgomery, on the Chirp app (on iOs) as well as on the Three Girls Media blog (www.ThreeGirlsMedia.com/blog).

Personally, I made a life-changing decision to leave Silicon Valley where I was raised and started my business. I relocated to the greater Seattle area, purchased some acreage and built a custom home with my husband. We’ve had a lot of fun and taken great pride in landscaping, building a veggie garden, raising chickens and enjoying a more rural lifestyle.

 BSO : With what you’ve learned about yourself and all that you’ve achieved, what are 3 pieces of advice you’d give your younger self?

ETM : The three pieces of advice I’d give younger myself are:

  • It’s okay to delegate. I’m a perfectionist at heart and it’s taken me many years to be able to let go and ask for help.
  • It’s okay to say no. There are only so many hours in the day and only so much of me to go around. It’s perfectly fine to turn down favors people ask of you, or work-related events if you don’t have the time or they won’t forward your business.
  • Don’t take things too seriously. There are very few obstacles that can’t be overcome, so laugh off what you can, and pick yourself up, dust yourself off and keep on pushing ahead no matter what.

    BSO : That never ending ‘balance’ question (wellness, career and family). What’s your typical day look like? Or share with us a sample of 2 days.

ETM : My morning always starts with greeting my husband and 4-footed bestie, Effy, a pug/chihuahua mix that is also Three Girls Media’s Office Greeter. That’s shortly followed by a trip to the kitchen to grab some coffee and a simple breakfast that I can easily eat while I’m at my computer.

My days are spent in meetings with staff and customers, holding consultations with potential clients, editing materials my team has produced for each of the clients they manage, and attending events such as Chamber of Commerce luncheons or speaking engagements where I’ve been invited to talk.

I try to always end my workday between 6pm – 6:30pm so I can spend the evening with my husband. We enjoy having dinner together and watching some TV before bed.

 BSO : To function at our highest level and to continue tapping into our creativity, Weekends should be restorative, physically and mentally. What do yours look like?

ETM : I’m a serious home cook so I enjoy making new recipes on the weekends, as well as spending time with my dog and chickens. Depending on the time of year, I also love hanging out in my garden picking organic blueberries and blackberries that I make into pies and other baked goods or homemade jam. I also love planting and picking veggies in my extensive vegetable garden. I’m an admitted TV junkie as well, so there’s usually some binge watching happening on weekends too.

BSO : Please share with us what we can look forward to in terms of projects you are working on or your next exciting venture. 

ETM : I’m excited to announce I’m working on a new book, “Content Marketing Success! 52 Weeks of Actionable Activities You Can Do for a Killer Year of Content Marketing.” It will be published in 2019.

 

Category:

Business Services, Content marketing, Social media management, Uncategorized

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