If you are branding or rebranding, how should you begin? That question is fraught with risks. Fortunately, Melanie Spring, Chief Inspiration Officer at Sisarina, provides answers.
In a wide ranging podcast interview, we discuss social media, traditional media, becoming a visible expert, and how to spend precious marketing dollars. You can find Melanie on Twitter at @MelanieSpring and can find her company, Sisarina, both on Twitter (@Sisarina) and at Sisarina.com.
Questions about Sisarina
Melanie, when did you open Sisarina?
How big is Sisarina now?
What’s the buyer persona for an ideal prospect for Sisarina?
What’s the secret sauce for Sisarina – the element that sets you apart from other branding companies?
In the past, you and I have talked about the importance of transitions in personal and professional lives. Was Sisarina always a branding company?
What lessons do you take from Sisarina’s shifts over time?
We hear about pivots for a startup when they are trying to find a minimum viable product, but transitions don’t end with finding an MVP, do they?
Besides your own story from Sisarina, can you think of other DC Metro startups that have had these sorts of transitions?
The transitions are personal as well as professional, right? Talk about that a bit.
Use of Social Media
I met you because of your activity on Twitter. What are the principal channels that you use for communicating with your target markets?
How did you become adept at each one of those channels?
Is it necessary for a startup to be conversant in social media?
Is there a ranking of influence among social media channels? That is, is there a way that you prioritize their use for your clients?
What are your favorite tools for keeping track of various social media?
Use of Traditional Media
Is traditional media, including print and advertising, dead?
How has the rise of social media changed your use of traditional media for your clients?
Becoming a Visible Expert
Certain companies, and I’m thinking in particular of my friends at Hinge Marketing, talk about the potential importance of becoming a visible expert in a given field, in order to generate favorable media coverage. What do you think about that?
It seems to me that you have taken the visible expert model to heart with your own business. I’m seeing a lot about you speaking at conferences and high-profile engagements. How has that come about?
How do you balance your increasing visibility as an expert with your day-to-day work for your clients?
Marketing for Startups
What are the essential elements of a marketing package for a startup?
How much should a startup expect to spend in creating initial marketing materials?
Should startups simply do it themselves?
More Information
Startups always want to get free things. Are there any elements of advice that to you and your team from Sisarina provide for customers and prospects on a regular basis?
If one of our listeners wanted to find Sisarina, where would they look?
How about you? What’s your Twitter handle, and other social media personas?
Is there any particular channel that you’re using more than others right now? Why is that?
What resources do you recommend for startups?
I want to end with one of my favorite questions. What’s something that you wished people knew about you, but they never ask?