Vanessa Barthelmes is an innovative strategic Digital Marketing Specialist. Representing Bondi, Australia, Vanessa got a degree in Business Marketing at the University of Technology Sydney. Vanessa traded the Bondi sands for the likes of California when she was offered an international business scholarship at San Francisco State University. Before her career, she traveled the world for a decade as an international sports model. In her more serious business days, she was the National Operations Manager for the largest hair and beauty franchise in the southern hemisphere before moving into the digital media space fusing her skills in Marketing, Media, Events and Art Direction. She has established multiple projects on health and well-being in the social enterprise sector and ran her own business illuminated life for over five years. Vanessa has now settled in the endless summers of Florida and resides there. She loves volunteering, performing acrobatics and aerial arts 10 feet in the air, everything to do with dogs and has a mean split. Read our interview with the lovely Vanessa below…
What motivated and inspired you to start your own business?
Being an entrepreneur from an early age, I started my own businesses at the age of five. It was something that had always come naturally to me. “Being a creative individual, it has always been hard for me to fit into one position. I like to see the whole process and how things interconnect, doing the same repetitive process has never been able to keep my interest. I am constantly deconstructing rebuilding and re-evaluating.” This is what keeps me going.
Tell us about your business.
The Socialite Media is all about Digital Marketing and how we can align a digital strategy with your current business goals. We pride ourselves on thinking differently. We design a blueprint to direct the flow of traffic resulting in complimenting actions based on your companies goals. This strategy can involve, website development, lead page development, marketing automation, search engine optimization, social media, online traffic segmentation and so much more.
Are you currently running any promos/contests/giveaways that you would like our readers to know about?
Yes we would like to offer all readers a free 7 day trial to see what we can do for them!
List awards/certifications/accomplishments.
BA Business Marketing and International Business.
Where is your business based?
Sydney, Australia and Florida, United States. (With the rise of software such as Cloudpay, international business and payroll management has never been simpler).
What were the first few steps you took to get your business up and running?
The Socialite Media happened quite organically. I am the type of person who always loves to share my knowledge and help my friends. Being an entrepreneur, I naturally engage many other entrepreneurs around me. I have a keen interest in Digital Marketing and Content Creation and am always learning and investigating new ways to engage and build communities online. Many people think of Social Media as spamming a message out to millions of people, but that has about as much etiquette as a door to door sales man. Social Marketing is all about networking with the right pockets of people. Once I found success with my own accounts, I began helping out my friends with their businesses. The feedback was overwhelming as to how I had helped improve the levels of reach to customers and increased sales. From there my business skyrocketed.
What has been the most effective way of raising awareness of your business and getting new customers?
Social Network Marketing. There are endless segmented groups and pockets of individuals online. You just need to connect with them.
What have been your biggest challenges so far?
Our first big influx of accounts being over 200 in one week! We had to upgrade our server twice and it brought a whole new world of technical challenges I had never dealt with before.
How did you overcome these challenges?
Fortunately we have very strong technical partners that were able to assist us through this time! It’s imperative to have strong partners in areas where your strengths don’t lie.
How do you keep motivated through difficult times?
Motivation is not my challenge, rather being able to make myself stop working is the bigger challenge. On Sundays I do not do any work and I dedicate my day to church and serving the community. Currently I teach Sunday School to a group of three year olds with my husband which is always fun and brings a smile to my face. It’s important to have some down time so that you can come back with a fresh perspective.
How do you distinguish yourself from your competitors?
We are different because we don’t want to make you buy what you don’t need. We are here to give you real genuine advice and results at an affordable price.
What is the best advice you have received recently?
I love Strategyzer, if you have not checked them out online they are a must! They have great online resources that have enabled me to grow my business in ways I would not have thought of.
What advice would you give to other entrepreneurs?
Don’t give up! It’s all about trial and error. What I have learned is that each business you start you will find strengths and weaknesses in the business model. You grow from each experience and you will take it into the next one.
What is your favorite business tool or resource?
I love Strategyzer.
What social media outlets do you use? List them below.
Instagram @welovesmedia and @vbarthelmes
Twitter @welovesmedia
Facebook @welovesmedia
Pinterest @welovesmedia
Website www.socialitemedia.me
Email hello@socialitemedia.me
Hashtags #smedia
What is a good article or book you have read recently?
Deriving your value proposition from Strategyzer.
What are you currently learning about for your business or looking for help with?
I am looking to align with key influencers across all social media channels.
What are your goals for the next few months and how are you striving to achieve them?
Our goal is to have 500 clients by June 2017. We aim to achieve this though helping rather than selling. If you can make a genuine connection and help a fellow business owner out, a business partnership is a natural progression.