If you've ever dreamed of (or succeeded at) being your own boss, then you probably know it’s easier said than done.
The hard work, dedication and consistency it requires is unbelievable.
That’s why I admire Rebekah Radice.
She’s been in the game for years and the work she does is absolutely amazing.
I first began studying her (awesome) content a little more than a year ago and deemed her one of the 11 Business Bloggers You Should Be Following In 2014 back in January.
If you’re serious about turning your hobby or dream into a real business, reading this article is a must.
Rebekah has inspired me to push my business to the max & I know she’ll do the same for you.
“Find what the successful are doing, do it long enough, and you too can become successful.” -Anonymous
Let’s do this.
1. Where are you from, what do you tell people you “do” and how long have you been doing it?
I’m a California native and currently live in the LA area.
I am a social media strategist, speaker and digital
marketing specialist, the CEO of RebekahRadice.com, a digital marketing
agency and the author of “How to Use Social Media to Virtually Crush the Competition.”
In a nutshell? I help organizations as well as entrepreneurs capitalize on the power of an integrated social media strategy.
2. If ‘what you do’ is full-time, how long did it take you to reach that point?
I consider myself one of the lucky ones.
I was able to translate my offline marketing business to online
marketing almost overnight. Once I recognized the impact online
marketing (what was blogging at the time) and then social media could
have on a business, there was no looking back.
3. Who are 3 industry leaders you admire & why?
Ekaterina Walter – Ekaterina is a social
media trailblazer, but more than that, she’s a woman committed to
helping other women succeed. I had the opportunity to meet Ekaterina
last year and she is every bit as genuine face to face as she appears to
be online.
Peg Fitzpatrick – As Guy Kawasaki’s right
hand and Canva’s social media strategist, Peg is a social media dynamo. I
am constantly impressed with her work ethic, willingness to help others
and commitment to bettering the industry as a whole.
Neal Schaffer
– I’ve had the honor to write for Neal’s community website, Maximize
Social Business for the last couple of years. Neal is an industry leader
in every sense of the word. He has a heart for training and it shows in
everything he does. He is deeply committed to sharing what he knows and
helping those around him get ahead.
4. Do you design your own blog & graphics?
I do! I’m completely self-taught, but absolutely love being hands on in the creation and development of my brand.
It’s been a constant evolution and one that is always in a state of change. I imagine that’s my Type A personality.
There’s always something I’d love to do different, better or ultimately…make easier.
5. What are your three most popular posts?
- 10 Steps to Creating a Winning Social Media Strategy - How businesses large and small can implement strategies and processes that support scalability, efficiency, and successful social engagement.
- A Visual Guide to Social Media Best Practices - You already know social media works. The question is, how to make it work best for your business? This article offers top ways to incorporate visual media into nine of today’s hottest social networks, including real business examples and a handy Infographic.
- 3 Steps to Being Unforgettable on Social Media - How to win every conversation or sales opportunity by creating an unforgettable business or brand on social media.
6. I follow you on several social networks, but you seem to dominate on Google+. What are a few tips you have for anyone reading this to optimize Google+ for traffic, leads and sales?
Google Plus is an amazing community of business-minded individuals and a great place to connect with other industry experts.
While it might feel different than any other network, one thing remains the same.
If you’re not consistent, it’s going to be very hard to build a following.
Commit to posting at least 3 times per week.
Make sure when you do post that it’s content specific to
your niche (this will help you build credibility) and of interest to
your community (you want to keep them coming back for more).
Also, don’t forget to tag the author of the article. This creates reciprocity and good social karma.7.
Content Curation or Content Creation?
I’m a content creator at heart, but believe that in order to succeed online, you must be good at both.
If you’re a creator, you need to actively curate content on
a daily basis. This, in turn, cultivates meaningful relationships, and
that’s what social media is all about.
8. What tools do you use on a daily basis to manage & streamline your online business & why?
Sprout Social
This is my daily third-party management tool. While it
allows me to manage and monitor multiple social networks all at once,
it’s their Smart Inbox that initially won me over.
Easily see what’s being said in and around your brand across (almost) all of your social networks in one location.
Buffer
I use this in conjunction to Sprout Social as a content
management tool. The Buffer Chrome extension makes it simple to grab
images and posts as I go about my day.
BuzzSumo
I am fairly new to BuzzSumo, but it’s quickly become my
go-to research tool. I use it to identify everything ‘top performing’
content, influential bloggers within a niche and relevant content that I
can use in an upcoming blog post.
9. Where does a majority of your traffic come from? (Google, Social, Guest Posts, etc.)
Guest posting has been a significant part of my marketing strategy
since Day 1.
since Day 1.
I’ve been very fortunate to write for some of the top
Social Media sites out there including Social Media Examiner, Maximize
Social Business, Steamfeed and 12 Most.
My biggest advice to anyone looking to guest post is to be
specific when identifying where to write. I realized early on that I
only had so many hours to focus on content creation. It’s also a
commitment to managing the comments and social mentions.
Don’t spread yourself out too thin.
However, as far as traffic– Google Plus and Pinterest are my top two traffic referrers as of today.
10. How has running an online business affected your life?
Running an online business has changed my life in so many ways.
I feel like the luckiest girl in the world. I get to do
what I love and work with people that challenge me daily. But don’t get
me wrong. I’d be lying if I didn’t say it’s also the toughest work I’ve
ever done.
Managing any business online, but especially one that revolves around social media, is a constant juggling act.
It’s a battle between spending enough time online and
spending too much time online. I am a naturally social person, so
engaging across various platforms is very enjoyable to me. I have to
make sure I monitor my time and keep a tight reign on where I’m spending
my time. While social media is fun, it also has to be effective.
To me, it all goes back to basic productivity rules: Plan, prioritize, tackle. And always, always, always work to your highest and best.
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