A Reflection of Me

As this class and my time with Troy University come to a close, I think this is as good a time as any to reflect on my time within the program. 

It’s hard to believe that a whole year has passed since I began this program. It was never my intent to gain a Master’s degree. I never felt the need to gain a graduate degree. I had gotten so far with just my work experience and Georgia Southern bachelors. 

My career up until this point has taken a great path. I have worked for the US largest hookah manufacture and distributor. I made great connections, was able to dabble in the corporate marketing world, and I actually had my very own photography published in a national publication. I worked my dream job in a boutique marketing firm. That was the best/worst job I ever had. I was thrown into a world I was not prepared for but I swam like a champ. I become my boss’s right hand woman. I was given the freedom to make decision. I attended industry trade shows and rubbed elbows with the most amazing industry leaders. My boss was one tough bird but she knew and she would admit it. But her toughness helped me to grow thick skin. She taught me to work harder than anyone I ever met. She showed me how to use confidence to get what I want. She allowed me to be involved within all aspect of the marketing and business world. While she was tough, she always pushed me to make myself the best version of me I could be. I then moved on to TROY where I had the best year of my career. I met so many amazing people and received several awards and accolades. I was really able to forge my path within the community. And then I took a risk. I made a jump. A total leap of faith. While I am not a typical risk taker, it felt great and freeing to do something just for me. I must admit I’m not sure where my leap is going to take me – right now I feel like it’s taking me off a cliff – but I know that wherever I land I’m not going to regret my leap.

While I’m still not quite sure gaining a Masters is going to help me in any way other than giving me another piece of paper to find space for on my office wall, I’m glad that I joined the program. During my graduate program I spent a lot of time reflecting and writing on my career experiences. I realized how much each step in my career path helped me to grow as a professional and a person. 

I spent a lot of money to spend a year reflecting and focusing on my career path. My graduate courses helped me to realize that my true passion is marketing and branding. I love the idea of helping small to midsized businesses reach their dreams. I want to help develop marketing concepts, design looks, cohesive branding, and all the tools a business group would need to be successful in their endeavors. Most small businesses feel like they don’t need a brand concept or they feel as though they can’t afford good marketing. I want to change the mindset of the small business. I want them to receive the same treatment and respect within the marketing world as the larger corporations. Many small businesses actually need the help and support of an outside vendor because they carry small staff sizes and are usually utilizing their on-hand employees in other areas. 

I’ve always known that I felt a special place in my heart for small businesses. My mom owns a small business and I have always been a huge supporter of hers. And while I am not sure how I want to move forward with a graduate degree considering I have no clue what doors open for someone with a Masters other than government director positions and teaching at a college level I’m thankful that it reconnected me with a passion I swept under the rug. 

While I am not sure I will make a move anytime soon in my career – I’m glad to be refocused. Now what I decide to do with this new found focus falls on me.

No technology! No way!! Ok, maybe just a little.

I don’t have kids so it is easy for me to sit here and say that my husband and I have discussed a strict technology policy for our future family. We both found that we were spending most of our “quality time” together interacting with other people on social media, reading entertainment blogs, and playing silly games and actually spending less and less time with each other. We have now implemented a no technology policy when my husband and I are together. We leave our phones in the car when we go to dinner, we plug our phones in to charge when we together at the house, and we have asked our friends not to contact us during the evening unless urgent. 

I know this is going to sound ironic considering I have worked in communication for years and I am obtaining a graduate degree in Communication but I believe that technology is killing tradition communication. In the work place, more and more professionals are moving to email communication and are no longer answering phone calls. Personally, we would rather send a text message than pick up the phone and have a conversation. We wish our friends happy birthday via Facebook. We’re sending Christmas cards through “Elf Yourself”. We are sharing dinners on Instagram. We are updating our statuses. We are Tweeting about our lives. We are dating through Tinder. Less and less are we sending snail mail, calling people to wish them Happy Birthday, sharing dinner with friends in person, or meeting our next ex at the local bar. 

I have expressed to my husband that when we have kids we will have a strict no technology policy. I do not feel our child needs a tablet, or their own personal computer, nor a cell phone before 16. I personally do not feel children or teenagers are responsible to play with technology. Life as a young person and teenager are difficult enough without involving the stresses of tweeting, texting, updating, liking, following, or whatever else you can do through technology. Too often you are hearing of cyber bullying cases, inappropriate pictures being sent around, and teens being taken advantage of through misconception. What seems innocent is not always what it seems. 

I want my kids to understand a life away from technology. I want my kids to keep their innocence. I want them to understand the value of a formal conversation. I want them to learn about public speaking, networking, how to do research with books, writing in cursive, how to address a letter, and telephone etiquette. Go ahead – call me old school. My kids will receive their own personal cell phone when they are able to get in a car and drive by themselves. My kids will share the family computer in the common area. My kids’ friends will give me their devices when they enter my home and will receive them back when they leave. Not only is this about safety in the home but also about developing an open conversation regarding personal branding, the importance of privacy, and social media responsibility. I believe too many kids are left running around not fully understanding the power of technology and social media. 

Now I am also not a total ninny (thank you Elf!) and I understand that my kids will be exposed to technology. Technology is being pushed in the classroom, their friends are going to have devices, and by the time I have kids who knows what will be the trend. I understand that some technology can be educational. Growing up I was one of the only kids in my class who had a computer. My dad was a computer guy and I had several computer educational games. I worked on my math skills, was publishing classwork at age 12, and had several books written and illustrated with Storybook Weaver. It’s a wonder I didn’t major in graphic design or publications in undergrad. 

Technology can be a very good thing. Kids can learn using technology. They can Google their endless questions to feed their knowledge. They can watch videos of children their own age live have way around the world. They can see pictures of exotic animals. They can even learn to play an instrument by using technology. The can explore different cultures, languages, and living styles. 

I do not want technology in my home to become a free babysitter or a way to occupy my child. While there is good in technology there is also bad, and parents should exercise caution when introducing technology into a child’s life.  

Who am I? Well, let me show you!

Branding is no longer about just developing your business but also about developing your personal brand. 

With the ever growing social media and internet, it is important to claim and your brand. There are now tons of resources available to help you build your person brand. NameChk.com will help you check to see if your name is available on all social media sites. When claiming your social space, it is best to use the same name across all social media sites. I for example always use “sarahmewer” as my social handle. I had already claimed my name on most spaces before I got married so after marriage I continued to use it. This makes it easier on me to log into social media sites and makes it easier to share my direct social media presence. I also bought my own domain URL. While I haven’t used it, I have it in case I need it. 

When establishing your own personal brand it is important to tell people who you are. This is your time to shine. This is your time to tell people who you are and what you do, or want to do. Some sites give you more information than others, for example Twitter only allows you to write a 140 character count bio whereas LinkedIn gives you unlimited space to write your bio. It is important to keep your information relevant and professional, but it is also ok to show some personality. These are a few key points to include when writing about yourself: 

    Who you are – are you a professional, student, job seeker, hobbyist

    What you’re involved with – talk about your profession, volunteer work, hobbies

    If you’re looking for something right now – are you job seeking, new volunteer group, clients

    How people can get in touch – professional email, other social media sites, phone number

When writing content for your brand, always make sure you are writing professional content that puts you in the brightest of light. Even if you are writing for personal sites, that you think are private, double think before posting it. Perfect example is the senator aid who blasted the Obama girls on her personal Facebook page. While she retracted the statement later, it had already gone viral and she was later removed from her position. While she said what some people were thinking, there are just certain topics that you must tiptoe around. Once you are more established in your career it is ok to open the thought process up a little more but if you professionally represent another brand or public figure you must be more cautious about what you say. When I recruited for Troy University, I had to be careful about the groups I associated with and where I represented TROY because it was such a blurred line between personal and professional. 

When publishing content, make sure that it is always relevant. You don’t want to write about science on a fashion blog or about a political issue on a music blog. Keep your content relevant to your audience. Knowing your target audience is always key. 

Also know which social media platform is appropriate for what content also. Twitter is great for connecting professionals together. It allows you to follow and gain information and tips from industry professionals. Twitter also helps keep things short and sweet and is also a great way to direct people to your blog or website. LinkedIn is great for building a network of contacts and finding industry professionals. LinkedIn is where other professionals go to talk business, congratulate each other on promotions and new positions, and to share industry news. Rarely will you find personal information on LinkedIn. Facebook is where you can share all of your personal information. If you are going to have a public Facebook, it is vastly important to ensure that you are not posting pictures of your heavily drinking, that you are not talking about your wild nights, and are keeping things under wraps. Facebook is for connecting with friends and family. Use Facebook cautiously when you are starting out as a young professional. Employers want to see responsible adults on Facebook not drunken college students. 

Be consistent with your brand. Use the same profile picture and same profile information when possible. Also use the same color scheme throughout your social media. As I found once I was married that there are multiple Sarah Butler’s in the world, including one indie actor. While this helps me personally hide from those who choose to Google me, it does not serve me well when I actually want people to find me. By keeping a consistent look and feel, it reinforces my brand and separates me from the other Sarah Butler’s of the world. 

Be consistent with your postings. If you know you are not disciplined enough to blog at least once a week, do not start and promote a blog. The last thing anyone wants to see is an outdated blog with irrelevant content, especially if they are looking for you to fill a job as a content writer or social media manager. If you are going to take a hiatus from maintaining your social media sites, please state that. Maybe it was for personal or professional reasons but it is ok to say you are stepping away. This takes the guess work out of your abandoned social media. I have seen several professional photographers step away from Facebook due to their limited timeline visibility. These photographers still have an active Facebook that drives their viewers to Instagram, which is more image focused with no restrictions on content within the newsfeed. These photographers have stated why they are moving away from Facebook and why Instagram has become their tool of choice. Now potential clients know that the photographer is in fact still in business and where to find their most recent work. 

By telling people who you are, keeping your brand consistent, and writing quality content you are sure to develop your own little space of real estate within the social media world. So get out there and start telling people who you are!