About five years ago, when I was working a full-time marketing position, I realized that I really wanted to learn more about social media. Facebook, Twitter, and other channels were exploding with growth and usage, and I really wanted to try my hands at promoting a company on those sites and building a community of customers and fans.
The problem was, the company I worked for at the time used an outside PR firm for their social media strategy and to create much of their content. And to be honest, I wanted to do it for a different industry -- one that was making a tangible product or providing a service to the general public.
Then I got the idea, after watching ABC News feature companies making their products in the USA, that I really wanted to do it for a business that was keeping their workforce and manufacturing here in the U.S. At this time, so much production of various products previously dedicated to American workers was being moved to China and other countries. It became an important cause to me, and I found myself going out of my way to purchase American-made products here and there when I could and checking labels, because I knew every purchase could help keep someone's job sustainable.
I don't remember if I wrote my wish down, but I definitely thought it in my head: "I want to learn and do social media, even if it's on a volunteer basis, for a company making their products here in the USA." I didn't care so much about the products as long as they were interesting to me, and I visualized the pride I would feel working for such a company.
It wasn't long after this that I reached out to a few companies that I do know were making their products in the USA, but whose Facebook page and Twitter feeds were scant, making me think they obviously needed some assistance. When I didn't hear back from them, I didn't take it personally -- I just assumed that something better was coming, and I didn't care how I was going to find the company. I pretty much let the whole thing go and left it up to the universe to figure it out for me.
It was in the spring of the following year (yes, the next year) that a company found my other blog, Go Retro, and reached out to me asking if I'd like to post a giveaway of one of their products, a set of BBQ skewers. I told the president of the company (who wrote to me) that I absolutely would, and when I looked at the company's website I was floored and my heart started to race. Everything they made was made in the USA...they were America's oldest housewares manufacturer...and they made all sorts of cool kitchen items and utensils as well as camping supplies.
But what was even more astounding is that they had virtually no social media presence! There weren't any links on the website, and while their Facebook page and Twitter account existed, there were virtually no status updates done for either channel.
This was the old saying, "Luck is when preparation meets opportunity" and inspired action come to fruition. I was so excited about the possibility of building the social media channels for this company and spreading the word about their beautiful products that were made in the USA. I emailed the president and explained my marketing background to him and that I wanted to learn social media hands-on, especially for a company keeping their production in the States. I offered to take on his social media marketing, if even on a volunteer, unpaid basis.
He wrote back and said he would check with the rest of his team to see what they thought. By the next day (or maybe it was later that same day) I was told that the duties were all mine.
For the past four years I've been writing content for their social media channels which now also include Pinterest and Instagram. But my "duties" have gone way beyond that -- I write copy now for all of their new products, I author their company blog, I write and send out their monthly newsletter, and I'm in the middle of a huge SEO makeover for their website (we just completed a really important first step, which I'm proud about.) The president regularly consults me for my opinions on everything from the look of a product photo to competitor info. We hold giveaways all of the time on our social media channels that have been a huge hit and are driving new followers to the Facebook page. We've been featured in Country Living, Martha Stewart Living and several other publications. I can honestly say I've learned so much about social media marketing and the manufacturing process, too. I was told by the president that for the first time this year since he acquired the company, we may be surpassing $1M in sales, which would be an all-time record for us. I get told all of the time how valued my work and creativity is to the company's success.
I'm so proud and grateful to be a part of this company, but there was another nice thing about the gig that happened for me. They started paying me for my services in late 2013. At first I only worked a few hours a week for them, but earlier this year I was entrusted with even more marketing duties and my number of hours has increased. We're getting ready to launch a ton of new products in time for the holidays and I'm really excited to see where we're headed into 2016.
There's no doubt in my mind that I manifested this job using the law of attraction. I stated exactly what I wanted, I felt in my mind and emotions what it would feel like to have it happen, and I let it go and let the universe work its magic. It was easy; it was effortless. Some may call it coincidence, but I don't think so. And every time I slip and doubt that I'm capable of creating something in my life, this serves as a reminder to me that I absolutely can.
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