How One Little Conversation Led To Being Named One Of 70 Rising Social Media Stars

Yesterday Mark Schaefer posted a list of 70 future social media gurus on his {grow} blog. To my complete surprise, I was one of them.

But if you think getting on this prestigious list of up-and-comers came easy, think again. It was over a year and a half process to get on this list.

And it all started with a little conversation on Facebook.

Stalking Mark (I Kid, I Kid!)

Some peeps may say I was stalking Mark. I REALLY wasn’t.

I happened to hear him speak during Social Media Examiner’s Social Media Success Summit in October of 2013. On a whim, I went to Facebook and stalked him  looked him up. His presentation had spoken to me so much more than the normal social media fodder that I HAD to connect with him.

I took a deep breath and sent him a message along with a friend request. It said something like,

“I just heard you speak on the SMSS. I really connected with everything you said. I swear I’m not stalking you … please be my friend.”

Then I sent him a similar LinkedIn message.

Okay, so maybe it seems like stalking – but my intentions were pure! And somehow Mark decided that I wasn’t some crazy internet weirdo and accepted both of my invitations.

Missing The Boat

Fast forward to February 2013 and Mark pinged me to let me know he was in NYC. He was at the W Hotel, no less, which is like 5 minutes from my apartment!

I was planning on meeting him when a client pulled the emergency stop for some reports.

Looking back, I should have let the reports wait until the next day. But I didn’t. I missed the boat.

And I kicked myself for about year. YEAH. ONE WHOLE YEAR went by before I got the chance to connect with Mark in person again.

Meeting Of The Minds

This past January Mark pinged me again to let me know he’d be in the city. A 2nd chance!!

Of course, this time I did the SMART thing and cleared my schedule to make it happen.

We were nearly thwarted again by Snowmageden – but we managed to meet at Sarabeth’s in Tribeca for a meal and lots of banter.

Let me say … Mark truly is the real deal. He’s just like his online personality. Real. Down to earth. Whip smart.

He truly wants to help companies understand the shift that’s taking place with consumerism.

Anyhow, after meeting and figuring out we had similar views he invited me to write a blog post for {grow} about my thesis work on how conversations through social media can lead to deeper trust and better relationship building.

Return On Conversation

Ironically the title of the article I wrote for the {grow} Blog is How to Achieve a Return on Conversation with Emotional Marketing.

Which is what led to getting on this list. It’s ALWAYS about the conversation if you ask me (and is why our tagline at B Squared Media is “Think Conversation, Not Campaign.”)

But the conversation didn’t end there.

Michael Brenner, VP of Marketing for SAP, reached out to me on Twitter regarding my post for Mark. He asked me if I’d be up for meeting and discussing my thesis work and how it pertains to modern-day content marketing.

A conversation? With Michael Brenner? Marketing VP of one of the largest software companies in the world? HECK YES!

Turns out SAP is located a mere 15 minutes from my parent’s house in PA. We met and chatted over a beer in West Chester and also found a lot of common ground with our digital marketing views.

It all came full circle when Mark included Michael on the panel for choosing the top 70 underdogs in social.

I got a Facebook message from Michael:

“I totally voted for you!”

I totally was over the moon.

All of this from one little message on Facebook. Some conversations. A common ground.

What It All Means

I know it seems arbitrary. Mark even said so in his blog post.

But for me, it means that it DOES start with a conversation, no matter who you are.

I was a scared young woman, looking to connect with a “socialebrity” (social celebrity). I had no ammo other than an intense desire to learn more from someone who clearly knows more than me.

Isn’t that also most companies?

I hear from our would-be and current clients that social media is scary. That starting a conversation is hard. That consumers won’t want to talk with them.

I call bullshit.

I think we’re all just trying to push our heads into the sand while we play into our deep-seated insecurities.

I’m not smart enough. I’m not good enough. I have nothing new to say.

I think the problem is that we’re out there running around TRYING to be someone else – because it will make us “smarter” or “good enough” or help us say something “profound.”

But that isn’t what got me on that list.

That isn’t the return on my conversation.

I was myself. I touted my own views, as obscure or “wrong” or “touchy-feely” as they may be.

And that’s what everyone should be doing: Playing to their own strong suit, starting conversations, maintaining conversations, and connecting to desired networks on an emotional level.

See you in the social sphere!

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Brooke B. Sellas

Brooke B. Sellas is the in-the-trenches Founder & CEO of @HelloBSquared, an award-winning social media, advertising, and social media customer care agency. She's also the author of Conversations That Connect -- a book all about social listening and social media customer care. Brooke's marketing mantra is “Think Conversation, Not Campaign” so be sure to give her a shout on the socials!

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