stark REALITY check

A few people have asked me what I will be doing as Kuno Creative’s new Social Media Community Manager.

Here are the highlights:

Social media research and marketing for Kuno and their clients.

Advise on engagement strategies and implement campaigns.

“Kuno Creative’s Social Media Listener” (direct quote from offer) and technological trend spotter – how cool is that?

I will be training folks how to leverage the power of social media.

Everyone at Kuno Creative has been warm and welcoming. This is the first place I’ve worked where the President and Founder posted a YouTube video welcoming me to the team.

My official first day was Tuesday February 8, 2011. Here are a few of my impressions of Kuno Creative after the first week and a half:

1. The Kuno team is nimble — an EXTREMELY important characteristic when working in 21^st Century communications. Being nimble may be the MOST important characteristic when you consider the fluidity of the Internet and the rapid pace of change.
2. They have some really groovy customers doing some amazing things — I’ll be learning new things every day which is very appealing to a perennial student such as myself.
3. They’re fast – I’ve never worked for a company that had my email account set up within 24 hours of my employ and a paycheck at the end of week one.

Please indulge me for a moment as I shout out to a few people:

First I must thank Kay Smith, who has been so gracious and patient while showing me the Kuno ropes. She’s on the verge of having a baby – due any moment to leave suddenly for a few weeks. < Good luck, Kay! >

I must also thank Chad Pollitt, for prompting me to check out the job posting for Kuno Creative’s Social Media Community Manager and recommending me for the position. I’m ready to make some noise!

Last, but not least, I must thank my new bosses, Chris Knipper and John McTigue, for the opportunity to work with such an innovative and forward looking company. I wasn’t kidding when I said I wanted to make history, btw. I can’t wait to virtually meet everyone else!

Click here to see my new Kuno Creative family. Don’t they look like a nice bunch?

A few weeks back my friend, Chad Pollitt, told me his company was looking for a candidate to fill a brand new position at their inbound marketing agency – Social Media Community Manager.

I connected with Chad Pollitt over two years ago on twitter. We finally met face-to-face at the Masters of Business Online Seminar in Indianapolis. Since then we’ve run into each other at various Indiana Social Media functions. Chad’s participation and support is a big reason for the success of #Indiana’s Inaugural Social Media Summit!

I’ve admired Chad’s social media work and presence – he knows his stuff and he knows how sell it. The feeling must be mutual because in a recent blog post Chad listed me among his “25 Tweeple to Follow Who Will Make You a Better Inbound Marketer.” Chad wrote, “@AmyStark is an “in-the-trenches” Twitter user that leads by example.”

Chad encouraged me to check out the job posting on Kuno Creative‘s website because he thought I would be a good candidate. Kuno’s new Social Media Community Manager (SMCM) could work remotely so it wouldn’t be necessary to uproot Miss Thing -my 15 yr old daughter- from High School. After reading the inbound marketing SMCM job description, I sent a resume to Kuno’s co-owners, Chris Knipper and John McTigue. The first sentence in the cover letter was:

Chad Pollitt suggested I investigate Kuno Creative’s Social Media Community Manager job posting because he thought I would be ideal. Chad was right.

And the rest – as they say — is history. I may chronicle the interview process – which happened concurrently with the Monster Winter storm of aught 11 – but in this post I wanted to share an idea that occurred to me a few days into the interview process. I was struck by the notion that I had used inbound marketing techniques to secure a groovy position at an inbound marketing agency. In October 2010 I gave a Social Media Fundraising presentation to the Indiana Public Broadcasting Stations and I explained inbound marketing as follows:

State who you are .. what you’re about and let interested folk find you. This is the purest form of permission based marketing. It’s a longer donor cycle… but you end up with A MORE loyal follower base and influential friends… Be a lightning rod, not a spigot.

From Kuno Creative’s Website:

Inbound marketing is a marketing strategy that seeks to build relationships between your brand [Amy Stark] and customers [potential employers] by attracting them [like a lightning rod] with valuable content, engaging with them in social media and gently converting them to sales leads [available positions] over time as they learn about [you] your products and services and get to know you as a trusted source [loyal employee].

When I gave a presentation to @Bob_Haddad ‘s group truth@work, I used the following visual explaining the phrase “gently converting”: I never pass up a vortex donation receptacle. I love watching the coin spiral down slowly at first – always on its edge – and then spinning faster and faster before it drops. It’s a great way to visualize this gentle movement Kuno Creative describes. If you consistently generate good content about your product or service potential clients will virtually convert themselves and sales leads will come easily just like the coin drops in a vortex. So if you are a social media geek looking for your dream job and want to use inbound marketing techniques, here is what I recommend:

• Consistently produce valuable content about social media.

• Build online communities and become a respected voice among your peers.

• Foster strong bonds of trust by acting ethically over time.

I don’t recommend using inbound marketing techniques solely in your job search. But if you are a social media professional looking for your ideal gig it should be a part of your daily routine.