Goodbye Online PR UK. We've had 17 lovely years together but it's time to shed that skin.
I unofficially started my marketing agency in London way back in 1998/1999 when I ran a bar and restaurant. I had to learn how to market the business fast but at that point, social media didn't exist and PR had to be done the old way.
Five years later. it was all about MySpace and as an artist and performer, I was probably one of the first (million) to jump on this platform. Suddenly I could tell the world I was releasing a track or had an upcoming gig. We had loads going on in the bar too, it was a total revelation.
Over the following years, platforms would come and go but the main players stood the test of time. They developed with their audience and offered more and more ways to humanise the experience of social media. I was on it like a car bonnet. Honestly - there was nothing I didn't know and as they grew, I never missed a trick. By 2012 after helping numerous friends and colleagues on their online journey, I decided to write a guide book about how to use these platforms properly and I published it. That book, One Giant Leap Into Social Media Marketing, catapulted my agency earned me my first year of paying clients and the rest is history.
My heart was always in helping creatives get their message out there. Being an artist myself, here was where I felt most comfortable, but by default, bigger clients started to trickle through and I had to step out of my comfort zone. Although mostly within the same sectors of music, hospitality and the arts, I ended up working on some pretty large projects; events, festivals, a radio station, countless start ups and tourism corporates over the next ten years.
Because of the variety of working environments and people this job gave me, I was able to step into so many skills I never knew I had. I was able to find where I was weak, and where I was strong. I learned how to delegate like a boss and understand my co-workers deeply. I learned how to bring out the best in other people. This time was super valuable and I am so grateful for these opportunities I created.
I might not have said that at the time.
It's Gotta Have Soul.
After opting for warmer climes and space to breathe, my roster now looks a little different. They say you never forget your first love and mine was helping soulpreneurs for sure. Those who are bringing something real and worthy to the table. Those who have the opportunity to make others happy, healthy, learn something new. Those who are in service to humanity in some way.
Coming up with ways to communicate a message is my favourite thing to do. Getting to the depths of my own creativity in the process while learning about the soul of my clients is a total buzz. A natural co-creation happens as we unearth what's dormant, and create channels for good messages to be heard. This will always be my life's work.
So it is with utter gratitude, I allow the guise of what was, Online PR UK, to gracefully dissolve into my past as I step into my newly owned role, of me! A female with lovtitude and a unique container of knowledge to share. I am grateful for the options to use my gifts for the greater good and I look forward to watching her unfurl...
My First Offering To You
It's been ages since I spent time with my own brand. My own offerings. I've been too busy putting that energy into others. And although my time is limited, I still want to help. I still have stuff to say, that matters.
I've done Digital Clinics in the past. Although seriously helpful, they were corporate and lacked connection. So I wondered how I could up the ante and create such an offering that would have a huge impact on the people I want to help.
So...I am launching my online Consultancy Cafe. Informal, yet wholesome time spent on you and your goals. Spend a little over an hour with me discussing where you are at with you - and your business and were you want to be. Let's share ideas and co-create your next chapter. We will brainstorm and I will consult and together we will come up with a set of proactive tasks to get you on your way. This feels right.
I look forward to serving you in this personal way.
Andrea
Commentaires