March 8th, International Women’s Day is a day to celebrate the social, economic, cultural, and political success of women. It is also a day to create awareness and action for increasing gender parity.
The day will always be a very special one for me personally and professionally. In 2011, I was working for a rapidly growing small beauty company in the Bay Area. I wore many marketing hats there, but social media was my favorite. Although I was extremely passionate about the infinite opportunities I felt there were in this channel, I was constantly told by an executive at the company that “social media would never be a full-time job.”
On March 8th 2011, I proved him wrong. As I was searching for content for the day, I saw that it was the 100th anniversary of International Women’s Day. Perfect for a beauty company! I quickly posted on our Facebook page before heading into a meeting.
“Today we’re celebrating the 100th anniversary of International Women’s Day! What are you doing to celebrate this amazing day? Let us know by replying below and we’ll send you free samples!”
For all the social media pros, this was an all text post and completely organic. When I returned to my desk after the meeting, there were about 300 comments and hundreds of new page fans! I was so thrilled I ran around the office as if I had just hit a home run. Even though I had many hours of work ahead to send the samples, it was worth it all!
That was the day I knew social media marketing was my passion and it was truly a channel of boundless opportunities for those willing to be creative and take risks. I also learned never to give up on my ideas, no matter who or what I am up against. I can’t help but wonder if that executive still feels that social media is not a full-time job.
(Photo above with my Mom after yoga. She is forever my favorite woman)