Social Media Mavens: Reina of Reina + Co.

Photo by Nafa of Judah Avenue

Happy Friday, lady bosses! This morning I am thrilled to introduce you to a new monthly series called Social Media Mavens. I will be interviewing inspiring lady bosses about how they use social media to grow their business. I’m honored and excited to kick this interview series off with my biz coach, mentor and friend, Reina Pomeroy of  Reina + Co.

If you don’t know Reina, she is the founder of the Life + Biz Success Coaching Practice at Reina + Co. She helps ambitious, creative bosses who have a million great ideas that the can’t seem to make happen. She helps them stop spinning their wheels and take action on what’s most important so they become the go-to expert in their field. Reina is a former social worker and a psychology major and has a slight obsession with connecting with people and creating results. She also owned a wedding planning business before she realized how much she loved to help creatives. One of her core beliefs in business is that entrepreneurs often wear more than one hat at a time and it’s important to discuss the intersection of business and life in order to achieve maximum success, whatever that looks like for you.

And now, on to the interview!

Tell us about your biz, Reina + Co.
I’m the Life + Biz Success Coach behind Reina + Co. I help ambitious creative bosses who have a million great ideas in their heads but can’t seem to make them happen. I help them stop spinning their wheels and take action what’s most important so that they can become the go to expert in their industry.

What 3 words would you use to describe your brand, Reina + Co.?
Cheerful, inviting, thoughtful.

What social media accounts do you use for business and what are your favorites platforms?
I use Instagram, Facebook (groups for connecting; page for a place to land). I dabble in Twitter and Periscope. I just downloaded Snapchat, the jury is still out on that one.

My personal favorite is Instagram. It’s the most personal, interactive and thoughtful platform for me.

Photo by Jen S

What is your social media strategy? How do you use social media?
Great question – I have a blog editorial calendar that runs the show, it’s actually part of a bigger strategy for my business. I write about things that I’m seeing in the industry that needs addressing or that I find furthers my core values and mission of the business. I also think about what products or services I want to make sure my brand is lining up in the future. I want to set myself up for success for those launches. Social media is one part of that operation. I think of it as the delivery (kind of like the mail carrier) that actually gets the message to the individual person who needs the information. It’s such a cool time that we have so many outlets to connect with our audience!

What social media accounts do you love?
I love beautiful social media contents, obviously because they are pretty, but also I look for a TON of welcoming personality. If the brand is mean spirited, not friendly to its engagers or isn’t really engaging, I tend to stay away from it. I’m not about getting more followers – while that’s important, I’m more about finding places to connect with people and make them feel like they are a person rather than a handle and a possible customer later down the line.

What account are you proud of? What do you wish you did better?
I love my Instagram feed. I’m proud of it for two reasons. It has a TON of my personality in it. It’s NOT Instagram perfect. I’m not a photographer so my photos are far from perfect. They capture real life but on the prettier side. I get a lot of love from people who just need a little encouragement, a little support, a little kick in the booty to get going. I get to have lots of conversations that way.

I’m also in love with my small but mighty Facebook community called the Heart Centered Biz Bosses. It’s a group of women who are business owners who value connection and people over the $ bottom line. People who believe that intentionality and a richly lived life is better than the material things. It is a place of authentic relationships and low tolerance for pitching. I’d love for more like-minded people to join us!!

Photo by Jen S

What tools do  you use to help schedule and plan social media?
I have my Brand Coordinator help me with most of my social media scheduling and strategy execution (she is GREAT! Thank you Rachel!!). She’s my number 1 weapon. Other than that, we use Hootsuite, Planogr.am, and a few photo editing apps (PicTapGo and Afterlight are my faves right now).

What advice would you share with other lady bosses?
[bctt tweet=”Find your voice. @reinaandco”]Don’t get discouraged when you don’t have a lot of followers or if you don’t know how to start.

1. Repurpose your content. Don’t just put a blog out once and call it done. Post it across all your social media channels.
2. Nobody is paying attention as much as you think they are paying attention. It’s hard to get people’s attention so keep telling them what is important!
3. Create + Engage. Don’t play games trying to get new followers. The best way to get more quality followers is to invest your time in the right activities – creating great content and engaging with people!
4. Collaborate. This is a tip that I have for everything in business, but if you collaborate with others, you’ll cultivate a relationship with not only them but with their audience as well. It maximizes exposure and leverages the alliances.
5. Have a strategy but don’t over think it. Having a plan is better than flying by the seat of your pants because you want to know how it all connects with the other things you want to produce/sell. But being so rigid makes it less fun and might feel rigid for your audience as well!

I’m certainly not the social media expert but I am an expert in connecting with people. Find your voice, find your sweet spot and go for it. 🙂

I hope you found some inspiration in Reina’s thoughtful responses. I love all of Reina’s tips for finding your voice and being true to yourself on social media. Also, if you have not joined Reina’s Sunshine Mail and Facebook group, do it now.