Social Media guru, Megan Cole, sits down with Loaded Bow

LOADED BOW is all about connecting online, but we weren’t sure we were doing this as effectively as possible.  Enter, Megan Cole!  Social media extraordinaire!

This lady GLOWS.  No, you think we’re exagerating, but she actually has a radiant beam around her and makes you want to learn how to COMMUNICATE. 

Megan Cole and Doggy

Megan is a Vancouver social media consultant, introduced to us through Isabella Egan as “the  new media goddess”.  She builds web strategies and implements technology and social media tools to help companies in community outreach and assist clients produce online communities.

This is why Megan is cool.  In order of importance.

1.  She is from Newfoundland

2.  She is the co-founder of Bridging Media and Canada Bombshell, and is the Director of Social Media for Catapult Media 

3.  She recently interviewed Kim Cattrall (Zoe squealed at this news.  Since Megan was able to tell us about this casually, we assume that she a) is just not that into SATC, or b) she interviews celebrities in her spare time as a hobby equivalent to playing table tennis or Scrabble)

Megan and Camera Guy Interview Kim

4.  She snowshoes and drinks Guiness

5.  She recently interviewed Richard Florida of The Rise of the Creative Class and Who’s Your City? fame (Gen’s turn to squeal)

6.  She promotes independent Canadian music by co-producing and hosting ThisCityRocks

7.  She spent a year pursuing her dream of acting in LA for a year

8.  She has the most gorgeous dog.  Ever.

And those are just the top 8.

We took Megan for coffee intent on receiving input into Loaded Bow’s direction, and left thrilled to be alive and feeling wildly ambitious.  Megan confirmed many of the things we are doing are right, and gave us a list of “to do’s” to get on track with others. 

Here are the major lessons that we took away from our time with Miss Cole.

1.  Be authentic. Find your voice, people are eager to read real voices.

2.  Ask yourself, is this content/photo/comment/resource relevant?  ALWAYS think about the end user (that’s YOU!). 

3.  Make sure your titles are specific and relevant so that search engines love you.  For example, a quick visit to WordPress reveals a post titled Somtimes I Just Don’t Get It!!.  It’s a great post about the perils of preventing your child from choking on peanuts, but you - and the search engines - would never know if from the title! 

4.  Your online space and community needs to be nurtured.  Creating connections and relationships takes time.  Comment.  Participate.

5.  Facbook Groups are out.  Facebook Fan Pages are in.  Use them conservatively.  Become a fan of Loaded Bow!!!

6.  Always use images in your posts.  Your own are better than stock.

7.  Start Twittering.  At first, it will probably seem weird (are we really doing anything that’s interesting to others right now??), but there are lots of smart techy cookies on Twitter.  Add gen_ennis and zoe_pawlak to your Twitter following.  We have no Twittering friends right now.  Please be ours.

8.  Sign up for Flickr asap.  Stay tuned for our Flickr accounts!!

9.  Wired Woman and Women Who Tech are fabulously supportive and excellent resources.

After speaking with Megan, we would absolutely recommend seaking out a Social Media consultant (Megan if you can!).  She gave us some info in exchange for two eager listeners and a latte and dressed us from head to toe in her glow.

   

If you are blogging, we want to hear about how you are doing with your start-up, who have been your go-to people, and how have you defined you niche?

zoe+gen of loadedbow