This week I decided to improve and start some social media sites for my business.

I started pages and accounts for Facebook, YouTube, and Instagram.I decided to only add these social media sites because I feel as though if I have too many sites to maintain then I will neglect some of them and it will look poorly on my brand. One these sites I plan to focus on and add more links to my website, photos, and descriptions.

I also worked on my website some. I added a picture and profile pictures to all of my sites.I also added a previously written blog post to my website. There is still so much more to do. Here are the links to my sites:

Doula Services by Alexis Beach

https://www.facebook.com/thesunflowerstatedoula/

https://www.instagram.com/thesunflowerstatedoula/

https://www.youtube.com/thesunflowerstatedoula/

Part 1:  This week what stood out to me the most is all the social media platforms that there are and choosing what platform would best fit my personality and my brand. This week has me considering starting a YouTube channel and “playing around” with that. I think it would be wise as well to only use what social media I can handle and keep up with. I think that it would be best to be interactive on a few sites and connect with people and post frequently, rather than be on every site and not be as active on any because I am too busy trying to keep up with them all. An example of this would be vine. I do not see how having vine would benefit me or bring customers to my website. Also because I don’t believe that my target market or following base would be on vine or have the time for it as much as say Facebook. I would love to also learn more about how to start a YouTube or Twitter. I wonder how much of my client base I could gain off of these platforms.

                           Part 2: I choose to use my own company and brand, The Sunflower State Doula to market. My mission is to empower families in the journeys from birth and beyond. I am a doula and I love my job as an independent consultant and am very busy with work at the moment but it will not always be like this. Business will go up and down and I need to have my own clients and way of finding work without my agency. My current social media presence is nonexistent. I have a website up but not many blogs are on there at the moment. Facebook would defiantly need to be the next big social media giant to tackle and be the most active on because that is where most of my target market is found.

Personal Branding Audit

When I google my name (Alexis Beach) not much comes up at the moment. Currently I can find my Facebook and if I really search I can find my Instagram and Pinterest page. I do have a LinkedIn account, but I do not think I have any content on there that is relevant to what I am doing and can see how having that updated would boost my online presence.

I am currently in the process of making and creating a blog/website. I am not quite ready to open that up to public view yet. I really want it to look professional and have a few blog post on it when it goes live. The main form of social media I will be using with my doula brand will be Facebook. I will use mostly this platform because it is most common among doulas and especially in my area. My certifying agency also has a Facebook group along with the agency I am a part of now. ON there you can receive support and help and connect with other doulas. Also with Facebook, it is a way to connect with moms and families locally, meaning I can more easily reach my customer base.

Instagram is another platform I have considered using, although I have not quite figured out the look or branding I want to go with on that platform. I know that many businesses have a certain look or flow to their Instagram pages and some people absolutely love Instagram so I feel as though that would be a helpful resource.

I am a big Pinterest user ever since I first discovered the site. I would like to utilize Pinterest to attract more attention to my blog by posting and sharing my pins, that would in turn lead more views to my site. I feel as though a lot of moms and moms to be are on Pinterest looking for advice and blogs to read.

Currently I do not have my name (thesunflowerstatedoula) on any of these sites. Although some are saved. My goal now is to launch my website and get the “ball rolling” on sharing and using these media platforms to further grow my personal business.

My name is Alexis and this is my last year at JCCC before I will transfer to one of the few schools in the country that offer Maternal and Child Healthcare specialized degrees. With that degree I will be able to sit for the IBCLC exam (International Board Certified Lactation Consultant)

I am currently a doula in the Kansas City area with Kansas City doulas. We are referred to as independent contractors. Since I am a doula I would like to start my own business.

With that I would like to set up my own blog and online presence. I am so excited to be a part of this class and learning some unique new skills to help me in my career. I am hoping to learn how to have more of an online presence, how to reach my target market online, and possibly how to monetize a blog.