Around Town

#FollowFriday: 5 questions with @corriasmith

By Abby Miressi
Richard Drew AP

It’s Friday, people! Welcome to this week’s edition of #FollowFriday.

I met Corri Smith at a branding session a few weeks ago and could not be more impressed with her intelligence, vibe and overall cool factor.

Did you know she was co-creater of #instabeerup? Talk about an A+ social media game.

Name: 

Hometown: Ashville, N.Y.

Owner: Black Wednesday Social Co.

Favorite local lunch spot:  Alexander Michael’s.

Favorite local work zone:  The Daily Press.

Tell us about Black Wednesday‘s brand. Why the name? What do you do?

When considering how to brand, I didn’t want my name to be tied to the business. It seemed like a differentiator to choose a name that offered some representation of me, without involving my actual name.

If you’ve met me, Black Wednesday makes sense.

//><!--I do social media (strategy, management, training, consultancy), events and PR. I love helping a brand connect to its market and bringing people together in general.//--><!

The website is in the works, launch to come.

For the novices out there (like me!), what is the most effective way to get engagement from your followers?

I think the best way to get engagement is to be on the level of your followers. Look at what they’re posting.

I also test a lot. I post something wild to see if anyone cares. If they don’t it can come down. But if you make an educated guess and test something you think they would like, you’ll probably be right.

Another important tip: be human. People are surprised when a brand is “normal” and not just trying to sell them something.

How do you stay authentic to yourself and your brand?

I am choosy and only work for brands I actually support in real life. If it’s a brand I can’t identify with or have ethical concerns about, I won’t do it.

It’s hard to “sell” something you yourself wouldn’t buy and people will see right through you. I try to skip that dilemma altogether.

What was your most recent favorite project that you worked on and why is it your favorite?

Amy Herman of VTG CLT (@vtgclt) and I started a monthly meet-up that gets people connected on social media and serves as a platform for them to meet offline with cold craft beer.

It’s called #instabeerupclt and lives on hashtag on Instagram and Twitter. The next one is at 6 p.m. on May 28 at Birdsong Brewing. Yellow Cab is sponsoring a portion of the bar tab and offering free cab rides home.

This is my favorite project because I’m a connector and enjoy meeting new people. Meeting in person is a great way to expand your social network and I think it also strengthens the online relationship.

Also, who hates beer? We have about 200+ people in attendance each month and it’s always a great time. ALL WELCOME!

In your opinion, what is the best platform to manage various accounts for those who have multiple voices to keep up with?

I use Sprout Social. It’s awesome and they offer a free 30-day trial to check it out. Most other platforms offer you a week, which is hardly enough time to get acquainted.

As far as the voice goes, it’s just about knowing each brand fairly well and choosing a voice at the beginning and being able to keep it up. I think that’s a skill one has to learn, not something any platform can help you with.

Photo: AP

Abby Miressi is obsessed with the Charlotte startup scene and loves anything that involves culture, community, and chocolate.

@abbymsays.

This story was originally published May 21, 2015 at 9:21 PM with the headline "#FollowFriday: 5 questions with @corriasmith."

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