June 30 is Social Media Day. It is a day where individuals from around the world gather together and talk all things social media.
This year, Social Media Club (SMC) decided to hold a contest in which the winner would get a free membership for a year. Participants had to tweet a picture of their favorite social media event, tell SMC why they loved the event and lastly, add the hashtag #SMClubSMday.
When she isn’t on her personal social media accounts, CaCera Richmond is more often than not managing the social media accounts for McDonald’s Southern California (@McDonalds_SoCal) and Ronald McDonald House Charities Southern California (@RMHC_SoCal). Richmond, a twenty-seven-year-old assistant account executive at Porter Novelli, won the free membership for a year.
Ethan: Before we ask you about your reaction to winning the contest, how did you first hear about Social Media Club?
CaCera: My client works really closely with our mom bloggers in Southern California. One of the mom bloggers that we work with is also on the board of the Social Media Club LA chapter. I would always see her tweeting about their events and I just decided one day to visit one of the panels. I really just fell in love with all of the social media professionals in the room and I became a big fan of all the topics that were discussed. I saw this organization as a great way for me to grow and network.
Ethan: What was your reaction when you found out that you won the Social Media Day Contest?
CaCera: When I found out that I won, it was very exciting. I thought that [by winning this contest] it would be a great way for me to not just be a member of my Social Media Club chapter, but also be an active one.
Ethan: Now that you won, what does your future look like with SMC?
CaCera: I would love to be a liaison between Social Media Club and my agency, Porter Novelli. It would be exciting to go back to my colleagues and tell them about a panel that I attended. I could then provide them with ideas as to how we can apply what I learned to better help our clients. Within the organization itself, I could see myself helping with the programming and really reach out to young professionals. It would be neat to get more college campuses involved and talk to them about how they can get involved in PR and with SMC.
Ethan: What sparked your passion for social media?
CaCera: I think it is the ability to connect with so many different people in one place. I can’t remember originally how or why I signed up for Twitter. I remember with Facebook, it came out when I was a freshman in college and that was my way of keeping in touch with family and friends back home. With Twitter, it was more about connecting with other people that I didn’t know. At the time, I was motivated to work for a PR agency and I knew that I wanted to work on big brands. I then decided to use social media to connect me with the individuals that would help me do just that. Social media connects both like-minded people and people with different views.
Ethan: Well CaCera, thank you so much for your time this evening. Do you have any parting words?
CaCera: I do. I love my job every day. I encourage everyone to always allow social media to be both fun and organic. I also want to give a big thank you to Social Media Club. I am excited to get involved locally and nationally. I see the next year as a big learning opportunity for me.
