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Not Your Average Gal

Not Your Average Gal

Copywriter. Content Creator. Constant Sassypants.

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Florida

The 411

December 18, 2012 By Caroline Peterson

 

I guess I kinda forgot to mention that I took a blog sabbatical… Did I need to notify HR at Caroline Made This?

I’m here now, guys!

I will name just a (few) major things, in sequential order, that have been going on in the midst being absent in the blogosphere for a few weeks:

1)  Car-o-line got a new J-O-B.

Yeah, no biggie. I am now a copywriter at a marketing studio. Basically, I get to use my creative skills to come up with some fun copy, text, taglines, logos and mottos that (hopefully) convince you minions to take action or buy a product. You know, I’m using my love of creativity and writing and putting it into a nice paycheck. Ain’t no thang.  <insert cheering and tap dancing on a table here>  Note: I said tap dancing. Not lap dancing. I was never that desperate for money… Since I direct potential clients and employers to my website, this ol’ blog may have helped me get a job offer too – so THANK YOU, guys. Being a copywriter allows me the creativity-style I desire (with video production opportunities as well), utilizes my marketing experience and hones my writing skills, all while giving my career a more creative direction. I should put that on my LinkedIn profile somewhere, eh? We’re moving in to a new office soon that is close to the beach downtown. I’m not sure if that location will be a benefit or a hindrance to my work productivity. I’ll be able to see the beach from the office. Do you hate me? I sorta hate me…

 

2)  Wedding booked. Website completed. Video Save the Date sent.

Whew. Stuff just got real. I gave myself an internal deadline of having all of that completed by the first week in December. It was slightly foolish considering I was only a couple weeks into my new job, My Main Squeeze was in the middle of finals and unable to help, oh and…I like to sleep more than a couple hours a night. But I got it done on time and successfully completed all of the wedding crap. Yes. You read that read right. Listen, I’m super excited to marry My Main Squeeze. I’m just not a fan of the superficial, sometimes hurtful, process of getting there – so, if you want me to sugar coat how wonderful the wedding planning machine is…then you’re reading the wrong blog. We’re doing our own wedding thaaaang quite well. *thankyouverymuch* Perhaps if you all get good behavior stars in school today I’ll show you our entertaining website and video Save the Date that I produced. I think it’s super fun. And I’m totally objective.

 

3) My Main Squeeze successfully completed his first semester in medical school.

You read that right! My boo got through his first semester of an incredibly tough, rigorous program and passed with flying colors. They don’t make the process of becoming a doctor hard for just any ol’ reason…I’d say saving lives is pretty important. Am I glowing? I’m just super proud of him. Sure, his time to spend and help with things is super scarce, but it’s for the greater good. (Must repeat: It’s for the greater good.) He is now 1/8th of the way through medical school. Which would make him 1/12th of the way through medical school and residency if he chooses a specialty that is a 2 year residency. Yeah. I’m not thinking about that… I’m just super, super proud. If you know him personally, please tell him to stop doing his to-do list around the house and go sit by the pool and relax! He’s a pretty good guy, huh?

 

In all honesty, I had this particular post lined up to publish last Friday. But, I felt it was highly inappropriate to post considering recent events. Still trying to wrap my head around it. My two cents: Those things you are thinking, remember them. Change doesn’t happen quickly, especially with bureaucracy. Your actions and voices matter, whether you believe it or not.

So, on a lighter note, you can sleep soundly tonight because I have plenty of sweet posts up my sleeve for the near future. Just thought I’d fill you in on all of the fun things that have been taking up a majority of my time. Boo-yah.

Filed Under: Blogging, Funny Tagged With: beach, career, copywriter, copywriting, doctor, Florida, job, med school, medical school, wedding, wedding planning

What inspires you?

October 24, 2012 By Caroline Peterson

It happens to all of us.  During our monotonous days and endless to do lists – our minds begin to wander.  We daydream of places we want to go or things that make us laugh. It happens.  And thank God it does!  Can you imagine our boring our lives would be without inspiration?  It keeps us going.

Lately, I’ve found inspiration in my (new) Florida surroundings. It’s still hard and often surreal to think that I live here…and that it’s October!

There’s no way it’s October…

It got me thinking about the things that inspire me.  I ran through inspirational figures to small everyday moments that left me smiling and humbled.

Buuuuuut basically, it all boiled down to the only thing I find inspirational on a Monday morning:

Don’t judge.

I could fill this post with the little things to the more poignant things that inspire me. But I want to hear from you!

What inspires you?

Filed Under: Musings, Soapbox Tagged With: Florida, inspiration, inspirational, Michigan, Starbucks

Social Media: Companies That Get It

October 15, 2012 By Caroline Peterson

Remember when our parents warned us about the evils of social networking?  It’s the downward spiral of society!  Soon we won’t know how to maintain a relationship outside of a computer!  They had major concerns.  Albeit, some were legitimate.  Perhaps you should take down that picture of you bonging a beer at a frat party, friend…?  But mostly, people were concerned because they didn’t understand it fully.  There’s so much fear in the unknown.

But now…  Whew.  Now go to any job board and you’ll see plenty of job openings requesting people who know the ins and out of social media.  Even the good ol’ boy companies are finally getting it.  They can actually see purpose-driven results in posting a blog, maintaining a Facebook account and engaging their customers on Twitter.  Heck, even my future in-law sent me an email telling me about this fancy thing called: LinkedIn!  It was really quite sweet.

So how does your company make a lasting impression (for better or worse) on your customers and thus, help your bottom line?  Simple:  acknowledge them!

The following is a very brief list of how great, clued-in companies use social media to their benefit.

1.  Be present.

It’s pretty simple.  If I don’t know your company exists, then I won’t be visiting your store, viewing your television show, buying your product, etc.  This means more than being able to Google and find your phone number.  The business mainstay for years has been that word of mouth is the best way to bring in customers.  Consider social networking your new word of mouth! Whether you like it or not a vast majority of people would rather point and click than search and pick up a phone.  People want to see your product and read about your company – it leaves less room for misinterpretation.  That means your details need to be readily available on your website, Twitter or Facebook.  If I have to pick up a phone to figure out what your hours are, I will very quickly forget about your business and choose a similar one who my friend liked on Facebook.  See how that new word of mouth thing works?

2.  You followed us?  Thanks!

I recently moved to Florida and have used Twitter and Facebook to find different fun activities I can do while exploring my new area.  After learning that Ft. Lauderdale was the “Venice of America” (who knew?) I heard about these wonderful things called water taxis.  I hit the Google box.  Discovered Ft. Lauderdale Water Taxi.  Followed them on Twitter.  Received this nice message in my inbox:

Boom.  That was easy.  Was it most likely an auto-bot response? Yeah.  But it was nice to be recognized for following them.  Clearly, it left me with enough of an impression that I think of them anytime someone visits us and wants to explore the “Venice of America”.  Hook.  Line.  Sinker.  You got me as a customer now.

3. Taking 2 seconds to discover your customer will benefit both of you.

Before we moved, I began following @visitlauderdale so I could find out about fun events in our area.  The brilliant social media guru who runs that account saw they had a new follower (me).  Took 2 seconds to look at my profile and see my recent tweets.  Saw from my profile that I was vegan-ish.  (Really big emphasis on the ish…) Saw from recent tweets that I was moving to Florida.  They then tweeted me and told me about a great vegetarian/vegan restaurant in the area I should try out when I move to town.

 

 

↓↑

 

Cross promotion.

Do you see how that works, folks? I am now a paying customer and follower to both.  That extra 2 seconds = costumer loyalty. Brilliant.

4. Respond. Respond. Respond.

Sure, you’re busy.  Everyone is.  But if a customer calls you to either complain or compliment your company, do you simply remain quiet on your end of the line?  Of course not!  (And if you do, your business surely won’t last during this knee-jerk reaction of online complainers.)  The same goes for social media!

I have a deep love for Bloody Mary’s.  And they love me.  While living in Detroit, I discovered the amazing, local McClure’s Bloody Mary mix.  I must have talked about it a lot because when I moved, a dear friend and her husband gave us a CASE of McClures.  If you think I’m joking, check out what happened next.

I tweeted McClures and told them how we considered this new case of Bloody Mary’s precious cargo on our way down to Florida.  They saw and loved it so much they responded with many re-tweets and even posted it on their Facebook page.

 

Look ma’, I’m famous!  They even re-posted one of my blogs they enjoyed months later to their own page!

A few of my friends took notice and guess what?  McClure’s just gained a bigger customer base.  And I’ve very quickly become a conosuier of Bloody Mary mix — I pretty much complain about the taste of anything else but McClure’s mix.

Speaking of complaining, while My Main Squeeze has threatened many times to create a Twitter account simply to complain about services (empty threats get you nowhere, my dear) that is the perfect opportunity for a company to turn around a bad situation.

I fly a lot.  And I’m really hoping those miles come in handy when we get married overseas next summer… Delta is my go-to airline mostly because that’s who I’ve racked up the most points with and their hubs are in Detroit and Minneapolis, both cities that I have family located.  When it became apparent that my grandmother’s health was quickly declining, I bought a last minute plane ticket so I could see her and share her last birthday with her.  The ticket was so last minute that I didn’t have a seat assignment.  All of us regular business travelers know what that means…overbooked. <wah. waaaaaaaah.>  I know your trickery, Delta and I’m not going to put up with it!

So did what any normal, passive aggressive person would do.  I took to Twitter.

A (social media) agent responded within the day asking for my Flight and Confirmation #’s.  I gave him/her both and quickly had a response that I was all set.

I don’t know if the agent had the means to get me a seat or check to see if the flight was, in fact, full.  But needless to say, I got to the airport, had a seat and got to celebrate my grandmother’s last birthday with her. This act did not go unrecognized.  I thanked Delta on Twitter to make sure my followers saw and I now go to their website first before booking through major travel websites.

Somebody simply responded to me.  That’s it.  They may not have even touched the magical “get Caroline a seat” button.  But they responded.  Half the battle, my friends.

5. Talk about social media!

Engage your clientele by telling them you have a blog, Facebook  or Twitter account.  Seriously.  It can be that easy.  Being present (go back to #1) is key to this step.  In your newsletter, direct them to your Twitter account and you’ve built yourself a great, dynamic customer base.  Especially if you offer free products by simply asking people to “Like” your page on Facebook…  Thanks Target!

Core3Solutions provides tons of updates about social media trends via Twitter and Facebook.  The irony isn’t lost on me…   Here’s a great blog about maintaining your social media presence in minutes a day: http://core3solutions.com/web/blog/online-marketing/social-media-marketing-in-minutes-a-day/  Constantly talking about social media creates the notion that it’s necessary for your company to be involved in the social media machine (and it is!) and gives your customers a chance to see that you actually are!

 

So aside from the pictures you’ve posted after winning the Jello wrestling championship years ago, social media can be a huge advantage to you.  Be sure you stay on top of its ever-changing ways and you’ll be doing you and your customers a great service.  If you have any questions about increasing your web presence, use my contact form to ask me and/or give me your best suggestions in the handy-dandy comments section below!

Just remember, Twitter’s very own tagline is quite simple: Find out what's happening, right now, with the people and organizations you care about.  

Do you want to be a part of that? 

Psst…the answer should be yes.

 

Filed Under: Blogging Tagged With: blog, blogging, Core3Solutions, Delta, Facebook, Florida, Ft. Lauderdale, McClure's, networking, social media, social networking, twitter

My Michigan Mitten

August 16, 2012 By Caroline Peterson

I’m from here.  Yes, here.

I’ve pointing to my hand a lot lately.  For some, it’s an odd way of telling people where you’re from.  But, anyone who does it this way is bonded by that special state called Michigan.  I actually started putting this list together in the months before we moved to Florida.  As the days dwindled down and our home began to resemble a warehouse of boxes, each event turned into, “the last time”.

“This is the last time I’ll see your kids.  Next time they’ll actually be able to say, ‘Auntie Caroline.'”

“Oh my gosh, this is the last time I’ll be at a Coney Island.  This is my last lemon rice soup!”

“This will be the last time I pick up a prescription from this CVS.”

“This is this the last time I’ll be running in this neighborhood.  This is the last time I’ll run past this house, this bush, over this sidewalk crack…”

You get my compulsive point.

We’re adjusting to Florida as well as expected.  You can’t beat palm trees and sunshine!  But you also can’t beat the comfort of “home”.  Soon enough, I know our little piece of Florida will feel like home too.  But in the meantime, the following is a list, in no particular order, of  things that I miss most about Michigan.

  1. The Michigan Left.  Yes, you know, the portion of the median that allows you to turn around nearly every 100 feet?  Man, those were annoying when I was learning to drive.  But man, I miss those while I sit at a four minute light waiting to turn left in Florida.
  2. A Friday night Tigers game at Comerica Park
  3. Canadian accents, eh?
  4. Downtown Royal Oak
  5. Lemon Rice Soup from National Coney Island.  Did I mention that above already?  Can you tell I’m hungry? Is the sky blue?
  6. “Supporting Michigan” products.  I always tried to buy local in MI, even if it’s a bit more expensive.  There doesn’t seem to be the need for that support here.  Maybe they don’t need to label oranges here “Florida Grown”.  Because…well…duh.
  7. 96.3 & Blaine and Allyson in the morning
  8. I’m preemptively missing hockey already.
  9. People. knowing. how. to. drive.
  10. McClure’s Bloody Mary Mix.  But thanks to a certain curly friend and her kilt-wearing husband, we’re stocked for a solid couple weeks.  Okay, we’re good for a year: 
  11. Hard-working Midwestern work ethic.  People like to relax down here.  A lot.  And not return phone calls to potential customers.  A lot.  I’m not bitter.
  12. An evening Up North.
  13. Not having to carry an umbrella everywhere…or worry about wearing a white shirt.
  14. Spending money on quirky gifts and hilarious cards at Catching Fireflies.  I’m sure My Main Squeeze doesn’t miss this.
  15. Trader Joes.  The closest store is about 2 hours away.  Oh how I miss you, Trader Joes!  You and your extra friendly employees who sometimes smell like a mixture of cinnamon and pot.
  16. YOU!
I miss you the most.

 

Things I don’t miss:

Have fun with THAT this weekend, suckas!

Filed Under: Musings, Soapbox Tagged With: Florida, hockey, Michigan, Royal Oak, Tigers

She’s baaaaaaaaack.

May 22, 2012 By Caroline Peterson

This website has been completed for quite some time.  Aside from losing most everything in the transfer a couple months ago and the miscellaneous changes I keep making…it’s been done.  I realize I casually breezed over that whole “losing most everything in the transfer” part but it was nothing that tequila couldn’t fix.

I’ve been struggling with how to jump back into this blog; how to begin blogging after a bit of a break while this site has been in a nice little redesign.  There were so many things I wanted to talk about but I didn’t know where to begin.  So I didn’t.

You see, so much has happened and we’re on the brink of some major, exciting changes that I couldn’t quite formulate what to say because I didn’t feel I could accurately describe it with my words.

And then last night while My Main Squeeze and I were cleaning out our filing cabinet, I had a bit of an epiphany.

I felt proud. Proud enough to mark my blogging starting point. Today.

<deep breath>

Some of you know that we’re packing up our things and moving over 1,400 miles away this summer.  My Main Squeeze is continuing his path of being an overachiever by starting medical school in Florida and I’m excited to explore more job opportunities that are more in line with my career goals. I’ll be happy to gush over how proud I am of him in future blog posts, don’t you worry.

So in the midst of packing and going through piles of old taxes, random receipts, carry-out menus and expired coupons in our filing cabinet…we found them.  THEM.  The “them” that was our struggle for the nearly 5 years we’ve been together.

We found:

  • Lay-off letters
  • Severance package offers
  • Job rejection letters
  • Job deferment letters (yes, they exist)
  • Medical school rejection letters
  • My valedictorian award after changing gears and going back to school
  • Medical school wait-list notifications
  • Internship opportunities that ended because of budget cuts
  • Failed website ideas
  • My grandma’s funeral program
  • Cover letters
  • General resumes
  • Job specific resumes
  • Demo reels
  • Brochures from medical schools in different countries

 

It goes without saying that many other things happen in life that can’t be placed into a file folder and shoved into a cabinet. Instead of having them define who My Main Squeeze and I are, which at times I’m quite positive they did, I felt a great sense of pride. I’m so proud of us for pushing through, even if the path wasn’t always defined.  I closed the final file folder and put my feet up on our coffee table, looked at My Main Squeeze and said, “Man, we’ve been through quite a lot.”

He smiled that half-smile I love so much, looked at me straight in my eyes and spoke so eloquently that it will stick with me forever:

“Duh.”

Filed Under: Funny Tagged With: Florida, website update

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