In today’s #ChampLife, I am excited to have Dhariana Lozano, a social media consultant and Co-founder of Block and Ave. She has been a social media queen since 2007. Dhariana is an expert in creating social media strategies and consulting for B2B and B2C brands. Aside from creating social media strategies, she is extremely talented and creative with her ideas. Dhariana is also a HubSpot academy course contributor and she owns a blog ‘Dharilo.com’. You can find her articles on different social media websites.
We are glad to have her for an interview about her experience in social media marketing. So, without further delay, let’s start!
Fahad: Thank you for being a part of our Champ Life series. Share your experience working as a Social media consultant and marketer with our readers!
Dhariana: I’ve been in the social media marketing world for close to 15 years now! I help entrepreneurs, businesses and brands create and implement social media strategies that lead to more leads, sales and an engaged community.
Fahad: When did you discover the world of Social Media Marketing? How did you know it was the right thing for you?
Dhariana: I always loved events and wanted to be a large-scale event producer. I looked for jobs within the events world, and that’s how I discovered social media marketing. At the time (almost 15 years ago) no one was really taking social media seriously, but I thought there was something there. Early in my career my roles were not necessarily marketing related but I’d ask to do social media and when I got results I realized this was a thing! I dived in right away after that.
Fahad: What’s the one thing that excites you most about Social Media Marketing and Consultancy? Is it the variety of projects or the solutions you come up with?
Dhariana: For me, it’s really satisfying to see the transformations that happen behind the scenes when I work with an entrepreneur or a brand. There are so many things beyond what you see on the platforms that come with getting results.
Fahad: As an expert Social Media marketer, what would be your advice for new businesses who are just starting?
Dhariana: Push past the frustration and keep your goals in mind. Social media can feel like a roller coaster. One day things are good, the next day no one engages with you, the day after that a new feature comes out or something changes on the network. I think you have to keep your big picture in mind to push through those frustrating days.
Fahad: In your professional opinion what key factors can businesses leverage for Social Media? How important is personal branding for business on Social Media?
Dhariana: Businesses should lean into the stories around their brands. Consumers are smart, they research and they are slowly caring more and more about where their dollars go. Showing your “why” is important to differentiate yourself from others in your niche or industry.
Fahad: Share your thoughts on marketing automation tools for a business? What would you say about Social Champ?
Dhariana: With my agency, we manage about 58 individual accounts – there is no way we can do that without automation. Automation makes it easy to get your content out without taking a ton of time. This means you can work on other parts of your business or give you the capacity to think about other parts of your strategy when you’re not worried about posting manually.
Fahad: Tips for newbies who want to pursue a career in Social Media and Digital Marketing?
Dhariana: If you don’t like constantly having to learn, this is not the job for you! Things pivot and change quickly and you have to be able to assess the situations and adapt.
Fahad: Who is your inspiration, both personally and professionally?
Dhariana: My mom. Typical answer right? She is just so resilient and strong. She’s one of the most positive and proactive people I know.
Fahad: Stepping aside from work, how do you spend your free time? Any particular activity that will fascinate our audience?
Dhariana: I actually got into pottery recently and it’s been great to do something off a screen and work with my hands in a different way. I do love to read, and of course cook and eat!
Fahad: Can you share a picture of your workplace?
Dhariana: I don’t really have pictures of the space alone but here is one with me in it! It’s sort of a cloffice lol.
Fahad: Let’s have a small rapid-fire round.
Rapid Fire Round
| Fahad | Dhariana |
|---|---|
| Facebook or Twitter? | Twitter! |
| Tea or Coffee? | Depends, but coffee |
| Social Media or Social Networking? | Both |
| Traveling or Watching A Movie? | Traveling |
Fahad: Lastly, who do you think we should interview next on Social Champ?
Dhariana: I think you should interview my friend, Marissa Pick.
Social Champ is thankful to Dhariana Lozano for taking out her valuable time and sharing her experience with us. We hope our audience loves hearing from her.
