Antionette Blake's Social Media Salon: Discussions, Insights, and Inspiration

"Yes Genius!" is a podcast that explores the power of affirmative thinking, celebrating the impact of saying yes to unexpected opportunities and the unknown.

This season of Yes, Genius will give you an opportunity to learn more about our 2024 Social Media Day Delaware speakers and panelists!

In today's episode, host Jess Burton sits down with Antionette Blake, a seasoned social media marketing consultant and the voice behind the Delaware Blogger. Antoinette shares her inspiring journey from a corporate career at IBM to becoming a prominent figure in the digital marketing space, all sparked by her passion for fashion and lifestyle content for those over 50. Together, they explore the evolution of blogging, the importance of personal branding, and how Antoinette is marrying her blog and podcast to better serve her audience. Join us as we dive into her yes moments, insights on content creation, and the vibrant world of digital marketing!

Transcript

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Welcome to Yes, Genius, a podcast from Epic Marketing that celebrates the power of affirmative thinking. In each episode, we explore the power of saying yes to unexpected opportunities, career changes, even the unknown, and the powerful results. This season, we welcome our speakers and panelists from Social Media Day Delaware. We hope you enjoy their yes stories and some digital marketing insights. All right, hello and welcome. I'm your host for this episode, Jess Burton. Joining me is Antoinette Blake, a seasoned social media marketing consultant who has built a thriving career helping clients excel online. As the Delaware blogger, she shares her expertise through her blog and podcasts covering topics from content creation to branding. Antoinette is a proud alumna of Delaware State University, active member of her community, and will be a workshop leader for our Social Media Day Delaware 2024. With years of experience and passion for empowering others, Antoinette is a sought-after speaker and mentor in the digital world. Welcome, Antionette!  Jess, thank you so very much. I am so honored, privileged, and excited to be here today. I'm excited to have you. I feel like I've known about you and I've consumed your content for a while. And I'm finally so excited to be able to sit down and chat with you about who you are and what you do and how you got here. But I am curious to ask you, like you got into blogging, what was your yes moment that led you here? Great question, Jess. My yes moment of getting here. So let's back up just a minute, because as you alluded to, as you stated, I am a proud alum of Delaware State College at the time, class of 1983, which is now Delaware State University. And I received my BS degree in elementary education. So for my entire life, even before then, I have always loved teaching and writing. I still, to this day, write in cursive every morning. Even though you don't get the tablet and the smartphone, I still love writing. And I just like sharing. I like leaving content. When I first started the blog, it was because I was trying to share content, but it was also as a way to fill a void. My grandmom had just passed away and she had lived with us for 16 years. So I had all this time on my hand. So I said, well, let me get out in the world. Let me get out in Delaware and see what's happening. So I blogging, if you remember back in 2012, it was really like for mommies, like mommy bloggers talking about, diapers and formula. And I was of a particular age of a very proud boomer. So I said, you know what? Let me start writing about things that are fun and fashionable for those of us over the age of 50. So that was the catalyst. That was my yes moment. I said, you know what? I'm going to take this, my passion, and I'm going to turn it into a yes moment. I'm going to take the plunge, and I'm going to share and bear my soul. So it is funny that you started with kind of what you knew with the topics that were familiar and comfortable to you. And somehow that landed you in marketing. So I'm curious, was there a second or third yes that has led you to here? Yes, Jess. Again, I did what everyone does. They go to college. Well, back then, you go to college, and then you get the job, right? And then you work for the rest of your life. Well, I was fortunate to be hired by IBM at that time, International Business Machines, which was big, people before Apple and all that other stuff. People were like, what's IBM now? But I was a corporate kid that went right from college and started working for IBM in New York. And I just knew, you know, what I saw was, you know, you work there 30, 40 years, you retire with the gold watch and all of that. And I loved it. I mean, I was a corporate kid and I transferred here to Delaware. There was a few sites here in Delaware. But after 32 years, believe it or not, I was laid off, like offered a layoff. That was when, like, OK, we're going to start transitioning regular employees to, you know, I can't even remember the term back then, but we weren't going to keep with the benefits and all of that. So we were going to outsource. That was what it was. We were going to outsource. So I'm like, oh my God, I've got a mortgage. I've got a big old house in Middletown. I can't just up and do this. So I said, no, I'm going to stay and continue working and doing being in corporate. And that lasted another, I want to say, 13 years, eight of which I was actually commuting from Middletown, Delaware to Westchester, Pennsylvania every day, three hours a day in a car, over the age of 50 at this time. The second layoff came in 2018, and I said, yes, sign me up. Where do I sign? Give me my money. I'm leaving. I didn't know why I was blogging and writing and social media management. All this was like, you know, I was doing all of this before that final yes moment. So when I said, yes, give me my money, I'm leaving. I had the social media. I had the experience in social media management. I had the experience in blogging. I had the experience in podcasting. And that's when I realized all those things that I was doing as a, you know, a side gig, which before side gigging was popular, really gave me the foundation. So when I said, yes, you know, it was scary and I cried and I was scared, but I did it. And I'm so happy that I did do it. So what I'm hearing is that you really are the trend center here. You started the like mommy blogging, you've started the side gigging. You really kind of were on the front end of all of that wave, which I think is, I always think it's really impressive when people are able to kind of start somewhere and like, it's like a unintentional, move towards what they like really enjoy. I think it's super interesting how like even though you were working in corporate and doing all this stuff like your heart still said like you should really be in marketing and you should really be in this space and we're gonna make sure that we breadcrumb you all the way to here so that you end up where you belong. Jess, that is so true. I love the way you said it because now I laugh. I kind of laugh when I hear about content creators and influencers. And all of this is like, oh my God, Jess. I mean, I did all of that. I was in Rodeo Drive. I've been in magazines. I've been on television. I've done commercials. But back then, It was, they were breadcrumbs, right? That led me to this point. And now at this juncture, I'm doing this because I love doing it. Not that I need the financial, you know, the good stuff, the money that comes with it, but because it is my passion, right? When you find that passion project and the great, another great thing about the Jess is I'm not competing with anyone else. Cause I know what I like doing. And I understand imposter syndrome is real. And I feel sorry for those that are out there blogging, blogging, podcasting, social media management, and all that feeling they have to stay up. No, not me. I'm at that point. I do me. I always tell people, do you, boo. And that's what I do. And I love it. I love it so much. That brings me to my next question for you, because you call yourself a boomer who blogs with a millennial mind, which I think is, that sentence in itself is so descriptive. Can you tell us a little bit how you came up with that tagline and what it means to you? Great question, Jess. Thank you. And that tagline is very, very old. Before the millennial, the Gen X, Gen Y, ABC, XYZ, that was a tagline that I had. I was a boomer. at that point. Because again, when I first started, it was like I was 55, 57. So I was already a boomer, right? I'm of the boomer generation. And I had a millennial mind because when I started on social media, this is a cute story for you, right? We called it the Facebook. The Facebook, right? Mark came out with the Facebook. And so I was trying to figure out the Facebook. Now, I did not have a MySpace page. I was not really aware of social media. And like you and your girlfriends were saying, well, just show what you do on a regular basis. So I was doing fashion and fun after 50. So I would show what I was wearing to work, like shoes. Every day I had a different outfit. food, you know, discounts, you know, things going on around the state of Delaware. So I felt like this is what the millennials were doing, because the millennial became a catchphrase, like these are the younger generation, the boomer, the millennials. And I said, you know what? I am a boomer, but a boomer who blogs with a millennial mind. So I really wasn't targeting my 55 plus community at that time. Let's fast forward to now. I am now. But at that time, I was doing things that our younger millennials would do. I was showing fashion and fun, shoes. That's when I wore heels. I'm not wearing heels anymore. I don't even get dressed. Like you, I don't get dressed up. When I was in corporate America, I always got dressed up. Boomers who you know, I'm a boomer who blogs with a millennial mind I thought I don't even know when I came up with that catchphrase But that was always a tagline even when my first blog which was started in 2012 was de Diva deals calm fashion and fun after 50 And then it just, it stuck. So I'm glad that that's my legacy.  Just to like the point of branding, I, however long ago you came up with a boomer who blogs with a millennial mind, that like phrase is still applicable today. Like even if you came up with it two, 10, 20 years ago, that phrase still, it's still like, it's such good branding that I'm just like, oh, it makes me just happy. So I, one of my other questions that I really wanted to ask you about was you do a lot of podcasting and not just guesting but hosting your own podcast. How do you, well I guess the first question is when you do your podcast work and you do your blogging and you do all of the things, does one influence the other and do you prefer one over the other? Wow, Jess. And this interview with you could not have come at a more perfect time, because you know how we get to a point and we want to pivot and we want to shiv, like shiv it, right? We shiv it. I'm using that. Yeah, use that, because I got that from somebody else, thank you, Lee. So I have decided to shiv it. And I want to even narrow, you know how they say narrow your niche, you know, narrow down, get, get specific. So I've, I will be a blogger for the rest of my life. The Delaware blogger. I mean, it's behind me. See, that's, that's the Delaware blog. I will always be known as the Delaware blogger. That's I love that. Right. I love podcasting because I love talking obviously. Right. So. I have had several podcasts. where I've interviewed people. The first podcast, Out and About with Antoinette. And the reason why I love that is because that's the one where I interview others. And I'm using my platform to showcase others. It's the give back for me. It's always been about the give back. So that will always be there. Out and About with Antoinette will always be there, whether I have a guest. If I don't have a guest, I just don't have a guest. But I love having guests and sharing. Now, I recently shivited for the Saturday podcast. Saturday podcast was the Delaware Blogger podcast, right? And that was about podcasting because I teach, I coach others on starting podcasts. So each week I would give you tips and tricks and hacks on podcasting. But as a boomer at heart, I'm a proud boomer. I'm going to say that every day, right? I said, I want to get to and stay with my family, my tribe. So I am now, Saturday is Boomers and Beyond with the Delaware Blogger. So all the content is health, wellness, family, fun, lifestyle, a podcast for us. Just And I've done the same thing with my blog. So I'm marrying them. So on Wednesdays, I have articles for us boomers and beyond. On Saturdays, I have the podcast for us boomers and beyond. And I'm getting to the point that I'm trying to tighten everything up. Because I have more years behind me than I have ahead of me. And I don't want to have to always be on my laptop. Those days are going to come to, I'm like, OK, that's it. I'm done. But I want to marry. And I'm marrying the blog and the podcast because I love them both equally. It took me a while, from 2012 to now, to realize now I want to marry them and I want it to be the same thing. Not only is the blog going to have articles for us 55 and plus that AARP generation, but it's also going to host my podcast. So if you want to know, you know, it's going to be the Delaware blogger, but it's going to be the boomers and beyond. And so now, you know, that question, which did I prefer over the other? I literally loved writing. So blogging was always my first love. And I preferred that. but I can talk all day or day. You know that, right? And I can't wait to talk, you know, in front of people again. I'm so glad COVID's over. Oh my God, I'm just like, ah! You know, I want to get out and be in front of people again. So yes, I love them equally both. And that's why I decided to marry them because I can't give up one or the other. I, that's such a good point. I think that, well I think too with like the diversification of content, people consume information so differently. Like I, there are times where like I really just want to watch a 10 second video, like tell me in 10 seconds how I can get this done. But there are times where I'm like, no, I want like an in-depth, like, I need you to tell me all of the details and why and take the 15 minutes. Or there's sometimes where I'm like, I can read way faster than I can listen to somebody. So let me read it in a blog. So it's so awesome that you're combining them to kind of meet the needs of more people. That is amazing. And I'm excited to see to see everything that happens with it. On the topic of blogs, when we were prepping for episode, it was funny, we started this discourse on like, what even is a blog anymore? Because blogs in like 19, I think they were, they started, I think according to this HubSpot article we found, blogs began in 1994, which take that with what you will. And obviously it's 2024, so it's been 30 years. So stuff has changed. Um, and, you know, we brought up the like, it used to be like personal websites, everyone had like a personal blog spot, like, and then it was like WordPress really leaned into it now. I find that there are like full Facebook pages that every post could be considered a blog because it's long form writing. Same with like LinkedIn, Substack, a lot of people use that as a blog. So it's kind of one of those things that I was curious to get your take on what is a blog anymore? What defines it? Are all of them blogs? Like how do we, what meet, what connotates us calling something a blog? Well, Jess, that's a great question, because when I was teaching blogging, basic blogging, matter of fact, I wrote a book, like the basic blogging tips for beginners. At that time, like you said, a blog was an online journal, right? It was an online journal that was written, consistent, consistent content, and it was a specific topic. So if you love to travel, you had a travel blog, And if even you niched it down, you had a European travel blog, an American travel blog, a Delaware travel blog, a Wilmington travel. So it was content that was written consistently on one or several topics, but they were kind of all the same. So that was what it was when I learned in the early 2000s. It's content that you write. Now, like you said, it could be articles on Medium, Reddit, LinkedIn, magazine, because we've gotten away, and I think we're going to come back to this, but we've gotten away from print. You know how we used to have magazines on the coffee tables, right? We got away from that. So we were consuming our content online. So if there was a particular subject that we wanted to learn more about, whether it was cooking rice and potatoes or whatever, we would Google it and someone would have a blog about it. So with all kinds of articles. So really a blog is content that is written consistently, right? So you can always go, like go into the encyclopedia, remember those? You go to the encyclopedia and you find whatever. So it was written content. And to me, a blog still is written content. Okay. Written content that is consistent, that, you know, it's on a specific topic and you can repurpose that consistent content in a podcast by making it audio. So that's why I found that marrying them, they've been dating forever. It only makes sense for them to get married because I can't drive my vehicle and read a blog post. However, I can drive my vehicle and listen to the podcast about that blog post. So it's ways, and some people are audio. Listeners, audio learners, some are written learners, which is why when I go into the schools and I talked to the elementary schools in the middle schools. Having a podcast might be preferred for some students that have problems reading and comprehending. But if they hear it, like when I was in college, if I missed a lecture, I don't care how many notes somebody gave me, I couldn't learn it that way. I had to hear it. So to answer your question, is that content that's consistently written on a topic or topics? but it's not a book. It's not a magazine. It's just, you know, it's bits and, you know, it's chapters, you know, it's a digital format. Exactly, exactly. Thank you. I like that. Yeah. I think that it's the evolution of blogging is so interesting. Cause I, when I was looking it up, I, I knew that blogging had been around for a while and I, I can see how, like you'd mentioned earlier, like influencers and all that kind of stuff. Like they're all doing the things that like, the people who started doing digital marketing in the late 90s, early 2000s have been doing. They're just doing it a little bit differently based on their niche. So it is super interesting to me to kind of see how, and even like the technology has embraced blogging. There are more platforms for you to do it on. There are ones where you can't upload pictures. There are ones where they say you can upload multiple pictures. There are ones that work really great on your phone. And there are ones that are like, sorry, you have to be sitting at a computer. Yeah, and that's a great point that you brought up that I kind of missed, was yes, the platforms have changed dramatically. And now with AI, oh my gosh, like you can, but it's fun. I could tell an AI written blog post like that. I kept not even going to get into it, but I can spot how, you know, because it's just that format. But yes, it's that content that is in a platform. And the great thing about a blog versus a post is it lasts forever. You can literally Google a topic and a blog post will come up. A Facebook post won't come up. An Instagram post won't come up. A tweet won't come up. So again, if you want to have something that's going to be there forever, blogging is Now, because our attention span is less than a gnat, we've got to get those videos. A blog post was more, you know, it was more expanded content. Absolutely. I think that it's interesting to me how we almost naturally moved from blogging to vlogging, and now video content has become so prevalent. I am going to take that little part where you said that blogging is the best way to do stuff because we have clients that are like, we don't need a blog, we don't need that. And I'm like, Let me break it down a little further. Like this is the investment you're making in your company when you have a blog a blog. Because I don't think that they really, I think sometimes people see it as like another form of social media when in reality blogs are kind of like another digital footprint.  And you use social media to drive people to that blog. Just like you use social media to drive people to your website or to your brick and mortar. It's not. It's far more. It's going to, it's wow. It's just, no. Uh, yeah, that just upsets me and say, people don't need a blog because yes, you do. You do, you do, you do. And that's the greatest thing about a blog. You have continuous fresh content that can be discovered. Right. And once they discover that they can go back and they can find things that five years ago, 10 years ago, 15 years, I mean, a blog is like the best way to increase your recognition. The, the, the Google bots love blogs. They They don't like Facebook posts because they're not going to show you a Facebook post. They're not going to show you a TikTok. They'll show you a YouTube video, which is a blog. So if you have a blog, turn it into a blog. And like you said, Jess, take the content. Take out a few of those sentences or pictures or graphics from that long form blog. repurpose it into a bunch of reels or videos or whatever you want to be, and that's giving you more Google juice, right? All right, we're going to move to the next portion. So this is a this or that question. So we'll give you two things, and you have to choose which one you prefer. All right, so for blog post format, do you prefer a long form article or something that's shorter and snappier? Blog post now, long form. OK. For writing style, do you prefer to write formal and academic or casual and conversational? Casual and conversational. I do. It's just so much easier to write casual and conversational. For content creation, do you prefer to brainstorm ideas ahead of time or partake in free writing and just filming and seeing what happens? Brainstorm. For SEO, do you prefer keyword research or natural language optimization? Natural language. I feel like that goes hand in hand with the casual and conversational writing style. So for platform, do you prefer WordPress, Squarespace, or Wix, or none? WordPress, yay! So for blogs, do you prefer daily or weekly posts? Weekly. Okay. For audience, niche or broad? Niche. Alrighty. So for monetization of either blogs or podcasts, do you prefer ads or affiliate marketing? Affiliate marketing. Interesting. For collaborations, do you prefer to do guest posting or interviews? Interviews. Okay. And then last but not least for overall, for goals, do you prefer building community or personal branding? Personal branding. Okay. I do think personal branding is something that people forget about a lot. They try to build a community without having personal branding. And when you're trying to find like due north, it doesn't exist. Right. Exactly.  I always tell people use the hashtag Delaware blogger and I'll pop up all over the place. That's, it's like your bat signal. Yes. You need to get a light in the sky that says, that says hashtag Delaware blogger. Hashtag Delaware blogger. Yes. Oh, that is too funny. All right. So our next section is rapid fire. So I'm going to ask you some questions and you have to answer with the first question, the first answer that pops into your head. I'm going to ask you questions. Yeah. Questions, answers. I don't even know. Um, so what is your favorite season? Fall. Hmm, it's coming up. Can you describe your favorite reading nook? My sofa in my office, my home office sofa. Can you describe your perfect writing nook? No, my, right here, like I'm looking at my laptop, right here, no, yeah. And then can you also describe your perfect recording nook? My home office surrounded by acoustic tiles. Perfect. Are you an early bird or a night owl? No, night owl. I'm a tiger. What is one subject you would like to learn more about? Wow, Jess, you stumped me. AI. I don't know. I know. When the open-ended question is that open-ended, it can be a little overwhelming. Yeah. And then finish this phrase, the way to my heart is? Positivity. Oh, I love that one. That's a good one. So the last part of our podcast is Chatbot Says. We know that AI is only as smart as the people using it, which would be us. And we love that you're known as the Delaware blogger. And we were curious if you would ever consider your rebrand. So we asked AI to come up with some alternative blog names and taglines for you. So we've pulled some for you to kind of give us some feedback on. And whichever is your favorite will be the title of this episode. All right. So the first one is Antoinette's Social Media Circus, a wild ride of tips and tricks. Join the show and learn how to juggle multiple platforms, tame the algorithm, and make your audience roar with laughter. No. That was long. Antoinette's Social Media Potion Shop, I don't know where this came from, brewing up success one post at a time. Not bad. Antoinette, the social media time traveler, going back in time to bring you the best tips and tricks from the future of social media. I like that. Antoinette's Social Media Zoo, A Menagerie of Marketing Madness, From Lions to Lambs, Antoinette Knows How to Tame Any Social Media Beast. Nah, don't like that one. And then one of the last ones we chose was Antoinette's Social Media Salon, Discussions, Insights, and Inspiration. Join Antoinette for engaging conversations on the latest trends and best practices in digital marketing. I like that one. That's it. That one was the one that I was like, I feel like this, this lends itself to the blogging and the podcasting and all that kind of stuff. Yes. Amazing. So we will, no negative words in that title. Negative words in the other titles. Yes. I do like that one. That is a good one. It feels very uplifting. Yes. So I want to thank you for joining us and for sharing the story behind the Delaware Blogger. And we are so glad to have you as a part of Social Media Day Delaware 2024. I can't wait. If people want to connect with you anywhere, where can they find you? Great. Thank you, Jess. Again, thank you so very much for not only having me on your platform today to talk about all that we've talked about, because it was such an entertaining episode. And thank you for inviting me to be a part of the Social Media Day Delaware 2024. So I am the Delaware blogger. So obviously if you just use the hashtag Delaware blogger, you just go do a Google Delaware blog, I'm there, but my link tree ID, which contains the links to everything from my, you know, my social media platform, my blog, my blog, my podcast, just use the link tree ID, a Blake enterprises. So Linktree, you know, L-I-N-K-T-R dot E-E forward slash A Lake Enterprises. You know, I should have my QR code behind me so you can scan the QR code and go there. But Delaware Blogger, again, just Google Delaware Blogger and hopefully all the great stuff will come up. If some negative comes up, let me know. Wonderful. Thank you so much for joining us. Thank you for listening to Yes Genius, a podcast from Epic Marketing. Join us again to hear more unique stories. In the meantime, find us on social media or online at epicmc2.com. You can also connect with Delaware's digital community at socialmediadede.com. Don't miss out. Remember to follow or subscribe wherever you get your genius content.