Who is Meggan .M. Kristiansen and what do you do?
I’m a human being, like you, just trying to produce work that makes me happy. I’m an ideas person. I’m passionate about Social Media and all things Digital, as it’s a crazy playground for innovation. At this point in my career I’m a Social Media Marketing Creative. I have freckles and about ten birth marks. I’ve been described as a tree, grounded and deep. I like the Asian culture, I’m not a bad dancer at all…and attempted to start my first business at twenty.
How would you define your style or art?
My style/taste changes according to visual influence or personal visions, and whatever new information/ideas I’m introduced to. But what stays constant is my attraction to powerful imagery that affects one.
What inspires your work?
The nature of what I do does not start with visuals, it starts with an idea and therefore it’s the idea which is my inspiration.
What are you currently working on?
Nothing specific. There are however a few things in the pipeline that I’m hoping to get started on in the near future.
What advice would you give young creatives looking to do what you do?
Getting in there:
If you’re trying to get into Social Media, the easiest way is to start your own blog community and/or Facebook/Twitter page. I started The Best of Cape Town on FB in 2010 before I had any agency experience. You can also approach a cool company (or not so cool company) and beg, like a dog, for an ‘internship’ and manage their profiles. And If you already know what type of brands you want to work on i.e Fashion then focus on this industry. Will be easier to get your foot in the door.
Your Content:
· Whatever content you share, it needs to tap into a personal interest, add value, trigger an emotion, be thought provoking. You’ll quickly learn what type of info works/doesn’t work.
· Identify a unique personality/character in which to engage with, that represents the brand well.
· Don’t add to the clutter. Dig deep to find out of the ordinary content and create your own, don’t just scrape the surface of what’s flooding on twitter you re-tweeter you.
· Be creative with how you deliver your content. For example, instead of writing an article you could create a SlideShare presentation with cool typography and embed that on your blog. And question what already exists- How else could you be using Instagram for sharing?
· Don’t just share content, create experiences that increase engagement: launch your small initiatives, i.e twitter event, competition, etc. I did this many time on The Best of Cape Town.
· Collaborate..
Important skills you need to showcase:
Community engagement, are you an influencer, what type of content do you share, could you represent a major brand, just to name a few. Remember there’s plenty of social media roles you can choose from: Social media strategist, online community manager, social media marketing manager, social media marketing coordinator, blogger or social media copywriter.
If you have more questions, just contact me.
Where can our readers follow your work?
https://www.behance.net/Meggank
http://za.linkedin.com/pub/meggan-kristiansen/48/b16/511/
