We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Katherine Manley. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Katherine below.

Katherine, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Let’s talk about social media – do you manage your own or do you have someone or a company that handles it for you? Why did you make the choice you did?

I manage our Social Media at this time. I believe that since we are an Advertising Agency, offering photo, video and copy, our Social Media presence is our best portfolio. The results have been great. Through consistent content, a strong brand voice, continuous engagement, and paid advertising, our pages stay on the track for growth! My biggest insight that I can share is always show up (post even when you don’t want to) and make posting fun – it doesn’t have to be perfect, it doesn’t have to be better than anyone else’s – it just needs to be true to you, and your brand/business.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.

My name is Katherine Manley and Black Valley Creative is an Advertising Agency, focusing mainly on Local Small Business and fostering community in the Shenandoah Valley in Northern Virginia. We offer client services and projects to other Small Business Owners, including, but not limited to: Social Media Management, Social Media Assistance, Photography, iPhone Videography, Graphic Design, Content Creation, Branding, and Consulting. We also have established a strong Social Media presence that serves as a liaison between the community and Small Businesses that are looking to grow and get their name(s) out there to the public.

I began my career as a Brand Manager for a local Jewelry Business that started on Etsy and grew to the size of selling in Nordstrom across the nation. Through learning the ins and outs of inventory, operations, marketing, wholesale and building system processes, I was able to help run a business as the Owner’s right hand, and at times, completely on my own. I realized that Small Businesses are able to run fluently and strongly through hard work, dedication, attention-to-detail and continuous effort. I most importantly learned that running a Small Business can be fun, as long as the fundamentals are in place.

At this time, our biggest assistance to our clients is giving them back some of their time. Social Media and Marketing/Advertising can be a huge shoulder-burden to Small Business Owners, especially those who don’t fully understand the turn it has taken in this day and age, with a strong basis in technology and constant media and algorithm fluctuations. We love telling a brand’s story through creative means, whether that’s taking a picture that catches someone’s eye, or curating a video that show’s the business’ true heart and soul.

I strongly believe that for our followers/community we are a place where Locals can find other Small Businesses and unique places to visit and champion. I have received amazing feedback from viewers that come to our page when they are looking for something to do, somewhere to eat, somewhere to shop, and especially, somewhere to support local and shop small. I am humbled and beyond grateful that we can be a place where connection can be established and embraced.

What do you think helped you build your reputation within your market?

I believe that honest, friendly and down-to-earth networking can truly be your best friend in regards to building a reputation, especially locally. These are the aspects that helped Black Valley Creative become a name that is well-known in our area. I make sure to introduce myself to Business Owners if I stop by their businesses, always make sure to offer them free content in the beginning of the relationship (not ever over my boundaries – but a tagged Instagram story or two will always be a kind and simple gesture), and I always make sure to let others know that I am a human, too. Networking is easy when you treat others the way you would like to be treated, and remind yourself that none of us REALLY know what we’re doing – we’re all just constantly learning and growing to the best of our abilities.

What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?

I absolutely love seeing a project come together, and being able to go through the process of facilitating a connection, creating art, potentially amending the art to better story-tell someone else’s art, and then delivering a final product that everyone is happy with. There is also NOTHING like seeing your creations/photography printed in-hand, or on a sign/canvas. It gives me goosebumps every time!

Contact Info:

• Website: www.blackvalleycreative.com
• Instagram: www.instagram.com/blackvalleycreative
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/blackvalleycreative/
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/katherine-manley-6bb388115/

Image Credits
All photos are by Black Valley Creative.