Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Melissa Chang. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Melissa, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Are you happier as a business owner? Do you sometimes think about what it would be like to just have a regular job?
I have owned my business for 15 years and prior to that, the full time jobs that I had were all with companies or bosses that were understanding of my quirky work style. I tend to come into the office at 10 a.m., but they always knew that they’ll get at least 60 hours a week out of me. Not everyone can think that way.. Despite the ebb and flow of clients over the years, business has always been steady enough that I don’t have to worry much about making ends meet. But last fall, the fires in Lahaina, Maui really affected our state’s economy, and the economy was already not doing so well. Due to the economy and the fires, we lost about eight clients in a short amount of time — and were not able to pick up any new ones right away.
I started to panic and told my business partner that I was willing to leave the company and keep it as my side gig (since everyone in Hawaii has at least two jobs), and take a full time position in a more stable environment. That way, he could afford to keep the business afloat and keep our one full timer. In fact, I seriously considered taking a government job as an admin — something totally unrelated to what I do now. I figured, they don’t work very hard, and this would give my brain a break while we got our client list back up to par. (I realize that is a terrible thing to say, but it’s kind of true.)
We brought in a couple of new clients since then and have proposals out to some other prospects. At this writing, I still haven’t made a solid decision on taking a full time job, but at least the new clients and prospects have bought me some time as I figure out what I should do.
I should add that part of my thought process in the offer to take a regular job, is to get myself out of the industry and take a look at it from the outside for better perspective. Currently, there are a lot of young people who use bot services to build their social media, which is something my company doesn’t do. We are all organic. But it seems like many businesses don’t know any better and don’t care where the followers come from, as long as they have a lot. There’s a lot of education that needs to be done, since the social media platforms themselves don’t do anything to crack down on fraudulent growth and engagement. But the fact that legitimate businesses have hired us, gives me hope for the future.
Melissa, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?
I graduated from the University of Hawaii with a B.A. in Journalism (emphasis in Public Relations) and a minor in Marketing because my goal was to work in an advertising agency.. I did end up working at one of Hawaii’s largest agencies (at the time), Starr Seigle McCombs, for 11 years. Although I was in the public relations department, they had me doing everything from traditional media relations to events, ads, promotions, even bikini contests for nightclubs! From there I went to work at Coldwell Banker for five years as the marketing director — worst job of my life! But after working there, even my worst day on the job doesn’t match my days at Coldwell Banker. Then I went on to become the marketing director at Aloha Tower Marketplace. That was one of my favorite jobs, but they had no budget, so that’s where I learned to use social media to increas mall sales and bring people to our events. During the time I was there, occupancy was at 92% and mall sales always increased year over year.
When the owners switched management companies, we all lost our jobs, but that’s what catapulted me into full-time work in social media. People who had seen what I did for Aloha Tower, wanted that for themselves, especially since social media was still new.
The industry has evolved a lot and I’ve had to evolve with it. My photos can’t just be good, they have to be amazing. Videos, which I was never good at, now are an essential part of what we do. And everything we pump out has to be captivating and trendy. It’s both rewarding and exhausting! But I keep trying to evolve and improve my skills because, as I tell everyone, you never know what’s going to happen. One day, I could lose my job again, and I need to be relevant with appropriate skills. (I have colleagues my age who haven’t tried to keep up, and now they have few options as the economy continues to spiral.)
We’d love to hear the story of how you built up your social media audience?
As mentioned previously, a lot of new/young people in social media use third-party apps to artificially build their audiences and engagement. It’s come to a point where “influencers” are a dime a dozen. But outside of the social media platforms, no one knows who they are. I built my audience the old-fashioned way: I used social media to get visibility for my blog (at the time it was on the newspaper site, which doesn’t exist anymore), and the blog, in turn, gave visibility to my social media. And I lend myself to media outlets — not just in Hawaii, but nationally and internationally — using my journalism background to help grow the audience further.
Just as importantly, I use social media as a way to supplement my in-person networking, and vice versa. Most of the social media “influencers” stay in their own bubble and don’t interact with people outside of their immediate circle; I make it a point to meet as many legitimate people as possible.
Have any books or other resources had a big impact on you?
Honestly, for me personally, it hasn’t been books or videos. Maybe because I’m now considered old-fashioned, but my most important and valuable resources have been (and continue to be) other creatives and entrepreneurs. You know who the legitimate ones are, because they are willing to share their knowledge so that everyone in the industry can grow and thrive. The ones who cheat and take shortcuts, are the ones who keep details close to their chests. Everyone I know who is open about sharing tips and trends, has staying power in the industry.
Contact Info:
- Website: adstreamz.com
- Instagram: melissa808
- Facebook: www.facebook.com/melissa.chang
- Linkedin: www.linkedin.com/in/melissachang/
- Twitter: melissa808
- Youtube: https://youtube.com/askmelissa808
- Other: I blog regularly at FrolicHawaii.com and the instagam handle is @Frolichawaii. I also have a lame TikTok – therealmelissa808
Image Credits
Melissa Chang