Get out of your PJs!
Encourage everyone to dress up! You can ask people to put on their best holiday garments or choose a theme and see how creative things get. How about a prize for best attire?

Keep everyone's interest.
MyQuiz.org is a live multiplayer trivia quiz site that can host up to 25 people for free and it works from any device. They're offering holiday specials, too! There are a lot of online board game options as well: Monopoly, Words With Friends, and lots of card games, to name a few. 

Give more prizes!
You can come up with a ton of ideas and reasons to reward all of your attendees, in addition to the ones already mentioned. How about: Best backdrop, prettiest table scape, best decorations, first to get on the call, last to leave the call. Use your imagination!

If you put in the effort, the possibilities are never ending. And, if you would like some help, just ask! The team at K2C is ready and waiting with the creativity and connections you need to make your virtual party a success... just don't forget to invite us!
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~Kel xo

​I think we can all agree 2020 has been a little…shall we say different? This is the year we were told to stay home. We were told to avoid loved ones, coworkers, and friends. We learned to rely on devices for meetings, get togethers with friends, and even dates. Movie nights moved to the couch. The dining room table hasn’t seen this much action in a long time. We even embraced the outdoors. Video games, crafts and baking became popular. And on top of all that, we got a whole lot of housework done. 
 
When the world as we knew it was taken from us, connecting with people became even more important. This isn’t something that applies to only your friends and family. It is also important for your business. If you are working from home for the unforeseeable future, you need to remember to keep the social in your social media plan.
 
Sure, I am all for digital engagement measuring. Set me in front of some analytics and I can get lost. However, that’s not what it’s all about. If we rewind a little, we can remember a time when social media was fun. It wasn’t a bunch of political statements. It wasn’t a bunch of people arguing about who knows what. Basically, it wasn’t filled with so much anger and hate. Think back to why you joined Facebook, Twitter, Instagram… hell, even MySpace. You wanted to engage. You wanted to know what happened behind the scenes. 
 
In the beginning “behind the scenes” probably focused more on friends, family and, I’ll admit it, checking in on what some people from your past might be up to. But now, especially now, we are curious about businesses. We want to know who they are. We want to know what they stand for. We love to see pictures, videos, and posts from the companies we love. 
 
Your business is important. Your customers are concerned. Will you be there? Are you doing the right things? Are you okay? Sharing intimate details can be good for your business because it makes you real, and it shows a little bit of the face behind the operations. 

It's like beautiful music - collaborating with old teammates and great friends. I've added not one, but two, past coworkers to the K2C team! I brought in Colleen Mycoff when I wanted to win a job for a new logo and marketing materials for a company out of Houston, Texas. I knew if anyone could help me - it was Colleen...and she did! 
Then, a short time later a small local nonprofit organization contacted me about redesigning their outdated website and adding content. It was in WordPress, which I am not skilled, so I knew exactly who to call - Melissa Pravlik! 
​Although we had all stayed in touch for many years, it was so sweet how we just picked back up and didn't miss a beat. We held different positions in different departments at the Pittsburgh Business Times... just a few years ago. I say it that way because it seems like a lifetime ago, and yet it seems like yesterday. Oh, the stories we could tell! Maybe that'll be a future blog post? ;)
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​Bringing them into the mix, K2C gained two new clients - and we have been able to expand our services. We understand the value of having the trifecta of skills when serving clients - Content, Marketing, Branding.  




It all works together!
​The content on your website and social pages is your story.
​Your marketing plan needs to have a clear, consistent message.
Your logo and brand tell the visual story about your organization.


The three parts - Content, Marketing, and Branding need to work in harmony. We have that harmony. Folks have asked "Do you have a specific industry concentration?" The answer is a simple "No." We know the TYPES of companies and clients we want to work with. We want the small business owner with great ideas and lots of experience and knowledge, but little time. We want the new business owner who needs guidance and a plan. We love our nonprofit clients because we love to "do good" and support groups that care about the same issues we care about. Maybe someday we will focus on an industry, but it's doubtful. Right now, we are focusing on working with good people - and so far, we've achieved that!

I've been told to be careful, don't try to be everything to everyone. We know what we're each good at - and we know to "stay in our lanes." I've been told not to grow too quickly. We are taking our time. We are getting back in the swing of working together and creating that old harmony. We have had laughs and we've made mistakes. We will learn and grow with every new client and every new project. We will have fun! But, most importantly, we will help our clients reach their goals with sensible, reasonable solutions. 

Reach out to any of us and let's talk about how K2C can help you "Make Your Message Matter." 
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Rockin' with the band... again,
Kelli

I recently read an article about “Imposter Syndrome” on LinkedIn. And WOW, it really resonated with me. It struck a chord… then, it didn’t.

Read on, I’ll explain.

But first, what is Imposter Syndrome, you ask?
Imposter Syndrome can be defined as a collection of feelings of inadequacy that persist despite evident success. 'Imposters' suffer from chronic self-doubt and a sense of intellectual fraudulence that override any feelings of success or external proof of their competence.

So back to my weird statement above. I read the article, listened to the podcast, and really felt something. I have been suffering from this for YEARS. I think – wait, I know – it is because I don’t have a college degree. I spent twelve years of elementary and high school in the gifted program, showed a ton of promise, but truly never knew what I wanted to be when I grew up. (Sometimes, I still don’t!)

I went to community college for two years, took some business courses, dropped out of accounting because I was certain I was going to have a medical episode over it, LOVED the English / creative writing classes, and took biology and pharmaceutical math, which strangely I also loved. So, yeah, I was unsure to say the least. Then, I “took a semester off”, got married, started a family, and the rest is history. I regret none of it. I know the skills and experience I have gained over the last two decades outweighs any piece of paper I would have earned in 1994. Look at how much the world has changed since then: technology, the internet, social media – everything my generation has learned has been through experience or had been self-taught. If a company wouldn’t interview me without a degree, I moved on. Yeah, it stung a little but I always landed on my feet and I feel everything happens for a reason. Every position I have had, the people I have met, and the career experience I have gained were all placed in front of me for a reason.