Kim Slaughter
Designer, Social Media Manager, and Small Business Owner in Conway, Arkansas
Ever since I was a child, I have loved design and imagery. From painting masterpieces for the refrigerator to building giant Lego cities in my mother’s living room, my creative mind never stopped. So, naturally, I studied Business and Marketing at the University of North Carolina at Wilmington.
In 1992 I started my first business, Prism Marketing and Management, a consulting firm focused on medical practices. Over the years I have been published in many trade journals including Optometric Management, 20/20, Dentistry Today, Veterinary Practice, and Women’s INC.
I started The Blue Focus in 2008 after discovering the relatively new Facebook. I was blown away! I became a Facebook junkie overnight. It was the most amazing gathering place for potential customers I had ever experienced. I wanted to help others leverage the exposure this site could bring.
Many small businesses can’t afford a large marketing budget or professional branding, and it was obvious to me that through social media I could help those companies both brand themselves and gain entry into a larger market.
At the time, I was focused almost exclusively on helping physicians; today, I still serve many physicians, but I’ve expanded my consulting to include car dealerships, payroll services, and more. Because maintaining my relationships with small businesses is so important to me, I set my rates at levels meant to allow them access.
Facebook has made many changes over the years, but it is still the most powerful marketing machine out there. There is no other way to so quickly, and successfully, gather information about your potential customers. Facebook makes it incredibly easy to send out ads directly to those most likely to become customers. Where else can companies so seamlessly search for, target, and convert such high numbers?
Once customers have become fans of a business page, I pride myself on coming up with engaging ways to share messages with them—from animated videos explaining concepts, funny one-liners that’ll stick in your mind for days and weeks after reading them, to designing graphics that embody the client’s brand. I think that’s why I love my job so much—it allows me to be creative with a purpose. The creative concepts I come up with result in new and continuing business for my clients.
In 2011, I married the love of my life—my 9th grade boyfriend. We reconnected after 27 years apart. How? Through Facebook, of course! We live happily in Arkansas and have three Chihuahuas.