A Smart Conversation with Yvonne DiVita and Brand/Marketing Strategist Dorothéa Bozicolona-Volpe.

Branding and Storytelling

First of all, let me tell you that you will learn more from this one conversation, a little over 30 minutes, than you have learned all year, about branding and story and digital marketing. You will learn all of that because this woman doesn't hold anything back.

My good friend, and yes, you may wonder after the video how I got to be friends with such a fantastic woman but that's for another day, perhaps, Dorothea has such a beautiful smile, such an engaging personality, such a delightful way of telling a story - one that includes the listener with brilliant understanding - that she can be nothing less than dazzling throughout this short talk.

Here's what you need to know about here background: Dorothéa Bozicolona-Volpe was born in New York City to French and Italian parents. Her Father’s passing caused her family to move to Europe where she became somewhat of a nomad. She has lived in Italy, France, Germany, Japan, Sweden, The Netherlands and the United Kingdom. Dorothéa is a strategic digital marketing executive who is fluent in 4 languages and specializes in developing business through digital, influencer and social media marketing for the world’s most memorable brands. Dorothéa teaches marketers and business leaders how to increase value and develop strong relationships between brands and fans.

Plus, she is an avid skateboarder who tweets to relax. Additionally, Dorothéa has appeared as a social media strategy subject matter expert on CBS and CNN.

Building Community -It's Not What It Was

This edifying conversation is about content and content makers - and how things have evolved over the last 20 -25 years, because that's when weblogs began - when folks like Dorothéa were using the web for community building in ways no one had expected. You'll learn that it's a little different now. Just a little. (well, maybe more than a little - watch the video and learn)

It's about how to understand that people choose how to connect with you using whatever tool they prefer. It may be a mobile phone, a laptop, a tablet, or your blog. YOU, dear content creator, must learn and understand how to get your message across in whatever modality your audience is using. And that's a big deal.

It's a big deal because the tools we use to communicate with each other dictate how that communication should occur. You must bring your message to your audience in the form that is most attractive to them, not to you.

We talked about books and authors and how social media is a great resource for them, but they shouldn't be sharing the exact same form of content on all channels.  Pinterest aficionados don't consume content the same way Instagram fans do - though they are both a visual medium. And, how the end user consumes the content, on her laptop or mobile phone, perhaps, requires content to be relevant not just in message but in modality.  Dorothéa says, "Relevant, rapid, release."

For my pet blogger friends, Dorothéa mentions your favorite community - BlogPaws, about eight minutes in. And her talk there, which was about Pinterest. A Pinterest that has changed over the years since.

Traveling Turns You Into A...

As someone who speaks 4 languages and is well-traveled, although I am not, Dorothéa closed our conversation with a couple of great quotes:

“Travel makes one modest. You see what a tiny place you occupy in the world.” – Gustave Flaubert

And, my favorite, 

"The world is a book, and those who do not travel read only a page." Saint Augustine

But, perhaps, this quote, from Dorothéa herself, says it all, "Traveling turns you into a storyteller."

Watch the video. Take notes. I always tell you to take notes but you'll really want to take notes on this one!

Enjoy Dorothéa's many quotes and stories. Learn from her, especially how she weaves a web of understanding around digital marketing. We barely scratched the surface of what we can talk about so... subscribe to the Nurturing Big Ideas' YouTube channel to be apprised of the next time Dorothéa is on Smart Conversations.

Visit Social Espionage today and learn more about this special guest.

Find Dorothéa on all social media as @socialespionage

Visit the Why Me? page of Nurturing Big Ideas for more about your host, Yvonne DiVita.