Georgia is a digital marketing strategist, a lifestyle blogger, and a yoga teacher. Her specialty is strategy, campaign management, execution, and post-campaign analytics. Her expertise lies in her ability to be a brand expert and content creator for her clients.
“I have always been creative. I was drawn to social media marketing because it brings people together. I am a connector by nature.” —Georgia Cross
As a child, Georgia had a playful imagination, was interested in art, and loved to draw. Growing up in Jackson, Tennessee she was shuffled around in foster homes. She learned how to adapt and feel safe through that process of people coming together. As a young adult, she felt ashamed of that experience but over the years she grew to understand how that seasoned her to be successful. Her ability to adapt and her talent for building relationships was the catalyst for who she is today.
“Bringing people together for a shared goal is something I am very passionate about.” —Georgia Cross
Georgia studied marketing at Lambuth University in Jackson, TN before relocating to Nashville, Tennessee. She has worked in marketing with Nissan USA, and Mars Petcare, as well as smaller companies in a variety of industries. Her range of experience from traditional to digital marketing sets her apart as a marketing authority in the Nashville area.
In 2009 she started Social Media Club Nashville, a professional organization tailored to the Nashville, Tennessee business community, hosting monthly events, focused on education and best practices in social media. Her goal was to introduce the importance of social media in business which was a fresh new space and evolving quickly. Her ability to clearly communicate and bring groups together looking for the same goal is a vital part of her career. Connecting at a deeper personal level in today’s culture is a major factor in finding success in business online.
“Today I believe that being vulnerable and sharing my authentic self is a superpower.” —Georgia Cross
Her digital marketing experience has helped her grow her network all over the world. Her desire to bring people together also fits with her personal goals of teaching yoga and writing for her blog. She has tapped into the ability to use technology and share what she knows with others.
Georgia believes she is a bit of a unicorn in the world of digital marketing because her role is equally creative and strategic. She knows how to interact with designers and artists but also understands the important business aspects. Her strength in linking content to sales, developing a call-to-action plan, and building proper branding for a company or individual helps the agency and the brand. Her success in project management creates a community to execute a shared mission in marketing campaigns.
“We’re all here to help each other, that is a childhood lesson I’ve learned that I brought into my personal life and in my career. I lead with that intent of…let’s get together, let’s figure out how we can work together and let’s make the world a better place.” —Georgia Cross
Georgia says before COVID-19 she landed her dream job. She was working with a lifestyle branding agency on a project with the 2020 Nissan TITAN. It allowed her to collaborate with photographers, videographers, and partner agencies but unfortunately like so many others impacted by the pandemic, she was laid off. It was not her first layoff, she shares it has happened eight times in her 20-year marketing career. During her career transition, she got involved with Together Digital, a women’s professional group of leaders in Digital Careers. There she has found great women to collaborate with other cities all over the country. She is doing freelance work, speaking engagements, and creating social media content while looking for what’s next in her career.
“I am looking forward to seeing how taking a few steps out of my comfort zone may get me somewhere that I never planned to be.” —Georgia Cross
Georgia also began learning yoga from an instructor who studied leadership development under Tony Robbins. She completed yoga training and is not teaching yoga on the side. That experience has allowed her to focus more on herself, and to look at others to see how she can help them. Her new sense of freedom with feeling centered and grounded has helped her tap into who she is authentically opening up a world of opportunities.
“In my personal life and my professional life, I want to show up for other people saying, how can I help you? Before COVID my career was all about how I can get a higher paying job or promoted into a higher position. Today my values have shifted and I am in transition but I am still the Georgia Cross that I’ve always been. I’m equally creative and analytical and that is what makes me unique.” —Georgia Cross
Recently Georgia spoke to a Nashville Career Transitions group, helping others with their branding. She explains, “I am leaning into where I can help and support others, giving advice, sharing knowledge, and offering ways to brand yourself as a person, a creative, a small business, or a freelancer.”
In the future, Georgia hopes to work with a B2C large brand helping them reach large-scale audiences as a social media manager, social media director, or content strategist. Right now she believes most of the job opportunities are with smaller companies and startups because bigger businesses are waiting for stability in the economy.
Georgia believes that the same basic marketing principles work no matter who you are or the size of your business. Being authentic, consistent, and creating content that connects with an audience brings success in today’s marketing world. When asked about marketing advice for artists, she explains there is a discovery process where you must answer a lot of questions first.
Who is your target audience? Who are you trying to reach? What are you saying to them? What’s your message? What colors and fonts do you want to use in your branding? What images will showcase your brand? What is the tone of the content?
These are the questions she asks her clients as a marketing strategist in order to connect the dots. Another piece of the puzzle is the ability to work with tools and technology using email, websites, and social media platforms. You can hear more in the recent interview with her for The Creative Push below.
Georgia states it is not only important to look at your content but also to understand who is your best target audience. How do you want to connect with them? How will you leverage digital technology tools and software? How does the analytics look over time? What content is connecting with your audience? What are they engaging with? What gets the most likes and comments? If you have a call to action, who’s responding, and what web pages are they visiting? She says when you discover what is working, and what people are resonating with that is your guide for how to move forward.
“We’ve learned from this crazy year of COVID that we do need each other. I think it’s the greatest lesson for me. If your business is struggling and you need marketing help, reach out to a freelancer, a company or somebody like me who can help!” —Georgia Cross
Georgia has the ability to help her clients grow their business goals by developing a marketing strategy designed specifically to fit their goals no matter what kind of product or service is offered.
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