Today we’d like to introduce you to Delia Burl.
Hi Delia, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
Hi! I’m Delia, and I own Tidewater Social, a social media, content marketing, and branding studio. I’m currently 23 years old and officially began Tidewater Social last year in 2021. Anyone who knows me knows that anything related to math or science is absolutely not my forte, so when I thought about what I wanted to do in college, I realized I wanted to go into a field that focused on connection.
All throughout college, I had a part-time job working at the clothing store South Moon Under and ended up interning at their corporate headquarters in Annapolis after my sophomore year. This is where I really honed in on my passions! I was a social media intern for SMU, learning everything I could about social media strategy, influencer marketing, content marketing, email campaigns, and more. After my summer here, I knew something in the social media marketing realm was where I wanted to be full-time.
I ended up attending Towson University and graduated with a dual degree in Integrated Communications and Advertising, with a minor in Marketing in 2020, in the midst of the pandemic no less (this worked out well for me because I basically got to end my senior year early, yay)! Throughout my entire senior year, I interned at a local marketing agency in Towson, working with clients ranging from food and beverage to entertainment, law, finance, beauty and wellness, construction, and more. This agency focused on local and regional businesses and having the opportunity to work with such a large range of clients sparked my interest in branching out on my own.
I was hired at this marketing agency immediately after graduation, and worked there my first year post-grad, harnessing all of the tips, tricks, and information I could. I then took a position in-house at a software development company in downtown Annapolis, where I still work today! As I was switching to an in-house position (one client = in-house, many clients = agency), I had the time to work on my own business, hence the founding of Tidewater Social.
Ultimately, I realized what made me the happiest was helping local businesses grow through individualized and unique branding and marketing strategy. There are so many amazing business owners in the Baltimore-Annapolis area that aren’t getting eyes on their business, just because they don’t have the knowledge of how to scale through social. Social authority and word of mouth marketing, especially for Gen-Z, reigns supreme, and will only continue to grow in the upcoming years. My job is to bring a business’ vision to life visually through thoughtful and authentic marketing strategy.
I founded my LLC in 2021, and since then, have been taking clients in the food and beverage, beauty and lifestyle, security, non-profit, and real estate industries.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way? Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
It hasn’t always been a smooth road, but I will say that through every struggle, I did learn something that made my business better. First, balancing a 9-5 while doing freelance work has been a challenge in itself, and I don’t think that’s ever going to go away! It’s tested my time management skills, that’s for sure. Sometimes you feel like you don’t necessarily have a work-life balance because social media is 24/7.
I would also say that one of my biggest struggles was learning to overcome imposter syndrome. With the growth of social media managers as a career, and watching so many other talented business owners on Instagram and TikTok, it can be difficult to not feel like you’re falling behind, not keeping up with the newest trends, not having all the knowledge your clients deserve. What I’ve come to realize is that while I’ll always be growing and learning new things in the realm of digital marketing, people value those who truly care about their business. I think one thing that sets me apart is my desire to remain local and grow local businesses, fostering community growth. When I take on a client, it’s not just another name on my list, I want to get behind the heart of each business owner’s “why”, and how I can help them grow.
Being in my young twenties and working with successful business owners, I have also dealt with clients who don’t value the need for digital marketing efforts, but rather view it as a necessity that they’re pushed into. This has led to disagreements for payment, charging my worth, and essentially having to convince some clients why this is so important. As my business has grown, I’ve been able to be more selective with picking my clients and growing my own brand, I’m drawing my ideal clients to me. Overall, most of these challenges have been the typical business growth hardships, but with the constant change in social media offerings and consumer preferences, it feels like I’m always pivoting to the next new thing! It’s hard to master one area before another new, shiny one pops up.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about Tidewater Social?
Tidewater Social is a Maryland-based content marketing and branding studio aiming to help small businesses grow through strategy-led social media, modern content marketing, and creative branding. We bring your business to life through contemporary strategy, design, and execution.
At Tidewater Social, our emphasis is on local businesses in the Annapolis, Eastern Shore, and Baltimore areas. This business was started as a way of bridging the gap between business owners with a story to tell and amazing growth potential, and connecting them with their ideal customers through carefully crafted digital marketing efforts.
We specialize in social media management and strategy, creating content calendars, and working with other local entrepreneurs (videographers and photographers), to gather incredible content. We build a schedule that fits your brand and interact with your target customers to bring them into your business. Additionally, our content marketing efforts offer even more points of connection through website content, blog content, email marketing, and other visual collateral. Finally, we offer branding and web design services, helping brands who either don’t have a clear brand direction, or those looking to modernize their brand. We create an entirely new brand identity, focusing on the client’s unique selling points, and bring this to life through visual branding elements in both print and online.
What I’m most proud of since starting Tidewater Social is being able to hear the feedback from business owners and customers, and seeing that difference through digital data. Going to a coffee shop I worked with and hearing that customers are finding us through Instagram, hearing from business owners that their bookings have expanded from consistent posting, or seeing owners share their new website and watching compliments flood in. You’re not just helping businesses grow monetarily, you’re helping passionate entrepreneurs tell their story.
Any advice for finding a mentor or networking in general?
For anyone working in the social media and digital marketing industries, personalization when looking for clients is key! Especially when working with local businesses, they all have connections within their industry and beyond, and once other business owners see the work you’re doing for their community, referrals will start to flood in.
Working with food and beverage and beauty and wellness clients, stopping in frequently, and building a relationship with that business prior to offering your services shows these businesses that your help is personal, you have a genuine connection with the business, and what better way to promote your business than by using someone who is already passionate about it?
For the majority of my clients, I have obtained them by referrals from other business owners in the community, and if not that, building relationships with clients I want to work with prior to offering my services!
Contact Info:
- Email: hello@tidewatersocial.co
- Website: https://www.tidewatersocial.co/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tidewatersocial/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/tidewatersocial
- Other: https://www.tiktok.com/@tidewatersocial
Image Credits
Sterrett Photography
