Simply Social Media, co-owned by Caitlin Jenkins & Amy Tischler, is a Santa Fe-Based social media strategy company that creates unique opportunities and campaigns to promote local businesses to a new market. In addition to managing accounts for other businesses and organizations, we utilize two promotional Instagram accounts @SimplySantaFeNM and @TravelNewMexico to engage with the community by promoting the ideas of supporting local community. We are very passionate about the possibilities that exist when virtual communities are connected in real life.
Having met a year ago through Instagram, we are living proof of the power of technology and social media. By searching through similar local hashtags we found each other’s Instagram accounts and after several online conversations decided to meet in real life. The ideas came pouring out and we launched our first Instagram project @simplysantafenm in December of 2014 based on our mutual love of photography and all things local. This account now has a following of 14.8K people located all over the world and helps bring awareness to local businesses, organizations, events, landscapes and everyday Santa Fe beauty through featuring photos that are posted to Instagram using the hashtag #simplysantafe. We take turns curating the account by choosing images that can be tied in topically to something that’s going on within the community. Photo credit is always given to the photographer and they are acknowledged for sharing their image.
We also create and produce promotional events and activities for our clients, resulting in brand name recognition and community building. One such activity is an InstaMeet, which is a collaborative experience that uses social media to build connections by bringing the virtual community together in real life. So, what does that really look like? We start by brainstorming with our client to develop a unique experience that’s not normally available to the public, such as behind the scenes access to a business, organization or event. Once it’s mapped out, we bring social media influencers from Santa Fe and beyond to an event location, working to create buzz and to give Instagrammers opportunities they might not otherwise have had. Ultimately, Instameets are about moving people from interacting with just their smartphones to interacting with each other in real life. For example, we currently have three InstaMeets in the works with the Santa Fe Opera this summer that coincide with their social media previews during final dress rehearsals. At these InstaMeets, participants will have the opportunity to tour and photograph the backstage and grounds areas and will be treated to a special conversation with conductors and directors in the exclusive Opera Club. Instagrammers will also have the opportunity to photograph the actual performance itself, which is a historic event and something that before last year was strictly off-limits. You can see images from last years InstaMeets by searching for the hashtag #SFOInstaMeet on Instagram.
Our @travelnewmexico Instagram account documents New Mexico road trips by giving guest Instagrammers a chance to do a “takeover” of the account during which time they share their unique New Mexico road trip experiences through imagery and stories. Started while on a road trip a little over a year ago, the account now has over 18.3K followers and a very engaged and supportive community. This project was inspired by the fact that there are so many amazing places to visit in New Mexico and that no one person or organization could possibly document it all. We recently returned from a road trip through the southwestern part of the state in celebration of the one year anniversary of the account. We drove 1,300 miles and walked 26 miles in seven days, during which time we hosted four events and toured cities, universities, and backcountry, as well as national and state historic parks and monuments, all the while taking beautiful photographs and making connections with amazing people throughout. We were thrilled to be able to take a platform where people connect virtually and bring them together in real life. Checkout the hashtag #hbdTravelNM for images created during our epic road trip birthday adventure!
We’re passionate about the positive power of social media done well, and the potential for lasting and meaningful relationships. Curating and creating great content, engaging with our community, and helping promote Santa Fe and New Mexico are what we live and breathe 24/7. Follow us on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter and at www.simplysocialmedianm.com.
Portions of this article were taken from a 2015 Interview with James Mowdy of b|spoke - a brand consultancy.
Amy Tischler is a social media strategist, wife and mom to three boys, making her way one photo at a time in Santa Fe, NM. Caitlin E. Jenkins is a professional photographer, social media strategist, and all around go-getter in Santa Fe, NM.
This article also appeared in the June 2016 issue of the Green Fire Times (pg.17).
