Speaker Profile: Niesha Blancas
Niesha Blancas is a social media expert based in Fresno, California. She formed Fetching Social in 2017 to serve creative clients, including flower farmers, nightlife companies, and the fashion industry.
Niesha studied fashion merchandising and public relations during her undergraduate education at Fresno State University. She joined a public relations firm after graduating and soon found a focus for her passion: social media and flowers.
As a part of the millennial generation, Niesha spent her younger years on platforms such as Myspace and Zynga, hopping on Facebook as an early adopter when it first came onto the scene in 2004. She learned to use the platforms strategically and it changed the way that she looked at social media as a benefit to businesses.
Now, she works with clientele to improve everything from account management and content creation to branding and photography. For Slow Flowers, Niesha has teamed with Debra Prinzing on rebranding as the Slow Flowers Society, helping members who are flower farmers and florists to connect with each other and feel empowered by the community.
I caught up with Niesha to chat about her role in the 2019 Slow Flowers Summit and about her company, Fetching Social.
Q: Which area of your work are you most passionate about?
A: I’m very passionate about storytelling and branding aesthetic. A lot of people don’t understand the overall power of branding aesthetic especially when it comes to floral businesses on Instagram. Who doesn’t want to see pretty flowers? In terms of aesthetic, there is a strategy behind it, and social media is constantly evolving.
Q: What will be your role in the 2019 Slow Flowers Summit?
A: I will be on a panel with Missy Palacol and Kalisa Jenne-Fraser, and my portion will focus on going back to strategy when it comes to social media. I will talk about tips and tricks that our guests can use on social media accounts such as time of day to post and photos to include. I will look at using analytics to build a following based on the tools that social media provides you with, and an understanding on how to view this strategy.
Q: What does a day in the life of Niesha Blancas look like?
A: I provide scheduling services, which I’m able to use to plan out weeks or months in terms of postings. I have different tools in my toolbelt. A day in the life depends on content and times of the month. There are certain times where I’m writing out all of the content, all of the posts and hashtags, curating photos, and tagging certain things or locations, posting during the best times of day.
Q: Did you always know that you wanted to get into this field?
A: Originally, I wanted to be fully immersed in the fashion industry. I read about how Ralph Lauren studied marketing, so I majored in fashion, but I needed a foundation. I learned about public relations and how every business needs it. This was a great foundation for me. I was always into social media, but I never thought I could get paid for it.
Q: Why did you decide to work with florists and flower farmers?
A. I have a background with floral clients as my previous job was handling accounts for companies like American Grown Flowers and California Grown Flowers. Through that experience for two and a half years, I grew to love it and appreciate it. I met a lot of florists, flower farmers, and suppliers. There’s a need for social media within that because it is such a visual industry. Flower farmers are busy, but in order to bring in more clientele, social media is one of the easiest ways to get the word out. It can be time consuming, so I handle the social media so that farmers can get back to their work.
Q: What’s in store for the future of Fetching Social?
A. I’m trying to find my niche of what I’m truly passionate about, and I know that it has to do with flowers. I am working on my overall brand and trying to be the best version of that.
