So you want to know about me…besides the fact that I’m always ready for a road trip?!?

I’m a writer and consultant in the small business, green lifestyle and tourism sectors.  I live a passion for green living which has inspired me to create events, educational programs, community service organizations and retail businesses that reflect a love of nature and beautiful people, places and things. I have fallen in love with social media and its ability to bring people closer. My professional work is focused on sharing my experience, knowledge and vision for using online and offline marketing to support business owners. Providing the support systems, education and training for businesses blending traditional and new media is where I excel. It is a joy for me to witness a business that takes control of their marketing, implements strategies and creates communities full of real people who connect and share their business. This really works!

I’m a believer because it has worked for me! Over the past several years, I’ve connected with wonderful people from all over the world through networks using new media tools and live events. From local community groups and businesses to international corporations and governments, the power of new media is undeniable!

I’ve presented at the Roanoke Regional Writer’s Conference at Hollins University in 2010 and 2011. Those presentations covered using social media, specifically the value of Twitter, and why online publishing is a good option. Valley Business Front Magazine is the sponsor for the event, a publication I’ve written for and find continually evolving to meet the demands of today’s business community. I encourage you to follow me on Twitter as @bgreen or Travel Virginia , connect on my Facebook page and my Google + profile to learn more about new media and how I use it to expand my business.

Here’s a bit of background on how I got from past to present…

I graduated from Hollins University in 1996 with an interdisciplinary Bachelor of Arts, Women, the Environment and Social Change. During my years of study, I developed the Women’s Environmental Leadership Conference, held in 1994 and 1995, presenting women leaders creating positive environmental change in government, for-profit and non-profit business. My diversified interests led to taking a travel and research semester in my senior year, 12,000 miles in 86 days, which included

• attending solar conferences in Minnesota and New Mexico
• interning with the educational Reach for the Sky program at University of Montana Western
• interning with the ElderHostel program at Olympic Park Institute in Washington state
• interviewing author Terry Tempest Williams in Salt Lake City, Utah
• camping across the US from Cody, Wyoming to Grants Pass, Oregon to Lake Tahoe, California to the north rim of the Grand Canyon in Arizona

I’ve been using the internet since 1992, with both MACs and PCs, thanks to my Hollins University experience.

Since graduating from Hollins, I’ve worked with community partners in the Appalachian region of southwestern Virginia to create a remote technology program, providing education, training and access to the internet. I was a partner in the creation of the Wild Harvest Sector, a program which focused on creation, management and marketing of small rural land-based businesses, educating public and private land owners about non-timber forest products and developing rural business networks to support, maintain and distribute these products. With experience in fundraising, special events, tourism, online and storefront retail, experiential education, government initiatives and foundation funding plus a passion for the environment and new media, I bring a wealth of experience and networks to the table.

My tourism experience includes training and conferences from the National Main Street Program, Rails to Trails, Virginia specialty trails such as The Crooked Road Heritage Music Trail, Round the Mountain Artisan Network, Civil War Trail and Scenic Byways. As a tourism and promotions specialist for businesses, groups and events in southwestern Virginia, I’m familiar with seasonal cycles of demand, where to reach the ideal consumers and when, how to stay connected and create consistent communications and real relationships.

For the past several years, I have worked as a consultant on a variety of projects. These services include business marketing strategy, social media marketing planning and support, article writing, press releases, grant research and submission, tourism destination and event promotions and much more!

If you would be interested to learn what I can contribute to your team, please contact me by email at bonnie at bonniecranmer.com.