Talking Twitter with Deb Lowther

We’re honored to welcome Deb Lowther, AKA @Deb_Lowther to SocialNorth. Deb was the co-owner of Life Science Nutritionals and a personal friend of mine. We met in the back seat of a taxi at Blissdom Canada in 2010 and have since attended many conferences together and shared more than one stage (and one microphone strapped to my chest – but that’s another story…).

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Shifting focus & how Twitter me helped find stability AND success

Twitter changed my life. It changed the path of my career, changed how our kids spend their summers, enhanced my circle of friends, introduced our business to thousands, improved our marketing strategies and brought our family closer together.

Those who know us today, see us as a very close family that spends all our time together hiking, biking, skiing, running and doing triathlons. After all, we’re the poster family for our IronKids Gummy Vitamins!

But it wasn’t like this before twitter.

In 2005, I had a 1 year old in my arms, a 3 year old wrapped around my leg, was 4 months pregnant with our 3^rd daughter – and had 5 months left on a contract job. My husband walked through the door and announced it was time to start his own vitamin company. “I’ve quit my job.”

I wondered how our family was going to survive.

We did survive but it was a struggle. Two years later, I’d gone back to my old job and was busy raising 3 babies while my husband hustled to keep his business afloat. My 57 year old father was slipping away from cancer and my husband was losing his biggest business confidant. We were in survival mode on separate paths that crossed now and again.

How Twitter turned the tide

In May of 2010, in an effort to stay digitally ahead of a tech savvy 8 year old, I went to an info session about Twitter. Instead I was introduced to the world of moms with online blogs talking about products they loved for their kids. Twitter connected moms and brands and I knew this meant something for my husband’s IronKids vitamins. Something big. I went home that night and created a twitter account and started talking.

I made friends online and followed business-savvy tweeters to see what they chatted about. I read everything I could find on the subject but quickly found I already had what it takes to be good at twitter.  I had me.

I was a mom. I liked to run. I cared a lot about raising healthy kids and I was married to the guy who created IronKids. Gee . . . that sounds like the perfect twitter profile!

After a couple months of tweeting under my desk at work and starting our IronKids Health Facebook page I quit my job to focus on social media full time. Two months later I launched our new IronKids website and we’ve never looked back.

I connected online with moms about mom stuff. I attended conferences to learn more about social media and slowly we started to sponsor events, hand out vitamins and blog about raising healthy kids.

In 2011 my husband created Adult Essentials Gummy Vitamins and my social media world doubled. A new twitter handle, another facebook page, a second website and now I blog about tips for adults to stay active and take care of their health.

We donate vitamins to charity runs, triathlons, bike rides, school fundraisers, bowl-a-thons and children’s orphanages in faraway countries. Almost ALL of these contacts have come from Twitter. Many of these organizers are now my friends and most of the local events our family participates in. Together.

My husband and I work alongside each other daily – no longer just seeing each other in passing. Our kids are now triathletes. Our company is often a title or presenting sponsor in events across Canada aimed at keeping kids and adults active. We live what we do and we love it.

Copy what I’ve done on Twitter

How can Twitter work for you? Feel free to steal my strategy and make it your own.

• Create a “You-focused” profile – Use a photo and a profile that captures YOU.
• Follow smart – Seek out people and #hashtags with similar interests, messages or target audience.
• Tweet smart – Be positive, fun and provide information about what you know. Be an expert.
• Tweet, retweet, reply – Engage with others and they will reciprocate.
• Attend tweet-ups – Twitter (or any social media) is not all online. It’s the introduction. The relationship grows with real life meetings. .
• Attend and host Twitter parties – Attend online Twitter parties that interest you and meet new people.
• Be YOU – Be sincere, tweet about what you love and those with similar interests will find you.
• Invest in it – What you put in, you get back out. Give it 3-4 weeks of steady tweeting and see what happens!

IronKids and Adult Essentials Gummy Vitamins are the brainchild of my super-smart business-minded husband. The integration of our business and online presence as the family behind the brand started on twitter and spilled over into our real life.

Do you have a social media story to share? We’d love to hear it – on our blog or on social media, of course. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter or LinkedIn and let’s continue the conversation.

Read more profiles on SocialNorth

• Lisa Kahn
• Craig Silva
• Barbara Viteri
• Pam Ross
• Trey Whitehead
• Robert Petril
• Sarah Robinson
• Greg Lehman
• Mara Shapiro
• Suzie Kummins-Poirier

About Deb Lowther

Deb Lowther is a mother of 3 young daughters who, when not running after the kids, is running in the trails! She blogs on dozens of websites about raising healthy kids and ensures her own have fun while eating healthy and staying active. To read more articles and see her favorite recipes starring squash and spinach that she promises even your kids will love, visit her at one of her multiple online homes:

• RaisingHealthyKids.com
• Twitter – @Deb_Lowther
• LinkedIn – Deb Lowther