Social networking spawns business for Fairfield professional

She set out to create a new public relations firm, but Fairfield resident Valorie Luther has become a modern-day explorer creating communities in the fertile wilds of the digital world.

Luther's firm, Creative Concepts, is run out of her home as she continues to embrace her place in the virtual world, where much of her work is concentrated. Her firm creates and manages the social media sites for clients. She has 15 employees who write for blogs, post updates on Facebook and Twitter, create YouTube videos, and scour the Internet, keeping an eye out for positive and negative issues that might affect her clients' brands. Those clients include Bigelow Tea, a national tea company based in Fairfield, and Ouidad, the salon products maker.

Luther found her way into the digital world almost as soon as she started the business in 2003. She has experience working for other firms and businesses, but she said she wanted to start her own company to be at home with her children.

"Maybe six years ago, which is centuries ago in Internet time, I heard about blogging," she said. Luther had attended a conference on blogging and went home and started a blog, but she discovered a problem: It was easy to start a blog, but not that easy to get people to read it.

Bingo, that was her niche.

Others had to be having the same problem. So Luther began assembling a team to support clients' efforts in the digital world. Like her, the Creative Concepts team members work out of their own homes. She said this has allowed her to keep the best people on the job.

"She's great," said Matt Broder, Pitney Bowes Inc.'s vice president of external communications. Pitney Bowes hired Luther for several projects, including a popular Web video about Pitney's program to send mail to soldiers, called Holiday Mail for Heroes.

Luther is helping Pitney Bowes communicate that its expertise in the field of mailstream management goes beyond just making machines.

"She brings a great business sensibility to the world of new media and social media," Broder said.

Luther has learned a lot in the past seven years about social media.

"Every business wants to draw a community of people who support and want to buy their product," she said, but cautioned, "If it's 100 percent selling, it's not going to work."

People are looking for more than an online store, she said, and you also have to be honest.

"You just can't lie your way through social media," she said. Companies that are hoping to save falling sales by blitzing social media with a slick campaign aren't going to do well, she said. There are too many people out there talking, and they will discover flaws, she said.

She said her company, in order to do a good job, must also believe and use the products and services.

"We live with our client's goods and services," she said, "I drink green tea."