Real People I’ve Connected With on Twitter: Interview with Vanessa Hughes

Vanessa Hughes - Spice Rub Entrepreneur

Do you have a secret family recipe that you bust out for parties or holiday dinners that everyone tells you would sell like crazy if only you would market it? With Twitter and other social channels, floating a few trial balloons into the social media universe is an easy way to see if your creation has legs.

As I was looking around on Twitter for interesting people to follow, I stumbled on @vjhoneycut, the profile for Vanessa Hughes. She is a self-described “spice rub entrepreneur.” Just the kind of person I wanted to learn more about, as the last item in the tagline for this blog is BBQ.

Nothing that makes me happier than barbecue done right. What makes great barbecue? Spice rubs. A killer rub is what separates good barbecue from “HOLY SMOKE THAT’S GOOD!!” barbecue.

After chatting with Vanessa over a few Twitter direct messages, it dawned on me that she would be a perfect interview for my humble blog. Vanessa is a social media success story and her spices rubs are the perfect way impress your friends at your next cookout.

Business Name:
RedBone Rib Rubs

Best Way to Contact Vanessa:
Twitter, LinkedIn or Facebook

When did you start using social media?
I really started to use social media when I began working at LinkedIn back in June of 2007 and from there I was hooked.

Any good success stories with social media to share?
I just recently started to post on my social networks that I am trying to market my husband’s award-winning spice dry rub and I have gotten hits from all over the United States. It’s great. I didn’t think people would really notice. I am in the process of evaluating how to get our product out there.

What tips would you have for someone getting started on Twitter, LinkedIn, etc.?
1. If you want to be remembered while using social media, make sure to use the same name for each account. That will build your personal brand.
2. Be honest and straightforward.
3. If you don’t know what you are doing – ask for help or even a consultation. If you do your research, you should be able to find someone who will guide you though building up your profile.

Who do you follow on Twitter that you look forward to hearing from?
I follow a lot of people. One of my daily rituals is to look and see what kinds of social media David Spinks has been tweeting about.

What is the first thing I should buy from you to make my barbecue better?
As long as you know how to properly grill or smoke your meat, the first thing to do would be to start with a good rub, like my husband’s recipe for RedBone Rib Rubs. Having hung out with him at cook-offs and watched him cook his award-winning masterpieces, I think the secret (once you get a good cut of meat) really is your dry rub. That is why we started our spice rub business.