Stefanie Roselle is not your average social butterfly. Sure, the former Mrs. Delaware enjoys planning fundraisers, girls’ getaways and women’s networking opportunities. Confident in public, she’s performed as a Sixers Dancer for the Philadelphia 76ers and a cheerleader for the Philadelphia Eagles. But the Annapolis, Md., native has also cultivated a different kind of social skill set. She is a master of Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, Pinterest, Twitter and other social media platforms.

Roselle’s aptly named company, Social Butterfly, creates and maintains an online social presence for more than 40 clients statewide. The business is based in her Middletown home, where her office sports the company’s signature teal palette, and butterfly art adorns the walls. She moved to Middletown in 2005, partly for the Appoquinimink School District, and has two daughters – Ashlyn, 12, a seventh-grader at Louis Reading Middle School and a winner of the Little Miss Peach Blossom title; and Avery, 9, a fourth-grader at Brick Mill Elementary.

The business has been so successful that it now has a waiting list of clients seeking its services, and Roselle is an in-demand speaker at social media conferences throughout the tri-state area. Most recently, she was the moderator at the 2017 Delaware Tech Social Media Conference, held in Georgetown in February. Middletown Life recently had a conversation with Roselle to discuss social media and her love for the area.

Middletown Life: You studied journalism at the University of Delaware, but your first few jobs after graduation were in the sales department at the News Journal and the Philadelphia Inquirer. What did that teach you?

Roselle: The Philadelphia Inquirer was 100 percent commission. That taught me how to hustle. Some months I would make $300, and some months, I would make $3,000. It was all up to what I wanted to do. I look at social media as just another form of advertising. I love the ability to target a message to an audience. For bridal shops, I can run ads to target people who’ve just changed their Facebook status to “engaged.”

How did you get into social media?

After working in newspaper sales for a few years, I decided to get my aesthetics license. I worked in different spas in Greenville, Del. After I had my first daughter, I got a job teaching skincare at Dawn Career Institute. I helped manage the marketing for the spa, and because I had that background in ad sales, I helped design the print ads and write radio commercials for the school. When I had my second daughter, I transitioned completely to the marketing role and out of the classroom. I loved it. I worked from home three days a week, and I went to the office two days a week. That’s when I started managing the school's Twitter account, Instagram page and Facebook business page. After I had done this for a few years, I thought, “Wow, I could do this for other companies,” and that’s how the whole idea for Social Butterfly came about.

How fast did Social Butterfly grow?

When I started the company in May 2013, it was just me. I had four accounts. It was a fun, little side job while I still worked at Dawn. It grew very quickly because my timing was right. There were ad agencies with a social arm to them, but there weren’t any boutique-style social media ad agencies out there. About six months in, I got two huge accounts. I brought on my first team member and started to learn the fine art of delegation. I left Dawn in 2014, and have just been doing Social Butterfly since. Every six months, I’ve added another content creator or graphic designer. I hired an assistant who does all the things I don’t like to do. She does my invoicing, orders my business cards and handles Quickbooks. Recently, we hired a video production and email marketing person, which has taken the company to the next level. We now have a team of seven.

Is your Social Butterfly team virtually based?

We are all virtual. Everyone can work in pajamas in their house -- whatever they want to do. If they want to manage 10 accounts, they can have 10 accounts. They can have two accounts if they have little kids and want to work part-time. We meet once a month for a face-to-face. If you can make it, you can make. If you can’t, no problem. We’ll just Skype you in.

What is your management style?

I don’t micromanage. My team has deadlines. They have complete interaction with the clients.

Some people say it’s challenging to manage a social media campaign unless you are inside the company. Is that true?

We do a good job of setting expectations with the client. I meet with them on a quarterly basis. The team members talk with them every month. We say, “Hey, what’s going on March, April and May? What events are you sponsoring? What are you working on internally?” The more information a client gives us, the better the pages will be. We’ve had to let a few clients go because they weren’t giving us information, and then we, in turn, can’t do a good job. You can only pull so much information from a website before the pages look stale. One client and I mutually agreed that their social media would be better if it were in-house. I will come in and train an employee, explain the algorithms, how to craft a post, how to use Canva [a graphic design software], how to use Power Editor [a Facebook advertising tool]. I have never worked with restaurants, who need someone who is physically there, taking pictures of the specials that night, talking about the ingredients. But I do big-picture strategies with restaurants.

How are you managing your growth?

There have obviously been other social media companies that have popped up since I opened. I do my best to refer business to them. I would prefer to collaborate and find out what their niches are. There is enough business out there for everyone!

How do you stay on top of the industry?

Social media is always evolving. My team and I are in it every day, learning. I attended Social Media Marketing World, a huge conference in San Diego in March.

Why is Middletown a great place for a consulting business?

I have clients throughout Delaware. It’s nice being in the middle of the state, more or less. In November and December, I went to Rehoboth twice a week for the Winter Wonderfest, for which I helped support the social media. It’s one hour from my house, and Wilmington is 30 minutes north. But most of what I do is virtual. I like the network of business owners here. Delaware is small, but Middletown is even smaller. It’s very close-knit. Amber Shader, who owns First & Little [a children’s clothing boutique] and I have joined forces to create Mascaras & Mimosas, which holds events for female entrepreneurs.

What is your favorite spot in Middletown?

The one house on Broad Street that has Eco Centric Salon & Spa, Nicole J Boutique and 1861 [a restaurant]. I would live there if I could. There are so many places!

Who would you invite to your dinner party?

I just finished reading Sheryl Sandberg’s book Lean In: Women, Work and the Will to Lead. [Sandberg is the COO of Facebook.] If I could have dinner with her, I’d like her to expand on her points in the book.

What food is always in your refrigerator?

Coca-Cola and three different kinds of hummus. I’m not a good cook. My kids know that. Thankfully, my 12-year-old enjoys cooking. I can eat soft pretzels and drink Coke all day. I run on caffeine.

How would you like to see the company grow?

We’ve promoted team members to directors, and we’ve brought on new hires. My team is doing a wonderful job of managing our local clients, and I’m doing more traveling for training and speaking engagements. My goal for 2017 is 12 trips in 12 months. I’ve already got four down. It’s a huge goal of mine professionally and personally.