Three years ago, Alexis Harris created a Google Doc titled “Advertisement Venture 2021.” She had a goal to create something worthwhile, but she wasn’t sure what it would look like yet.
Fast-forward to 2024, and Harris’s “Advertisement Venture” is now First State Destinations, a lifestyle brand made up of social media accounts, events and initiatives celebrating and promoting Delaware’s food, views and vibes.
If you’re active on social media and live around Delaware, odds are you’ve heard Harris’s voice in the background of a short-form video highlighting a new restaurant, unique local festival or fun First State experience. The woman behind the camera is much more than a social media personality, though.
In With the New
When people ask Harris what she does, she always leads with marketing. Originally from North Carolina, Harris has a background in corporate marketing and a passion for promotion. It remains at the center of everything the First State Destinations founder does. First State Destinations is all about social media marketing. It’s a relatively new medium that, according to Harris, is here to stay.
“Social media is the leading form of communication globally—whether we like it or not,” Harris explains. “TikTok beat out Google [as the most popular search engine], and it’s continued to for the last couple of years.”
Harris works to harness the power of this brand-new and all-consuming medium. First State Destinations was the first in a now vibrant industry of Delaware-based lifestyle content creation. As First State Destinations continued to thrive, other creators were inspired to create similar content promoting local businesses and experiences. As a marketing professional, Harris isn’t worried about the market becoming oversaturated.
“There are 50 million pizza shops, but what’s your tagline? How are you choosing to market yours?” she observes. Her analogy works for any brand, business or product. As long as you remain true to your vision and find ways to set yourself apart, there’s no threat from competition.
“Now that I started seeing it grow, I’m grateful,” she says. “This is helpful for businesses as a whole.” At the end of the day, she believes that most of the businesses that shut down suffer from poor marketing, not a poor product. More creators out and about in the state means more potential for struggling local businesses to find the boost they need to keep operating.
The First State’s “First”
Influencers are everywhere, and Delaware is certainly no exception. There have been several successful influencers based in Delaware, and there will no doubt be many more. First State Destinations falls into a separate category, though.
“I actually stray away from saying the word ‘influencer’ now,” she says when describing what she brings to the table. In her view, this type of lifestyle social media account is something entirely new—bridging the gap between traditional lifestyle brands and new-age “influencer” culture. This type of creator exists all over the world, but Harris was the first to do it on such a large scale in Delaware.
While she’s learned to embrace it, the face of First State Destinations never set out to be the first in an online movement.
“If anyone desires to be the first in anything, props to them,” she says. “I do not.”
At the forefront of the Delaware social media industry, she’s faced many challenges and continues to jump hurdles.
Working with local businesses, Harris often finds herself in a position of advocating for new media solutions and explaining the value of the right marketing choices. It’s a big change from corporate marketing, where Harris worked in circles of marketing professionals who already understood the value of a good social media strategy.
“It’s a harder life than I would’ve signed up for,” she acknowledges. “But I realize it’s bigger than me and it’s helpful to the community.”
The marketing maven has risen to the challenge, offering guidance to business owners in Delaware who are open to learning more about the power and strategies that go into effective social media use.
“A lot of my friends will laugh because my media kit—I say it’s an encyclopedia,” she shares.
Harris provides interested Delaware businesses with a crash-course to online marketing alongside her rates and statistics. She even includes a key in her kit to define basic marketing terms like “increased brand awareness” and “key audiences.”
“My ultimate goal is to have it running in a way that there is not even a question of a small business paying for marketing.” —Alexis Harris
The Big Picture
Along with making a difference for business owners, First State Destinations has also cultivated a sense of community for viewers and followers. A private Facebook group allows people to promote their events, create social clubs and meet up to enjoy hobbies with other likeminded locals.
In a world starved for human connection, Harris has found a solution within the problem. It’s easy to say we’re all too caught up in our own worlds with social media. The platforms themselves, though, are inherently social.
“One question you have to answer to join the Facebook group is how you found out about us,” Harris says. “Someone said that their therapist recommended they join. They were 25 and had moved to Delaware like a year and a half ago.”
For Harris, that’s the ultimate reflection on the work she does.
“Look, whether you’re from here or you move here like I did, life can be hard,” she says. She acknowledges that a sense of community can offer hope and support during a time when people are desperately seeking real human connection. When she started First State Destinations, she was seeking that out herself. Now, providing it to others is endlessly rewarding.
While social media is at the center of the movement, Harris has found innovative ways to take First State Destinations offline with IRL experiences like events and travel opportunities.
“We went to Bali with nine other strangers, and I cannot wait to do it again,” she enthuses.
Looking to the Future
As the business grows, Harris continues to look ahead. Her data-driven approach and business-minded strategies keep her looking for the next big project.
Right now, that means strategizing ways to make new-age marketing accessible to Delaware small businesses who may not have the budget for a full-scale marketing department—or even a dedicated marketing professional on the payroll.
“I’ve slowed up a bit in sharing foodie spots and things like that because a lot of my day is in meetings or strategizing or adjusting pitch decks to have that bigger conversation,” she admits.
In the near future, she hopes to see more economic development initiatives shifting toward new media solutions as well.
“Look at Delaware’s businesses, [for] 97% of small businesses, the biggest place they’re struggling is financially,” she explains. “Marketing is the best investment if you do it right, but they don’t always know what they’re doing.”
This is a conversation she is bringing to local and state governments as well as nonprofits.
“We have these organizations—whether they’re nonprofits or government organizations—with millions of dollars specifically for economic development, supporting minority-owned businesses or small businesses,” she observes. She hopes to pave the path for local initiatives that allow these organizations to allocate funds to small businesses for digital marketing with a third-party marketer like First State Destinations.
“I see that as a perfect ecosystem,” she continues. “My ultimate goal is to have it running in a way that there is not even a question of a small business paying for marketing.”
Of course, a goal this lofty is sure to come with its own host of challenges, but Harris is not the type to shy away from a challenge.
“How I operate is this,” she says. “Tomorrow is not promised, but as long as creativity is flowing and things are still going through my head, it’s another day, another day, another day…I’m grateful for all the headaches.”
Taking it one day at a time is how Harris has come this far—from moving to Delaware in 2019, going through a breakup and facing uncertainty in her career and personal life to heading up a major lifestyle brand and becoming a crucial element in the First State’s tight-knit business ecosystem. She represents a movement that’s taking off in little pockets around the world. This young, female-dominated industry is built upon youthful entrepreneurs who prop others up rather than competing with them. It bridges the gap between traditional lifestyle publications like People and Good Housekeeping and new-age digital culture.
“Leaning into my faith for the last year and a half is what keeps it possible,” Harris concludes. “I’m staying grounded and focusing on the work that I’m doing and realizing it’s bigger than me.”
Related: These Delaware Restaurants Focus on Spectacular Plating
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