MarketingHackz.com » Interviews

Baby Boomers and Social Networking

Ritu — Fri, 05 Sep 2008 05:08:12 +0000

Once again as I was browsing the web looking for stories, I came across an interview with Paul Brienza, SVP of Laughlin Constable whose clients include BoomerTowne, a baby boomer focused social network. In this interview Brienza talks about how BoomerTowne stands out in such a crowded field.

Please take a look at the image below which shows online and mobile acitivity of US Online Buyers by age,

Make sure to read the interview. It answers some questions that you might have been looking to get an answers for as well.

A little off topic but I think Laughlin Constable has one of the best “service description,” I have seen. Simple and to the point.

Green Can and Will Earn You Green

Ritu — Mon, 18 Aug 2008 06:03:36 +0000

Biodegradable, made from recycled material, recycleable, environmentally friendly – sound familiar? These are some of the things that we hear constantly when products are being promoted. The reason is simple – consumers want to go green and businesses want to make green. Its called “The Green Marketing.”

This isn’t a new phenomenon but it sure is one of the fastest growing pitch being applied by marketers in their campaigns. Consumers want to feel environmentally conscious. Buying “green” products makes them feel they are contributing to the environment even if it is just a little bit. Green marketing is one of the most effective way of marketing products and most of the time customers don’t mind paying a little extra for environmentally friendly products.

Green marketing has been and will be one of the most effective form of marketing. With environment degrading day by day, this is actually the best way to promote a product. Make it environmentally friendly and pitch it with green marketing. Green marketing tends to lock in the most consumers at any given time for any given product. Give it a try. Go green and see the difference. This form of marketing is the way to make some green.

Interview with Muhammad Saleem – Social Media Maven

Ritu — Fri, 09 May 2008 01:01:32 +0000

On a daily basis there is a new social media site created. There is basically a site for every person from every background. We spoke with Muhammad Saleem, social media maven, about his opinion about a variety of sites, social media marketing and the most important elements to keep in mind when engaging in the space.

In our discussion about the major social sites like Digg, StumbleUpon and Twitter, we were able to establish the key steps towards establishing prominence online. Participating, contributing and becoming an intregral part of the community are the main ways to develop the personal brand that Muhammad has been able to establish for himself.

MH: Could you please give us a brief introduction on what you do for those of us who might not be familiar?

msaleem: I’m a social media consultant. That can mean anything from conducting a workshop on the business uses of social media to helping people with content and product development. I spend most of my time on different social media sites, either participating on them or studying them.

MH: Social Media Marketing. What are the possibilities?

msaleem: I think the possibilities are endless. Traditional methods of marketing are becoming obsolete and are being replaced by social media marketing which relies much more on information and relationships rather than brute force. As long as you find the right community and use the proper etiquette, there should be no problem in marketing your content, product, or service to a social media community.

MH: You are an active Digg user. How did you become an active user and what was your strategy on establishing yourself as a power user?

msaleem: I started using the site purely for fun. Once I got on the homepage a few times I really got addicted to the site. There’s something rewarding about being able to share the content you feel passionate about with thousands of other people. As for becoming a ‘power user’ I think the Social Media Manual should be a good place to start.

MH: What do you think of the recent Digg algorithm change? Why do you think Digg implemented this change?

msaleem: I think the recent algorithm change is doing more harm than good. In fact from the looks of it, it’s doing only harm. If you look at the numbers here, you will see that the popularity of the stories on the home page has decreased drastically. I don’t understand why Digg would want to decrease engagement on their site.

MH: How can a business use Social Media to build influential contacts and network?

msaleem: Oh boy. That’s a loaded question. Businesses need to understand that the online landscape has changed and they need to adapt accordingly. What services are most applicable to them will vary. For example, print subscriptions for magazines are going down but online readership is increasing so they need to move online and start using sites like Digg, Propeller, StumbleUpon and so forth.

MH: If you had to choose one which would it be – Digg or StumbleUpon and Why?

msaleem: If I had to choose, it would be StumbleUpon. The community there is much nicer, friendlier, and more mature. Plus StumbleUpon’s founders don’t actively handicap their core userbase.

MH: What other SM sites are you active on? Would you mind leaving your profile URL for our readers?

msaleem: I’m on Digg, Propeller, StumbleUpon, Reddit, Mixx, Twitter, and a few others. The links to all of them can be found on my site in the sidebar.

MH: Twitter. What do you think of it as a networking and promotional tool and why?

msaleem: I think Twitter is absolutely brilliant in many respects. It is an incredibly efficient social networking and content sharing tool, and is equally as good as a broadcast medium. I think the biggest reason people dislike Twitter is because they’re following the wrong people and the wrong conversations. The only thing Twitter doesn’t do well right now is filtering the noise.

MH: Any Social Media marketing advice you would like to share with our readers?

msaleem: Social media is above all about relationships and community. Be genuine and be transparent. Build relationships and help others.

Thank you Muhammad for taking the time to answer some of our questions.

Get In Touch With msaleem

Gtalk: msaleem@gmail.com

Young and Successful – An Interview With Neil Patel

Ritu — Mon, 28 Apr 2008 02:01:40 +0000

Neil Patel is only 23 years old and is one of the most sought after Internet Marketing Consultants around. Co-founder of ACS, Crazy Egg, and Online Poker Lowdown; Neil also serves on the Board of Advisors for very well known companies. Some of his clients include HP, Samsung and American Greetings among many others.

Neil’s personal, friendly and down to earth approach makes him one of the best marketing consultants around. Neil was gracious to accept our request for an interview about social media and online marketing.

MH: Most of us already know you but for those who don’t, could you please give a brief introduction about yourself?

Neil: I am a 23 year old kid who currently attends college and runs a marketing company called ACS. When I am not working I love to watch TV and eat a lot of Taco Bell.

MH: How did you get started in Internet Marketing?

Neil: I got started in Internet marketing when I created my first website. I was trying to figure out how to get traffic to my site so I researched the topic and learned SEO. After doing it successfully for myself I figured that I could do it for others as well.

MH: You are 23 years old. How did you gain such massive success at a very young age?

Neil: To be honest, I think most of it is luck. Hard work probably is part of it, but it is mainly luck.

MH: What do you think of social media and it’s power in promoting one’s business?

Neil: I think it is a great way to promote one’s business. You can drive tons of traffic and potentially tons of sales at a very low cost. And if you are familiar with the social space, you can probably obtain all of this for free.

MH: How can a business gain exposure via the internet? Any specific approach or strategy?

Neil: The two approaches I like are SEO and SEM. SEO involves optimizing one’s site so it ranks well on Google. SEM involves paying for traffic from a search engine. Both of these methods are cost effective for a startup or a large business.

MH: What social media sites are you active on and why?

Neil: The main social site I am active on is Facebook. I think it is a great place to network with others and communicate with your friends. At the same time I am also on sites like Digg, Twitter, StumbleUpon, and Yahoo Buzz.

MH: What do you think of Twitter as a marketing tool and why?

Neil: I think it is a good marketing tool for driving traffic. For a blog you can convert those visitors into RSS subscribers. And for a e-commerce site it is good for branding and it can potentially drive sales.

MH: We know you love Taco Bell. If you were to do internet marketing for Taco Bell, how would you promote a food business through social media?

Neil: I would probably do something funny with the Taco Bell dog and try to bring it back. A few years ago they used to promote a Taco Bell dog on TV and it was well received. As for what exactly I would do, I am not 100% sure.

MH: I read on your blog that you are going to college as well. What are your future plans? Any exciting things coming up in future?

Neil: After I am done with college I am going to continue what I am doing now. As for future things coming up, look forward to KISS Metrics launching.

MH: Finally, if you had to say one thing to our readers in terms of marketing their business on the web, what would it be?

Neil: Make sure you have something valuable to provide. If your product or service sucks, then marketing will not help much. If you product is great, then you have a better chance at succeeding.

Get In Touch With Neil Patel

Chat on Skype: neil162

Phone: (562) 292-3834 ( Home )
(888) 227-3913 ( Office )
(714) 516-8286 ( fax )

We would like to thank Neil for this interview and his willingness to provide his contact information for our readers.