Today I am presenting another written interview with Harneet Bhalla. Harneet is a digital marketing strategic consultant, you can learn more about him here. 
Check out the interview:
- How did you get started in digital marketing? Share your story.
Since the days of my childhood, I had two huge interests i.e. Computers (Internet/Digital) + How to influence people (marketing), and I believe this led me to the path of digital marketing.
As I kept learning & implementing the strategies of the field, I worked on a ton of my personal projects like blogs, websites, flipping them for a huge chunk of money.
As the time passed by, many people begin to approach me for help with their marketing efforts as well as to share my knowledge with their company/institution.
Then I decided that I was not able to serve enough people by just working on my own projects so I rather moved my focus from personal projects, and became a digital marketing consultant & speaker.
At the present moment, I work with some of the best brands in the national & international space to help them with their digital marketing strategies.
And I also share my knowledge with thousands of people across the platforms as a speaker.
- What are the biggest challenges you face when working with bigger brands on their marketing campaigns?
There are mainly two challenges:
a) The biggest issue is that these bigger brands are mostly rigid with their guidelines. Most of the times, they do not want to implement new stuff or do not want to experiment enough with their brand. In addition, that I think kills the creativity while working on the particular account.
They tend to be very specific with what they can do & what they can’t do, and that makes everything not so motivating.
b) Another one that you commonly face is ‘Over-Complications’. They tend to over-complicate things a lot, and it is kind of your job to make them feel relaxed. They would always be in a state of panic with queries like what kind of content we should produce? What should be the messaging? What are the ingredients to create a successful marketing strategy? What all tools we should use?
- What is some advice you can give to others who wish to get involved in digital marketing today?
a) It’s the best time to get into this field. It is growing & it’s going to be many times in the coming year. Be a part of it now to win later. You do not need a hell ton of cash or resources, or whatever excuse you have to get this thing started. Grab a domain, setup a domain & try to market it right away.
b) Learn the skills of digital marketing to the core. Understand the concepts, how things work, the terminology & make sure to get your basics right. Hustle every single day to produce awesome results for your clients.
c) Add ton of value to people’s life that is how you win.
- How have you gone about finding and working with some of the larger clients you work with, how did you establish these relationships?
LinkedIn, Facebook, & Email are the three core concepts on which I have built my business & network. The exact process I use is:
a) Figure out the list of prospective clients/speaking opportunities I want to pitch.
b) Then need to find out who are the responsible people for the same. Figure out their names, their social media profiles, their email & if possible their contact information.
c) Connect with them over social platforms & email. Hangout in common groups where they hang out, don’t miss out an opportunity to interact with them wherever possible.
d) Once you have built reputation with the person, send them an email to them sharing your points on what better they can do with their marketing. Give them brilliant ideas, and then tell them if they need more they can contact you.
If your ideas were awesome, you would definitely hear from them.
- What are your future plans for 2015 and beyond?
My future plan as of 2015 is to expand my customer base to a much bigger level & most importantly to increase accepting the speaking opportunities so that I can add value to at-least another thousands & change their lives.
2 replies on “Interview with Digital Marketing Consultant Harneet Bhalla”
Hi John, great interview. I follow Harneet from a long period of time. He has always been great with his stuff and shares useful information with the people around him. In this interview also he shares the valuable information.
I liked your site & content John. You are really inspiring many by the interview series. I knew & have read about Harneet Bhalla a lot. He is really a great marketer. Thank you for sharing the information.