Category: Written Interviews

Today I am presenting an interview with ProTexting.com

Check it out:

1. How did ProTexting get started? Tell us more about the platform.

ProTexting is one of the 1st SMS platforms in the US. It started as a simple platform to send and receive group SMS, but eventually the platform has evolved to a multi-product mobile marketing service. It utilizes SMS, MMS, Social Media and Push channels to deliver messages to the audience of our clients at the right time.

2. How does ProTexting help others market their brand or business?

ProTexting offers several ways to engage people, via SMS or MMS. Some of our tools include Text 2 Join, Text 4 info, SMS Sweeps, Drip Campaigns, Trivia, Surveys, etc. All of our apps work together, so if you need to run several campaigns over couple months, we can set that and they will run smoothly.

3. What have been some challenges you have faced growing the business?

Some of our most critical challenges have been expanding quickly due to high volume traffic and interactions with our products. We have developed a stable and flexible infrastructure to handle any type of SMS campaigns.

4. How have you gone about marketing the platform and what’s working for you?

Recently, we have been focusing mostly on social media and engaging fans via our channels. It has been a success, and will continue with our social campaigns for the next several months.

5. What are your future plans for 2016 and beyond?

We plan to launch several good products, which will allow our customers to better engage their audience. We also have plans to expand internationally, as we have received numerous requests.

Today on the blog I’m interviewing Ryan of PPCFixer.co.uk. He helps companies generate business through Google Adwords paid advertising.

Check out the interview:

1. How did you get started online and what drew you to get involved with AdWords and PPC? Share your story.

I studied advertising and marketing at university back in 20005 and one of my modules of the course that I found fascinating was Web Marketing and E-commerce. This interest gave me the drive and motivation to work in the world of digital marketing. 2008 is when I entered the world of AdWords and one of my first paid search clients (ppc) was play who, at the time, was the largest e-commerce website in Europe. My client list quickly expanded and included Ebuyer, DFS, Investec and so forth. I have been fortunate to have had the chance to work on some of the largest accounts in the country. I eventually moved to Leeds where my ppc career still continues to thrive and grow.

2. What are some common mistakes people usually make when it comes to running AdWords campaigns?

Having worked on numerous accounts, consulting and providing audits on many more, I have found the biggest pitfalls/ mistakes are the following:

• Poor budget management
• Bad account structures
• Bidding on your brand if it’s not necessary
• Poor use of negatives
• Ad-copy misspellings
• No match type strategy
• No testing

One of my key mantras is that the account foundations need to be solid and near perfect because without these foundations you cannot expect to build anything sustainable on them. Paid search is about learning, it’s an ever changing creature and testing is the only true way you will find what works and what doesn’t. Once you have a well-built campaign/ account you can then use this as a platform to build upon and learn from which in time will result in an account that doesn’t just perform well. You will have an account that over performs.

3. What has been your biggest accomplishment when it comes to running paid traffic either for yourself or another company?

Having worked on one of the largest accounts in the country was probably my greatest achievements. Furthermore, to that was when I approached the same client and emphasized the importance of “thinking out the box” and understanding the consumer purchase process they then adopted the approach and adjusted their strategy to target ad-copy content around any new game launches, new gadgets, gadget show etc. This allowed of the ad-copy to stand out from the competitors because we were up to date and relevant.

4. How have you gone about finding yourself new PPC clients?

My Leeds based ppc consultancy www.ppcfixer.co.uk  has only been a recent project and I am focusing my energy on building a site that is SEO friendly and has up to date information that searchers will find useful. I hope to naturally climb up the rankings and source new clients via natural search. Once i have established a core customer base, I will look to implement a small ppc campaign to target clients around Leeds.

5. What are your future plans for 2016 and beyond?

My plans for 2016 is to focus on building an established website and I hope to establish a core customer base, my good work and results will hopefully be passed around by word of mouth and my expansion should increase naturally. My overall goal is to ensure that my clients receive a service that not only hits all their goals but receive a service that provides added value.

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:

1. 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.

2. 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?

3. 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.

4. 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.

5. 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.