Interview with:carla phillips [myseogal]
INTERNET
 | What is your specialty in the interactive world? I specialize in search engine ranking/positioning. |
| Where can we see some of your work online? |
| What kind of projects do you usually undertake? I usually work with small businesses and WAHM's. I enjoy the similar interest and experiences I have with my clients in the past,job situations or in my daily life. |
| What was your first job in the field? My first job in the field was a very special client by the name of Pat English at Juniper Trail Embroidery. When I started MY SEO Gal. She jumped right in with no questions asked and order my SEO services.
Now she has grown so much after my work that she had to shut down her site for a couple of weeks in order to get caught up on sales. |
| What is your professional background? What did you do before? I was an insurance agent from 1998 until 2006. I also owned a successful realestate investment company from 2002 until 2006.
I started an online pet boutique in 2004. I sold pet products on ebay for about a year and went live with my site in 2005. |
| With which technologies do you normally work? Google, Yahoo, MSN, Blogger, PhotoShop Elements and 6.0,
Google Analytics, Wordtracker |
| Do you work by yourself, or in a team? how is that team? I work by myself as of now but since MY SEO GAL has grown. I will be hiring two more SEO experts in 2009. |
| What is the secret to keeping customer expectations under control in interactive development? I find that it is best to be honest with them up front. Don't give them any false hopes or false guarantees just to get their business. You have to give your clients some credit. They can see through the smoke and will ultimately end up not choosing you for their business needs. Without trying to sound cliche, honesty is my best policy. |
| What was your first computer, and which is your current? My first personal computer was a Gateway computer in 1999. My current computer is a DELL computer. |
| Online virality: isn't it the same as traditional word-of-mouth? I am more a traditional word of mouth Gal. It's more personal. |
| What were you doing in March 2000, at the height of the "dotcom bubble"? Selling Insurance. |
| In the current interactive world, what is the most relevant trend? Social Media sites. I think I am addicted to Twitter. |
| What would you do to terminate Internet spam once and for all? Can spam be terminated? Not so sure it can. In my dreams maybe but don't think it will become a reality anytime soon. So it's just one of those things you just have to ignore. Like the peas on your plate when you were a child. |
| Will bandwidth one day cease to be a limitation? I hope so. I truly don't see the point of it, maybe I need to read a little more on it in order to get the point? |
| Your tips to make money online Research, Research, Research! Don't get sucked in by all the Make Money Quick Schemes, believe in yourself and know that you can do whatever you put your mind to. Network with others in the field you would like to pursue and then Research some more. |
MARKETING
| Please list web addresses where one can see something about you. |
| What is your stance as a marketing professional? What are you good at? What differentiates you from others? Although I wouldn't really call myself a "marketing professional" just yet. I'm getting there and learning new things everyday. What I do is evaluate a site and see what needs to be improved on. What type of products will bring in the most income or which ones are the most profitable. I make suggestions to all of my clients. I try to let them know what has worked for me or other clients that I have assisted. I am kinda a results type of person. I think results speak volumes. So I try to advice accordingly. That is based off of results that I have seen from techniques that I have used to increase sales for my clients.
I can be a bit obsessive at times though.LOL I will email my clients tons of information but not in one email. I will email them a marketing tip and then another and then another. Guess I sit and think to much. Instead of sending everything in one message. I will all of a sudden remember something that could benefit them and email them again.
I hope my clients don't mind. |
| A marketing strategy begins with an idea. How are yours born? Hmm? I guess it depends on what type of client I am working with and what type of products or services they are offering. I tend to get excited about new things and ideas. So if an idea comes to me in the middle of the night. I get my notebook that I keep on the side of my bed and write it down. Then I will email a client as soon as I wake up with my ideas. So I would say, my ideas are born from absolute Silence. |
| In which market, products or services, are you currently working? I work with a lot of online boutiques, crafters, web designers, pet boutiques, jewelry sites etc.. The list goes on... |
| Did this product exist ten years ago? And the brand? Oh yes, and they will continue to exist for many years to come. |
| What is the consumer or user like that you have to win over? My consumers are easy going and open minded. It is rare when I come across a customer who is not willing to take my advice or use my services once I speak with them one on one. |
| What is the key to gaining consumer fidelity? Being yourself ,natural but professional as well. Customers are humans beings and they want to know that the company or professional that they are going to be investing their hard earned money is truly understanding of their needs. They don't want to work with someone who is cold and standoffish. |
| What type of communication are you utilizing? Email, Forums, Blogs, Social Media sites, telephone. |
| Who/what is your competition? I actually am starting to hate that word. I wish it didn't exist. I hate it when someone sees another person as a threat and it truly shows in their conversations with others or posts in blogs or forums. I think it's so pointless instead of seeing an opportunity to work together, they would rather act like you don't exist or "try" to make statements that contradict yours just to discredit you.
I don't see competition, I see every business in my field or related to my field as a possible networking relationship. I wish others would do the same. Imagine the possibilities if everyone started working together. |
| What differentiates your product/service from the competition? Prices. My clients can get top ranking listings for less than what other compaines are charging. Plus they get bonuses that they would normally have to pay an arm and a leg for. |
| How do you value the results obtained up to now? Very much. My results are part of my foundation. Without them, all I am is a name on a website full of words and claims. |
| What is a better way to communicate your product: emotional or rational? Both. You want your client to know that you truly understand their woes but at the same time you don't want to give out false hopes. |
| What's your answer to the typical question: does marketing create nonexistent needs? In some ways, yes. Depending on how popular the media/gurus makes a product or service. If it's something that is glorified by the media or who people perceive to be someone to look up to and the celebs are doing it, then others may do it as well just because it's the popular thing to do. |
| Can you cite brands or well-known products that you admire for marketing brilliance? GoDaddy.com with their super bowl ad.
Allstate Insurance ads (they touch on personal things that could happen and what would happen if you didn't have coverage)
Their are others but I just can't think who they are off the top of my head. |
| The consumer is king: have advertisers realised this yet? Yes, but not all. If they haven't then they are wasting their time and money. |
| Are we heading towards more individualised marketing and advertising? Yes, and Google is definitely causing a fuss with their new personalized search results. |
| A few years ago, it was said that online sales would end up killing traditional store sales, but that has not been the case: how can you explain this? Consumers still like to touch the product they are considering buying or try on items that they want to buy. Or see people that they will be working with face to face instead of working with them over the phone. |
| What industry or market segment do you find attractive for devoting yourself to in the coming years? Forums. I love to go on forums and meet potential clients and network with other businesses. They are the best places to be yourself and to get rewarded by business in doing so. |
| How do you do your own personal branding? What do you recommend other professionals do to position themselves in the job market? I get out there and meet people. I want to know everything about people. How many pets do you have, what is your favorite color and vice versa. I tell everything that people want to know about my business or my career choices when asked. I hand out business cards whenever I can.
Don't be afraid to give yourself a little credit when talking to people about your business. If you were featured in something, let others know. If you got an award for something you did, tell others. If you failed at something, tell others so they won't make the same mistakes.
You can do all of this without being annoying or arrogant. People want to know your successes and your failures. It makes you human and that's what most customers want. Well, in my opinion. |
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873 visits Whohub
carla phillips
Cleveland Heights USA
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95721 interviews created
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