Marketing Maestro Blog

Blog and Help Fight Poverty

Wed, 03 Sep 2008 12:29:45 -0500

Blog Action Day is here again and this year the cause is poverty. Unfortunately, this is probably a problem in almost every community. If you ask me this is a great topic for this year's Blog Action Day. Think about our current economy, the credit crises, the foreclosure fiasco and the price of oil to name a few economic levers. Will the poverty problem get worse or better in the near future?

I don't have the answers to the problem but we can start and contribute to the discussion.

I know there are many bloggers who could help out a good cause and write a post or two about the issue in their area. This could make a great localism post as well (highlight a local organization fighting poverty or what communities are doing to help etc).

Check out the Blog Action Day site and watch the video for more details on what is required on your part to participate. For most bloggers and Active Rain members this is easy. Just write a post. If you have more than one blog go to town and register them all.

It doesn't get much easier or painless to contribute to a cause and raise awareness.

Why are you still reading? Go and register for Blog Action Day.

Good luck and happy blogging.

5 Back to School Tips for Getting Into College

Tue, 02 Sep 2008 15:38:47 -0500

Since it is back to school season and education/local school rankings are part of the evaluation process people with families consider when they buy a house I thought I would share 5 college admissions tips (I know college is not usually part of the home buying experience) you could share with your clients or anyone else who has a high school student.

1) Make friends with teachers

Your HS student doesn't have to sit with them at lunch, but remember that at least two of their teachers will be writing college recommendations. Remind them to forge good relationships-stay active in class discussions and keep them posted on extracurricular activities and achievements. The better they know your student, the more praise they can bestow.

2) Study the schools
The best college applicants know details about their top choices college including:

the name of the library
where students hang out for coffee after class
a star professor they'd love to take a class with

Go beyond the basics of class size and location and find out what makes their top choice school special. The extra effort will shine through in their applications.

3) Ace those standardized tests
Schedule standardized tests (take them twice, if your student can), and make sure they study up! Now that school's back in session and they got all that sunbathing out of their system, they'll be able to motivate themselves to go through those practice tests and vocab cards.

4) Manage your time
Winning essays weren't written in a weekend: brainstorming, drafting, editing, and sharing their work can take months. Have them leave plenty of time to work on essays, even if it means TIVO-ing a few season premieres. A fat envelope in the spring will be worth it.

5) Challenge yourself
If they love science, encourage them to take the hardest science classes offered at school. If writing is their thing, they might want to freelance for a local newspaper. Have them go above and beyond; show admissions offices their not afraid to be passionate and take risks. That's one life lesson that won't just help them get into college, but get them through life.

What other tips would you share with those seeking college admissions?

You Know Your Doing Your Job When...

Tue, 26 Aug 2008 16:48:15 -0500

A week ago, I wrote about a success we had connecting with a potential client on LinkedIn. We followed up to make sure this person had a great experience. Yesterday, she emailed me to thank me for my help and to share the news that she is now formally a client.

Here is part of her note:

"...I am excited to have this opportunity and I wanted to take the time (a little late, but still sincere) to say thanks for making it happen."

How often do your clients send you a note like this?

The old axiom 'that people do business with people they like' must be true. The added lesson here is that people do business with people who care.

Yes, we went beyond 'the call of duty,' but this client took the time to reach out and connect. Would every employee here do the same thing? I would like to think so, but I realize that might not be the case, which is the reason for this posting (this story will be circulated around the office). Everyone needs to be reminded that 'going the extra mile' does pay off.

So have you done your 'job' today, or did you go beyond your expected role?

Radio Interview with Mike Siegel

Mon, 25 Aug 2008 20:11:15 -0500

Mike Siegel does a talk radio show in the Seattle area on radio stations KITZ and KGTK (sorry I don't have the exact 'number on the dial'). It is also available on www.kitz1400.com in case anyone wants to hear it streaming. Mike and I have been talking on and off for a few months about how he can provide his listeners with Trump University content. Well, tomorrow Mike is interviewing James Harris one of our top real estate investing instructors who happens to be in the area conducting free real estate trainings.

I don't know when this interview will air but when I get more info I will post a comment to this blog with the details.It is always exciting to see one of our instructors share their knowledge with others but this time the information has the potential to reach and impact many more people.

If you live in the Seattle area and know Mike Siegel's show let me know what you think once you hear the interview. Thanks.

My Social "Media" Life is Really Taking Off

Tue, 19 Aug 2008 17:05:57 -0500

Last week was great! There were 5 highlights that made my week! Each is related to social media and search marketing (SEO). It felt as if a lot of hard work was really starting to pay off. Let's start with the #1 highlight of my week:

1 - Google Search
Friday I get a call from a woman who mentioned that she found my phone number after searching Google for Trump and Tax Liens. I have been working on my own personal SEO for a while now, but never thought I would be part of a result for Trump and Tax Lien. For all those who say SEO is not worth the time or money I say think again. After directing this woman to the correct person she learned about some of our other training (she had no idea existed) and is probably going to enroll in a program.

2 - WSJ and SEO
We posted a blog to the Trump blog titled Accidental Landlord-How Does It Happen?. Based on an SEO recommendation we changed the original title. Wouldn't you know it but the next day the WSJ ran an article with almost the exactly same title. How is that for timing?

3 - LinkedIn and Trump U Client
As much as I enjoy social media connections I do try to consider the connection request before accepting a new connection. To me it is not about how many "friends" I have but the quality and usefulness of the connection. Last week one of our clients sent me a request. I didn't know who they were but they took the time to explain who they were, why they wanted to connect, how they found me etc. I accepted the connection and started a dialog. This student was attending a training in San Francisco so I reached out to the instructor and asked that they make a connection. This student was very happy to receive the extra attention and sent me a follow up note with valuable feedback about her training. This once again proved that social media does have a business purpose.

4 - Found New Resources
Twitter is another social media site I have been using. Based on some of the relationships I formed by following and reading content I hired one of my "social media friends" to help us with a few projects and have been exploring and talking to a few others. Social media does work if you contribute interesting and useful content.

5 - Active Rain and Blog Commenting
Just last week one of our clients who uses AR posted a blog and mentioned our training. I of course took the opportunity to comment back and initiated a dialog. The client then responded back. A perfect example of successful relationship marketing using social media.

Big Take Away (in case it wasn't clear)
Participate in social media. The time spent will help grow your business and build your reputation.

Do you have any social media success stories you want to share?

The Price of Gas and Postage Stamps

Thu, 14 Aug 2008 13:54:42 -0500

What does the price of gas have in common with the price of postage stamps?

Not much, but when the price of gas goes up $.01 it costs the post office around one million dollars.

What does this mean for direct marketers? Well, since we can't control the price of gas we need to prepare ourselves for a postage increase next year. Another increase is expected in May 2009, with the amount to be announced in February. Don't worry just yet...any increase will be limited to the rate of inflation.

The US Postal Service recently posted a $1.1 Billion loss for their 3rd quarter. A portion of this loss was blamed on higher fuel prices along with a number of other reasons having to do with mail volumes and the economy. You tell me will we pay more to mail a postcard next year?

If you use direct mail to market your business you should keep mailing (assuming you generate a positive ROI on your efforts) and start thinking about how another increase will impact your marketing efforts. How can you reorganize your marketing plans to maintain your current mail volumes? What other marketing channels produce an acceptable ROI?

Let me know what you're planning to do if the price of postage goes up again.

Why Did They Do That

Wed, 06 Aug 2008 19:57:28 -0500

The house behind mine was torn down and is in the process of being rebuilt. Forget the extra large house being put up that doesn't concern me at all but the owners yesterday cut down about 50 feet worth of trees (the property is 210 deep) which were each 50 ft+ tall.

Call me what you will but the site of seeing the land next to your home basically deforested is sad. Especially in today's environmentally friendly climate I would have thought that town's had rules about cutting down trees. The owners barely left a signal tree standing and they are not done yet. The trees still standing have red 'X' marks sprayed across the tree trunks. Trees require almost zero maintenance and have many benefits. Why cut them down? We bought our home because as the previous owners said it was 'tree beautiful'.

My guess is they are going to put in some sort of pool or sports court. To each their own I guess.

I think I will plant a tree in their honor when they move in as a welcoming gift...

Secrets to Online Success

Tue, 05 Aug 2008 15:29:25 -0500

Melissa Campanelli, Editor-in-Chief of eM+C Magazine recently interviewed me about Trump University's secret to online success. We covered a number of interesting topics including multivariate testing, behavior targeting and social media. You can read the interview online. If you are marketing your products or services online it is worth checking out their site and considering a subscription.

I am happy to answer any AR member's questions about anything covered in the interview just leave me a comment and I will do my best to respond.

Enjoy.

Real Estate Leads

Thu, 31 Jul 2008 14:28:27 -0500

Every sales person I know wants more leads. Unfortunately, the number of leads is only half of the equation. The number to focus on is your conversion rate. Of course, the quality of the leads is important and sales teams often use poor quality as an excuse to explain for their lack of sales. Most of the time these sales people are in the wrong job and don't realize it. These folks just want to take orders and have the sales come to them. We use the term 'sales leads’ for a reason. A sales person needs to 'lead’ the prospect to buy.

A friend of mine pointed out the movie/play Glen Gary Glen Ross and this one scene about “what it means to be a real estate salesman”. It was written by a playwright named David Mamet and hit Broadway in 1984 and won the Pulitzer Prize and a Tony. It starred Jack Lemon, Alan Arkin, Kevin Spacey, Ed Harris, Al Pacino, and a ton of others. This play was later turned into a film with this scene written specifically for Alec Baldwin. This scene is taught in acting schools across the country as an example of how to properly perform a monologue. Funny enough it is also used in a lot of sales training along with Hard Ball Selling techniques. Many companies are against this style of forced selling but it is still a great scene and makes you appreciate every lead you have. It has some vulgarity so if that makes you uncomfortable don’t watch. It’s pretty intense. If you haven’t seen it, enjoy.

Have you done everything you can to sell to your leads?

The Marketing Process Gone Awry

Tue, 29 Jul 2008 17:07:06 -0500

How many people have a say in your marketing plans? Your creative? Your strategy?

For a great example of how a simple idea can get messed up by having too many people providing creative direction without clear goals and objectives take a few minutes and watch this video.

Everyone can be a marketing expert (they probably are not) but everyone should not have a say in your marketing. Keep it simple and on point and you will see the return on your efforts.

Enjoy the video.

Get Rich Quick Books

Wed, 25 Jun 2008 22:17:20 -0500

At Trump University we have done our share of book marketing but today a book ad caught my eye. Felix Dennis (founder of Maxim magazine) has a new book out titled How To Get Rich. The title just comes right out and says what the book is all about. The ad’s headline is You’ll Never Get Rich Working For Your Boss. Who wouldn’t stop and read that ad? It is very direct and to the point and hits at the heart of the subject matter. This book like so many of the others in the wealth creation industry shares the author’s secrets on how he made his fortune.

It doesn't take a long trip to the book store to figure out that there are a good number of 'get rich books' and many of them share useful information. Most discuss investing in real estate as a means to getting rich (which has been proven to create wealth). Do you think these books help or hinder the real estate industry? Do you think people need more training before getting involved in real estate investing?

Break Your Routine

Mon, 23 Jun 2008 21:58:39 -0500

A good friend of mine Andrea Nierenberg is a professional networker. She has written a number of books on the subject and just the other day I started to read her latest book Savvy Networking 118 Fast and Effective Tips for Business Success. This book is for anyone who needs to grow their business, market themselves, get clients, sell anything or who just want to build a great network etc.

The book is structured so that you can basically read from any page and get something out of it. Well item # 26 ‘Change Your Scenery’ was the one I picked today. The point is that we all need to get out of routines and do something different to meet some new people or have new experiences. Thinking about it I realized that I get energized when I get out of the office and break my daily routine. Even going to an industry conference is a great way to get the creative thoughts going again.

I know there are a few AR members who know Andrea and they would probably agree that if you need a spark of inspiration you should pick up one of Andrea’s books.

Now go out and change your routine...

Testing Pays Off

Tue, 17 Jun 2008 08:52:27 -0500

Over at Trump University we have been running a multivariate test on one of our landing pages. The final results are not in but some of the initial findings are worth sharing. Here are a few key areas most businesses could probably benefit from when building out web pages or writing sales copy.

The most important element in terms of increasing conversion is to present copy in bullet points (or some similar format). Basically people don't want to read. People like to get bite size chunks of information. Bullet points are easy to scan, read and remember.

Be very direct with your call to action buttons. If you want someone to register then say 'register now' not submit, go, next etc.

Changing some of these elements has helped improve our conversion rate by up to 50% in some cases.

Note: These results are based on our user and test data and might differ for your business.

Have you tested copy formats or button copy?

If All Business Was This Easy

Mon, 16 Jun 2008 21:59:11 -0500

A friend of mine sent this video of the lemonade business my way. If only starting, running and marketing a business was this easy and stress free.

I guess everything you need to know you learned in kindergarten is true....

Enjoy

Tax Lien Investing

Wed, 11 Jun 2008 17:00:06 -0500

I have to admit I personally don't know a lot about Tax Liens but from everyone I speak with here it seems to be a great way to get involved in real estate investing. Many of our clients have requested that we offer a class on Tax Liens and today we launched a new program to deliver on this request. The Tax Lien program is going to be part of our Wealth Building Weekends live events.

To get a bit more info on the topic I asked our experts why investing in tax liens a good idea?

They answered with just a few of the benefits:

The maximum rate of return on a tax lien can be much higher other investments (such as stocks). For example, the state of Florida offers a maximum rate of 18% (1.5% per month), while Arizona offers a maximum rate of 16%. In Iowa, a rate of 2% per month (or 24% annual return) is guaranteed.
Because bidding is a usual practice in investing in tax liens, the states often provide incentives to promote bidding. For example, Florida law guarantees a 5% minimum return regardless of the rate bid (except if the bid is zero percent) or when the lien is redeemed.
And if you’re worried about collecting on your tax lien investment - if you’re afraid of having to wait for the bank to foreclose on the property on which you hold a lien, the majority of tax liens are redeemed before the property is foreclosed.

So what are your thoughts on the world of tax lien investments?

Create an LLC

Sun, 08 Jun 2008 15:23:10 -0500

The last few weeks have been very busy over at Trump University. We have been working on about 5 new product launches. On Friday the first of our new products was released. We will now help our clients set up their legal entity to protect their business and assets. All business owners should set up a corporate entity or they risk lawsuits, increased taxes and missing out on available deductions.

Here are some of the things our team of legal professionals now do for our clients when we set up an LLC:

Perform your name availability search
Draft your company’s Articles of Organization
File all necessary articles with your Secretary of State's Office
Pay the required fee to your Secretary of State’s Office (this fee is not included in the LLC Formation package as it varies by state)
Receive file-marked copies from the Secretary of State.
Obtain the Employer Identification Number (your tax ID) for the LLC
If necessary, arrange for Registered Agent services for the LLC
Draft the Operating Agreement for the LLC
Draft all other LLC documents including Certificate of Authorization to open a bank account on behalf of the LLC, minutes of initial meeting of members, minutes of annual meeting of members, minutes of annual meeting of managers, etc.
Answer your questions via email
Ship your Articles of Organization, EIN Number, Operating Agreement, and all other documents in an LLC Binder.

Stay tuned for our next set of product releases.

The top 5% Income Producers

Wed, 04 Jun 2008 20:53:07 -0500

Everyone wants to be at the top of their game, gain industry recognition etc. Well I just met with one of our real estate instructor/investors James Harris. James was talking to me about how real estate professionals have a unique opportunity and advantage to profit in the current real estate market. He believes everyone in the industry can double their income with the right knowledge. Sellilng more homes is one way and investing is another.

Since you are reading this on AR you probably know that because of the Internet, 87% of all home buyers and sellers now find their agent online? Meanwhile, the vast majority of agents who don't understand Internet marketing are starving for business - especially in this slow housing market. The old 80/20 rule that says 20% of the agents do 80% of the business is changing. Now, it's 5% of the agents are making 95% of the money - and even in this market, they are profitting.

What do you think? Do real estate professional have an advantage to make more money today by investing in real estate?

Trump U Turns 3

Fri, 23 May 2008 12:17:36 -0500

Today is Trump University’s three year anniversary. Three years ago the Trump U. site went live and the doors opened for business with a few online and audio products. Today we continue to expand our offerings to meet our client's needs and requests for new content and delivery methods. In the last year we launched a series of live events and innovative real estate investment trainings to keep up with our client's investment and educational goals.

To help celebrate our anniversary we are offering 20% off all apparel, online courses and home study products. Just visit our store, select your items and proceed to checkout. Then enter coupon code ‘3YEARS’ during the check out process (sorry but the coupon will expire on June 15th).

Now let’s take a quick look forward. We have a few new exciting product launches planned for the next few months including topics covering: Tax Liens, Commercial Real Estate, and Entrepreneurship. Look for more info on the Trump site as each product becomes available.

Mark your calendar now so next year you can send Mr. Trump Anniversary wishes in advance.

Thanks again for your continued support.

Get A Job

Thu, 15 May 2008 11:36:22 -0500

If you are like me than you were trained at a young age to go to school and then to get a job at some large company. Well like most of you I now know that the path to independence does not follow the road of getting a job at some large company.

Yesterday I saw a large number of NYU graduates leaving their commencement ceremony and I realized that thousands of young adults are graduating now and will probably start the search for a job. It reminded me of when I finished school. If only I knew then what I know now...

Why don't schools teach more students how to get out there and start a business? Show them how to develop an idea, build a business plan or show them other paths to entrepreneurship?

Well since I can't change the US educational system single handily I thought I would at least do what I can to help our newest group of young job seekers achieve their short term goals.

The following 3 audio courses are all $10 when the coupon code Audio10 is entered during check out from the Trump site.

Get Your Dream Job

Play to Win

Start Right

Good luck and let me know what you think about working for 'the man' or being an entrepreneur.

Afraid to Buy a Home

Mon, 12 May 2008 12:55:02 -0500

Donald Trump posted a blog today about the current housing market. I thought I would share it here and see what the AR community thought about his point of view.

From Donald Trump's blog:

It’s hardly a surprise but in the midst of today’s terrible economy and the nation’s housing crisis, the majority of Americans say they don’t plan to buy a home anytime soon.

In fact, more than a quarter of homeowners worry that their home will lose value over the next couple of years, and one in seven mortgage holders are afraid that they won’t be able to make their monthly payments in time over the next six months.

People are worried that housing prices will continue to fall which is good news if you want to buy but obviously terrible if you have a house to sell.

In addition, we have record-high foreclosure rates and an estimated 9 million homeowners actually owe more on their homes than they are actually worth. If you’re in that situation, the best thing you can do is to sit tight if you can and try to weather out the storm.

If you’re one of the fortunate few who is looking to buy, you could hardly be in a better position. Shop around, find a house and make an offer. Chances are, any good deal will get accepted and if you have decent credit you should be able to get financing.

I think the housing market is going to get better and it’s going to get better fairly quickly. The market is depressed and that’s when you want to go in. So if you have the money, now’s when you want to go out and buy.

But that’s just my opinion. After all, what does Donald Trump know about real estate!

Coming to Chicago

Thu, 08 May 2008 16:11:20 -0500

The Trump U. live event team is going to be in the Chicago area this weekend with a special Real Estate Training. If you are in the area and want to learn how you can become a peak performer and make more money in today's real estate market I invite and encourage you to attend this free event:

Get all the details and register for:

Chicago Foreclosure Seminar

Who should attend:

Real Estate Brokers and Agents
Mortgage Brokers and Lenders
Financial Planners
Professional involved in real estate related businesses
and anyone who wants to learn how to make money in real estate today

After the training you have the opportunity to meet other like-minded professionals and potential clients.

If you can't attend this training or if you live in another part of the country please check the site for a full listing of Real Estate Seminars.

If you would like us to run an event in your area please post a comment with your location requests and I will pass along your request to to the team.

600 dollar tax rebate

Mon, 28 Apr 2008 11:53:39 -0500

So, today is the day that the first of the 600 dollar tax rebate checks start rolling out (direct deposits go first then physical checks start in another week or so). The goal of this stimulus package is to help our economy. This morning I was listening to people being interviewed on the radio about how they plan to spend the money and it doesn't sound too good for our economy. Most said they were going to pay rent, buy food, pay utilities etc no one mentioned buying goods or services. So I guess we will see how this rebate helps our economy. As a marketer I thought this was a great time for retailers to create a 600 dollar marketing plan. I imagine we will start to see lots of promotions from retails on how consumers can use the money and save at their stores or on their services.

What do you think? Will consumers spend the 600 dollar tax rebate or use it to pay off current bills?

1st Time Home buyers in Today's Real Estate Market

Tue, 15 Apr 2008 15:09:21 -0500

Today on the Trump Blog Brett Carmen had a post that I thought the AR community would find interesting. He wrote about why The Real Estate Market is Perfect for 1st Time Home buyers. His main points are:

If you are a person with decent credit and provable income, you can still take advantage of the low interest rates and low down payment programs.

In addition to excellent interest rates, another portion of the equation is inventory. Right now in America you have plenty of choices from which to select. Using simple economics, a high supply with a decreased demand (due to a smaller segment of our population being eligible to qualify), equals the downward pressure of home prices we are seeing virtually from coast to coast.

Lastly, we have an abundance of motivated sellers and banks. The asset managers of banks are being very generous in negotiating the sale of their foreclosed properties and the economic pinch many homeowners are feeling whether it be from job, adjustable rate maturity, or from their high debt accumulations, are creating a “just get rid of it” mentality which can create a win for a first time home buyers.

Investing in your first real estate property can be a bit intimating for most people but like many experiences once you get past doing it once it gets easier.

How do you work with first time home buyers and do you agree with Brett?

During an Economic Downturn Use Creative Marketing Ideas

Wed, 02 Apr 2008 13:33:00 -0500

Today on the Trump Blog Brett Carman wrote about Creative Marketing Ideas for Real Estate During an Economic Downturn. Read the full post for his complete point of view. Here are a few of the highlights I pulled from the post. Some interesting ideas. Not sure if some of these are viable and how they would play out but Brett seems to believe in them.

There is more to selling a home than posting the home on the local real estate association’s website and sticking a sign in the yard. You have to be different...STAND OUT in the crowd.

Look for creative real estate marketing tactics. Ways to make your clients properties look different and show better than the competition. Have you thought about how a $10,000 cash reward would impact someone’s decision to buy (all things being somewhat equal). What about gift certificates for a free cruise? The “net cost” of some of these promotions to the seller can be quite small and could produce big dividends.

Have your property professionally “staged” to show it at its best.

With difficulties in obtaining real estate financing for many people, you could act as the bank for a couple of years and owner-finance to help get your property to move (seek an attorney for proper documentation required by your state and federal government).

So have you ever used a creative method to get a house to sell quickly?

Exclusive Interview with Rohit Bhargava on Personality Not Included

Sun, 30 Mar 2008 21:56:52 -0500

A couple of weeks ago I was researching marketing blogs (more on that in another post) when I was directed to Rohit Bhargava’s Influential Marketing blog. I guess timing is everything since one of the first posts that caught my attention was about his new book Personality Not Included. He is forgoing traditional marketing to promote his book and instead issued a challenge to his readers which I accepted. He was looking for 50 bloggers to interview him via email and to post the interviews on their blogs. His marketing plan comes down to 50 blogs with 5 questions each to help spread the word about his book.

With the ‘pressure’ of his marketing plan’s success partially relying on my questions here is my interview with Rohit. I figured I would add a sixth question to my interview to give him a little extra help...

Josef: Your marketing this book using new media what goals have you set for book sales and how are you going to measure your marketing effort's success?

Rohit: The ultimate goal is to sell out all of my first editions so the publisher has to go back to print a second edition! The first edition run was about 19,000 and more than half have already been pre-sold to bookstores and online retailers so progress is great. I am very happy about where sales are and international distribution (including several translated versions that have just been approved and should be out later this year)

Josef: You have some great reviews from well known business people and authors. How did you manage to grab their attention to help you out?

Rohit: The interesting thing about doing research and getting authors and business people to help out is that they are all so accessible now with emails and commenting on their blogs. It's a brilliant use of time now, because you can be so much more effective with who you reach out to. Thankfully, I also had a unique idea for a book which several of the reviewers were quite intrigued by.

Josef: At Trump University we work with entrepreneurs and small business owners; how do you see this book helping smaller business grow and market themselves?

Rohit: I think this book fits perfectly into that role - what do I have to do to get it included in the syllabus for a marketing class? ;-) Actually, small business was a key audience that the book was written for, because part of the concept is finding ways to stand out ahead of a competitor, even if they may be far bigger.

Josef: You refer to a "marketing backstory" which sounds intriguing. Can you elaborate on what this means and how a company develops their story?

Rohit: Yes, the marketing backstory is essentially the foundation of the story that you tell about your brand. In the book, I outline five key models for types of stories you can use, and then how they can be put into action to tell the story of your own brand.

Josef: What advice do you have for companies that feel their 'target demographic' does not use social media?

Rohit: My first advice is to broaden your definition of social media. You may not think they read blogs, and you may be right, but do they read Amazon reviews? What about use Google? Of course they do ... and chances are they have come upon a form of social media and didn't even realize it. Of course, just launching a blog without a strategy would be equally foolish. The point with social media has to be to understand what your customers are really doing and then find the right way to use it.

Josef: So are all of us your contributing interviewers considered "accidental spokespeople"?

Rohit: I would love to say yes, however all of you haven't read the book yet, so I cannot really expect you to be spokespeople until then. After you do, I'll be taking applications! ;-)

OK so that is my interview with Rohit and I hope to continue our dialogue in the future. If you think I did a good job please visit the Influential Marketing blog on Monday and vote for my interview.

If you are interested in learning more download the book’s intro.