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Interview: David Siteman Garland from The Rise to the Top

Tuesday, January 5th, 2010

David Siteman GarlandToday’s interview is with David Siteman Garland, CEO of The Rise to the Top.  David bills TRTTT as The #1 Non-Boring Resource for Marketing Like an Entreprenuer: Smarter, Faster, Cheaper.  His website is an awesome resource for anyone who is getting started or already in business.  He also hosts a weekly TV show on ABC.

I’ve spoken with David a few times via Twitter (@TheRiseToTheTop) and also met him at the November ‘edition’ of the St Louis Social Media Group.  He’s quite energetic and I enjoyed his presentation.

David, I know your business has been around for several years, what first spurred you to get involved with social media for your business?

Social media for me was a little bit of being in the right place at the right time. I was one of the first 5,000 members on Facebook because I happened to be in college at the time (back when it was called THE Facebook and only for college students) and my school, Washington University in St. Louis, was one of the first schools to be added to Facebook.

For me, it started as a way to communicate with my friends in school and quickly evolved to be encompass forming relationships with other, promoting my businesses and other people’s businesses.
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Posted in interviews, Marketing, Saint Louis, St Louis | 2 Responses »
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Interview: Greg Bussmann of Exec Business Products

Wednesday, December 30th, 2009

Exec Business Products is an independent, business to business office supplies company. We provide St. Louis businesses with everything from custom printing to hardware, and all the supplies in between. The company has been around for 30 years, me for half of that time. Exec has thrived in a competitive market by offering great service, prices as good or better than the chains, and free local delivery.

1. What first spurred you to get involved with social media for your business?

Well, the office supplies business is one that is rooted in old school methodology…from top to bottom, and as a result, I thought the sales process was a bit primitive…cold calling or canvassing door to door, trying to get your giant catalog in the hands of buyers, it works if you put enough numbers into the funnel, but it is also very hard to differentiate yourself from your competition…so I thought social media might present an opportunity to better leverage my sales efforts, since I am a small company, and get my message to more people than I could otherwise, in a way that the competition maybe had not caught on to yet.
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Posted in interviews, social media | 1 Response »
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Interview with Chris Reimer aka RizzoTees

Tuesday, December 22nd, 2009

As part of my continuing series on Saint Louis business people, this week I reach out to Chris Reimer, who most people know as @RizzoTees on Twitter.  He’s very active on the social media front, so most questions revolve around that.  Chris founded Rizzo Tees back in October 2007, and his website went live on October 30, 2008.  Chris is a one-man-show, designing and selling funny t-shirts out of his basement in South St. Louis.  And Chris wanted me to pass this on to you:  “I love you more than bacon – never forget!”

  1. Chris, thanks for taking a few minutes to answer my questions.  What first spurred you to get involved with social media for your business?
    Two things – I truly enjoy interacting with people, and a lack of money.
    First, people: I am obviously, at the base of it, nothing more than a new-age salesperson. I mean, in the interest of full disclosure, yes, I have a funny t shirt company, and I’d be psyched if you bought a shirt or two from me! For selfish, capitalistic reasons, Social Media is a great place for me to be. But beyond that, I love Click to continue »

Posted in interviews, Marketing, small business | 3 Responses »
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Interview with Russ Henneberry from Tiny & Mighty

Tuesday, December 15th, 2009

Russ HenneberryAs part of a new series, I’m going to be doing interviews with local (Saint Louis area) industry leaders that are using social media and other forms of SEM to increase their overall business revenue and objectives.  This week I’m interviewing Russ Henneberry, owner of Tiny Business, Mighty Profits.

Russ Henneberry writes and speaks about Content Marketing Strategy and how tiny businesses can make mighty profits using a personal computer, a little imagination and a few well-placed dollars.

  1. What first spurred you to get involved with social media for your business?
    I started a business in 2004 that was a massive failure. The most critical take-away from that failure was that I needed to be more connected to colleagues, customers, and prospects. I realized that going it alone was not a good strategy and that social media was a great way for me to grow my support network.
  2. Tell us about T&M’s online strategy. What online tools are you using now to grow your customer base?
    I use a WordPress blog as a hub from which to consistently broadcast valuable and timely content that would be beneficial to my market. I use video sharing sites (YouTube, etc), Email Marketing through aWeber, and social media sites like Twitter and Facebook.

    3. Click to continue »

Posted in interviews, local marketing, Marketing, Saint Louis | 4 Responses »
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