Think Tank Live! Topic:

Opt In and Go Social – Social Media Optimization
Connecting SEO Strategies with Social Media for Results

Hi Ryan, please describe your approach to internet marketing:
I believe that an integrated approach is the best way to leverage the internet for marketing. People get fixated on the latest and greatest technique, but building a truly successful marketing campaign usually requires executing a variety of tactics simultaneously.

Tell why it is important to you to be a part of IM Think Tank.
Online marketing is a new and rapidly evolving field and there isn’t a playbook. I can’t think of a solvent business owner who doesn’t want to understand how to leverage the internet. Learning from experts who are in the trenches is the only way to learn about this industry. IM Think Tank has put together a great group of high-caliber professionals. I’m happy to share my knowledge, but I’m just as excited to be learning from other people who are at the top of their game.

What is your pet peeve about the industry?
I hate top ten lists.
What are you excited to see come about in the future of integrated marketing?
We are at the very beginning of the most significant transformation of communication in the history of humankind, which is changing the entire business landscape. This is destroying a lot of companies and industries, but it is creating enormous opportunities.

Wow, that sounds pretty dramatic, but how is marketing changing?
Ok, maybe I was being a little dramatic. But I do believe that this change is a big deal. With the democratization of media, the distribution channels of information are not so top-down any more. People can be a consumer of information one minute, a publisher the next minute and a critic the next minute. This makes communicating a message, especially a marketing message, a lot more complex.

A company message isn’t mindlessly absorbed by the masses as much any more. A marketing message can now be ignored, ridiculed, changed or spread by the masses. Companies now need to understand how to harness this dynamic process.

Recommend a website related to business on the internet:
I’m a big fan of Twitter. Sure it can be a huge waste of time, but it doesn’t have to be. It is the only place I know where you can learn, network and promote all in one place. You can learn from the smartest people out there, network with people all over the world and build an audience.

What makes Rand Media Group stand out from all of the rest?
We don’t have salespeople and we aren’t trying to push a one-size-fits-all solution. If we can help a company then we’ll work together. If not, we’ll point them in the right direction. We turn down a lot of business, but we have great clients who refer us other great clients.

Any tips for people just getting started?
Stop looking for shortcuts. Some aspects of online marketing can be technical and people think there is a super secret computer code that will gain them riches. I think people get brainwashed by seeing too many “automated wealth-generating systems” videos on Youtube. They think that if they just discover this one secret trick, they will have it made. It doesn’t exist. Stop looking for it. Successful marketing requires thought, work, patience and usually money.

What is your motto?
To do extraordinary things, you have to do extraordinary things.

What is the best restaurant in your favorite city?
Pequod’s Pizza, Chicago IL

What inspires you creatively?
The shower.

You can find Ryan at www.RandMediaGroup.com or reach out at
Twitter: @ryanevans