We were lucky to catch up with Michael Caroff recently and have shared our conversation below.

Michael, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Coming up with the idea is so exciting, but then comes the hard part – executing. Too often the media ignores the execution part and goes from idea to success, skipping over the nitty, gritty details of executing in the early days. We think that’s a disservice both to the entrepreneurs who built something amazing as well as the public who isn’t getting a realistic picture of what it takes to succeed. So, we’d really appreciate if you could open up about your execution story – how did you go from idea to execution?

This isn’t so much a case of an idea I had; it’s a case of an idea that slammed me in the head. Back in the mid ‘90s, I had just heard of the Internet when someone who was writing articles for signed a contract, not only to build this company’s website, but also to bring in business from the Internet.

Because everything was so new, nobody knew anything about marketing – least of all me! So I did the only thing I could think of, at the time: I began emailing people who had websites in a similar industry, and asking them if they would be willing to exchange links with us. It began with me doing it mornings, nights and weekends (when my business started, I still had a full-time job as a magazine publisher).

Eventually, I had a team of four people doing just that.

Fast forward a few years, and after Google exploded into the industry, it turned out that one of the most vital criteria for getting search engine position was to have links pointing to your website; something that we had been working on for years. This got me interested in how to work with search engines to drive relevant people to the site, and that is still going on today.

The techniques may have changed somewhat, but the goals remain the same.my magazine mentioned they needed a website.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

During the more than two decades in this business, our company has done virtually every kind of digital marketing. From email list management to advertising, we have done it. What we discovered, was that the two factors that seem to make the most difference were website design, and search engine optimization (both paid and organic).

Because of that, we have specialized in those two areas.

One of the advantages that has always served me well is my background as a writer and magazine editor. First, website design requires knowing how to communicate a message as clearly and easily as possible, while making it simple for the user to find what they want on your website. Magazine design principles apply extremely well in this format.

And as far as search engine optimization, the key factor was – and still is – well-written content. Because I have decades of experience as a writer, I was able to assemble and train a team of crack writers who not only know how to create content that appeals to search engine, but also to do that within a framework that is engaging to human readers. It’s a very specific and difficult discipline, but they excel at it.

Can you tell us about a time you’ve had to pivot?

My “hobby business” is being the guitar player and band leader for a Santana tribute band called Savor.

This is actually related to my interest in and skill at marketing. Here’s how that came about.

Back in my very early 20s, I was known as a “guitar player’s guitar player.“ I could write and perform really complex music. At that time, I had put together a killer band with some stellar musicians. One night, we were playing at a party in my college town of Santa Barbara. Halfway through the first song, I looked up. Here’s what I saw:

Four people (most probably guitar players) were standing in front of me, drooling. 196 people were shaking their heads going “what the heck is this?” That was a crossroads for me. I realized then and there that I could either play music that only resonated with me and a very small section of the population, or I could play music that had a broader appeal.

Luckily, I grew up hearing and loving all kinds of music. So I shifted my emphasis, and began to write and play music that was much more broadly appreciated.

The lesson I learned served me well in marketing. The point is, if you want to reach people, you have to be able to see the work you produce in the way that your audience perceives it. This is difficult for most people to do (including me, at times) but if you can manage it, you will find great success in marketing.

Fronting the Santana tribute band is the musical version of this lesson. After learning his songs so intimately, I got a deep understanding of what it is he does that appeals to so many people.

Let’s talk about resilience next – do you have a story you can share with us?

While I have always been good at marketing other people, I’m not nearly so adept at marketing myself and my company. In the mid 2000s, most of my business was based on one client. We had a long, fruitful relationship; but eventually it came to an end.

From never worrying about bringing in new clients, to depending on it completely, was a very rude awakening. It took several years, but by learning how to market myself in a way that felt comfortable to me and fit my personality, I was able to achieve it.

The latest step in this process took place several years ago, when my marketing Director called me up and said “can we do the same kind of website for us, as we do for our clients?” Talk about a forehead-smacking moment! ;)

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.caroff.com/
• Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/CaroffCommunications
• Linkedin: http://www.linkedin.com/company/2349659
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/c/Caroff
• Other: YouTube for band: https://www.youtube.com/user/SantanaTribute