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Online Marketing Mentors to Follow on Quora

July 12, 2013 by Guest Author Leave a Comment

By Jessy Troy

Marketing has always been a core necessity of the successful business. But as the Internet has become the primary form of shopping for most people, the need to market in a web-specific fashion has increased. While the old and new way are similar, there are differences that have to be accounted for. Not to mention principles that are completely separate that have to be learned and utilized.

Quora is one of the best professional networks on the web. It is full of experts who really know their way around the online marketing field. Since Quora is, by nature, a Q&A site, it is a great idea to follow some of these experts. But who are the best?

That point could be argued, and everyone has their own opinion on who the true experts are. This is my personal list of must-follow Quora profiles in the world of online marketing.

Michael Lazerow

Michael Lazerow on Quora

You might not have heard his name, but you have probably come across his companies (of which he has had several) more than once. His first venture, University Wire, was a network of more than 700 university newspapers that were bought out by CBS. GOLF was bought out by Time Inc., and he has worked for big names like Saving Star. He doesn’t always update, but his answers are always worth reading.

Peter Hershberg

Peter Hershberg on Quora

Specializing in online advertising/marketing, Peter Hershberg is a powerhouse who funded many startups in his day. He is currently a successful angel investor, business owner, company adviser and a handful of other impressive titles that all trnaslate to him knowing his stuff. His answers are always incredibly informative and in depth.

Robert Scoble

Robert Scoble on Quora

Perhaps best known for his time at Microsoft, he is now the startup liason officer at Rackspace. He is also a video blogger, text blogger and technology genius. His Quora profile is well used, and he answers questions all the time. This includes online marketing, of which he is well versed on both a professional and personal brand level. This is one of the must-follow people for anyone interested in either marketing, or technology as a whole. There is a reason this guy is a celebrity in the tech geek world.

Gayle Laakmann McDowell

Gayle Laakmann McDowell

Less an expert in online marketing on a business level, Gayle is more of a personal branding and self-marketing guru. She teaching people how to deal with branding themselves on a busy and crowded market, including selling yourself in an interview. She also answers questions unrelated to the field, and is just a personable and interesting person. Well worth following for both her advice and her personal stories about her life, she balances information and experience well.

Joshua Stylman

Joshua Stylman on Quora

A business owner and angel investor, Joshua Stylman doesn’t answer very often. But his communications are always worth following, and he is just a good guy to have on your network. Experienced, successful and an overall down-to-earth guy, he has a simple way of thinking that still holds enough personal experience and opinion to take you outside the box in your own thinking. He is also a habitual upvoter on other people’s answers, and a proud New Yorker. What’s not to like?

Mitch Joel

Mitch Joel on Quora

President of Twist Image, a company dedicated to digital marketing, Mitch Joel is one of Canada’s most influential social media users. He knows all about leveraging the web for marketing, and he is more than happy to share that expertise. He is one who is worth following of various social media sites, as he is more active on places like Twitter than he is on Quora. But keeping an eye on his answers is also a good idea. If you want a good read, check out his Six Pixels of Separation. It is part of what has made him such a beloved marketing guru, and launched him into industry stardom.

Do you know of anyone who belongs on this list? Who do you follow on Quora for online marketing advice? There are plenty to choose from. Let us know in the comments.

Author’s Bio: Jessy Troy is the self-made marketer blogging for VIP Realty, privately-owned business based business in Dallas. You can follow Jessy on Twitter as @jessytroy.

Filed Under: Community, Marketing /Sales / Social Media, Successful Blog Tagged With: bc, marketers, Mentors, Quora

The Power of a Mentor

April 5, 2012 by Rosemary 2 Comments

by
Rosemary O’Neill

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The GPO Style Manual was my Bible. But technical writing for a Federal Government contractor was slowly sucking the soul out of me. I’m not knocking it in general, but it really wasn’t for me.

Then one day, my supervisor called me into her office, and there sat a red-faced, genial guy with an easy laugh. His name was Dave Denne, and he changed the course of my life for the next 10 years. He was looking to recruit someone to join his marketing team, and he thought I might have the right stuff. My supervisor was dubious, but for some reason Dave believed in me. He persuaded her to let me jump ship, and I literally leapt at the chance.

Over the next several years, he taught me everything he knew about corporate marketing, networking, business communications, and specifically Federal proposals. I’ll never know why he came and plucked me out of the Flood Insurance Project, but it changed everything for me.

I share this story because often we don’t realize why certain people or opportunities are placed in front of us. The universe sends us messages all the time, and we simply need to be in receptive mode to tap into them. Are you in receptive mode right now?

I found out the other day that Dave passed away several years ago; he and I had finally fallen out of touch, but I will always be grateful for his invitation to start another path. He left me with the ability to walk up to a group of strangers at an event with confidence, and an amazing recipe for barbecue beans.

Perhaps we all need mentors for a certain time and place. Do you have a mentor right now? Who is giving you an invitation to a new path?

_____

Author’s Bio: Rosemary O’Neill is an insightful spirit who works for social strata — a top ten company to work for on the Internet . Check out their blog. You can find her on Google+ and on Twitter as @rhogroupee
_____

Filed Under: Business Life, Motivation, Successful Blog Tagged With: bc, LinkedIn, management, Mentors, Rosemary O'Neill

5 Mentors Everyone Needs

March 3, 2011 by patty 11 Comments

by Patty Azzarello

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Rockclimber

Building your career without mentors is like climbing Mt. Everest without a guide and a Sherpa.  Sure, you can attempt it but why would you?

Mentors can have a bigger impact on your success than virtually anything outside your own efforts.

If you rely on your personal talents and energy alone, you are at an extreme disadvantage to those that get help.

We all need mentors that help with:

1. Imagination
2. Reality
3. Connections
4. Learning

1. Imagination

Where do you get your ideas? Who challenges your thinking in a positive way? Big imagination is required to do your job in a stand-out way. What fuels your imagination?

Most of my biggest successes have started from other people’s ideas, challenges or inspiration. Whether it’s how you solve problems, or create new opportunities, you can’t do it if you never think of it!

Mentors can help a lot, because they typically have a very different perspective.

To fuel your imagination, look for mentors who:

  • Are 2-3 phases ahead of you in the maturity of how your job function is done.  This can be in a bigger company or a more established business or product line. It’s critical to realize what is possible.
  • Work at an order of magnitude bigger scope or geography – learn processes and techniques they use that help them do a bigger job, so you can apply those as your business grows.  Learning things from a much smaller company can also be really useful.
  • Do your job in different industries – a Ford employee got the idea for the assembly line by visiting a butchery.  Seeing how other industries solve the same problems can help you see completely different ways of doing things which are huge innovations when applied in your world.

2. Reality

It’s easy to get so tied up in what you are doing, that you can lose sight of the reality of changing attidudes, business conditions, or market landscape.? ?So look for mentors who are:

  • 10-15 years older and way ahead of you career-wise – they can help you see the things you are not seeing, navigate the land mines, work through unspoken rules, and point out opportunities to change the game that you might not see on your own.
  • In their 20’s and are a master at the web and social networking – you need keep up with how the world is communicating.  Don’t get left in the dark ages of email.  Know how to share information and engage your customers.
  • Talented business people in other functions – you get ideas not only for general leadership techniques, but “man on the street” insights about how  people in other areas view what makes your function successful.

3. Connections

Look for mentors who are In the job you aspire to.  It is important to really learn about the job you want before you go for it.  Having a mentor in that role can expose you to the real requirements, so you can practice thinking about it, or maybe even take on some projects to get real experience.

They also give you acccess to jobs like theirs when they come up, because being in that role, they get asked who to consider – and they think of you!
Also,

You are most vulnerable when you are not connected. You have less ability to execute if you do not have a strong network. Sure, you need to be building your personal network directly, but mentors can expand your personal and professional network exponentially; not just in terms of size but of usefulness.

4. Learning

Finally, you can’t have too many smart people in your life.

Spending time with people you learn from is a big part of creating success.

What are your personal learning goals? What learning agendas do you have for your organization? What do you want to be better at next year than you are now? How do you plan to get there?

Whenever you find someone you can learn from, create a reason to spend time with them.  Learn what they think. Bring them into your staff meetings as special guest stars.

Getting Mentors

Don’t get hung up on the term “mentor”.  Just buying a coffee for someone you can learn from, and getting the benefit of their time is the important part.

However, if you can formalize it to the extent that you both acknowledge that they care about your success over time, the benefits multiply. So, when you come across a relationship with a potential mentor that sparks, close the deal!? ?Check list:

Do you have your 5 mentors??
1.   Someone in the job you aspire to?
2.   Someone doing your job at larger scope or maturity, or in a different industry
3.   A twenty-something, web 2.0 guru
4.   A master networker
5.   A career guide 15 years your senior

Useful Goals:

You should have a goal of adding at least one real mentor to your life every year, and learning stuff from one really smart person once a month. How do you connect with mentors? Leave your ideas in the comment box below!

—–
Patty Azzarello is an executive, author, speaker and CEO-advior. She works with executives where leadership and business challenges meet. Patty has held leadership roles in General Management, Marketing, Software Product Development and Sales, and has been successful in running large and small businesses. She writes at Patty Azzarello’s Business Leadership Blog. You’ll find her on Twitter as @PattyAzzarello

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Filed Under: management, Successful Blog Tagged With: bc, LinkedIn, Mentors, networking, Patty Azzarello

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