I would like to thank Chris Madden from Matchnode for taking time for this interview out of his schedule. Getting the latest and a bunch of tips about social media once again have been very helpful in guiding me.
So first of all, what is Matchnode?
Matchnode helps your (local or global) business find customers on the Internet. We start by learning your business as far as what your goals are, what you have tried or are already doing marketing-wise, and implementing a digital strategy to further those goals. If part of your goal is to grow your business and getting more customers, we often can use our digital tools to increase the traffic and drive more sales, reach, whatever your goal or conversion may be.
How often do you use technology?
Everyday, every hour, I / we have to enforce breaks from the screens so it is not every minute!
Commercially speaking, where is the incentive for people to use social media?
If your business has a solid foundation and therefore a message that already resonates with a core group of customers, then social media and paid promotion through social channels are the best tools going for amplifying your message to more people similar to your customers, especially to your customers' network of friends, which is really low hanging fruit as they may have already heard about your business through word of mouth. A negative way to describe those people are customers who are falling through the cracks: they know of and are interested in your business, but they need to be found and offered a small nudge to become a customer.
What is the most important online activity in your experience?
Using it as a tool to facilitate those interpersonal connections and experiences that deepen life's meaning and enjoyment.
Do you think we can just keep up the trends? or do we have to find new ways to stand out?
Well, "keeping up" is a good choice of words relative to being a digital marketer, as we learn something new everyday (if you don't, that's a problem). However, sometimes "standing out" for us might mean offering a better sense of service or communication with a client or customer. Everyday we think and talk about balancing creativity in problem-solving with a more analytical approach to measuring and proving a concept with numbers.
What are your favorites places in Chicago that are online effective?
I use the internet as a tool to find the places, and then when there I find those businesses are most effective and enjoyable when I'm not looking at my phone! Some are: Piece Pizza, Roots, Village Yoga Chicago, Lincoln Hall, CIMMfest, Birchwood Kitchen, The Dailey Method, The Gage, Revolution Brewing, I could keep going...
Finally, if you could give one piece of advice to manage this social media area, what would it be?
Keep using it as a way to connect with people--good job!
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