How Michael Stelzner Conquered Social Media (The Birth of Social Media Examiner)
Twitter is awesome! Recently I connected with Michael Stelzner, the founder of Social Media Examiner, and approached him about an interview. It is always interesting to find out the inspiration behind something, in this case I inquired about the company.
Michael Stelzner took the time to answer questions about Social Media Examiner, more specifically the concept behind the brand, competition, time management, consistency, guest blogging and more.
Get acquainted with Michael Stelzner and discover the benefits of using social media. Michael Stelzner created a comprehensive introductory guide to understanding Social Media.
First and foremost, would you mind sharing the concept behind Social Media Examiner?
Very simply we are a free online magazine designed to help marketers and business owners figure out how to use social media. We publish daily original content that empowers others to succeed with social media.
Your About page suggests that Social Media Examiner is the world's largest online social media magazine. What caused you to gravitate towards producing online content?
I was a blogger before starting Social Media Examiner. I saw the enormous and under-tapped opportunity to come out with a publication online--less costs, faster production and so on.
Would you mind sharing your work experience prior to establishing Social Media Examiner?
I wrote a book called Writing White Papers as was very well known in the writing and marketing space. That is how I got started with online content creation.
Social Media Examiner is recognized as one of the world's Top 10 business blogs. Do you pay attention to the competition?
I pay less attention to the competition and more attention to our ranking honestly. I could simply be that little bit of my competitive side coming out. Always want to try to be the best we can be :).
Your creativity is something that inspires me. You are an Author, a Podcaster, businessman, family man and more. How are you able to juggle multiple responsibilities without experiencing burning yourself out?
It's hard work. It requires real determination and organization to do all I do. But I love my job and my family and in some regards that makes it less like work. For the podcast I publish weekly and get to talk to great people. For the blog I have a rather large team behind me. And for the family I have a great wife and kids.
As I stated earlier, you are the host of a thriving podcast known as the Social Media Marketing Podcast. Describe the benefits of podcasting...
Podcasting provides an amazing way to connect with people that writing a blog post simply can't accomplish. So many folks are listening to these shows while driving or working out. And I think we are just at the beginning of the big explosion in podcasting.
How long did it take you to be comfortable hearing your own voice?
I have two degrees in speech communications so I've been working at this for a very long time :).
Have you ever thought about video blogging?
We used to have a video show (Social Media Examiner TV) but the production requirements were so huge and the viewers were so small that I decided podcasting would be a much better adventure. Less work and I can do them as I want.
Social Media Marketing World is an event?
Yes it is.
Social Media Examiner has more than 195,000 email subscribers and your website produces content daily. Explain the importance of consistency in regards to operating a successful business.
Content is what keeps people coming back to your watering hole. When you have a ton of folks (in our case about 700,000 a month) constantly visiting your place, that is the foundation for a thriving business.
I also noticed that your blog posts never stray from the overall vision of Social Media Examiner. Social Media Examiner also provides a platform for up and coming bloggers to submit content. Can you please share the importance of guest blogging?
Almost all of our content is produced by outside experts. If you are an expert, guest blogging is huge because it gives you instant exposure to a bigger audience and instant credibility in the eyes of their readers.
There are a lot of bloggers that struggle with finding their own identity. They emulate instead of innovate. Many bloggers do not have a clear vision. Would you mind sharing 3 tips that helped you find your own identity?
1. Write like you speak and your personality will come through.
2. Re-read your own stuff so you can make it better.
3. While emulation can be good in the beginning as a place to start, be true to yourself and make sure whatever writing style you end up with happens to be who you really are.
What bloggers inspire Mike Stelzner?
If I had time to read I'd have a good answer for this one :).
Mike Stelzner is passionate about...
I love my Lord. I love my family and I love my job.
Any final words?
Thanks!
Michael Stelzner (@Mike_Stelzner) is the founder of Social Media Examiner, author of the books Launch and Writing White Papers and the man behind large events, such as Social Media Marketing World and Social Media Success Summit. He is also host of the Social Media Marketing podcast show.
