Ilan Nassimi – Photo courtesy of Jill Sollazzo
Asked if he considered himself an entrepreneur or marketer first, young entrepreneur Ilan Nassimi replied, “I don’t know if you can separate entrepreneurship and marketing.” The founder of marketing agency Taktical comes from a family of entrepreneurs, but he didn’t start out as a marketer. “If it wasn’t this business, it would’ve been something else.”
It was something else years back when a friend came to Ilan with an idea to sell a limited custom jewelry line where pieces would only be available for one week. While working on starting the business, they knew that internet marketing would have to be a core aspect if they were to be successful. When Ilan received several quotes for monthly internet marketing services at $10,000, he decided to learn how to market an internet-based business himself. He quickly dove in head first and landed in a world of people who were trying to do the same thing – build businesses and make money by marketing over the internet.
He was soon approached by a family friend. “I see that you’re getting pretty good at this Internet marketing thing, you think you could help out with our family business?” They received an amazing price, as Ilan admitted that he knows he significantly undercharged at only $300, but it quickly turned into something much bigger. “A few months later I found myself in a position where I needed to open up an office.”
Taktical was born.
“Taktical is a team of dedicated, data-driven, passionate internet marketers who help companies navigate the plethora of marketing channels at their disposal in the digital space. Taktical provides its clients with an ‘expert only’ approach to their digital marketing, branding, and conversion potential.”
Taktical’s brand got national recognition when Ilan helped award winning mobile design and development company Fueled turn $2 million in revenue into $8 million in revenue in 12 months with a strong focus on online marketing.
Quantifiable Marketing
The impact of an outdoor billboard is hard to measure. Even with data on traffic and the impact of an image on someone’s though process won’t tell you how many people take an action after viewing an advertisement. “With Internet marketing, everything is so quantifiable.” Clicks per impression, actions taken on an ad, traffic coming from a referral source – it can all be monitored, and the data can be used to determine the effectiveness of a campaign.
Old Trends and New
The landscape of marketing is constantly changing. Even products like Facebook ads and sponsored posts on Twitter can change based on regulations and user preferences. Techniques that work on one platform may fail miserably on another. “Each social channel has its own personality.”
Future trends that Ilan sees as important include “the ability to understand the intention of the user as they walk past a store.”
“Digital marketing never ends. Tactics don’t end, they just lose their style for a little bit and come back in a different way.” As Ilan put it, “[Internet marketing] is a lifetime of learning.”
Marketing Forward: Advice for Young Entrepreneurs
No one can deny the impact a strong marketing campaign can have on a business or product. For new products, companies often spend millions advertising a new edition to their product line to gain market share and raise awareness among consumers. For young entrepreneurs working on startups, marketing often gets tossed to the side or is held off until the product is fully developed and ready to sell. “Everyone thinks that marketing is at the end of the chain. Market it, then design it and build it. Having a strategy of how you want to market something is stage 1.” Using this strategy can help determine demand, raise early awareness, and detect potential problems before spending additional time and money on a product or business that targeted customers don’t even want.
Q: What’s the biggest mistake you see young entrepreneurs and startups making when it comes to Internet marketing?
A: Not doing it. It’s the biggest mistake. I never understand it. They bet their whole lives on these startups sometimes. They get so excited, have a great idea, get funding, get designers and developers; they build this beautiful product and then they launch it – and nobody uses it because they didn’t market a thing.
Q: What’s your best overall piece of advice for current and aspiring entrepreneurs?
A: “Be comfortable with risk. I can’t even count how many times I’ve had moments where I thought it was all going to be over. Its gut wrenching and terrifying, but rewarding and fulfilling at the same time.”
Don’t bounce, search for more! Listen to the full interview with Ilan Nassimi below!
Additional Interview Highlights
– In response to waiting to market a product or service until it’s ready to go to market: “How can you build something if you don’t know what your audience wants?”
– Ilan’s thoughts on changing aspects of the start of the business if he could start over. “When you fall into something, you often find yourself rushing to get things started.”
– Why having a reliable and consistent pricing structure is important for any service-based business.
– “Don’t design your website without an SEO expert on board who can make sure your website is ready to go.”
Listen to the full interview here:
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