In an attempt to get to know Bill a little better prior to his presentation, we asked him some questions that we thought we’d share with you.

Elise Redlin-Cook: Bill, if you were stranded on a desert island and can only access three websites…which would you choose … and of course, why?

Bill Leake: Facebook. With Facebook, we don’t really need email, we can keep in touch with most people we care about, and with messaging/chat, have multiple form factors. Second, Wikipedia which will help me MacGyver anything I might need. And last, but not least, YouTube: Moving pictures are worth 10’s of thousands of words.

Elise: Great picks! What marketing trend do you consider as the next “big thing” that will change the way companies interact with their audiences/customers?

Bill: I’d say the next “big thing” is Internet Video blending into IP/TV

Elise: Quality content vs. the right content vehicle…which is more important?

Bill: The vehicle.  You can have a great horse buggy, or a phenomenal choo choo, but if everyone is doing the automobile thing, it doesn’t help for jack!

Elise: What’s the best advice you’ve ever been given? And, what’s the best advice you’ve given someone else?

Bill: With regards to work, I was once told “You need to leave this job, you’re starting to rot!” And the best advice I’ve given someone, also work-related, “You spend so much of your lifetime at work, if you’re not happy there, fix it or leave.”

Elise: Both excellent pieces advice. Now, probably a question on a lot of minds, is there such a thing as a “social media expert/guru”?

Bill: Nope. Well, there are plenty of self-described and self appointed ones.

Elise: Haha. I think many of us can agree with that. What was the last book you read or are currently reading?

Bill: I’m currently rereading Friedrich Hayek, “The Road to Serfdom”

Elise: Who are the three people (or companies, organizations, etc.) that everyone should be following on Twitter?

Bill: Me, @marketing_bill – I won’t tweet at you, Guy Kawasaki, @GuyKawasaki, See how the master of faux authenticity and automated systems does it. And of course something you actually are passionate about (there’s more to life than social media, but social media can help enhance the rest of your life).

Elise: How has social media helped/hindered your ability to create your own personal brand?

Bill: It has hindered me by creating a whole new set of time requirements and platforms to follow and has also made it harder to control the perceptions. But, it has helped me by, like a small town, forcing a bit more authenticity and through force multiplier potential.

Elise: What new skill set will be required of the next generation of marketers?

Bill: A combination of math and psychology

Elise: When you think of a company that is doing “it” right (“it” can be whatever you want “it” to be)…which one comes to mind?

Bill: Both Apple and Google, in their respective (but increasingly overlapping) spheres

If you’re interested in finding out more about Bill, and the answer to “Is Social Media a Waste of Money?” then you won’t have to wait long. Attend the AZIMA event tonight!

We are no longer selling presale tickets online, but you can still register at the door, which opens at 6:00PM. We will be serving a light dinner, and two drinks are included with the purchase of your ticket.

Tempe Mission Palms
60 East Fifth Street
Tempe, AZ. 85281
www.missionpalms.com
Complimentary Valet Parking for this event!
Price: At the door $55

We hope to see you there!

One of the core missions here at the Arizona Interactive Marketing Association is to help local marketing services firms, businesses, educational institutions and students improve their overall understanding and application of interactive marketing best practices. As an integral step in attaining this goal, AZIMA has created an Academic Outreach Program. The program will provide one or more scholarships to Arizona universities each year and participates in the development of curricula, events and research that help shape academic outputs and act as a catalyst for growing Arizona businesses. We will provide a conduit to internship opportunities for students, as well as jobs for recent graduates.  AZIMA’s VP of Academic Affairs, Jeff Walters has been working with ASU and has produced this useful document, AZIMA – Academic Outreach & ASU to assist anyone considering offering an internship position or hiring recent graduates from the school at their organization. Its full of helpful information, resources and contact information to help with this endeavor.

Additionally, at the recent AZIMA event our members and visitors had the pleasure of hearing from Kathleen Taylor with the Graduate Career Management Center of ASU. She discussed the Resume Book, Strategic Marketing and Services Leadership 2010 Candidates & 2011 Candidates. This book highlights the resumes of W. P. Carey MBA students specializing in Strategic Marketing and Services Leadership. These students will be graduating from the full-time MBA program in May 2010 and 2011, and seek full-time marketing positions and summer internships.

Together these two documents will assist any local organization looking for an intern or a graduate as a full-time employee. AZIMA is the place Arizonans turn to for interactive marketing education and networking, providing its members with leading edge online marketing strategies, tactics, and creative executions and this is just another way that we are making an impact on the community. Interested in more information regarding our academic outreach? Feel free to contact us, we are always looking to connect.

Education is rapidly changing. From when a prospective student begins researching colleges to when they graduate from their selected university, most of the activities required to accomplish this will be conducted on their computer and online. Universities should utilize their website as a primary marketing tool, implementing SEO strategies that can increase enrollment, decrease their cost per lead, cost per enrollment, and cost per start, using the right keywords to attract prospective students to their website, and increasing website traffic while improving lead to start ratio.

I wouldn’t be surprised, if many students have made their decision about a university before they even visit the campus. They want all of the resources required to make their decision available at their fingertips. Whether it be virtual tours of the campus and of campus housing to live online chats with academic counselors, this is where institutions are headed and some have already arrived.

The event will feature vendors with a variety of educational products and services. It’s a great opportunity for students, faculty, academic institutions, and businesses to come together and share their ideas and resources for moving education forward.  Students and faculty can attend the Student Expo for free and get the chance to meet with representatives from hundreds of institutions.

This effort also aligns with reducing schools’ carbon footprint. Imagine how many millions of tons of paper a large university goes through each year. Instead, they could place all school materials online, provide laptop rentals or discounts on laptops. There is an incredible amount of opportunity here for businesses. Businesses need to reach out to schools and universities and present these types of solutions with partnerships.

Be sure to check it out or recommend it to others that might benefit!

REGISTER NOW: For businesses and individuals

REGISTER NOW: For students and faculty

The conference features an Education Vendor Expo hall, devoted entirely to the B2B side of the industry. Over the past few years, schools have relied heavily on their websites for admissions and are attending the conference not only to recruit students but to seek products and services recruit more students. This is the perfect place to meet executives and decision-makers from a variety of educational institutions, including traditional and online universities, career colleges, visual arts colleges, and other post-secondary education institutions.

As an AZIMA member you will receive a 20% discount on tickets. Just email us to get the discount code.  We will also offer some chances to win free tickets at our upcoming AZIMA events… so stay tuned!

Did you miss the February 2010 AZIMA webinar? We recorded the event and it is now available for you to watch. Check out this great webinar with Arnie Kuenn. Arnie is the Founder and President of AZIMA as well as the Founder of Vertical Measures.

Get past all the misinformation and learn from one of the top-most experts on link building, as he offers up his favorite tips and strategies.

What you will learn in this webinar:

* Why do links matter?

* Why is anchor text so important

* When and how to purchase links

* How to maximize on-site link architecture

* How to mine and analyze competitor site links

* The biggest link building mistakes

* How to build links naturally through linkworthy content

Check out this webinar now!

This photo was taken at the AZIMA event 2/9/2010

The Arizona Interactive Marketing Association (AZIMA) strives to inspire interactive marketers while simultaneously educating and connecting them.

Come and experience the energy and enthusiasm of an AZIMA networking event where you’ll have the unique opportunity to meet industry professionals like yourself who a share a passion for interactive marketing.

Each month, AZIMA presents engaging speakers and topics to stimulate fresh ideas and provide a forum for discussing the plethora of critical issues our industry faces. Our events attract Arizona’s best and brightest! Join AZIMA and join the valley of the sun’s foremost crowd of smart, savvy marketing professionals.

Check out this month’s upcoming educational and networking event: Is Social Media a Waste of Money? on March 9^th, 2010 at Tempe Mission Palms featuring William Leake, CEO and Founder, Apogee Search.

Did you have to miss February’s event? Not to worry! You can view the full Panel: Social Media as Part of an Integrated Marketing Strategy discussion.

Social media “experts” (and boy are there a bunch of them) are great at talking about talking, but that could cost you your job if it doesn’t translate into hard ROI. While many organizations are directing dollars to social media campaigns, few are measuring results, and those who do often find them disappointing.

If you are wondering how to make social media work —or whether it is a fit for you at all—join us on March 9, as Bill Leake, CEO of Apogee Results, Interactive, offers advice on how to invest your time and dollars profitably. You will learn how to measure social media results, when it makes more sense to choose other channels like SEO or PPC advertising, and when it makes sense to blend the channels.

About the Speaker

William Leake, CEO and Founder, Apogee Search

Bill Leake draws on a deep expertise in both business and marketing to help increase revenues for a wide range of clients. He has been involved in driving provable revenues through Internet marketing techniques since the early 1990s when, as part of the management team at Power Computing, he built the first company to sell $1 million of product over the Internet. As CEO and founder of Apogee Search, he has guided the company from inception to its current position as the largest search engine marketing firm in the Southwest, one of the 20 largest in North America and one of the fastest growing companies on the Inc. 500 list.

Bill also serves as the president of the Austin Interactive Marketing Association, and as the chairman of the SEMPO (Search Engine Marketing Professionals Organization) committee. Bill received an MBA with honors from the University of Texas at Austin and his B.A. from Yale University.

Your first two beverages and light dinner are included!

Location

Tempe Mission Palms
60 East Fifth Street
Tempe, AZ. 85281
www.missionpalms.com
Complimentary Valet Parking for this event!

Time:

6:00 pm Social Hour (two beverages and light dinner served)
7:00 pm Presentation
8:00 pm Wrap up

Members $35
Non- Members $45
At the door $55

Register Now! (and get the reduced rate)

• Leading Facebook and Twitter business marketing strategies
• Facebook Fan Pages and Twitter pages in detail with page examples
• How to get the most out of your Fan Page via custom tabs and customization
• How to get the most out of your Twitter Page via tweets and techniques
• Tips on engaging with your Facebook Fans and Twitter Followers
• Ads, applications, contests and other Facebook marketing tools

About the Speaker

Dave Kerpen, Chief Buzz Officer, theKbuzz

Dave Kerpen is the CEO of theKbuzz, a social media and word of mouth marketing firm. Dave is one of the leading experts on social media and Facebook marketing. Dave and his work have been featured on CNBC’s “On the Money”, ABC World News Tonight, the CBS Early Show, and the New York Times, and countless blogs. In 2009, Dave spoke at the Specialty Equipment Market Association (SEMA) Conference, Print Services and Distribution Association (PSDA) Conference, and Word of Mouth Marketing Association (WOMMA) Summit.  This past year theKbuzz has expanded, with a new office in Boston and Chicago, and new clients, including Heineken, IMAX, Cumberland Farms, Uno Chicago Grill, Verizon, 1800Flowers.com,  and Stride Rite. Dave now manages the presence of over 150 brands on Facebook, and other social media sites. Dave is proud of theKbuzz’s 2008 and 2009 WOMMIE Award from WOMMA for excellence in Word of Mouth Marketing, but prouder of his two little girls at home– Charlotte and Kate. Find out more about Dave Kerpen and theKbuzz at http://www.thekbuzz.com/.

You’ll find through this unique combination of speakers, workshops, panel discussions and networking that this event isn’t one that you’ll want to miss. Also as an AZIMA member you will receive a 20% discount on tickets. Just email us to get the discount code.  We will also offer some chances to win free tickets at our upcoming AZIMA events… so stay tuned!

Did you miss the AZIMA January 2010 webinar? We have a recording of the event and it is available for you now. Check out this fantastic webinar with Evan Klein. Evan is the Founder and President of Satrix Solutions.

This is your chance to learn several types of customer feedback programs. Evan covers every detail from what is required to make them successful, best practices associated with their design and execution and pitfalls to avoid. Don’t miss your chance to learn how customer feedback programs can be leveraged to improve customer loyalty, referrals, retention, share-of-wallet and sales close rates. Check out the webinar now!