I am lucky enough to have some fantastic young mentors, like Ramit Sethi and Shama Kabani, who demonstrate by their drive, smarts and tremendous business building skills that you don’t have to have years of experience to be a really successful entrepreneur. Both have grown their businesses with steady, consistent use of social media, in addition to good old in-person relationship building.
I met Shama a few years ago when, at the age of 22, she had already founded three successful companies. She was just starting her small business marketing firm.
In a short time, she has developed a rock-solid reputation as a pragmatic authority on the use of social media to build your business. She was named a finalist in BusinessWeek’s America’s Best Young Entrepreneurs of 2009. And she has grown her own company to a full-service digital agency, employing twenty full-time employees. That’s right, twenty.
Shama’s new book The Zen of Social Media Marketing just came out last week. It is a very pragmatic and useful book, intended for smart people who don’t yet “get” how social media is a valid way to build a business.
Listen in to my conversation with Shama about her new book.
Technology side note: Please forgive the slight off-sequence of the audio and video images. Mercury in retrograde has messed with my technology vibe this week, and I decided that rather than spending hours fixing it, I could just ask you to imagine that our original conversation was in another language, and it was dubbed over in English (kind of like the really good Godzilla films of old). 🙂
The Zen of Social Media Marketing with Shama Kabani from Pamela Slim on Vimeo.
Buy Shama’s book here, and learn about the services her firm offers at MarketingZen.com.
I am very proud of you Shama, keep up the good work. (Said as a business auntie with a tear in my eye)
You have among the best web-sites.
very nice video and very good article about social marketing . i will bookmark this page for future social marketing help. Thanks for sharing
It is inspirational when you look at things such as the Young Entrepreneurs listings.
I believe that it is that ‘never-say-die’ attitude that pushes the next generation to try different and many things.
[…] Shama Kabani talks about how video is the ultimate social media in her recent interview with Pam Slim. […]
I think SMM if done with proper planning, you have no need to spend money on doing SEO for your site, Social Media provide you wide concept and it has wide niche to general concepts
Thanks so much for this! Incredible information.
Nice video. you two are great and hilarious.
[…] The Zen of Social Media Marketing April 26, 2010 tags: Pamela Slim by johnsuhar Article linked here […]
The link came to me via traciehoward44 on twitter – one of the many! Anyway, credit to you both, fresh and inspiring – doing it, not talking it. Wasn’t sure at first about the slightly home spun feel to the video – obviously its funny – but the content trancends the look and feel, made me listen. As an older businessman but novice media social networker I was entertained, informed and surprised. Great job. Yep, I’ll buy the book would prefer a signed copy.
Thanks so much for sharing this, Pam! After listening to this, I’ve ordered the book! You guys rock!
xoxo.
Good..
Social media can give best results if done in a strategic manner.
One needs to plan the basic ideology and experiment with what works and what does not.
RedAlkemi
Pam,
The picture in the video makes me CRACK up! We both have our funny faces on.
Thank you so much for asking such great questions. I really loved where we talked about how to reach “new” audiences. Thanks again!
– Shama
LOL – I know Shama, when I uploaded it to Vimeo, that was the freeze frame that showed up, and it cracked me up so I kept it. This is just to make sure that we don’t get too serious and boring. It is *social* media after all! 🙂
Great convo, Pam, and thx for a great intro to Shama’s amazingly useful and pragmatic book and lessons. I feel like the grand dame on the cheering squad (just kidding), but I know Shama understands how all generations and different kinds of businesses can benefit from the right social media and online marketing steps and practices. My copy is full of yellow stickies.
I love watching two powerful ladies talk about kicking butt and taking names. OK, so you didn’t really talk about that, but that’s what you’re doing.
I’m reading my copy now and I can’t wait to give my review.
Shama, you make me sick! Congrats on success at such a young age, you are a model for the rest of us.