In the spirit of the New Year I thought it would be the perfect time to spotlight someone who is embarking on his own business adventure in '09. Meet Jacob Morgan, the CMO of Hirank.com, a technical SEO team and (soon-to-be announced) Founder of his own social media-consulting firm—JmorganMarketing. At age 25, Jacob has worked a number of different SEO positions as well as contracted out to some of the biggest brands out there. We asked him to share with us the steps he took to getting where he is, and even more importantly—we asked him to elaborate on how he knows he is ready to go solo. Here is what he had to say:

TOB: So how did it all start for you? What jobs have you taken and how have your experiences there laced together to get you were you are today?

Jacob Morgan: A few years ago I worked for a startup in LA called Passenger, I hated it. The commute was an hour and a half each way and I wasn’t treated all that great. I was promised and was expecting one thing but received another. I was stuck doing drone work and bringing coffee to the executives. However, at that job I started researching ways to make money online through affiliate marketing and wanted to see if it was something I could do.

I left the company and spent 6 months on my own working on affiliate marketing stuff.  That’s how I learned about SEO. You can’t be successful in affiliate marketing if your pages don’t rank for search terms that people are using. I didn’t make much through affiliate marketing but I did learn SEO.  Shortly after, I became an SEO consultant for a small clothing retailer in LA.  Eventually I moved to San Francisco where I consulted with a leading web analytics company and then joined a full service marketing agency where I helped lead search strategy for clients such as Adobe, Conde Nast, and Sandisk.  I became unsatisfied with SEO because everyone received their information from blogs, other “experts,” free tools, etc.  I thought there had to be more to SEO then just the superficial stuff we all see and hear about, there had to be data and research to back up claims and recommendations.

I went to a meet up with Aaron Wall and that’s where I met Lorna Li, the lady that I created Search Marketing Salon with.  The goal of the group is to just to have a casual environment for online marketers to share ideas/information, perhaps over happy hour.  Through Search Marketing Salon I met Jose Nunez who is now my partner at Hirank, a Technical SEO team (meaning we have a testing network, our own mini search engine, proprietary tools, etc).

Eventually I left my full time job at the marketing agency and joined up with Jose to grow the company.  Now we are fortunate enough to have quite a few great clients, which makes sense since we offer a unique service at a very affordable price for businesses (both large and small). 

While all of this was going on I also started blogging and writing about social media.  I even went on to run a company in the social media space (which I helped start) called Jamptu.  The goal behind Jamptu was to create networks and communities in condo buildings.  I learned a lot about social media strategy through Jamptu and just through my own online presence and research.  That brings me to where I am today and that is providing social media strategy consulting under JMorganMarketing and Technical SEO consulting under Hirank. 

I have taken all of my experience and research in running a social media company (and building my online presence/experimenting) and combined it with my knowledge and experience in SEO to provide a very unique service to clients.  Running a business and being a consultant has also taught me a lot about business development, marketing, networking, relationship building, managing expectations, etc.  It’s actually funny now that I think about it because the job that started it all for me, was the one I hated the most.

TOB: What does an average day look like for you? How do you spread your energies and delegate time across your many projects?

Jacob Morgan: Search Marketing Salon doesn’t take up that much time at all.  Every few months I work on putting together an event in San Francisco, that’s pretty much it.  You’re the first person to know this (I haven’t even announced it yet), but I have also left Jamptu to pursue full time social media strategy consulting and technical SEO consulting.  At this point my time is split between JMorganMarketing and Hirank.  Social media strategy consulting is something that I started fairly recently, I have a few clients already and am speaking with a few large ones for 2009.  Hirank is a bit more established and a good portion of my time is spent there.

I don’t really have an average day because prospective clients/partnerships/meetings spring up all over the place at random times.  I spend a lot of time on building relationships with people which is by far the most important thing that I think anyone can do.  Every day I do social media marketing work for JMorganMarketing clients, technical SEO work for Hirank clients, write a blog post, research, read, and look for new relationships/partnership opportunities.  Plus I have to look after myself and my sanity, which means going to the gym, taking little trips, and enjoying life!

TOB: What is on tab for ’09 professionally? Moves you are making? Goals you hope to achieve?
 
Jacob Morgan: 2009 is going to be a growth year both for JMorganMarketing and Hirank.  I am leaving the startup and focusing full time on social media strategy consulting and technical SEO consulting.  I am also going to be more active in terms of a physical presence at conferences and events.  In fact I’m speaking on January 20th at a Social Media Club event in San Francisco. 

My goals for 2009 are to travel more, add a bit more adventure and fun into my life, and to grow JMorganMarketing and Hirank.  I want to focus on 3 product offerings, social media, technical SEO, and the integration of the two together.  So far 2009 is already looking interesting with a few new clients signing up, who knows perhaps I will end up getting an actual office somewhere.

TOB: What makes you feel ready to go on your own? What qualities do you feel you have fine-tuned that prepare you for this?

Jacob Morgan: Every job I have had involved me providing value to other businesses and companies.  I started to believe that if I could work for someone and provide value to their clients, then I must be able to provide some sort of value to clients on my own.  I was at a point in my life where I decided to test myself.  I didn’t like the limitations of working for other people; I had my own ideas and things I wanted to do, and so I did.  It’s never easy because ultimately you are responsible for your success and failure. You have nobody to blame and nobody to turn to if you fail.  It’s sink or swim. 

I networked like a mad man (and still do).  I would go to events and create a name for myself.  The blog and social media presence also helped quite a bit because I was able to share more of my ideas with the world.  In order to go alone you need to have an entrepreneurial spirit.  You have to realize that you can provide value as an individual and then figure out what that value is.

I had saved up enough money to go 6 months without working (just in case) and then I began to turn to sites such as craigslist to look for a few clients. Over time people started to find me.  The key for me was to ask myself “what’s the worst that could happen?”  For me failure meant either getting another full time job or leaving San Francisco and moving back to LA.  Either way failure wasn’t going to be the end of the world. I always new I would have a place to stay at home if everything went downhill, and so I went for it.  Ask yourself “what’s the worst that could happen?”

TOB: Since TheOnlineBeat.com is focused on the online applications, tools, resources that are available to job searchers, could you elaborate on a few applications, networks, tools, etc. that you couldn’t live without? What has helped get you to where you are? This can be sites, products, social networks, etc.

Jacob Morgan: Linkedin is great for networking and looking for business opportunities.  I was pleasantly surprised when I started going through my connections to see who I knew or could get introduced to.  Craigslist is great for starting out with small (or even large) clients on consulting gigs.  I would recommend creating a site/blog to help establish trust and authority with your readers and prospective clients. Creating an online presence on sites such as Twitter and Facebook also won’t hurt. The whole goal here is to build relationships and network with people.  By far the best tool that has helped me get to where I am is my brain.  You have to be clever and you have to be creative. Tools can only get you so far in life. 

TOB: When you do have some free time, what resources do you check out to stay up-to-date on the industry? What blogs do you read on a daily basis?

Jacob Morgan: Socialmedia.alltop.com has been a great resource for me because it aggregates all of the top social media blogs out there.  If you just visit alltop.com you will be able to select from hundreds of various topics.  All the big name blogs and sites are included in there. I also check out the Ad Age Power 150 List and Social Media Today. Setting up google alerts for things like “social media” also helps discover new blogs. 

TOB: We have been trying to get a sense of what qualities leading industry professionals look for when hiring new employees. What traits would you consider important when embarking in a career in social media & brand management?

Jacob Morgan: Passion, curiosity, creativity, ability to manage expectations and deliver results, patience, entrepreneurial attitude, sense of humor, excellent communication/networking skills, and the ability to learn from mistakes/failures are all crucial.  Let’s also not forget being resourceful. In a way you have to be an online marketing MacGyver.

TOB: And what advice would you give someone getting started in online media and marketing?

Jacob Morgan: Start with yourself first. Build up an online presence and share some of your ideas/information/experiences. Tell people who you are, what you do, and what makes you unique. You can be your own best case study!  Online media and marketing is a very dynamic field to be in, you have to stay up to date on the new technologies.  

TOB: Now we know you have a lot on your plate with JMorgan Marketing but if you had pursued something completely different, what would you have liked to try?

Jacob Morgan: That’s a tough one.  I’ve always had a passion for music and traveling so perhaps a DJ  or a guitarist in a band. 

TOB: Thats great! Seems like you enjoy a number of things that are sure to keep you busy as you embark on 2009. We wish you the best of luck with your endeavors and we look forward to seeing where JMorgan Marketing goes!

Looking to get social with Jacob Morgan? Check out the following links:

His Blog: Social Media Marketing Strategy
Follow Jacob Morgan on Twitter
You or your company looking for SEO Consulting?

If you are interested in either social media strategy or Technical SEO consulting, please email Jacob directly at jacobmorgan8@gmail.com.