Every month, we feature a member of our team here at Main Street ROI. This month, we’re featuring our Digital Marketing Analyst, Michael Cianciulli.
How did you get into digital marketing?
When I first entered college I didn’t really have an idea for what I wanted to do when I got out. Being a “Millennial,” I’ve always been interested in computers, the Internet, and social media.
I decided to take a few business, IT, and marketing courses to see what clicked with me the most.
The business courses were fun but once I got into the finance portion I started to lose interest. The IT classes were also great but I didn’t have the passion for it where I thought “I can do this for the rest of my life”. Then came the marketing classes.
All the marketing classes I took at first were either marketing theory classes or traditional marketing classes that went over consumer behavior and print advertising. I really enjoyed them but I felt like the classes were very dated and losing relevancy in today’s digital world.
I decided that I would pursue the marketing courses and commit that as my major but I wanted to see if there were any classes that taught material a bit more current. Enter “Digital Marketing Strategy,” the course that was up to date and right up my alley. My professor discussed everything from Google Analytics to SEO and AdWords. I felt that this was the path I could continue down because it was a growing field, the Internet and digital marketing was the future since print is dwindling, and above all I truly enjoyed the subject.
What do you like most about working with small business clients?
The thing I like most about working with small business clients is the feeling that when I go to work everyday I’m truly helping our clients.
My father is a small business owner. He is a self employed chiropractor in the blue collar town of Bayonne, NJ. I know the difficulties he faces day in and day out having to commute from Long Island, NY, manage his office, and treat his patients. When I was younger I used to try and go to his office to help him out and do anything I could do to take the stress away from him. I felt good being able to help whether that was allowing my father to take a break for a second while I answered the phone or chatting with his patients so they always felt that they were the top priority.
Everyday I sit at my computer to work for our small business clients I get that same feeling of joy. I feel like we are taking that one stressor away from each of our clients so they can focus on their day to day activities.
What do you like most about working at Main Street ROI?
The comradery.
My entire life up to college I spent bouncing around from sports practice to game day. I played numerous sports growing up from baseball, soccer, and tennis to sailing, lacrosse, and basketball. I was even the captain of my high school varsity soccer team.
I can wholeheartedly say that nothing is important to me more than working with a team, as a team, and for a common goal.
At Main Street ROI, we are a team. From the second I was introduced to everyone I felt we all clicked. Main Street ROI is filled with some of the most caring, fun, and driven people I’ve ever met and I truly feel blessed that I get to work where I do.
What do you like to do outside of the office?
Outside of work I like to hangout with friends and family.
Whether that means playing a round of golf with friends or watching a movie with my parents and sisters, any time I spend with them is great. I’m very lucky to have friends dating back to kindergarten and new ones from college and work.
I’m even luckier to have two wonderful parents, three awesome sisters, three great brother in laws, and six adorable nephews and nieces.
My family and friends list is constantly growing and spending time with them is the number one thing I like to do outside of the office.
What marketing trend are you most excited about for small businesses (and why)?
I’m most excited about social media. I feel like this might be too obvious of an answer because I’m a Millennial but it’s true.
The Internet and social media have done something wonderful besides giving us endless funny cat videos. They have brought our world closer together and completely changed the way we communicate with each other.
Facebook, Twitter, Yelp, YouTube and all other social media platforms have become great places to reach current and potential customers. They have also become wonderful avenues to promote ourselves and our businesses.
A company can create a print advertisement in a local paper that may reach 200 people or they could send out a tweet that can be read around the world. That is huge and I am very excited to see future advances in social media.
