written by: Zanne Lamb-Hunt
Vinny La Barbera, founder and CEO of imFORZA, is from Southern California. He attended school in Los Angeles’ Palos Verdes district. While earning his MBA at the University of Southern California (USC), he got his start with internet marketing and it became his vehicle to incredible success.
He shares four ways that imFORZA, his full service internet marketing company, will benefit any business, regardless of size.
1. Effective Online Communication — the crucial key to marketing and growing a business.
2. Trackable Data — shows the real results of campaign offers and promotions.
3. Freedom and Opportunity — both come with knowing how to leverage the internet.
4. Mass Promotional Coverage Online — for more successful marketing that can grow any business, whether for a single individual or a major brand.
If the entrepreneurial spirit is somewhere in the genetic code, then Vinny more than likely inherited his. He comes from a family of entrepreneurs, including his grandfather.
That spirit was awakened when he took a part-time job at a local web agency while attending USC for his MBA. It set him on the journey to a very successful career in internet marketing.
Vinny recalls, “They were looking for project managers to help with the process of creating web sites, specifically for real estate agents. I jumped on the opportunity.”
But, he envisioned doing more. “I saw the opportunity to take these services and the whole process to a different level. Clients were getting beautiful websites but they weren’t really producing any type of business. They weren’t generating leads. They weren’t generating phone calls.”
He continues, “So, I took it upon myself to research the online marketing space and figure out ways to drive traffic to these websites and to get the phone to ring for these realtors.” That was around 2006 and there was no stopping from there!
“Between 2006 and 2010,” shares Vinny, “I built up an Internet Marketing Division for that company. We essentially evolved from me and a couple of other people to a team of about ten that serviced a client base of about 8,000 real estate agents! We provided all of the internet marketing services for them.” From SEO to PPC and content development…and more!
How does it all start with a new client? “Before we do any type of work, we spend some time digging into their current business. We look at their online competition. We look for opportunities. Then we put our recommendations together.”
“A lot of times, we find ourselves being more business consultants than just internet marketing specialists. I think that’s a big part of what motivates us and keeps me interested in this industry.”
There Can Be More Than One Big Challenge To Growing A Business
What were the biggest challenges that Vinny faced when starting to grow his business? “When you first plan and start the business, estimating what your costs are going to be. That number that you come up with is never accurate. It’s usually one-and-a-half to two times what you think it’s going to be.”
“Outside of that, I think the biggest challenge with starting and running a business like this is making time to work ‘on the business’ as opposed to always working ‘in the business.’ What I mean more specifically by that is spending time on the higher-level, bigger-picture stuff for the business instead of getting wrapped up in the day-to-day stuff that helps the business run.”
Feedback From imFORZA’s Clients Tells Him He’s Making A Difference
“They really do drive me and motivate me to continue what I’m doing here,” says Vinny. He recalls one client, in particular — Helene. She’s a realtor in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. “She’s very vocal with me about how much of a difference our services have made for her in terms of growing her business.”
“She’s a mom with a couple of kids that she’s put through college. She’s not making tens of millions of dollars a year like a lot of higher-end luxury agents are that we work with. But, she works really hard and she’s really motivated with what she does.”
He continues, “Just being able to get feedback from someone like that and know that we’re able to really make a difference with their business. it makes you feel good! It makes you feel like you’re doing the right things and it gives us the opportunity to expand those services to other people.”
Vinny Recommends A Great Book For All Starting Entrepreneurs
“Zero to One” by Peter Thiel is a ‘must read’! “It’s a fantastic book for any entrepreneur– anyone in business– for getting a better understanding of how to really plan your business and grow your business.”
He quickly adds, “I think it’s an essential read that hopefully becomes part of most entrepreneur program curriculum. There are a ton of good nuggets of wisdom in that book!”
Connect with Vinny La Barbera at imFORZA now to discuss all of your business marketing needs. All-inclusive solutions are custom tailored to deliver optimum results for every size and type of business.
855-446-3679
imforza.com
twitter.com/vinnylabarbera
facebook.com/imforza
And, if you happen to be in the area, just drop in!
319 Main Street
El Segundo, CA 90245
Content Provided by Frederick Advice Givers Podcast #030
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