Interview with Chief Executive Officer, Studio MFP – Mike Faga

 

“As a startup, your customers are your marketing team, your sales team, and your greatest asset. If they can’t market or sell for you, then something is wrong”

1. Tell us about your role in Studio MFP?
I’m the CEO and Owner of Studio MFP. As the CEO, you end up performing many functions. Head of marketing, sales, operations, design, development, etc. I wear a lot of hats and get to work with a lot of amazing people. I love being able to be hands on with the team, and provide our clients access to the service that they need.

2. Can you tell us about your journey into this market?
Before I started Studio MFP, I was a professional photographer and video producer. I loved working with small business, helping them create amazing content. From there, small businesses would request that I start using that content to help with social media, their website, or even as a more hands-on marketing role. At that point I knew I needed to expand and create some more offerings. We grew from just myself logging into client social media, and their websites, to having a nationwide reach through our cloud based system.
By having our agency in the cloud, small businesses can sign up for anything from posting on social media, requesting new graphic design, hosting, marketing tools, or a new website all from our website. This keeps costs down, efficiency high, and small businesses thriving.

3. How do you think technology is upgrading marketing Sector?
Technology and marketing go hand in hand and improve each other. Look at marketing and technology together over the past 100 years. When the radio was invented, advertising followed. Television, the internet, and now voice like Siri, Google Home and Alexa with Amazon Echo. Machine learning, and automation/AI will quickly follow. Soon you’ll have ads in your augmented/virtual reality game. You see, marketing and technology are always competing for the next space. I think voice is the next huge marketing opportunity as more people adopt the technology.

4. How has introduction of Digital Marketing empowered marketing and advertising professionals?
Digital marketing allows new marketing and advertising professionals to really expand their arsenal of tools. Marketing is now in reach of everyone. Just even a few decades ago, marketing was hidden away by gatekeepers of the television networks and radio hosts; billboard owners and magazine editors. The playing field is level and now anyone can get their name out there.

5. How do you define your Search Marketing Service?
Our Search Marketing Service is a powerful way for a business to boost its online presence. We do so much more than just provide you with search engine optimization. We do a complete audit of you and your competition, diving deep into keyword research, managing your backlinks (off and on page) as well as look at things like security, your reputation online, and of course: marketing with services like AdWords. If you want to greatly increase your online credibility and lead generation potential, our custom Search Marketing is for you.

6. How will your Social Media Marketing Giveaway initiative benefit Studio MFP?
A few years ago, we started like most new businesses do: as a small company with great big ideas. We wanted to help nurture and launch other small businesses into the heights of success. And as we’ve grown, we have evolved with our clients in an organic way that allows us to meet their unique needs. That’s always been one of our strengths: affordable, tailor-made services that help professionals expand in healthy and exciting ways. Ultimately, that’s why we’ve decided to give away nearly $20K in free marketing services – because we already know how valuable our talents are. Six lucky winners are about to find out as well.

7. What features of your Digital Marketing solutions makes it stand out?
What makes Studio MFP stand out is how transparent, and easy our services are. You can sign up all through our website, pick whatever affordable plan you want, and get started immediately. No more gatekeepers and pushy salespeople. We want to put the power back into the small business, instead of being a far off, hard to reach agency. You can book a free consultation, and sign up as easy as shopping online.

8. What advice would you like to give to the technology Start Ups?
Focus on the consumer. Sure, you can make your app or tech as fancy and cool as you want. But can your customer explain the technology or app to their friend? Their mom?

As a startup, your customers are your marketing team, your sales team, and your greatest asset. If they can’t market or sell for you, then something is wrong.

Have it easy for them to explain, use, and more importantly to want to share it.

9. What is the Digital innovation in sales technology according to you that has marked 2019?
2019 was the year of chatbots. Having an automated chat service that allows a company to have a sales person working real-time with a customer is a huge innovation. We’ve implemented a chatbot on our Facebook page to demonstrate.

10. How do you prepare for an AI-Centric world?
Start embracing change. Ask for help with something if you don’t get it. The best way to prepare for a changing world in technology is to ask for help. Some technology or even apps are harder to grasp than others for some people. Don’t get left in the dust because you were too stubborn to ask for help.

11. What are the major developments you are planning, in recent time?
We are currently looking at a new office space, expanding into services like voice marketing, and more software/apps for small business. We are looking to improve and expand our Text MFP app, allowing small businesses to create SMS marketing campaigns, as well as a marketing CRM.

12. Can you tell us about your team and how it supports you?
The Studio MFP team is a diverse, and professional force. We like to ensure work can be done at all times, so we have team members all around the globe, all focused on our clients’ success.

13. What movie inspires you the most?
I love the Big Short right now. It’s a great movie to show you that you can make a bad situation an advantageous one, and to not look at everything as perfect. Things will fail, and you have to prepare for any situation. My favorite movies change often.

14. We have heard that you have a very joyful work culture, so can you share with us some insights to your workplace?
We are currently looking into a new office space and have some new hires this year. We will have some great and exciting photos in our new space soon. You can learn about our company here.

15. Can you give us a glance of the applications you use on your phone?
I have a lot of social media apps, our custom apps for things like our CRM, and our office phone app to make calls while we are out and about. The most used app on my phone is probably the Reminders app. I make to-do lists constantly for myself. I like to do this because I know I’ll forget otherwise. It keeps me accountable. A hidden gem on my phone is Rocketbook. It’s an easy notebook that you can reuse, and scan into your phone with automated links inside the pages. This way I can save my notes, share with my team, and wipe clean whenever I run out of space.