We recently had the chance to connect with Michael Caroff and have shared our conversation below.
Good morning Michael, it’s such a great way to kick off the day – I think our readers will love hearing your stories, experiences and about how you think about life and work. Let’s jump right in? What do the first 90 minutes of your day look like?
Tea, protein shake, then heading off to my workout. I do some kind of exercise 7 days a week, although if I’m feeling burnt, it may just be Tai Chi.
Can you briefly introduce yourself and share what makes you or your brand unique?
My brand is unique in that it is actually two separate brands that work to complement and enhance each other.
The first, and primary business, is a digital marketing agency. While our agency does work in multiple facets of digital marketing, we specialize very strongly in websites and SEO.
For us, SEO encompasses standard Search Engine Optimization, Pay Per Click Marketing or PPC (i.e.: Google and Meta ads), and now, GEO, or Generative Engine Optimization (ChatGPT, Perplexity, Gemini, and the like).
The second is my band, Savor: A Tribute to Santana.
While at first blush, these two brands they seem to have very little to do with each other, they are actually quite connected. This is exemplified by the tagline for the digital marketing agency: Websites and SEO that ROCK!
In practice, being connected with the band gives the marketing agency a very prominent personal brand on which to hang our hat. For the band, running a digital marketing agency allows me to get a leg up on marketing and promotion. To wit, our online presence far exceeds that of any other band.
Beyond that, however, the skill crossover is remarkable. Managing a band is remarkably akin to running a company, and designing websites is strikingly similar to writing songs.
Appreciate your sharing that. Let’s talk about your life, growing up and some of topics and learnings around that. What was your earliest memory of feeling powerful?
Throughout grade school, junior high, and the first couple of years in high school, I was a classic nerd. Almost always being smarter than everyone around me, and often thrown into classes with older students than I did not, as you can imagine, do much for my social life.
At the tender age of 16, however, I got invited to a party. Since one of the hosts knew I played guitar, he instructed me to bring it to the event – at which there were a number of other musicians. Hundreds of hours of practice had prepared me for this. I plugged in and wailed – apparently running rings around everyone else there.
The effect was immediate. I became known as a “rocker,” and my status improved immeasurably. It was a potent lesson in branding!
What did suffering teach you that success never could?
Years into my business I lost my largest client. As they provided the bulk of my income, it was devastating. But recovering from that taught me more about acquiring new business than any amount of success every could.
Alright, so if you are open to it, let’s explore some philosophical questions that touch on your values and worldview. What’s a belief you used to hold tightly but now think was naive or wrong?
Ha ha! That’s easy. My first year of college, I read Atlas Shrugged and was quite moved by it. One of my best friends later termed it my “Ayn Randian” period. It didn’t last long, luckily. I soon came to see how flawed and unrealistic that perspective on life was.
Thank you so much for all of your openness so far. Maybe we can close with a future oriented question. What do you understand deeply that most people don’t?
That the most important thing about your marketing is not what you think about it, but what your CUSTOMERS think about it. As simple and — for many — self evident this is, it’s amazing how many companies get it completely wrong.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.caroff.com
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/caroff-communications/
- Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/CaroffCommunications
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/SavortheBand
Image Credits
Yes, I have the rights to the photos.
