He is also popular for working on Weird Asia News – a website which serves an audience which consists of at least a million unique visitors per month.
He regularly speaks at a few of the most well known and largest conferences such as InfoPresse, SES, SMX and Pubcon.
Brent has been similarly acknowledged in Forbes.com and has been interviewed for Entrepreneur.com. Most recently, he was recognized as among the Top 25 Most Influential Online Marketers in 2008.
He also writes in the blogosphere about search engine marketing strategies and social media on BrentCsutoras.com.
Essentially, Brent aids marketers in getting results from their various social media campaigns since merely being listed and solely using sites does not ensure more visibility.
Brent has also made guest appearances in order to discuss the art of Social Media as well as its impact on Search Engine Marketing. These include popular online marketing radio shows such as Webmaster on the Roof, Good Karma, Rush Hour.
Also, Brent has just been named as Senior Editor for SEM Journal’s Social Media. He was also awarded a SEMMY specially for his “How to Create Compelling Social Media Profiles” article.
But how did Brent get started?
First things first, it was just recently when it seems the sole way to communicate with customers and prospects were via blogs and email. Currently, there are sites such as Twitter and Facebook which users could utilize in order to get in touch with a ton of people.
Because such sites have users which number to a million, not using them would technically cause you to miss out on a lot of prospective customers.
Brent also offers great tips on acquiring notices in the social media landscape. He also emphasizes the importance of creating a compelling profile especially if you want to get the most of your campaigns.
Essentially, Brent advises to choose an unforgettable name, remain active and grow users in a natural way. He also suggests that one only relate with reputable users and sites.
Do note that before Brent focused on social media marketing, he mainly served as SEO in a healthcare company where he managed a number of sites.
He also began using social media as a method with which to build links off profile pages. It was only when one of his articles hit Digg’s front page that he realized the type of exposure it provided his content.
At that time, he then began participating in the top social media sites as well as build up accounts in order to get his content more popular. However, Brent was not only sending his own content but also actively submitting a number of sources and was continually being an active community member.
A strategy Brent particularly favors is social media linkbaiting. This is when you publish content and news for the purpose of acquiring a number of sites to link back to yours. Such a method essentially results in a large number of free publicity, social media credibility and traffic.
Another tactic which Brent utilizes is Top 10 Lists. A few examples include, “20 Greatest Matches in Tennis History” or “11 Biggest Celebrity Mistakes.”
Basically, the goal of a list is to stand out and be uniquely fun. Another method to create link baits is to write helpful content that is also an easy read and visually appealing.
However, do note that creating unique content is merely half of the work as one similarly need to get the word out via RSS feeds, through your Twitter/Facebook followers and social bookmarking.
Brent also suggests that sites such as Yahoo Buzz, Propeller, Reddit and StumbleUpon be used.
He also advises readers who want to stand out and receive an acknowledgement for being an”expert social media marketer” that one needs to be highly and genuinely involved in the conversation.
When asked what the best site is for promoting through social media, Brent recommends Digg but he specifies that it would mainly depend on your content.
His highly helpful tip is to give 101% when creating content for social media promotion. It is important to be interesting, creative and comprehensive. He cites that success is not due to writing good content but in the creation of great content. An angle is also important. There should also be a decent balance between the content being viral yet general in nature.
He also suggests that line breaks and images be used in order to separate content and allow it to be easily digestible.
But with Brent’s expertise, is there someone he looks up to or turns to for advice?
Brent explains that he essentially likes what he does. He cites that he is also passionate about social media. He also admits that there are a lot more people who are smarter than himself.
Brent claims that Chris Winfield is one of the smartest social media marketers he has ever met. He explains that Chris constantly teaches him new things which he has never ever thought before.
Todd Malicoat is another marketer who Brent looks up to. Todd has a solid SEO and affiliate background which eventually helped Brent change the way he perceives social media.
He also cites Tony Adam and Dave Snyder as the ones who were able to break new ground in gauging the success and feedback culled from social campaigns.
When asked on the specific traits and qualities which makes up a great social media expert, Brent explains that it generally depends on a person’s goal. He adds that there is really no specific skill set which would make one an instant social media expert. Brent clarifies that social media is a broad term that encompasses a number of skill sets.
However, in terms of social media aggregation sites such as Digg, one needs to have the same skills in order to be socially successful offline.
Brent explains that social communities are essentially social communities whether online of offline. Basically, one needs to establish a healthy presence and respect prior to earning respect and authority back whether on the internet or off.
Also, one basically needs to be able to make friends, carry decent conversations as well as participate on a constant and regular basis with others.
The following are a few shows and speaking engagements which Brent has appeared in:
Radio Shows:
TheSpew, Episode 11
Webmasters on the Roof on Social Media – Dec 2, 2007 (Starts in German but is mostly English)
Rush Hour show on Digg Shouting – Oct 31, 2007
SEO-101 show on Social Media and Linkbait Part 2 of 2 – Oct 31, 2007
SEO-101 show on Social Media and Linkbait Part 1 of 2 – Oct 29, 2007
Good Karma show on Digg Revolt – May 3, 2007
Good Karma show on Social Media – Jan 18, 2007
Professional Speaking:
Affiliate Summit, August 2009
SMX Advanced, June 2009
IM Spring Break, April 2009
SMX West, Feb 2009
Social Media Club SF/SV – Jan 2009
Pubcon Las Vegas 2008
SES San Jose 2008
Infopresse Montreal 2008
SMX Social Media – Long Beach – April 2008
SMX West- Feb 2008
Pubcon Las Vegas – Dec 2007
SMX Social Media NYC – Oct 2007
All in all, Brent’s reputation is solid as a rock. He is essentially the guy you need to go to especially when you want to get noticed in the wide world of social media. Thanks to Brent’s ton of experience in using social media sites in order to expand his online business reach, he has similarly been sought after and looked up to by a number of his peers and customers.
The following are a few of the feedbacks Brent has received so far from those he has helped:
“I’ve only known Brent a short time, but since our initial meeting his insights to the SEO and social media industries have proven to be invaluable. He is well-spoken, driven, intelligent and well-connected. Each of those attributes makes him a powerhouse among other highly reputable Internet marketers. On a number of occasions I’ve consulted with Brent with very favorable returns. I would recommend his work to any client or friend, but to be honest wish I could keep him a secret as the world is only so big!”
Rhea Drysdale, MPS Group
“Brent has come through each time I have used his services and I will continue to use his services in the future. He is an expert in his field and will provide straight-forward, candid feedback.”
Nik Froehlich, Clickbrand
“When it comes to knowing whats going on in the world of Social Media Optimization, Brent Csutoras is the one of the very few people we turn to for help. Brent is also one of the few people in the Internet Marketing industry who maintains exceptionally high integrity.”
Adam Sussman, Onesock Web Marketing
“Brent is definitely one of the sharpest minds in the social media space. If you are looking for a hard working guy with a ton of creativity to handle your social projects, he’s your man.”
Greg Boser, 3 Dog Media
“There are only a handful of people that I would feel comfortable recommending for social media marketing services – Brent is definitely one of those people. He gets it and gets results….”
Chris Winfield, 10e20, LLC
“Brent worked on some of our social media strategy, and took some sites that were borderline failures and turned them into well positioned web properties that have seen dramatic growth. If you need social media and links Brent is THE guy to talk to.”
Aaron Wall, SEOBook
“I worked with Brent of a few social media projects and he knows what he’s doing and how to get the job done. He is definitely someone I can recommend working with.”
Michael Gray, Atlas Web Service
“Brent knows social media, and will later be recognized as a veteran of this online marketing sport. He is both confident and passionate about his skills with SEO and SMO, and knows the social space as well or better than anyone I’ve met. If you want someone top notch to work on your social campaigns, Brent is your man. I speak from experience – don’t go with someone cheap and pay twice – pony up the dough, and pay for someone you can trust that will do it right the first time. Brent has helped me on several of my own projects, and I would absolutely recommend him without a doubt to any of my closest friends or family. Beyond being good at what he does, he’s a pretty down to earth, cool guy as well.”
Todd Malicoat, Stuntdubl.com
Also, the way Brent writes his content is extremely insightful. He is considered as one of the few who follow the latest trends, changes and improvements in the social media space.
Do note that though a few of Brent’s unique strategies are a bit difficult, he has proven that it is effective and that it offers real value to its online users.
Brent also comes highly recommended especially to those who plan to use web 2.0 properties and social media websites. It has also been said that following Brent’s blog maximizes the efficacy of marketing campaigns.
The following are more feedbacks Brent has received:
“You won’t find a more knowledgeable or creative person in the social media space than Brent Csutoras. From strategy, to development, to implementation, he can do it all. I’ve hired Brent for my own projects, and recommended him to clients. No question: Brent Csutoras is an Internet marketing professional of the highest caliber.”
Scott Smith, ClientSide SEM
“Brent is by far one of the smartest minds in Social Media Marketing and extremely smart Internet Marketer, in general. His great work ethic, knowledge, and ability to gain visibility for an organizations content make him an obvious choice when looking for a marketer. Personally, he has provided me tons of insight to techniques, tactics, and even ideas for variety of topics.”
Tony Adam, Yahoo
“Brent knows his stuff (I would put him in the top 5 of his field), and he will do whatever he can do make sure that you’re getting the results you expect. When we worked with Brent, he always kept us informed of what was happening and kept great track of the results from the campaigns. We’d use Brent again in a heartbeat.”
Ben Huh, I Can Has Cheezburger?
“Brent really has his finger on the pulse of the Social Media beat. He knows what makes influencers tick, and he will help you generate an impressive amount of buzz, visibility, as well as incoming links, for your website in a very short amount of time. He’s sharp, professional, and diligent. I recommend him highly.”
David Mihm, DavidMihm.com
“I’ve heard Brent at speaking engagements and he is a thought leader in the social media industry. He is friendly and engaging and is a pleasure to work with when collaborating on projects.”
Brian Wallace, NowSourcing, Inc.
