Madalyn Sklar Show Notes

Madalyn Sklar is a serial entrepreneur, community builder and leading Twitter marketing expert. With 22 years digital marketing experience and 13 years social media marketing under her belt, it’s no surprise she’s ranked the #1 Social Media Power Influencer in Houston. Each week Madalyn hosts the #TwitterSmarter Twitter chat that brings together hundreds of people in an active one-hour discussion revolving around Twitter marketing. Since launching two years ago, it has reached 4.64 billion impressions. She also hosts the weekly #SocialROI chat that’s presented by ManageFlitter. Madalyn interviews leading social media and marketing experts for her TwitterSmarter podcast and co-host the weekly Communities That Convert podcast with Kami Huyse. Huffington Post has named Madalyn one of 50 Women Entrepreneurs to follow.

Most passionate about

• I’ve been doing digital marketing for the last 22 years, and social media as a business for the last 13 years. I was named as the Number 1 social media marketer in Huston, which is where I live and the 4^th largest city in the US. I have two podcasts and two Twitter Chats that I host. I’m doing a lot, but it’s all in the world of social media, especially Twitter; I love helping people understand how to best use Twitter.
• I enjoy podcasting so much, so I really would like that to be a bigger priority in my business world in the future. I also really love online teaching, so right now I’m creating a whole library of online courses.
• The last project I’m really passionate about today is a Master Mind group I create for female entrepreneurs that want to learn how to live stream.

Madalyn’s customers

• These days my customers are typically social media marketers. Many of them are learning the business and look up to me as an online mentor, teaching them how to use social media and Twitter.
• I had been in the music business for close to 20 years. I loved that, but I wanted to do something different. I was watching the Mari Smiths and Kim Garsts for years, these successful ladies from the social media world. And I wanted to be known as someone who could help people with social media and especially with Twitter. And I decided to niche down on Twitter. We really need a niche, because when you try to serve everyone, you end up serving no one!
• Focusing on Twitter was the smartest decision I made.

Madalyn’s best advice about approaching customers

• What’s really important is to listen. You got to listen to your customers and find out what they want. That’s what happened to me with the Women Master Mind group I’m creating these days, as a result women telling me over and over what they need and want.

Biggest failure with a customer

• Very early on in my startup career. I’m an idea person. I come out with ideas all the time. Some work and some don’t. Back when my son was very young and I wanted the ability to be able to see how my son is doing through out the day using web cameras.
• I came out with a business plan, and got a loan and I did everything and it failed because I did not research enough. It came out that the ladies in the day care centers didn’t want it. I’ve got to admit that it was good that I failed in such an early stage of my business.

Biggest success due to the right customer approach

• One of the things I’m most proud of is an online community I started in 1996! The Internet was just started and I started a female musician community with the vision to empower these women. It was a really cool thing. Everything I’ve done was born from an idea. This story is a reminder for me to follow your passions. When I started all this, I had no idea I will be an entrepreneur.

Recommendation of a tool for customer focus, marketing, or sales?

• Evernote – For me, it’s like a file coming from my brain. I’m really big with post-it notes. They are all over. I must write every idea that comes to my mind

A person who impact Madalyn’s “customer focus” success

• What’s great about the Internet today is we can have virtual mentors. And I have to say, Gary Vaynerchuk is very well known; his very first book called, “Crush It”. I was already using social media, but it was the way he wrote and how he looked at things. I follow him even today and I love his message and attitude – just do it.

The moment when Madalyn felt she stopped chasing after customers and started to attract them?

• I must admit that I didn’t really have to chase after customers. When I started, I started with building web sites and people that wanted a website came to me. Also with the musician community I didn’t really have to chase them. You should make a mission of building your own brand.

Madalyn’s key success factor?

• Always moving upward. That makes me happy. I love the journey. I love the work I do. If you do things this way, you will reach the stars.

Madalyn’s Mountain

Since we believe that the best way for entrepreneurs to get a fast, big, and sustainable success is by leading your (new) market category, and the entire entrepreneurial journey reminds me of mountaineering, or conquering the mountain; I want to ask you if there is a mountain you dream of climbing or a mountain you have already climbed?

• I love this question! I don’t have a physical mountain, but while I’m doing things, I imagine myself climbing a mountain. I have a ring that looks like mountaintops and I often look at it and think about climbing my mountain when I think of my journey.

The best way to connect with Madalyn

• The best would be Twitter
• And second is my website

Have a listen to Madalyn’s #TwitterSmarter podcast 

and the new Communities That Convert podcast. 

Madalyn host the #TwitterSmarter Twitter chat every Thursday @ 1pm ET and the #SocialROI chat, presented by ManageFlitter , every Tuesday @ 5pm ET 

Huffington Post named me one of 50 Must-Follow Women Entrepreneurs.

Recommended Tools

• Evernote – Organize your work and declutter your life. With Evernote on your desktop and mobile devices, your notes are always with you and always in sync.

Recommended book

•  Crush It by Gary Vaynerchuk.

More resources for Entrepreneurs

1. Don’t Miss – Customer Focus Strategy & Execution: Market Analysis for Fundraising
2. Hayut Yogev’s Latest post: The three free, most practical steps to researching and locating your market
3. Former interview: With Carla Johnson – Instead of banging the drums and try to get customers’ attention we should ask how can I help my customers?