Picture below of Daniel Sayer (left), VP and Co-Founder of Socialix, working with CEO and Co-Founder, Peter Brown (right).
One of the main ways we progress as a company is by keeping our fingers on the pulse of the industry.”
Daniel Sayer is a co-founder and the vice president of Socialix, which provides an end-to-end influencer marketing platform for content creators and brands. Daniel previously managed SEO and social media strategies for Fortune 500 brands at digital marketing companies PM Digital and Zeta Interactive.
Where did the idea for Socialix come from?
I have an SEO background, so I’ve spent a lot of time reaching out manually to bloggers and influencers. I knew the existing tools for working with influencers really well, and I’d never come across an intuitive, user-friendly one. There were plenty of research tools out there, but there weren’t any social platforms to help marketers maintain an open dialogue with influencers.
What does your typical day look like, and how do you make it productive?
As a co-founder of a busy New York startup, life can be very hectic. My day starts with a strong coffee, and I usually begin by checking my email for campaign and platform updates.
After that, I’ll look at our SEO reports and influencers’ content submissions. Then, I usually chat with our development team to brainstorm new platform features. While our tech team members are hammering away on their keyboards to make those updates, I’ll visit with our social strategists about our clients’ influencer activity. We assess how campaigns are performing and share our ideas with clients to help them grow their programs.
The rest of my day is devoted to business development and brand marketing. Building awareness for our platform is a primary aspect of my job, and I’m always working to position Socialix as the leading technology for influencers and marketers.
How do you bring ideas to life?
One of the main ways we progress as a company is by keeping our fingers on the pulse of the industry. By constantly taking stock of the industry and our competitors, we can better understand how to evolve our product and distinguish our company.
We also invest a lot of time into testing each feature of the platform. In fact, I’m Socialix’s No. 1 beta tester. I’ve found that testing the platform as both an influencer and an advertiser is the best way to learn how we can make it more intuitive and streamlined for both parties.
What’s one trend that really excites you?
The timing of our venture is something that really excites me. We partner with multiple social media agencies that desire our expertise and technology to lead their own influencer practices.
I have a long history in SEO — which has a long history itself — and I’ve learned that social influencer marketing is different. It’s the new kid on the block, so to speak, and there’s an exciting race right now to see who’ll be the first to address some of the industry’s biggest questions.
What is one habit of yours that makes you more productive as an entrepreneur?
I’m an avid reader of sites like Moz and Social Media Examiner, and I always make sure my iPad is charged for the subway commute. By investing time in reading these materials, I’m able to stay on the cutting edge of the industry’s technological advances.
What’s the worst job you ever had, and what did you learn from it?
My first taste of America was as a children’s summer camp counselor in upstate New York. I was the only British counselor, so they made me coach soccer to a bunch of kids who did not want to be on the field.
Wrangling a bunch of disgruntled children will teach you incredible patience. It wasn’t a great job, but it was a great experience because my future wife was also a counselor at the time.
If you were to start again, what would you do differently?
I try not to dwell on the past; it just isn’t productive.
However, if I had to do one thing differently, I would’ve perfected the company’s name at the very start. We’ve recently rebranded, which has been more challenging than we initially thought.
As a startup, our identity is crucial to our future success, so having a concrete name and brand from the beginning would’ve been much easier.
As an entrepreneur, what is the one thing you do over and over and recommend everyone else do?
I constantly reach out and seek advice from other entrepreneurs. As a startup co-founder, I tend to get very entrenched in my own work and product. It can be hugely beneficial to take a step back and look at the industry landscape through others’ eyes.
What is one strategy that has helped you grow your business? Please explain how.
I try to explore every opportunity and build relationships everywhere I can. Regardless of how seemingly insignificant an initial lead or connection may be, I always follow up and maintain those relationships. The best way to innovate is to build relationships with people from all walks of life.
What is one business idea that you’re willing to give away to our readers?
I’d be interested in testing some British business concepts in the United States and vice versa. Outside of my current role, I also manage a successful firewood e-commerce site in the United Kingdom. Homeowners in the U.K. are obsessed with the idea of burning “kiln-dried wood,” so I’d be interested to see whether this concept would translate well across the Atlantic.
I don’t see many online sellers of firewood here, and I also don’t know whether kiln-dried wood is a recognized concept in the U.S. Feel free to do the research on this idea and run with it!
Tell us something about you that very few people know.
Not many people know that I played guitar in a punk-rock band in high school. We toured the U.K. playing pubs. We wanted to be the next Red Hot Chili Peppers.
What software and web services do you use? What do you love about them?
I use just about every Google product, particularly Google Drive. Google Drive is the most efficient way to share ideas and intellectual property within the company.
For SEO, I use Moz Pro and SEMrush: I’ve found that both of these tools provide comprehensive and actionable insights.
And, of course, I can’t resist the opportunity to plug the Socialix platform. I use our technology on a daily basis.
What is one book that you recommend our community should read, and why?
Everyone who’s interested in starting a business should read “Steve Jobs” by Walter Isaacson. The man was a unique innovator who never compromised his vision. We’d all be better entrepreneurs if we’d take a few lessons from him.
What people have influenced your thinking and might be of interest to others?
I greatly respect Rand Fishkin , founder and former CEO of Moz. I’ve seen him speak at conferences, and I admire the passion and energy he has for his work.
Connect:
Socialix website:
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Mario Schulzke is the Founder of ideamensch, which he started a decade ago to learn from entrepreneurs and give them a platform for their ideas.