Have a Burning Business Question? Ask the Expert: Mel Carson. Mel Carson, the man who has helped big-name brands like Microsoft and Alaska Airlines with their marketing and branding efforts, is looking to take entrepreneurs' questions this month.
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Thanks to technology and innovation, the barriers to entry are pretty low for entrepreneurship. And while this environment creates opportunities galore for aspiring founders, it also means more competition, making it even tougher to stand out. But don't fret, this is where marketing comes into play -- and our expert Mel Carson.
As the founder of Delightful Communications, Carson has been helping businesses big and small optimize their brands through effective social-media strategies, digital PR, personal branding and marketing. Clients include Microsoft (Bing, MSN and Small and Midmarket Solutions & Partners), Alaska Airlines, Booking.com, film site SnagFilms and B2B publisher Incisive Media. He also has the seal of approval from Carolyn Everson, Facebook's VP of global marketing solutions. "Mel Carson is a gifted digital storyteller who lives and breathes our belief that all marketing and PR should be social by design." Not bad.
Related: 10 Ways to Stretch Your Marketing Budget
Prior to venturing out on his own, Carson was digital market evangelist at Microsoft Advertising, where he was in charge of building advertising relationships by helping and educating on the Microsoft Advertising Blog. In his seven years there, he got to interview tech heavyweights like Twitter's Biz Stone.
So, if anyone is able to help entrepreneurs rise above all the startup noise, it is Carson. And fortunately, he is looking to pay it forward.
"I've spent most of my 14-year career in digital marketing educating and inspiring business owners and entrepreneurs to understand and make the most of the explosion in new media and technology," says Carson. "Being the catalyst for helping young people achieve their dreams as they build their business is one of the most rewarding things about the work I do, and it's always an opportunity for me to learn something too as I'm filled with an eternal curiosity and always strive to be better."
Related: Building Your Brand with Social Media
For the month of November, we are thrilled to have Carson as our expert. He is eager to tackle your burning questions each week. Feel free to ask anything pertaining to personal branding (something all entrepreneurs should be doing), marketing, digital PR, storytelling, public speaking and social media.
Submit your questions in the comments section below or tweet us, using the hashtag #ENTexpert. One topic will be selected by the editors of Entrepreneur and addressed by Carson in a weekly write-up here.
Related: 4 Ways to Revamp Your Marketing to Mesmerize the Crowd
