“Work hard and be underpaid for some time, so you can be overpaid for the rest of your life.” 💪
At DomainX Bangalore 2015, at the Taj, I finally met Siddharth Rajsekar in person after knowing him on social media. We talked blogging, social media and his agency. 🎙️
📊 In this episode, we unpacked:
- 📝 From a nonprofit blog to marketing
- 🏢 An 80/20 social media agency
- 📈 Five social media must-dos
- 💸 The $15,000 lesson
- 🌱 Five tips for new bloggers
🎥 Watch the full episode:
📝 From a Nonprofit Blog to Marketing
Siddharth first used WordPress in 2006, setting up a spiritual blog for a nonprofit. Over time, he studied how marketers like David Wood and John Chow monetized their blogs. 📝
His main mentors: Neil Patel, Pat Flynn and David Wood, who taught him about video and powerful messaging. He’s also inspired by Eben Pagan. For my own conversation with Siddharth, read my interview at DomainX 2015. 🔗
He saw over three years earlier that people spend the most time on social media, so he built an agency with a 25-member team that handles companies’ entire social media marketing. 🏢
Social ROI is a grey area, so 80% of their effort goes into planning and 20% into execution. Clients include events and real estate brands, and he also runs training workshops. Facebook ads work best for him: you can target a 29-year-old in Delhi who likes Metallica and sell him a Metallica album. For more Facebook ads strategy, read Dennis Yu’s interview. 🔗
1) Have the right strategy, starting with a customer avatar, a method he learned from Eben Pagan: list who the person is and their pain points, then generate content ideas. 2) Build a content strategy. 📈
3) Set up analytics and reporting first: likes aren’t success. Turning fans into leads and sales is. 4) Have an ad budget, since organic page reach had dropped to about 1%. 5) MIB, money in the bank: if you aren’t making money, you’re not doing social right. For more on social storytelling, read Christoph Trappe’s interview. 🔗
💸 The $15,000 Lesson
Early on, he wasted more than $15,000 on things that didn’t work, a bitter lesson that now helps him avoid bad tools and promotions. 💸
The business is bootstrapped, with its share of money crunches. His family worried, as many Indian families do about leaving a “safe” job. But his dad, grandfather and uncle were entrepreneurs, and his dad said: give it a shot. 👨👩👦
🌱 Five Tips for New Bloggers
Learn something every day, because strategies change every few months. Model the best. Focus on one topic you’re passionate about. Be consistent. Be persistent and ignore the naysayers. 🌱
He said kind things about my SEO work and personal branding, and summed up the spirit of the Indian blogging community: “It’s not about competition. It’s about collaboration.” 🤝
📝 Key Takeaways From the Siddharth Rajsekar Interview
- 🧠 Plan 80%, execute 20%
- 👤 Start with a customer avatar
- 📊 Measure leads and sales, not likes
- 💰 Budget for ads as organic reach falls
- 🤝 Collaborate rather than compete
❓ FAQs About Siddharth Rajsekar
Who is Siddharth Rajsekar?
A blogger, trainer and founder of a 25-member social media agency, who started with a nonprofit blog in 2006.
What is Siddharth’s best traffic source?
Facebook advertising, for its precise targeting.
What are his tips for new bloggers?
Learn daily, model the best, focus on one topic, and be consistent and persistent.
🎙️ More Inside A Hustler’s Brain Interviews You’ll Love
- Youngest Growth Hacker Rohan Chaubey Makes $3000+ Per Month
- From Rags to Riches: Kulwant Nagi Shares his Success Mantra
- Jitendra Vaswani Workshop at Università Cattolica Milan Feedback By Students
- How Yogesh Chabria Built a Multi-Crore Coaching Business (Life Lessons & Regrets)
What’s your number-one social media metric? Tell me in the comments. 💬
🔔 Subscribe & Follow Jitendra Vaswani Everywhere
🎧 Subscribe to Inside A Hustler’s Brain on YouTube and Follow Jitendra Vaswani on Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, Instagram, everywhere. 🙌
Jitendra Vaswani is a well-known expert in SEO and AI-driven digital marketing. He has spoken at international events and founded Digiexe, a digital marketing agency, and AffiliateBooster, WordPress plugin designed specifically for affiliate marketers. With over 10 years of experience, Jitendra has helped many businesses succeed online. His bestselling book, Inside A Hustler’s Brain: In Pursuit of Financial Freedom, with over 20,000 copies sold globally, underscores his influence and commitment to empowering digital marketers.