About

I almost went into a finance career. After four years of business school, I had earned a sheet of paper that proudly said I was a bachelor (even though I was married) of science. But the most important thing I learned was that I did not enjoy numbers. Sure, I was good enough at the math. But you can't really get creative with finances. Not legally, anyway. And I have a sincere passion for creativity. I love challenging assumptions and crafting unique ideas.

 

And that's why I became a musician for six years.

 

I had previous experience with web design, and so I created all of my band's web content. Then I began marketing through social media in the early days of Myspace - in 2004. After a while I had built our web presence through many different channels such as Youtube, Myspace, Facebook, and many niche sites. Each served a specific function.

With the help of some cheap targeted advertising on Facebook, I was able to get my band near the top of the iTunes charts in each of the USA, Canada, and UK stores. When I saw how the web could put an independent band ahead of thousands of major-label artists, I knew I was on to something.

 

I began sharing my experience and knowledge with local businesses, and speaking to networking groups about social media marketing. It began as a fun way to help people who were curious. As people continued to seek me out, I eventually realized that a business was forming.

So, in 2010 I founded Square Hat Media to help businesses invest wisely into web marketing. With the proper strategy, the web can be an incredibly powerful marketing tool. Without, the web can drain time and money very quickly.

The web is changing fast, and we all need to understand the implications. The internet is not just where companies put their brochures anymore. It is a living web of connections and communities. With this comes a massive shift in information power from businesses to the consumers. Some interesting figures:

• In March 2010, Facebook passed Google as the most-visited site in the U.S.
• Facebook has over 500,000,000 active users, making it larger than every country except China and India.
• 78% of consumers trust peer recommendations. Only 14% of consumers trust advertisements.
• YouTube is the 2nd most popular search engine, behind Google.

While this may seem daunting, it is actually a marketer's dream. The social web provides unparalleled opportunities to listen, build relationships, and share your message. What are people saying about you? Where can you connect to your audience? What do your customers want? These are some of the questions I'd love to help you answer.

Please let me know if my partners and I can help you build a solution that fits your needs.

-Ken Pittman, President