Ira Pasternack – June 2016 Member of the Month

It’s JUNE! Summer is finally here and so is our next Member of the Month, Ira Pasternack! Ira has been a member of SEMpdx since February 2012 and is the President of Pasternack Marketing, which is a Portland-based agency that helps businesses with their digital presence. We asked Ira to tell us a little more about himself and his history with SEMpdx. Check out his answers!

About Ira Pasternack

Area(s) of Expertise
PPC, SEO, Web / App Development

What do you like most about Digital Marketing and why?
“I enjoy helping small businesses create strategies that allow them to grow.”

What advice do you have for a college student who is interested in your area(s) of expertise?
“Make sure you go deep into one particular niche, as opposed to just being a marketing generalist. This could be via an in-house position in a marketing department, or via extensive work in one industry in an agency. Just make sure you get to know people in and related to that niche, and develop an understanding of how marketing fits into the bigger business function.”

SEMpdx

Why are you a member of SEMpdx?
“The combination of educational and networking opportunities is unmatched!”

Who’s been your favorite SEMpdx monthly event speaker and why?
“It is hard to pick a favorite, but at the moment I’ve been very much inspired by last month’s presentation by Dennis Yu. I’m working on several significant projects already that came about directly from material I learned at that event.”

Have you been to SearchFest / how many have you attended?
“I have attended the last 4 or 5 (I’m pretty sure it was 5).”

If you could hear anyone speak at an event, who would it be and why?
“Guy Kawasaki. He’s a very engaging story teller, whether when speaking or writing, and I always seem to learn something when I hear him talk…but I’ve never seen him at a live event.”

Randomness

If you weren’t doing what you’re doing now (marketer, developer, etc), what would you do?
“Writing novels, maybe teaching.”

Favorite Beverage and why?
“Beer, because we have so many amazing options here in Portland.”

To Bacon or Not to Bacon?
“YES!”

Anything else you want the SEMpdx community to know about you?
“I’m always looking to collaborate with other agencies, especially related to local online marketing, and online training and/or membership websites.”

Thanks, Ira!

As he said, he’s always looking to meet new people and collaborate with others, so if you haven’t met Ira before, make sure to say hi to him at the next event and congratulate him on his Member of the Month status on social media now!