This month we head into our customer service department to introduce you to our Customer Service Team leader, Shadi Moqarrabin.

Shadi is one of our longest serving employees and has acquired the role of “mum” to our younger staff (in my opinion). She is always looking out for us and ensuring we are happy and healthy.

She is often heard helping customers late into the evening, so she also gets the title of our resident night owl (along with her partner is crime, Christina).

Here are a few things to learn about Shadi:

1. Describe yourself in 3 words:
Caring, considerate and conscientious

2. If I was in a movie, I would like to be in…
any comedy movie.

3. What most interests you about the SEM industry?
Search engine marketing is just so much more interesting than traditional marketing. Search engine marketing, especially SEO is so powerful when you get it right, with such potential to improve your sales growth rates.

4. What are 2 things you can’t live without?
First and foremost, my beautiful daughter and secondly, bubble tea.

(Editors Note: Shadi was the first person to introduce me to bubble tea and I haven’t looked back. Mango bubble tea… yum!)

5. What’s your favourite YouTube video and why?
Geez, what a tough question. There are so many YouTube videos I love. I would have to say that this is probably my favorite at the moment; simply because the child’s laugh is just so cute (you can’t help but laugh along too).

This month we introduce you to Rene LeMerle, our VP of Sales and Marketing.

Ren (as we like to call him) is the backbone of our marketing team. He’s kept busy designing, advertising and strategizing when he doesn’t have his head buried in Excel spreadsheets.

Just as he describes himself, Rene really is ineedhits’ “Culture Vulture”. He is our go-to-guy on the latest artists to be hitting the music scene. He is even our resident DJ – often seen spinning the decks in some of the top bars in town. Plus he rides a vintage motorcycle to work. How cool is that?

1. Describe yourself in 3 words:
GIT (Geek in Training), Culture-Vulture, Music Addict (words, terms – meh – they’re all the same)

2. If I was in a movie, I would like to be in…
Ferris Bueller’s Day Off – what a way to spend a day! And how cool would it be to cruise around in that classic Ferrari

3. What most interests you about the SEM industry?
Innovation and accountability. Search engines are possibly the most significant innovation for business and marketing ever (contentious – I know). Google et al are researching, developing, launching and redefining quicker than any other medium I can recall. And unlike the marketing channels before it, it has unparalleled levels of measurability – which makes your marketing spend more accountable than ever.

4. What are 2 things you can’t live without?
Music and Coffee
(Editors note: Rene is likely to be in trouble for not mentioning his lovely wife here)

5. What’s your favourite YouTube video and why?
Don’t really have an all time favourite, as so many good ones keep popping up. But one of my top videos would have to be the OKGO video clip. It was one of the first to show how DIY social media could propel music artists into the mainstream spotlight – and all done so simply and on almost no budget.

It’s time to head back into the sales office and introduce you to another of our sales executives, Suresh Manievannan.

Suresh is ineedhits’ resident musician/photographer. We’ve even had the privilege of listening to Suresh ‘jam’ on his bass guitar right here in the ineedhits head office.

When he doesn’t have a guitar in one hand and a camera in the other, Suresh is busy helping our new and existing clients with the best online marketing solutions for their budget and needs.

Here are a few things you should know about Suresh:

1. Describe yourself in 3 words:
Laid back, quick thinking, talkative

2. If I was in a movie, I would like to be in…
Oceans 11. To me this movie is the epitome of cool. I love how the “bad guys” are actually the “good guys”. Oh and don’t even get me started on how suave the suits are!

3. What most interests you about the SEM industry?
I love how it is constantly changing, and to keep ahead within it a business needs to be evolving. It means that there are always new solutions being introduced constantly.

4. What are 2 things you can’t live without?
My bass guitar (I now even own a half size that is perfect for carry on luggage) and my camera gear (all 15kgs of it)

5. What’s your favourite YouTube video and why?
Larry Graham is thought of as one of the pioneers of slap bass. I love the sound he gets out of his bass, especially his version of Phantom of the Opera at the end.

Its time to head back into the customer service department and introduce you to Christina Kougiannis, one of our senior customer service representatives.

Christina is our resident night owl (minus the “hoot hoot”). For our US customers, she is the lovely voice you would have heard at the other end of the phone when you called our Australian based office.

Lately though, Christina has been able to have a bit of a sleep-in as she is now assisting our local customers during the day.

Here are a few things you should know about Christina:

1. Describe yourself in 3 words:
High-spirited, warm & ambitious

2. If I was in a movie, I would like to be in…
Troy because it is one of the most epic adventure stories of all time! Plus, I would love to star with Brad Pitt

(Editor’s Note: The female members of the ineedhits team completely agree with Christina – who wouldn’t want to star alongside Brad Pitt?)

3. What most interests you about the SEM industry?
It’s great how Google Maps/Places listings have given small businesses another easy way to get noticed by more potential customers.

4. What are 2 things you can’t live without?
My family & my dad’s kebabs (my dad makes the best chicken kebabs ever!)

5. What’s your favourite YouTube video and why?

This is definitely one of my favourite YouTube videos of all time. It’s so cute how a baby can laugh at the same thing over and over again. It is guaranteed to make you laugh or at least put a big smile on your face

This month we take you back into the IT department to introduce you to Evan Dela-Grammaticas.

Evan is our senior website developer and a self-proclaimed computer geek – did his profile picture give that away? (We also believe he may have one longest surnames in the world!)

Although Evan is one of our newer team members, he has made a great impact already on the functionality of the website and stayed tuned – there is plenty more cool stuff to appear on our site soon, courtesy of Evan.

Here are a few things you should know about Evan:

Describe yourself in 3 words:
Passionate, Motivated, Sometimes-Stupidly-Determined (You did say single words)

If I was in a movie, I would like to be in…
Harry Potter (I embrace my inner child)

What most interests you about the SEM industry?
The fact that all you need is a good idea, some determination and a decent Google placement to make a really good run of it.

What are 2 things you can’t live without?
There is a lot I can’t live without – so let’s say air, water and food as a very high number one and my wife as a close number two.

(Editors note: Evan is the first team member to mention their better half in this section. Well done, Evan)

What’s your favourite YouTube video and why?
Really, you are asking a self-confessed computer geek that has been hardened by many years of exposure to some crazy stuff on YouTube. Ok, here goes…. For the sheer simplicity of it, I would have to say “Charlie Bit My Finger – Again” is on my list.

With the holiday season fast approaching there’s no better time to get your search marketing sorted for this busy sales period. If you act now and position your website for top rankings and traffic, it’s easy to capitalize on the holiday sales rush.

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Remember the 20% discount applies to all ineedhits services, so visit our homepage to find out more!

Happy Holidays!

This month we introduce you to another ineedhits team member, Michael (Mike) Dodic.

Mike is our Google Local advertising and SEO specialist who takes care of all the keyword analysis and other SEO techniques to ensure our client’s websites are ranking high in the search engines.

Although Mike is one of our quieter team members, he has a wicked sense of humour which you will see from his choice of favourite video below.

Describe yourself in 3 words:
Aloof, loyal and geeky.

If I was in a movie, I would like to be in…
The Shawshank Redemption… actually, maybe not! How about Twilight – the whole immortal thing in bad weather, sounds like fun!

What most interests you about the SEM industry?
Google FTW (for the win). I really enjoy Google Local and SEO because it is interesting and Google throws a new challenge at us everyday.

What are 2 things you can’t live without?
Internet and caffeine

What’s your favourite YouTube video and why?
Budweiser Wassup Superfriends commercial because no matter how often I watch it, it is always hilarious.

(Editors Note: Mike bought this ad to my attention when completing his profile and I have to agree: it’s simple but very easy to laugh at –well done Budweiser)

This month we introduce you to Peter Gavalas, our VP of Channels and Alliances.

Our Reseller partners will know Peter well as he is the direct contact for anything relating to our reseller programs.

Coming from a Greek family, Peter is passionate about European soccer and is holding out hope that Greece (or Australia) is successful in the World Cup.

Describe yourself in 3 words:
Reliable, opinionative, good-sense-of-humour

If I was in a movie, I would like to be in…
Superman – I mean, how cool would it be to fly?

What most interests you about the SEM industry?
1) An ever changing industry – you wake up and wonder what Google has done today to shift the goal posts
2) Its growth and implementation across multiple devices and platforms
3) Its the most effective form of connecting small business owners with customers

What are 2 things you can’t live without?
Watching my European soccer games and drinking my Frappe (Greek iced coffee), especially when the view is so good.

What’s your favourite YouTube video and why?
Greece winning the 2004 Euro gave me the most joy in my life.
(Editors note: Peter was only recently married, so we hope his wedding day gave him just as much joy and we think his wife would probably agree with us!)

Let’s hope Greece or Australia can give us some more joy at the current World Cup.

This month we introduce you to one of our premium account support managers, Eve Kwiatkowska.

If you ever need to discuss any aspects of your Easy Search Advertising, Guaranteed Local or Premium SEO campaigns then chances are you will chat with Eve.

Hailing all the way from Poland, Eve is the ineedhits office’s “quiet achiever” with the beautiful Polish accent.

Here are a couple of other things you should know about Eve:

Describe yourself in 3 words: Courteous, swift, imaginative

If I were in a movie, I would like to be in…
Alice in Wonderland. I would love to be Alice for a day and go on such an exciting & fascinating adventure.
(Female editors note: Hopefully Eve is talking about the latest Alice in Wonderland movie because meeting Johnny Depp would certainly be fun.)

What most interests you about the SEM industry? How it is evolving so rapidly and the potential it brings for not only for big & well established businesses but small businesses that are just starting out.

What are 2 things you can’t live without? Definitely family & friends.

What’s your favourite YouTube video?
Where the Hell is Matt? I absolutely love this video because it reminds me of all beautiful places in the world.