Get to know Michelle Guglielmo, President of Point Taken

Michelle Guglielmo Gilliam, president of Point Taken Communications, has more than 20 years of experience in public relations, marketing and web design.
Gilliam is a former television producer, reporter and fill-in anchor who has worked for The People’s Court and various local TV stations.
Gilliam has also served as a producer of private conferences for the United States’ military, arranging presentation topics, booking speakers and managing profit and loss for events.
Additionally, Gilliam has overseen marketing and public relations for a variety of businesses and nonprofit organizations including natural stone fabricators, landscape designers, interior designers, retail stores, real estate agents, high-end pet resorts, veterinary clinics and animal welfare organizations. Prior to starting Point Taken, Gilliam spent five years overseeing public relations and special events for the Jacksonville Humane Society. She has also managed public relations for Amelia Island Plantation.

Please introduce yourself and where you work.

My name is Michelle Guglielmo Gilliam, and I am president of Point Taken, a marketing, PR and web design firm serving businesses and nonprofit organizations nationwide.

How do you think SEO has changed over the last 10 years?

SEO has changed drastically over the past 10 years, but I think the biggest change revolves are content. Creating quality content is so important to search engine rankings and user engagement that organizations must always utilize high-value content. Whether it is a blog post, white paper, video or e-book, quality content is the key to higher search engine rankings.

How did you get introduced to digital marketing, more specifically SEO?

As a former TV producer and reporter, I never expected to work in digital marketing or SEO, but when I started my firm, I found it essential to understand SEO to attract and convert qualified leads for our clients. We now make sure SEO best practices are at the center of every piece of content we create for ourselves and for our clients.

What are the services you provide to your clients?

Point Taken is a full-service agency providing marketing, PR, web design, media relations, Facebook live and media training, blogging and copywriting, content marketing, public speaking, social media, event planning, video production, internal communications, branding, marketing automation, e-mail and direct mail campaigns, advertising, capital campaign management, SEO and lead generation.

What strategy according to you will prevail in 2018 for SEO?

At Point Taken, we believe content will continue to drive SEO in 2018. We think better quality content will outrank poor quality content, so we encourage all of our clients to utilize their existing collateral and create new materials that are well developed and offer valuable information.

What would your advice be to people who are looking to take up digital marketing as a career choice?

Digital marketing is a great career choice. I would suggest anyone looking for success in the digital marketing field understand all aspects of marketing, from traditional to digital, public relations strategies and tactics and marketing automation, digital advertising and web design. As digital marketing continues to evolve, it is best to have a thorough understanding of the field to succeed.