PEARL LEMON INTERVIEWS:
Alina Ghost

Alina Ghost

Alina Ghost is a digital marketer who recently turned to YouTube as she became a mum in lockdown. SEO by day, content creation by night, she talks about bilingual parenting alongside a career in the luxury interiors industry.

A Fireside Chat

I had the opportunity to have an amazing conversation with Alina Ghost today. From talking about SEO for Websites, Alina agreed to a quick interview.

She took the time to talk to me and answer some questions so I could get to know her better and hear more about the things that have helped shape her business success to date – let’s get stuck into it!

What Is The Book (Or Books) You’ve Given Most As A Gift, And Why?

Art of influencing people is a great book that brings persuasion into easy terms to understand and implement. I tried some of the tools out for myself with great results. I also vow to use one technique if I ever get into an accident and that is by singling out an individual to help so that there is no bystander effect.

What Purchase Of $100 Or Less Has Most Positively Impacted Your Life In The Last Six Months?

A bit random but reusable nappies. Not only will it be better for my pocket in the long-run, but it’s a sustainable way of living with a baby. More info, if you mean tech then it’ll be some professional lighting – recording more videos and living in the UK means I needed illumination and this is ideal for my viewers to SEE me.

When You Feel Overwhelmed Or Unfocused, Or Have Lost Your Focus Temporarily, What Do You Do?

I switch off and go on a walk in nature with my dog. Otherwise, I do something completely creative and non-technology related like knitting!

What are bad recommendations you hear in your profession or area of expertise?

Anything that involves a prospect being pushed or tricked into doing something they don’t need to do.

Work hard, play hard.

- Alina Ghost

In the last five years, what new belief, behavior, or habit has most improved your life?

Eco-friendly options. Even changing from kitchen roll to using a cloth that can be popped into the washing machine meant sustainability & money-saving week on week. There are also options like reusable pots, reusable bags, hand wash refills or soap and so on.

What Is One Of The Best Or Most Worthwhile Investments You’ve Ever Made?

I invested into making my home comfortable, which meant my new family were happy to be in lockdown together during a very tough period in our lives.

If you could have a gigantic billboard anywhere with anything on it — what would it say and why?

Emma Watson: If not now, when? If not me, who? A wonderful quote to live by, reminding us that we can make a difference and should begin anywhere, right now.

What careers advice would you give to your 21-year old self?

Work hard, play hard.

How has a failure, or apparent failure, set you up for later success? Do you have a “favourite failure” of yours?

I started a blog for a few months to have it deleted by the rubbish free hosting service I was with. All of my content disappeared overnight (no backup.) I was determined to start afresh and do better – I won ‘best interior blog award’ in 2014 from Cosmopolitan blog awards.

What advice would you give to a smart, driven college student about to enter the “real world”? What advice should they ignore?

Work hard and test as much as you can for yourself – always work on yourself too, whether it’s a free course or your own portfolio. Don’t let complacency stop you.

Tell Us About Your Business. What Does It Do And What Value Do You Add?

I’m an SEO by day (Amara, BBC, Tesco, Debenhams) and content creator (YouTube: Alina Ghost) by night. I help answer people’s questions – be it about a product or problem.

What is the most significant thing that someone much younger than yourself has taught you?

My baby boy taught me that you can function under VERY LITTLE SLEEP.

Tell us about someone you admire and why you admire them?

My mum-in-law who is able to balance a large family within the household.

What profession other than your own would you like to attempt?

Translation will be fun as I know Russian already, perhaps I could put it to good use to help even more people.

Where do you see your industry in the next 5 years?

I believe that Google will make sure SEOs have to stay ahead of their game, which means that we’ll constantly have to improve and adapt, although I believe that at its core, ranking will be similar enough. I believe B2B lead gen will change a bit more as (from my experience) people are getting softer when it comes to cold communication. Once again, we’ll all need to adapt and proceed accordingly.

What is a 'hack' you have for success that most people don't know about?

Enjoy being productive.

What's your favourite digital marketing channel and why?

SEO, the most complex and ever-evolving channel of them all 😉

What is a useful skill someone could learn in one minute?

Breathing exercises (to destress… or labour)

What one song can you listen to every day non-stop?

walking in memphis by cher!

What's your favourite colour?

Teal

How has Covid-19 changed your industry?

More work life balance – yet the industry is booming!

How has Covid-19 changed your company?

Working from home is a must when it was looked down upon previously.

What is the most surprising thing you've seen in your industry?

Men excited about babies 🙂

When did you first become a rebel?

I’m very stubborn and always have been. As an immigrant Russian in London, a teacher told me that I’ll never be able to write properly, so I ended up doing English Literature in University, finishing with a high grade.

What's your favourite holiday destination?

Hawaii

What's something exciting you're currently working on/learning that only a few people know about?

Bilingual parenting is hard work but exciting as I see my son growing up to learn two languages.

What one thing in life do you consider to be overrated?

Turtlenecks.

What's your star sign?

Aquarius

What are you NOT Very Good at?

Staying in one spot…

What did you have for breakfast this morning?

My usual… porridge with banana

About Us

Pearl Lemon are an SEO, PPC, PR, and B2B lead-generation agency. We are based in London but service clients around the world.

We have taken the time to interview entrepreneurs and experts (like Alina) in this new series.

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