Top Innovators: Optify

Erez Barak, co-founder and vice president of products

By Nick Horton | November 2010 | FROM THE PRINT EDITION

Credit: Photograph by Hayley Young

Erez Barak If you’re a B2B marketer—if not a CEO in your own right—you understand the importance of social media. Understanding social media is one thing, but harnessing its power is another challenge altogether. So how do business owners implement tools like Facebook, Twitter and Digg to bolster their companies’ growth? And how does one measure the impact of social media marketing and search engine optimization (SEO)?

The quick answer: They use Optify, a Seattle-based firm that helps marketers and sales professionals attract and identify potential customers through web analytics and SEO, permitting companies to focus their efforts on the most promising potential customers. The company’s advanced lead scoring technology allows clients to create unique parameters for lead quality, assisting sales teams to respond quickly and accurately to website visits. Optify also provides an unprecedented level of reporting that lets businesses track and report sales results.

Optify is the brainchild of Erez Barak, a former director of product marketing for HP, who founded the company along with CEO Brian Goffman, a longtime investor and entrepreneur. Barak has 12 years of software development and marketing experience, including stints with Amdocs, Namaya and Adwise. Barak also served as an officer in the Israeli Navy, which he credits for his leadership skills, drive and determination.

If it weren’t for Barak’s vision, web businesses would not be able to enjoy Optify’s patented blend of social media marketing, SEO and performance tracking. Thanks to Barak and Optify, web entrepreneurs have a better chance at success.