About Adam

Area(s) of Expertise

“My expertise comes more from the marketing side, from working at a start-up marketing firm in Indianapolis that worked in Motorsports, and later forming my own.  So I am able to connect the business world with the digital world, which is a hurdle for many business owners and keeps them from achieving their digital goals.”

What do you love most about Digital Marketing? Why?

“I look at it as a love/hate relationship.  Soon as you think you have mastered a segment or an expert, it changes.  Then you have to learn, change and adapt to the new digital marketing rules and trends.  It’s never-ending, which is good, because it keeps you on your toes and makes you valuable to your customers, but it definitely does not leave much time to rest on your current knowledge.”

What advice do you have for college students who are interested in your area(s) of expertise? 

 “I think getting real-world experience outside the digital marketing for the area you want to work in is a lost art.  Learning about the prospect/customer experience in sales, operations/logistics on how an order works, public relations, workflow, and what their product or services accomplish and what the future is for the company are the keys to marketing.  I believe that given the right situation, this is something you can achieve as an intern to get a 30,000-foot-view of the business you’re thinking of starting your career at.  Not all big companies will allow this, but the small or midsize companies could make room for someone in this category, which can really catapult you above your peers. Knowing how to digitally architect a campaign after seeing it from a consumer and an employee inside the business is the secret to success.”

Who has been your favorite SEMpdx monthly event speaker and why?

“I don’t remember the speaker, but he revealed all the Google do’s and don’ts during a change a few years back.  I would have been blindsided with my current sites.”

Have you been to Engage and how many have you attended?

“No….but one day when I’m not traveling I will attend the roughly twenty conferences I place on my calendar every year.  I have several companies and I travel for Penske Racing in the IndyCar series.  I am a spotter for Helio Castroneves, so for the last 20 years, I have been on the road 25+ weeks a year above my business travel schedule. This is how I capture most of my clients, so it’s difficult, but I love that some conferences offer online experiences now.  But I do miss the networking – that’s what you can’t replace.”

Who would you most love to hear speak at an event and why? If there’s no one specific, what would you most like to hear or learn about at an event?

“I think it would be revealing to find someone who would share their opinion of what things might be like in five years digitally, like costs, employment, governmental regulation, etc.  Forecasting this business is a nightmare and my question is, when will the marketplace become truly saturated by efficiency through mergers and new entrants where it becomes like other standard corporate industries?  I revere the people in this industry as digital artists, but I think the corporate culture will scale this to where the independent firms will have too much to compete with and ultimately ruin this art.  Even though I work and have helped build the corporate culture, I make sure my environments stay independent and as entrepreneurial as possible.”

If you weren’t doing what you do now, what would you do?  Don’t let money, circumstances, or reality, in general, hold you back on this one

“I’m lucky, I’m living my childhood dream in motorsports, except not from the driver’s seat, which is fine by me.  I get to help coach and talk to them while they are driving and that’s an adrenaline rush.   I guess the next dream is to get back flying, which was my other childhood dream.  But I’m also a true nerd and building businesses were my other passion, as I help build our family business Portland Disposal and Recycling and currently an IPO that is focused on tech and the environment….announcement coming soon!   I’m pretty lucky, minus the all-nighters.” 

Favorite beverage and why?

“The margarita…..I have a huge sweet tooth.  Nothing better to be on vacation with a good margarita.”

Favorite movie or movie character and why?

“Ferris Bueller….best movie ever!!!  An early hacker who understood life.”

Anything else you want the SEMpdx community to know about you?

“I was an early coder, but fell off the wagon and I’m slowly getting back up to speed.  I am lucky to work with talented people and launching a new company in this segment has me very scared and excited.  I’m excited to launch this new Digital Firm with my 25 years of business and life experience to tackle the forgotten industries, blockchain, and help mentor the next generation of digital misfits like myself.  If that is you, hit me up!”

The post Adam Borgens – November 2018 Member of the Month appeared first on SEMpdx.

About Jonathan

Area(s) of Expertise

“B2C, enterprise level SEM accounts”

What do you love most about Digital Marketing? Why?

“My favorite part of digital marketing is the innovation. I love how digital marketing is constantly changing and it is up to advertisers to be bold and experiment and test new opportunities.”

What advice do you have for college students who are interested in your area(s) of expertise?

“Spend a lot of time with account managers and marketing managers and watch how they lead meetings and frame ideas. You may be brilliant at advertising and analytics but they are usually experts in client communication. Create tools that add value to your organization: Excel worksheets and macros, advertising mocks for account managers before client meetings, job aids that outline complicated processes. Finally, some recommended books would be The Dip by Seth Godin, The Culture Code by Clotaire Rapaille, and Co-opetiton by Adam Brandenburger and Barry Nalebuff.”

Who has been your favorite SEMpdx monthly event speaker and why?

“Amanda Bernard from iSite (Connective DX) and one of the analysts from iSite (sorry I forgot your name) gave a really interesting presentation on micro-conversion moments using KinderCare as an example (2014 or 2015 I think). It was the first real practical implementation of the micro-conversion moments Google had been evangelizing in the ZMOT book (Zero Moment of Truth).”

Have you been to Engage and how many have you attended?

“I have been to Engage the last three years. Michael King from iPullRank was amazing and I loved all the tools he mentioned, especially the headless browsers. Also, I really enjoyed Jeremy Schoemaker (Shoemoney). After ShoeMoney’s presentation, we got to hang out at Punch Bowl Social and discuss the Huskers football quiz.”

Who would you most love to hear speak at an event and why? If there’s no one specific, what would you most like to hear or learn about at an event?

“Chip Reno from T-Mobile had an awesome presentation at last year’s Digital Summit on customer attribution across four platforms: web traffic that is not logged-in, current customers, prospective customers (Experian data, for example), and users who viewed digital advertisements (ip info from banner and native ads).”

If you weren’t doing what you do now, what would you do? Don’t let money, circumstances, or reality in general hold you back on this one

“I love hiking and the mountains. I would love to hike Mont Blanc, the Dolomites, the Cinque Terre Coastal Trail, Torres del Paine National Park, and the Pacific Northwest Trail.”

Favorite beverage and why?

“I’m from Michigan and I love Bell’s Oberon and Bell’s Two Hearted Ale.”

Favorite movie or movie character and why?

“My favorite movies are by Wes Anderson: The Royal Tenenbaums, The Life Aquatic, and The Darjeeling Limited. I also like Werner Herzog documentaries because the subjects are so quirky and passionate that they seem fictional. Here is a list of my favorite Herzog movies.”

Anything else you want the SEMpdx community to know about you?

“Don’t let your job title define your interests and role in the organization. I recently won the Data Analyst challenge at our work by developing a new way to create member segments based on native advertising targeting used at Yahoo. I only know a little SQL and Tableau but a digital marketer gets really good at finding value in mountains of data.”

The post Jonathan Pape – August 2018 Member of the Month appeared first on SEMpdx.

September is here and with it comes our Monthly Events and a new Member of the Month, Rachel Peters! Rachel does Strategic Communications at Cambia Health Solutions, is headquartered in Portland and dedicated to transforming health care. In order to get to know her better, we asked her all the important questions and are sharing them with you.

About Rachel Peters

Area(s) of Expertise
“Analytics, Social Media, Content Marketing”

What do you like most about Digital Marketing and why?
“I like that digital marketing combines so many different disciplines and is always evolving with creative solutions to fit changing parameters.”

What advice do you have for a college student who is interested in your area(s) of expertise?
“Take classes in as many different areas as you can. Try a few things out and grow your skill set. I took classes in literature, linguistics, web development, document design, advertising…I use skills from each of these classes almost every day. I would also suggest starting your own side project to test out and explore new skills beyond the classroom.”

SEMpdx

Why are you a member of SEMpdx?
“It’s a great way to connect with the community and keep up with the latest trends and ideas in digital marketing.”

Who has been your favorite SEMpdx monthly event speaker and why?
“Larry Kim at the member appreciation event—he’s a legend!”

If you could hear anyone speak at an event, who would it be and why?
“I would love to hear someone who has found success in breaking down silos and truly integrating PR, web developers, editors, writers, marketers into one cohesive workstream. Not sure if this person exists :)”

Randomness

If you weren’t doing what you’re doing now (marketer, developer, etc), what would you do?
“Art therapy or linguistics research.”

Favorite Beverage and why?
“London Fog (Earl Grey latte)—it’s cozy and a little indulgent.”

To Bacon or Not to Bacon?
“What?”

Thanks, Rachel!

Make sure to find Rachel at our next event and congratulate her on her status of Member of the Month!

The post Rachel Peters – September 2017 Member of the Month appeared first on SEMpdx.

June is the last month before our summer break! So Adam Krumbein will be our last Member of the Month until September. Adam is the Marketing Director at Southwest Antennas, which specializes in the design and manufacture of high-performance broadband RF and Microwave antennas. In order to get to know him better, we asked him all the important questions and are sharing them with you.

About Adam Krumbein

Area(s) of Expertise
“Email Marketing, SEO, Sales Pipeline Development”

What do you like most about Digital Marketing and why?
“One of my favorite things about digital marketing is the interaction with the end users and customers. I get a lot of satisfaction from seeing the projects I work on help our customers solve their problems while at the same time helping my company grow. I’m very lucky with my current position to not only get to work on typical strategic marketing objectives and projects but I get a lot of first-hand interaction with our customers, who are just fantastic. I work in a technical market and this challenges me every day to learn about topics far beyond typical core marketing specialties.”

What advice do you have for a college student who is interested in your area(s) of expertise?
“I’d recommend trying to discover the areas of marketing that really interest you and spend time learning about those subjects on your own – almost nothing I do on a daily basis in my current career was covered in college marketing courses. The internet makes it easy to set up a website, Facebook page, Instagram account, etc. and just experiment with things. Getting involved with your school’s internship and career development program is also a great way to connect with employers and mentors who want to help students learn and grow. If you can get practical experience and are given some room to experiment and learn you’ll quickly discover what areas of marketing you enjoy working in.”

SEMpdx

Why are you a member of SEMpdx?
“I really enjoy the opportunity to network with other people who work in similar positions and face similar types of challenges that I do. Being able to exchange ideas with people in the same field but with different skill sets and experience is an invaluable growth and learning opportunity.”

Who has been your favorite SEMpdx monthly event speaker and why?
“Every speaker has been worth hearing and I always walk away having learned something new, but Personal Branding with Mel Carson jumps out to me as a particularly good event, as it was a nice reminder to put a bit of the same effort into yourself as you put into your everyday work.”

Have you been to Engage (formerly SearchFest) and how many have you attended?
“Yes, about six times. I’ve missed a few years here and there.”

If you could hear anyone speak at an event, who would it be and why?
“From the business world, I’d love to hear Howard Schultz speak because what he did to help build contemporary coffee culture in the United States, along with his company’s brand, is simply amazing no matter how you might feel about their coffee.

“Anthony Bourdain would be another person very high on my list, as he just seems like a really interesting guy who has seen a lot of “things” in his life.”

Randomness

If you weren’t doing what you’re doing now (marketer, developer, etc), what would you do?
“I think I’d like to be an architect, designing structures that people physically interact with would be very interesting. My great great grandfather Justus Krumbein was an architect here in Portland in the 1800s and designed many buildings that are still around today, so it would be interesting to have the same long-lasting impact.”

Favorite Beverage and why?
“A really good cup of coffee.”

To Bacon or Not to Bacon?
“YES!”

Anything else you want the SEMpdx community to know about you?
“I’m going to be a dad soon! So excited to help my kid learn and experience all the great things in our world.”

Thanks, Adam!

Make sure to find Adam at our next event and congratulate him on his status of Member of the Month!

The post Adam Krumbein – June 2017 Member of the Month appeared first on SEMpdx.

May is Member Appreciation Month for SEMpdx and our newest Member of the Month is Michael Rasko. Michael is the Marketing Manager of Jordan Ramis PC, a Portland-based law firm that offers a comprehensive package of legal services in Dirt Law, Business Law, Local Government Law, and Litigation and Dispute Resolution. In order to get to know him better, we asked him all the important questions and are sharing them with you.

About Michael Rasko

Area(s) of Expertise

“Analytics, PPC, SEO”

What do you like most about Digital Marketing and why?

“The analytics. I was never a math guy when I was in school, but now that I’m older I’m really drawn to the quantitative aspect of this work. It’s just far more tangible than sales spin. And it is absolutely fascinating what you can learn about people by their actions online.”

What advice do you have for a college student who is interested in your area(s) of expertise?

“Get a Lynda.com account or some other education subscription. You can now get Lynda for free through the Multnomah County Library, so there really are no more excuses not to be self-taught. You’re gonna get caught in an experience gap coming out of college where no one will trust you to do things that you haven’t done before. Being able to understand the tasks of digital marketing and talk about them intelligently–even if you’ve never done the actual work on behalf of a company–will help you to close that gap. Additionally, this business changes so fast. What will be required of marketers once most homes have an Alexa or Google Home? You can’t just rely on what you learned in college to be able to answer that question. You gotta keep up and keep learning.”

SEMpdx

Why are you a member of SEMpdx?

“To get discounts and meet others in the industry. It makes financial sense for the discount to Engage Conference alone, and everything after that is just bonus.”

Who has been your favorite SEMpdx monthly event speaker and why?

“Dennis Yu. That guy is next level. I liked his technique of abandoning slides and just walking people through what he does. It’s risky because it’s far more likely that something you intended to demonstrate will have an error in it, but I think it works better in teaching.”

Have you been to Engage (formerly SearchFest) and how many have you attended?

“I went to the most recent one. I plan to go every year. I just haven’t in past years because I’m a relatively new member and only became aware of it through joining this organization.”

If you could hear anyone speak at an event, who would it be and why?

“Work-related: The leader of the team that authored the latest Google algorithm so I could get a first-hand account of the changes and why they are happening instead of having to rely on the guess-work of bloggers.

“Not work-related: Lin-Manuel Miranda. I’m just a big fan of his work.”

Randomness

If you weren’t doing what you’re doing now (marketer, developer, etc), what would you do?

“I used to work in video editing. I would probably still be doing that if I didn’t make the career change.”

Favorite Beverage and why?

“Coca-cola. I don’t drink it often because it’s loaded with sugar, but there really is no flavor more refreshing.”

To Bacon or Not to Bacon?

“YES!”

Anything else you want the SEMpdx community to know about you?

“In addition to working as the head of marketing for Jordan Ramis PC, I’m also on the board of Friends of the Multnomah County Library and I just can’t resist giving them a plug. Also, people are welcome to hit me up on Linkedin if they have questions or would like to chat about something.”

Thanks, Michael!

Make sure to find Michael at our next event and congratulate him on his status of Member of the Month!

The post Michael Rasko – May 2017 Member of the Month appeared first on SEMpdx.

This is not a joke. Our April Member of the Month is Danielle Hickey-Duhon! Danielle is an Account Manager at Obility, an agency providing B2B demand generation and inbound marketing services in Portland, OR. In order to get to know her better, we asked her all the important questions and are sharing them with you.

About Danielle Hickey-Duhon

Area(s) of Expertise
“Analytics, SEO, Social Media”

What do you like most about Digital Marketing and why?
“Digital Marketing helps businesses of all kinds reach people searching for solutions who would otherwise spend more time researching and less time investing in their customers.”

What advice do you have for a college student who is interested in your area(s) of expertise?

“Be open to all opportunities and possibilities. Do not pigeon hole yourself into one track early in your career.”

SEMpdx

Why are you a member of SEMpdx?

“Good people and fun events!”

Who has been your favorite SEMpdx monthly event speaker and why?
“Brent Csutoras was great! His presentation was entertaining and provided good tips on how to use content in social.”

If you could hear anyone speak at an event, who would it be and why?
“That’s a tough one, there are so many knowledgeable people I want to learn from.”

Randomness

If you weren’t doing what you’re doing now (marketer, developer, etc), what would you do?
“Architectural Photographer.”

Favorite Beverage and why?
“Pinot Noir.”

To Bacon or Not to Bacon?
“YES!”

Anything else you want the SEMpdx community to know about you?
“I am a board member at the Architectural Heritage Center. For anyone interested in preservation, community advocacy or likes to visits museums, this is a great organization to check out! We have regular education programs about Portland architecture and our neighborhoods where I always learn something new about Portland.”

Thanks, Danielle!

Make sure to seek out Danielle at the next SEMpdx event and congratulate her on her status of Member of the Month!

The post Danielle Hickey-Duhon – April 2017 Member of the Month appeared first on SEMpdx.

Before all the March Madness begins, we want to let you know about our March Member of the Month, Tsering Alleyne! Tsering is the Marketing Director of HitchSource, an online retailer based in Hood River, OR that specializes in Trailer Hitches, RV Accessories, Tow Bars, Bike Racks and Trailer Hitch Accessories. In order to get to know him better, we asked him all the important questions and are sharing them with you.

About Tsering Alleyne

Area(s) of Expertise
“Email Marketing, PPC, Social Ads”

What do you like most about Digital Marketing and why?
“I really like that digital marketing offers the ability to target and connect with customers looking to learn about exactly what you have to sell. Being creative and having the ability for instant feedback also make the work fun and rewarding.”

What advice do you have for a college student who is interested in your area(s) of expertise?

“Start educating yourself. Digital marketing is a speeding train, the sooner you realize this and start getting up to speed the more valuable you will be.”

SEMpdx

Why are you a member of SEMpdx?

“So I can stay on the train. Its tough to manage your day to day tasks and professional development. At a small company you wear many hats. SEMpdx keeps me engaged in the broader field of digital marketing and aware of whats coming next so I can have the competitive edge in my market. It’s also just fun to hang out with a bunch of marketing geeks who speak the same language. “

Who has been your favorite SEMpdx monthly event speaker and why?
“To be honest, I don’t think I have been able to make a monthly speaker. I have tried to make a few of them, but I’m out in Hood River and recently travel on the 84 has been daunting. I have made it to the member mixers and I did really enjoy Larry Kim at SearchFest last year.”

Have you been to Engage (formerly SearchFest) and how many have you attended?
“I went for the first time last year and will be attending the 2017 Engage conference.”

If you could hear anyone speak at an event, who would it be and why?
“It would be pretty cool to see Guy Kawasaki speak at an SEMpdx event. “

Randomness

If you weren’t doing what you’re doing now (marketer, developer, etc), what would you do?
“Probably trying to find a way to make a living traveling and racing mountain bikes.”

Favorite Beverage and why?
“Coffee in the morning to be productive and a craft beer in the evening to let it all go.”

To Bacon or Not to Bacon?
“YES!”

Anything else you want the SEMpdx community to know about you?
“I have found that the occasional digital detox is key to keeping it fun. If I’m having fun I am more motivated and successful.”

Thanks, Tsering!

Make sure to find Tsering at Engage on March 9th to congratulate him on his status of Member of the Month!

The post Tsering Alleyne – March 2017 Member of the Month appeared first on SEMpdx.

About Matt Malone

Area(s) of Expertise
Analytics, PPC, SEO

What do you like most about Digital Marketing and why?
“I love taking cold hard data and transforming it into effective designs and websites.”

What advice do you have for a college student who is interested in your area(s) of expertise?
“Start an internship and get as much hands-on experience as you can.”

SEMpdx

Why are you a member of SEMpdx?
“It’s a great community of like-minded marketers willing to share their experiences.”

Who’s been your favorite SEMpdx monthly event speaker and why?
“Theresa Baiocco because she’s a total conversion and analytic junkie like myself.”

Have you been to Engage (formerly SearchFest) / how many have you attended?
“I have, but just once. Marty Weintraub was hilarious and genius!”

If you could hear anyone speak at an event, who would it be and why?
“For inspiration, Richard Branson. For entertainment probably Louis C.K.“

Randomness

If you weren’t doing what you’re doing now (marketer, developer, etc), what would you do?
“Serial entrepreneur.”

Favorite Beverage and why?
“Northwest IPA, the hoppier the bitter. :-)”

To Bacon or Not to Bacon?
“YES!”

Anything else you want the SEMpdx community to know about you?
“I’m a total family man. I’ve been married nearly 10 years and have a 7-year-old named, Jax.”

Thanks, Matt!

Make sure you congratulate Matt on his Member of the Month status at our next event! Until next month!

The post Matt Malone – August 2016 Member of the Month appeared first on SEMpdx.

About Ben Herman

Area(s) of Expertise
Analytics, PPC, SEO

What do you like most about Digital Marketing and why?
“Good digital marketing to me is cutting edge and that’s what’s fun about what we do. Being a part of a company in such a progressive industry is exciting and rewarding. When my company is able to develop and execute on innovative ideas that help build businesses, big and small, I genuinely feel like we are doing something great.”

What advice do you have for a college student who is interested in your area(s) of expertise?
“Get an internship at a digital marketing agency. Understanding what a good digital strategy looks like and how to execute and deliver on it is key. Portland has so many great agencies that there’s no excuse for not finding a good place locally to begin your career.”

SEMpdx

Why are you a member of SEMpdx?
“Collaborative is one of our core values as a company. It’s a concept that drives both our internal and external interactions. So being a part of the local search community and sharing ideas with some of the best minds around is why we are members.”

Who’s been your favorite SEMpdx monthly event speaker and why?
“Dennis Yu was one of our favorite speakers. It was great to see a live facebook ad account in action.”

Have you been to Engage (formerly SearchFest) / how many have you attended?
“Yes, I have been to 5 SearchFests.”

If you could hear anyone speak at an event, who would it be and why?
“I’ve always enjoyed Marty Weintraub. His candid approach lends itself well to the material that I have seen him present on.”

Randomness

If you weren’t doing what you’re doing now (marketer, developer, etc), what would you do?
“Something in market research. That was my background previous to search.”

Favorite Beverage and why?
“A mojito. Have you ever had a bad one?”

To Bacon or Not to Bacon?
“YES!”

Thanks, Ben!

Make sure you congratulate Ben on his Member of the Month status the next time you see him and maybe get him a mojito? Until next month!

The post Ben Herman – July 2016 Member of the Month appeared first on SEMpdx.