In the lead-up to Zenith Conference, we’re highlighting speakers from each of our four tracks, intended for marketers of all levels. The “Today I Learned” TIL track is designed for hungry marketers eager to take it all in. For those eager to take marketing to the next level, there’s the Hunter Gatherer Track. For intense marketers with plenty of experience under their belts, the BAMF (Badass Mother FACTS) track offers a jam-packed, high-level session.
In this Q & A, we’re focusing on the Hunter Gatherer Track. It’s all about turning your efforts into conversions, right? Right. Who better to lead you on that journey than Mobile Moxie’s CEO Cindy Krum and Mobile Marketing Specialist Emily Grossman.
The two will co-host the session, “The Mobile-Social Web, Redux: How to Leap Frog Local Competition” and are likely to blow your mind with actionable tactics to get your business noticed above local competition. Dang! So, let’s get to know them.
AIMCLEAR: We’re excited to have you in our cozy, Northern Minnesota city. Can you tell our audience where you hail from?
Cindy: I have lived many places, but currently live in Denver, CO. I love it there! I travel a lot though, and have not been home in 3 weeks, so I am looking forward to getting home!
Emily: I am originally from Los Angeles, CA, but now live in Denver, CO.
AIMCLEAR: Have you ever been to Duluth? If yes, what is your impression? If no, what do you expect? Be honest (with accents and all).
Cindy: Yes – I have. I love Duluth. It is a cute city. Lake Superior is beautiful, and the people are great! (I worry about people when it is cold and icy, because some of the hills are so steep, but I am the only one that seems scared that all the cars will end up at the bottom of an icy hill. Zenith is in the Spring though, so no risk! 🙂 )
AIMCLEAR: HA! We’re a tough crew up here. We manage 😉 …with snow tires and four-wheel drive.
Emily: I was in Duluth for Zenith last year and had a blast! Everyone I met in Duluth was lovely (accents and all). I especially loved some of the shops by the conference, including the Duluth Trading Co.
AIMCLEAR: What inspired you to enter your career field?
Cindy: When I was little, I used to watch reruns of the Dick Van Dyke Show and I decided that I wanted to be in Advertising. Technically, I am in Marketing instead of Advertising, but it is pretty close. 🙂
Emily: When I was working for a software startup right out of college, everyone at my small company had to be very hands-on and wear multiple hats. During that time, marketing somewhat fell on my plate and I found that I was able to move the needle pretty effectively with SEO. From there, I dove in and ran lots of experiments, studied my bum off, and eventually made it my full time career. Along the way, I’ve been inspired by many great people in SEO, including my friend and MobileMoxie’s CEO, Cindy Krum.
AIMCLEAR: What excited you most about the future of your field or area of expertise?
Cindy: OMG – so much! I am always excited about changes in the field. I love thinking about all the new devices that we will be able to use for marketing, and love the thought of using Big Data to improve marketing.
Emily: When I was first working with apps, there was no good way to market the content within apps, apart from describing the content at a high level or building out detailed web pages for each app screen. Now, apps have evolved and search engines can link to specific screens within apps, just like websites! It’s extremely exciting from a search marketing perspective, because it opens up so many new doors for organic discovery and re engagement. For app developers, this kind of SEO was never an option before, and it’s exciting to see this whole new world evolving!
AIMCLEAR: Why were you interested to speak at Zenith about your particular topic?
Cindy: I love inspiring people to think about their digital marketing in new and different ways, and helping them to anticipate the future of marketing in their own industry.
Emily: Mobile, social and local are really the ultimate trifecta for modern SMBs, and I think the tools Cindy and I will share with the Zenith audience will be put to great use! I always love speaking at Zenith because I feel like the attendees are incredibly sharp, focused, and committed to improving their business’ discoverability.
AIMCLEAR: What do you hope attendees gain from your session?
Cindy: I would love people to think about their website and apps in new ways, and at a minimum, to have them think about testing and tuning their content for mobile audiences – which many companies forget, in the rush to get updates and redesigns live.
Emily: I hope attendees of our session walk always with a better understanding of how mobile, social and local relate to one another, and how that impacts their business. Additionally, attendees should learn some easy-to-implement tactics that will increase their brand presence in mobile experiences.
AIMCLEAR: OK, off the topic of marketing, BUT do you plan on doing anything fun in Duluth?
Cindy: I am actually a HUGE fan of Duluth Trading Company, and they have a store directly across from the conference hotel. I am sure I will go shopping there at least once or twice during the visit. Little known fact: The company was not actually started in Duluth, despite it being the namesake.
AIMCLEAR: Cindy’s right. Full story here.
Emily: If Marty is picking out the wine, there will undoubtedly be fun 🙂
AIMCLEAR: We couldn’t agree more 🙂 cheers!
