![Kevin Getch: Engage Conference [Podcast]](https://www.veracityagency.com/wp-content/uploads/Kevin-Getch-Engage-800x600.jpg)
by Amy Rosenberg | Feb 24, 2018 | Digital Marketing, Events, Industry News, Podcast, Public Relations, SEO, Social Media
Kevin Getch of SEMpdx Has Us “Engaged” Before the Annual Digital Marketing Conference Hits Portland
Each year as winter folds over into spring, many of our friends and colleagues, along with those in our office, are busy planning, organizing and corralling for Engage Conference (formerly called SearchFest). Scheduled for March 8th, the creme de la creme of the industry share knowledge, learn and network at the Pacific Northwest’s only digital marketing conference organized by a nonprofit (SEMpdx).
That’s why I took the opportunity to catch up with Kevin Getch, President of SEMpdx, before he got too busy with Engage commitments. Also the Founder and Director of Digital Strategy for his company Webfor — an agency specializing in search engine optimization (SEO) and UX driven web design — and familyman extraordinaire, this guy has a lot on his plate!
In the episode, Kevin talks about how Search Engine Marketing (what the SEM part of SEMpdx stands for) has everything to do with PR and why all types of marketing professionals should consider getting involved with SEMpdx. He also gives us a sneak peek into how Webfor approaches PR for its clients. It’s a far cry from writing press releases but it drives their clients’ websites up in the search engines — which is the name of the game in SEM….and possibly in PR too.
Symbiotic Relationship Between SEO & PR
Kevin explains how the two functions overlap. “So much of PR is what people are searching for online. What type of content is showing up in a search and is it positive? Good story placements and positive content will lessen anything negative that might come up in a search, such as a bad review.” He believes that bringing all of the marketing areas together, rather than keeping them siloed, creates the best results.
According to Kevin, a psychological component can be intertwined into search, which typically functions within a more technical capacity. The inherently non-technical PR mindset can help SEO teams intuit their jobs on a more advanced level.
“PR’s are doing aspects of SEO. Mentions of a brand, even if they aren’t linked, have a positive impact on SEO.”
How Webfor infuses PR into digital
Kevin founded Webfor in 2009 after coming to the realization that some in the industry, particularly where he was working at the time, weren’t looking out for their clients’ needs. Focusing on all aspects surrounding search, design, content strategy, paid search campaigns and more — Webfor ties PR into many campaigns. But with different angles that PR traditionalists may not be familiar with, such as:
- “Reverse Engineering” the link profiles of their competitors. They look into the opportunities, such as thought leadership placements, their clients’ competitors are garnering and attempt to generate the same type of coverage for their own clients.
- Running promoted Facebook posts to follow reporters and publishers at a targeted media outlet so that by the time they reach out their pitch is warm.
- Creating great “on-site” content and reaching out proactively to external websites, sometimes media sites, to link to it.
- Reviewing websites, sometimes media sites, they want their clients to be placed on and coming up with ways to get that done, such as writing editorial-focused articles which link back to their clients’ websites.
More about SEMpdx
SEMpdx was one of the first nonprofit professional trade associations created for the digital marketing industry. Looking for community and a way to expand their skills, a group of competitors banned together to start the organization. Mentioning that I’ve always thought it fascinating that competitors would join together in such a way, Kevin says the group is “the opposite of hiding secrets.”
More about Engage
As more and more marketers began to infuse search principles into their campaigns, SEMpdx broadened along with the industry. No longer applicable to only technical search professionals, the group decided to change the name of their hallmark event from SearchFest to Engage two years ago. With four tracks focusing on varying digital components (brand, SEO, Paid/PPC, mobile and more), the name Engage communicates more inclusivity.
While Engage has a lot to offer, Kevin is most excited about its prominent speaker line-up, featuring Purna Virji from Microsoft and Ian Lurie from Clearlink as keynotes. Event attendees have access to videos from all of the presentations to use later for training or to put themselves in two places at once since there are simultaneous sessions.
A new perk is that non SEMpdx members will receive a membership ($125 value) with the purchase of an Engage ticket. Membership includes discounts to monthly networking events featuring speakers from across the country, as well as discounts to other associations’ events and conferences, not to mention invaluable networking resources and a supportive community.
The “community speakers” are another new Engage feature. An open call for speakers went out into the community and members voted on who they’d like to hear presentations from. Yours truly, along with Christian Bullock (MKG Marketing), were selected! Again, you’re probably wondering why the search community would ask me, a PR person, to speak. Well, my presentation is titled “PR Your Way to the Top of Google” so maybe that is why. All I know is that it seems like every time I attend a search event I hear how important links from earned media sources are. Hopefully I’ll be able to give them actionable tips on how to actually get these links through PR.
If you see me or Kevin there, please reach out and say hi!
About the guest: Kevin Getch
Kevin Getch is President of SEMpdx, the nonprofit professional business association for digital marketers in Portland and producers of the Engage Conference. He is also the Founder and Director of Digital Strategy at Webfor, a full-service digital marketing agency providing search engine optimization, social media marketing, website and logo design.
Connect and follow Kevin on social media:
This episode of PR Talk is brought to you by PRSA Oregon
Throughout Oregon and Southwest Washington, PRSA provides members with networking, mentorship, skill building and professional development opportunities – whether you are a new professional fresh out of college or a skilled expert with 20 years in the industry. Check out PRSAoregon.org for more information on how membership can help you grow and connect.
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by Mike Rosenberg | Aug 1, 2017 | Industry News, Posts
Ok, so some of us like networking, but really most of us would rather do something else. I’ve been networking as a part of my job for nearly 15 years. Here are ten of the networking tips I’ve discovered over that time:
1. Do not go with a buddy.
I know having a wingman is fun, but I’ve found them to be more of a crutch. If you go with a friend or colleague you are pretty likely to just hang with them instead of meeting new people (aka networking). Now you can’t always determine who will be where and you may not have a choice. In this case talk about it ahead of time and make a deal that for the first hour you will go in different directions.
2. Be a connector.
It is all about the new person you’re meeting. The more you give, the more you get. I never enter a conversation with someone new thinking about what they can do for me. It’s always what I can do for them. How can I help them? I would rather recommend or introduce them to a new relationship than the other way around. Know that you will not close business at a networking event. Just start the relationship.
3. Do your research.
This is especially relevant for industry events and conferences. Many conferences have online groups (Facebook, LinkedIn or their own specialty platforms) created so that attendees can connect before an event. You’ll be amazed how easy it is to find a dinner mate or someone to check out the sites with. If you follow tip number one you are going to need to find people to hang out with anyway.
4. Practice your pitches.
Seriously, practice them. But only enough that they don’t sound rehearsed. You should have three pitches or responses to questions in mind:
What do you do?
– I have a PR & digital firm called Veracity
What type of clients do you work with?
– Real estate & development, foundations & financial, health & hospitality, and a ton of events.
A third option.
BONUS: One of my new favorites, the Pixar pitch
5. Be engaged with the person you are talking with.
Have you ever been talking with someone and they are looking around the room? Presumably looking for someone better to talk with. Don’t be that guy. If you have discovered that your current conversation isn’t going anywhere, politely move on. Remember we are all equals.
6. It’s ok to talk about irrelevant things, but please don’t talk about the weather.
It is even better to have something topical to discuss. For example, ask and give your thoughts about the presentations you just saw at networking events following the conference.
7. Have an exit strategy (I am horrible at this one).
If you are using #2 (be a connector) the ideal strategy here is to introduce them to someone you think could benefit from the connection and then politely excuse yourself. It’s a win-win. You haven’t left them stranded alone at the party, you’ve connected them with someone else and now you’re free to move on.
8. Don’t drink too much.
Yeah, this kind of goes without saying, but come on. A networking event is not a Bachelor Party. Yes, there will be drinks and yes, “getting another drink” is a good way to get out of a conversation but make it a water or use a different exit strategy like grabbing a snack or taking a potty break.
9. Follow up.
There’s no point in connecting with someone and then failing to follow up. How you follow up is going to depend on how you do business. Ideally, this is the next day or at least within a week. You WILL NOT remember the little details of your conversation for very long, so you should make notes as soon as you can. Here are a few of my favorites:
- Send a LinkedIn invite. Be sure to reference the event and ideally the conversation you had.
- Make the connection you mentioned. Did you know someone they could benefit from being introduced to?
- Send them a blog post (ideally one from your company) relevant to what you talked about.
10. Have fun.
Not only does it suck to be somewhere you don’t want to be or do things you don’t want to be doing, it shows. No one wants to talk to the person complaining about everything or the grouch who obviously doesn’t want to be there. If you aren’t feeling it, maybe take a pass.
Okay, now you are ready to conquer the world or at least have a good time. If you are headed to the SEMpdx Rooftop Networking Party, here are some tips specifically for that event.
Going to the SEMpdx Rooftop Networking Party? Be sure to read my Rooftop Networking Tips for 2017
In an effort to ensure you follow tip #10, stop by the Veracity Game Zone for giant Jenga, Connect Four and cornhole!
Bonus tip #11, smile for the camera! Feature photo courtesy of Nina Johnson Photography
by Mike Rosenberg | Aug 1, 2017 | Industry News, Posts
Updated Rooftop Networking Tips – 2017 | featured image courtesy of Nina Johnson Photography
Originally written in 2014, updated last year and again for 2017. Many of the tips have evolved a bit, just like the event. While it isn’t supposed to be over 100°, it will still be a hot summer night so I’ve included tips for keeping cool as well.
Top 12 Tips for a Successful SEMpdx Rooftop Networking Party:
1. There will be games this year along with an amazing sponsor for those games!
This is the six 8th annual rooftop party and we are back the original venue. Be sure to head to the Hotel deLuxe and join us on their garage (across the street from the hotel). Check out the new Veracity Game Zone featuring giant Jenga, Connect Four and my personal favorite cornhole.
photo courtesy of Eye of Odin
Check out the promo video from 2014 courtesy of Bruce Sussman:
2. Dress Your Coolest (in temperature and style)
If you are going to wear a company shirt, may I suggest pairing it with a sport coat, Don Johnson style. Remember it could be hot…are you a graphic t-shirt guy, a Hawaiian shirt aficionado, always wear a plaid shirt (as Scott Hendison says I always do) or sun dress wearer? Regardless you may want to keep the following in mind:
- It will likely be pretty warm. You may look good in black, but do you also look good in red (think sunburn).
- You still have time to find the perfect sunglasses and/or sun hat (or SEMpdx Trucker Hat like David Mihm).
-
photo courtesy of Eye of Odin
Look your best! This event has been featured on KGW’s Live @7 several times. You never know, you might get on TV, so you’d better dress to impress!
3. Don’t Expect a Band
We had a band one year (2010 I believe), it was a great band (Donerail…well maybe not that great since they are no longer) featuring search marketing industry players…however, we learned this event is about the people attending and went back to a background DJ. 2017 will feature DJ Chad Smith (hmm, is that my cousin?)
4. It is NOT a Dinner Party
Yes, there will be food and yes you can make dinner out of the food that is provided…however at $20, including drinks (at least two depending on what you are drinking thanks to sponsors The Growler Guys and Three Rivers Winery), don’t expect a five course dinner. Make friends and go to dinner with them afterward. Heck, use Yelp Portland to find a space, they’ve sponsored in the past!
Here is a sneak peak at the taplist from The Growler Guys:
- Laurelwood Workhorse IPA
- pFriem Helles Lager
- Deschutes Fresh Squeezed IPA
- Sunriver Fuzztail Hefeweizen
- Founders All Day IPA
- Firestone Walker Pale 31
5. If You Need a Job, Get a Job!
Several job seekers have landed careers (not just jobs) at the Rooftop Networking Party. One of them, Robert Frost, is a member of the SEMpdx Board of Directors. He got his job at EngineWorks (which was then acquired by ethology) as a direct result of meeting people at this event. Say hi to Robert (see #9 below), I doubt he’s missed a Rooftop since. Agencies (as well as in-house positions) are hiring.
6. Bring Your Business Cards
photo courtesy of Eye of Odin
They may be passé, buy you can win prizes! Even though many digital marketers are so over business cards, bring em! You will want to drop them in the bowl for a chance to win a variety of prizes from the party sponsors (including a ticket to 2017 Engage Conference) and many owners/managers expect you to still have one (see #5 above).
7. Take the Stairs?
Will you get stuck in the elevator? Probably not. Do you want to get stuck in the elevator? Probably not. However, if you want to take the risk it would be fun anyway, just take event sponsor Webfor‘s word for it: Stuck In An Elevator And Other Adventures In Team Building.
8. Do Expect Good Beer
We are in Oregon, we have to have good beer. The Growler Guys will be bringing the craft brews. Check out the list above.
9. Buddy Up with SEMpdx Board (they always have extra drink tickets)
SEMpdx 2013/14 Board of Directors
It’s a friendly group and they would love to tell you about SEMpdx and the monthly educational events we host, and Engage, and our Charity of Choice program…the best late night happy hours places near by…but maybe more importantly, they tend to always have extra drink tickets.
10. Support the Sponsors
Seriously, it is $20 (unless you foolishly wait), we wouldn’t be able to have ticket prices this low without sponsors. They also kick in great door prizes, provide some shade with their tents and have great products and services. That one extra sale or ‘thank you’ from an attendee may make the difference to sponsor again. Upsource is the presenting sponsor this year, Logical Position is the platinum and photo booth sponsor.
The Growler Guys, Webfor, Oregonian Media Group and Three Rivers Winery are Gold Sponsors. Idealist Consulting, PSU’s Center for Executive and Professional Education, OSU Professional and Continuing Education, AMA PDX, Portland Business Alliance, SakéOne, and PDX Pipeline are all sponsoring too!
Plus+ visit the new Veracity Game Zone featuring giant Jenga, Connect Four and a couple of cornhole sets.
11. Learn Who the Charity Is
In addition to lots of exposure (like getting on KGW’s Live@7) and free marketing consulting, SEMpdx will donate up to $5,000 to our Charity of Choice. We have had some worthy partners over the years and the Rooftop Networking Party has been a nice venue to get them some exposure and do even more good. Specifically, we’ve helped raffle of a Mini for the Children’s Cancer Association and collected 100’s of winter coats for the Portland Police Sunshine Division. Two years ago we helped the Brody Borlaug Foundation, last year Reading Results and this year it’s Schoolhouse Supplies!
12. Get Your Tickets Early
So what are you waiting for? Even though event capacity is up, the party is sure to sell-out. Plus ticket prices go up on August 2nd.
Buy your tickets now!
I hope to see you all there in 2014 2016 2017 and years to come!
Featured image courtesy of Nina Johnson Photography
![Women & Digital Marketing [Podcast]](https://www.veracityagency.com/wp-content/uploads/ChalkTalk-Women-in-Digital-750x500.jpg)
by Amy Rosenberg | Feb 28, 2017 | Digital Marketing, Podcast, Social Media
Impostor syndrome, blissful ignorance and creating your own destiny. In this episode of #ChalkTalk, Anna & Amy get into it all! Right in time for
Engage, Portland’s premier digital marketing conference which will feature about 40% women speakers on March 9th! Anna Huston started her digital marketing company,
Avenue, last year and serves on the SEMpdx Board as the Engage Director.
by Mike Rosenberg | Aug 1, 2016 | Digital Marketing, Industry News, Posts, Social Media
I wrote this post prior to the 2014 SEMpdx Rooftop Networking Party and now it is due for an update. Most of the tips have remained the same, but with a few minor (but major) updates (like the event venue). By now SEMpdx’s Rooftop Networking Party has built enough of a reputation for a periphery blog post about it…so here goes:
Top 12 Tips for a Successful SEMpdx Rooftop Networking Party:
1. Go to the Right Rooftop (we are back at Hotel deLuxe!)
This is the six 8th annual rooftop party and we are back the original venue. Be sure to head to the Hotel deLuxe and join us on their garage (across the street from the hotel).
photo courtesy of Eye of Odin
Check out the promo video from 2014 courtesy of Bruce Sussman:
2. Dress Your Best
If you are going to wear a company shirt, may I suggest pairing it with a sport coat, Don Johnson style. Remember it could be hot…are you a graphic t-shirt guy, a Hawaiian shirt aficionado, always wear a plaid shirt (as Scott Hendison says I always do) or sun dress wearer? Regardless you may want to keep the following in mind:
- It will likely be pretty warm. You may look good in black, but do you also look good in red (think sunburn).
- You still have time to find the perfect sunglasses and/or sun hat (or SEMpdx Trucker Hat like David Mihm).
-
photo courtesy of Eye of Odin
Look your best! This event has been featured on KGW’s Live @7 several times. You never know, you might get on TV, so you’d better dress to impress!
3. Don’t Expect a Band
We had a band one year (2010 I believe), it was a great band (Donerail…well maybe not that great since they are no longer) featuring search marketing industry players…however, we learned this event is about the people attending and went back to a background DJ. We still keep the music in the marketing family with Jonas Healy providing the groove that last three years!
4. It is NOT a Dinner Party
Yes, there will be food and yes you can make dinner out of the food that is provided…however at $20, including drinks (at least two depending on what you are drinking thanks to sponsor The Growler Guys), don’t expect a five course dinner. Make friends and go to dinner with them afterward. Heck, use Yelp Portland to find a space, they are sponsoring this year!
5. If You Need a Job, Get a Job!
Several job seekers have landed careers (not just jobs) at the Rooftop Networking Party. One of them, Robert Frost, just joined the SEMpdx Board of Directors. He got his job at EngineWorks (which was then acquired by ethology, who has sponsored the event each year in some capacity) as a direct result of meeting people at this event. Say hi to Robert (see #9 below), I doubt he’s missed a Rooftop since. Agencies (as well as in-house positions) are hiring.
6. Bring Your Business Cards
photo courtesy of Eye of Odin
They may be passé, buy you can win prizes! Even though many digital marketers are so over business cards, bring em! You will want to drop them in the bowl for a chance to win a variety of prizes from the party sponsors (including a ticket to 2016 Engage Conference) and many owners/managers expect you to still have one (see #5 above).
7. Take the Stairs?
Will you get stuck in the elevator? Probably not. Do you want to get stuck in the elevator? Probably not. However, if you want to take the risk it would be fun anyway, just take event sponsor Webfor‘s word for it: Stuck In An Elevator And Other Adventures In Team Building.
8. Do Expect Good Beer
We are in Oregon, we have to have good beer. The Growler Guys will be bringing the craft brews. Keep a look out on SEMpdx’s Facebook page for announcement of what will be on-tap.
9. Buddy Up with SEMpdx Board (they always have extra drink tickets)
SEMpdx 2013/14 Board of Directors
It’s a friendly group and they would love to tell you about SEMpdx and the monthly educational events we host, and Engage, and our Charity of Choice program…the best late night happy hours places near by…but maybe more importantly, they tend to always have extra drink tickets.
10. Support the Sponsors
Seriously, it is $20 (unless you foolishly wait), we wouldn’t be able to have ticket prices this low without sponsors. They also kick in great door prizes, provide some shade with their tents and have great products and services. That one extra sale or ‘thank you’ from an attendee may make the difference to sponsor again. Moz is the presenting sponsor again, The Growler Guys is bringing the beer, Snap Yourself has the photo booth, Vacasa, Logical Position and Three Rivers Winery are Gold Sponsors. Webfor, Ethology, Tricor Brand Communications, Avenue, AMA PDX, Portland Business Alliance, and Oregonian Media Group are sponsoring too!
11. Learn Who the Charity Is
10% of all proceeds from SEMpdx events go to our Charity of Choice. We have had some worthy partners over the years and the Rooftop Networking Party has been a nice venue to get them some exposure and do even more good. Specifically, we’ve helped raffle of a Mini for the Children’s Cancer Association and collected 100’s of winter coats for the Portland Police Sunshine Division. Last year we helped the Brody Borlaug Foundation and this year look for our new charity Reading Results!
12. Get Your Tickets Early
So what are you waiting for? Even though event capacity is up, the party is sure to sell-out. Plus ticket prices go up on August 3rd.
Buy your tickets now!
I hope to see you all there in 2014 2016 and years to come!
Featured image courtesy of Nina Johnson Photography.
by Mike Rosenberg | Jun 19, 2014 | Digital Marketing, General, Industry News, Posts, Social Media
There are always a ton of informative presentations and resources presented at SMX Advanced each year. As a six year veteran [I had lost track until seeing a birthday cake for Bing, the year they announced Live Search was re-branding to Bing was the second year I attended], I’ve sat through many presentations and each year get some tidbits and share-able content.
This year, we’ll focus on the presentations I attended and links that I took note of over the two days. My schedule follows (full agenda):
Day One
The Periodic Table Of SEO Ranking Factors: 2014 Edition
Matthew Brown provided a bit of caution on his old position of “Mark up ALL THE THINGS?”. You may not want all of your result types to show up depending on what stage searchers are in. For example, video snippets showing up when people are ready to buy and don’t want to learn more about a product can kill Click-Through-Rate (CTR). Top reference from MJB’s preso was to AJ Kohn’s post on Knowledge Graph Optimization: Notorious KGO: Mo’ Entities, Mo’ Traffic.
25 Social Media Ideas For The Advanced Search Marketer
Another SEMpdx Advisory Board member Lisa Williams (check the Joan Holloway style gloves) kicked off this Mad Men themed session, complete with one of my favorite Mad Men quotes:
“If you don’t like what is being said, change the conversation.” — Don Draper
All four presenters provided quality presentations chalk full of good resources. Mike King shared some good social listening tools including IceRocket, Topsy, Social Mention as free options and Radian6, Sprinklr and Sysomos as paid tools in his Social SEO Tactics presentation.
Maximizing The Synergy Of Paid Search & Social
Paid search folks don’t like to share links quite as freely as the SEO and content marketers…imagine that (plus I was a slacker in this presentation and didn’t take notes, sorry). So, just for the fun of it check out Marty’s presentation and try to follow it w/o him screaming at to you…good luck.
25 Link Acquisition & Auditing Issues For The Advanced SEO
A lot of time was spent by this group talking about how to find, remove and/or disavow bad links, as well as some good ideas of where to find new quality links. It was the first mention of “Negative SEO” in the presentations that I attended. Übersuggest was mentioned by Prashant Puri as a good keyword research tool for link building. Link Research Tools and Link Detox got a few mentions as well for people to use to see what negative links they may have and how to start getting them removed.
You&A With Matt Cutts
As usual this session featured a few Google announcements and a Q&A hosted by Search Engine Land Editor Danny Sullivan and answered by Google’s webspam killer Matt Cutts. Nothing really groundbreaking this year…Matt uses Google+ still (I think the audience probably makes up about half of G+’s active user base), neither Matt or Danny are particularly skilled at throwing stuffed hummingbirds and Google on an android phone can follow a conversational search string via voice commands.
Actually if you want a nice recap, I was sitting near Sugarrae and she was furiously tweeting and taking notes, so go read her post.
That was the end of day one and Matt got swarmed on his way out…but I guess he doesn’t mind. (more…)
