Interview with Jay Baer, Founder, Convince & Convert

Tell us about your professional journey as a tech entrepreneur. What inspired you to set up a digital marketing firm?

I somewhat accidentally got involved in online marketing at the very beginning, way back in 1993. I was the spokesperson for a government agency and hated it. My friends from college had started the very first Internet company in Arizona, and I was looking to do ANYTHING else. I fell in love with digital (although dial-up modem speeds weren’t that sexy). My current firm, Convince & Convert, is the fifth digital marketing firm I’ve run. Our 10^th anniversary is this July.

How can business firms leverage content marketing for social media promotions to drive marketing ROI?

Increasingly, content and social work closely together, with social as an amplification engine that brings new viewers to content executions. Done well, they work in concert to drive awareness, leads, and sales.

What draws you to Oracle’s Modern Customer Experience 2018? Which sessions are you looking forward to?

I love this event, and I love working with the Oracle CX team. I’m incredibly excited to see Casey Neistat, and of course…..The MARKIE AWARDS!

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How is the B2B marketing world evolving with newer tools and technologies? Which technologies are you keenly following?

A recent paper from Demand Gen Report found five technologies that B2B marketers are using to drive relevancy and results. The three that I work with the most for my own consulting clients are interactive content, repurposing and atomizing content, and video content. All three are skyrocketing in popularity because they break through the clutter.

What would be the best way to succeed in content marketing in 2018?

Whichever way works best for your audience is the real answer. But if I had to pick a horse to ride this year, I’d probably choose video, provided it’s hyper-relevant, useful, and entertaining.

Between Search and Social, which would drive higher ROMI in 2018 and how?

Timely question. I just wrote about a study that looked at that question. Recently, I would say social. Right now, I would say search. But of course, you need a foot in both camps.

What startups in the tech industry are you watching/keen on right now?

I’m bullish on several companies and am a proud investor in several strong martech startups including Terminus in the ABM space, Uberflip in the content hub space, Co-schedule in the marketing operations space, and Buffer in the social publishing space.

What tools does your marketing stack consist of?

Sooooo many. Because we work with dozens of SaaS Martech companies as sponsors, partners, advisors, and mentors, I couldn’t even begin to list them all. We counted recently, and we have something like 80 SaaS licenses.

Would you tell us about a standout digital campaign? (Who was your target audience and how did you measure success?)

As an analyst and strategy firm, we don’t think much in terms of campaigns, but more in terms of how our recommendations tie back to overall business objectives. That said, I’m really proud of our work on behalf of many, many organizations, including The United Nations, Grand Ole Opry, David Weekley Homes, Cisco, and even Oracle!

How do you prepare for an AI-centric world as a tech leader?

I can’t wait for the AI-centric world. When robots are in charge of the blocking and tackling and the drudgery of marketing, the strategist becomes king. Bring It  On.

One word that best describes how you work.

Instinctive

What apps/software/tools can’t you live without?

Teamwork, Sococo, Camtasia, SnagIt, Keynote, CoSchedule

What’s your smartest work related shortcut or productivity hack?

I use lots of 1:1 and small group video to help provide direction. Very helpful in a company that is all virtual.

What are you currently reading? 

I read tons of periodicals. Not as many books as I would like. And right now, I’m finishing the new book I’m publishing this Fall with my co-author Daniel Lemin. It’s called Talk Triggers: The Complete Guide to Creating Customers with Word of Mouth. So, that’s taken up a lot of my recent reading time!

What’s the best advice you’ve ever received?

Some days you’re the pigeon, and some days you’re the statue.

Something you do better than others – the secret of your success?

I’m only good at two things, really: pattern recognition, and judging talent.

Tag the one person (from the Martech space) whose answers to these questions you would love to read:

Lee Odden of TopRank

Thank you Jay! That was fun and hope to see you back on MarTech Series soon.

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