By: Lindsey Nolan
Tyler Kelley is the Chief Executive Officer at SLAM! Agency, a full-service marketing and new media agency that helps brands realize and reach their highest potential. With 17 years in the digital marketing space, Tyler has earned a reputation for anticipating user trends and developing proactive strategies to drive brands forward.
At SLAM!, Tyler leads a highly-sought after team of strategists and creatives that are raising the bar for data-driven digital, branding, and video. Prior to SLAM!, Tyler worked as a marketing consultant in the technology, financial services, and nonprofit sectors. He graduated with honors from University of Central Missouri with a dual degree in English and Political Science.
We sat down with Tyler Kelly, CEO of SLAM! Agency, and asked him a few questions about digital marketing. Here is what he had to say:
Q: What are some of the worst mistakes a business could make when it comes to content marketing?
A: The single worst mistake a business can make is to develop content just for the sake of developing content. If your heart’s not in it, it’s not going to be engaging. If it’s not engaging, no one will read it. If no one reads it, it’s going to have a negative impact on your business (and your SEO).
Q: What do you think is next for content marketing? How will it evolve in the coming years?
A: We are beginning to buy things differently too (completely avoiding search engines for a lot of our online shopping). Content marketers will need to look for ways to keep up with the ever-evolving internet of things.
Q: Social media marketing is free, right?
A: Nothing in this life is free. There is a price and a cost to everything. The price to participate in social media is very low, if not free for most channels. To consider the cost, we’ve got to take a look at the cost of your time and energy that goes into it, not to mention the potential cost you will pay if you are not authentic or cut corners.
Q: A small business owner has to wear many hats and time is always tight. What are some social media time management tips you have to help them stick with their social media campaign without losing a lot of time?
A: Plan ahead. Know what you want to say and how you’re going to say it because winging it (social media) takes a lot of time. Make a list of all the ways you want to connect with your target market in social media, then break that list into manageable chunks that you can tackle in one or two hours each week.
Q: According to you, what are the top three mistakes committed by organizations today in leveraging digital marketing?
A: My #1, #2, and #3 is doing something just because you read a blog about it. Most blogs that you’re reading are really dated, and while a lot of that content was great in 2007, it’s no longer 2007. Everything has changed.
Q: What are the top 3-5 skills you look for when hiring a candidate for digital marketing profile?
A: We’ve set the bar really high at SLAM!. Not only are we looking for people who are highly resourceful and competent, as a conscious business, we are also looking for people who practice gratitude, self-awareness, and authentic communication to name a few.
Q: Who are three people you respect when it comes to digital marketing?
A: I’m a big fan of those out there doing digital marketing well as opposed to those out there who are really great at writing about digital marketing. You can always tell who’s really doing it well, and for me, my top three (right now) would be Gary Vaynerchuk, Vishen Lakhiani, and Neil Patel for what they’ve been able to do in their respective fields.
For more from Tyler Kelley, attend his session on How to Create Raving Fans and Multiply Business Profits with Digital Video at MDMC on April 13th, 2017 from 8:30am-9:10am.
About the author: Lindsey Nolan is a senior Digital Marketing student at the University of Missouri-St. Louis, a member of the Pierre Laclede Honors College, and an active member in the Iota-Xi chapter of the Delta Zeta Sorority.