PBJ Marketing

Team Spotlight Thursday: Casey Ransford, Business Development Specialist
Roles & Responsibilities: Working directly under our CEO Phillip Reinhardt, Casey leads PBJ’s new business initiatives. This includes exploring new opportunities, responding to RFPs, qualifying new leads, assisting with new client onboarding, and performing current client check-ins.
Fun Fact: A music fan, Casey collects vinyl records and has secured original copies of ELO’s Out of the Blue, Billy Joel’s Glass Houses, and Led Zeppelin’s Zeppelin IV.

What do you like about working at PBJ?

Ever since declaring a marketing major in college, I wanted to work for an agency. Unfortunately, when speaking with colleagues and professors who worked for them, it became apparent that the culture typically associated with a marketing agency was not appealing. That changed when I met Phillip and David and heard their story about PBJ. The founding principle of PBJ was to break away from the stigma associated with agency life and provide employees with a place to grow and learn as professionals, but also be a place where we can be human. While we are expected to do our jobs to the best of our ability, that expectation does not come with requirements to work late or to avoid taking time off. On the contrary, we are given freedom to work around ourselves and get things done on our own schedule. Of course, there are still deadlines that must be met, but it is understood that everyone gets things done at their own pace in their own way.

What's something people may get wrong about Business Development?

When most people hear “Business Development” their first thought is “Sales”, which was my first thought too. Selling is a large part of business development, but beyond direct selling, it’s about relationship-building and finding partners to collaborate with: who/what kind of businesses might need our help delivering results to their own client, or vice versa, who can help us when a client's needs exceed our capabilities? It also includes looking internally and self-marketing as well as digging into our strengths and weaknesses. What do our clients honestly think about us, and how can we be better for them?

What's good advice for keeping a company growing?

Talk to any successful entrepreneur today and they will tell you the key to rapid growth is marketing. Yes, there are various ways to get off the ground and establish a good start, but when it comes down to it, you can’t sustain growth without effective marketing. There is a reason that over $600B is spent each year on advertising. But even beyond marketing it’s understanding your audience and being aligned top-down on how to speak to that audience across all channels. Does your messaging match your offering? Is your business viewed the way you would like it to be? Where is your room for growth and what other audiences should you be going after? These are all things that marketing can answer.

Team Spotlight Thursday: Carol Wong, Account Manager
Roles & Responsibilities: Carol heads up our Account Management team acting as the primary POC for our largest clients while offering support for several others. She has successfully led the onboarding for most of our existing clients and has even begun to dabble in the strategy side of operations.

Fun Fact: Carol is an avid rock climber who spends much of her free time perfecting her craft at indoor climbing gyms or outdoors at National Parks and Canyons around the country.

What drew you to go into account management and digital marketing?

A friend of mine introduced me to the digital marketing industry. Prior to PBJ, I worked in the out-of-home industry for so long that I felt like it was time for a change.
I went into account management because I felt I had strong project management skills and attention to detail. Keeping clients happy and teams aligned are very important factors to have in this industry, plus it’s nice to see the impact of the work I contribute when we reach clients’ goals.

What’s the most important advice to keep in mind as a successful account manager?

The most important advice is to not be fazed by clients' reactions or the way a client may treat you - teams can easily get flustered. It is hard work for SEO/PPC campaign managers to get clients to where they want to be. But it is the account managers who are client-facing so we have to be very transparent, earn their trust, and ensure clients understand that even though there are some short-term digital strategies we can implement, everything still takes time and effort. Good communication and keeping to deadlines on both sides will help all of us get where we need to be.

What do you like about working at PBJ?

The thing I like most about PBJ is that this agency allows for work-life balance which I really appreciate, but also, PBJ pushes us to learn new things and become a better version of ourselves. I've never been in a job where the team truly appreciates the work they do; I've been working for a really long time and this place exceeds my expectations of a workplace culture, which says a lot in and of itself.

It is Wednesday Wisdom, and today, SEO Manager Betterbid sums up an article on featuring snippets by Search Engine Land:

How many of you have spent hours and hours optimizing your content in the hopes of gaining the coveted “position zero” spot on the SERPs? It’s a tiring process that can be so hit or miss, you’re oftentimes left wondering if all the work you’ve put in will even make a difference.

This is where ChatGPT comes in with its red cape to save us from spending countless hours writing and rewriting content with no guarantee of success. Learn how to steal your competitor’s featured snippets in this article’s 7-step process.
If you’re looking to show up at the very top of the SERP, let us know and we can help.

Happy Fourth of July from PBJ Marketing!
As we celebrate the spirit of independence, we're grateful for the incredible ways technology brings us closer together. Let's keep spreading ideas, connecting communities, and creating digital fireworks!

Team Spotlight Thursday: Nicki Betterbid, Senior SEO Manager
Roles & Responsibilities: Nicki leads the SEO department as Senior SEO Manager at PBJ with 10 years of SEO experience, helping hundreds of clients dominate the SERPs.

Fun Fact: Nicki met Joan Rivers at a taping of Fashion Police and Joan complimented her nail polish color.

What do you like specifically about SEO that other industries or sectors of digital marketing lack?

I love seeing the progress over a long period of time versus paid media which is more instant. I appreciate the long-term process because it’s like you’re pushing a rock up a hill and once you finally get to the top over the hump, it feels so satisfying seeing the success of your work after so many hours put in.

What do you think companies/society may get wrong about Pride month and how the LGBTQ community would like to be uplifted?

For me, Pride Month is being able to fearlessly celebrate who you are and see the beauty and outpouring of love from the community. However, since the Marriage Equality Act passed, it seems like every company is now jumping on the bandwagon of support because it’s “safe” to do so. It feels like Pride Month is being commoditized and is just another tactic for big companies to make more money. Instead of supporting the LGBTQ community by investing time, energy, and resources into things that will actually benefit the community, they're just slapping a rainbow on products and their social media profiles. I think what the community needs is more access to resources, whether that's legal help because of all the discriminatory laws, funding for community centers, safe spaces, and even housing. Many companies still covertly donate to anti-LGBTQ politicians or organizations, counteracting their claims of support.

As a primarily WFH employee, can you describe any tips for work-life balance when those spheres overlap?

I am very passionate about work-life balance since I've worked at several jobs where balance wasn’t really promoted. Creating boundaries is the best thing you can do when your office is down the hall from your bedroom or living room. I have strict boundaries where I do not work past our business hours unless there are extenuating circumstances. This helps me unplug once work is done. I won’t check emails or Slack but instead, try to focus on things that will bring me joy. I think you have to be intentional about being present in your personal life. We all have thoughts like “I have so many things to do” and “are clients unhappy?” - they can easily blur into off-hours and take away your focus from things outside of work. I also try to be spatially aware of my surroundings and only work in my office, not the living room, kitchen, or bedroom. Even putting on work clothes to get into work mode and changing into comfier clothes after 5pm helps. Little actions associated with working help change the mindset, to get in and out of the zone.

How do you celebrate PRIDE month and what does it mean to you?

To be transparent, I don't do a ton of things during Pride Month. I think it's great when people do, but I look at it with a more long-term holistic perspective. The awareness, action, etc, I do in my everyday life, not just in June. Pride Month is a great time to celebrate and be completely out with who you are, but it's just one month out of the year. I try to look at it from what I can do on a daily, weekly, monthly basis.

As a manager of SEO at a digital marketing agency working from home, how do you feel about working so in-depth with the inner workings of the internet?

The internet is an overwhelming place; there’s more content than ever being produced and it's hard to keep up with at times. This is especially true with SEO and all of the innovations the search world is creating. I’ve been in digital marketing for almost 10 years and the two things I’ve learned that are absolutely essential to success is to be very intentional about what you do with your time and always be learning. Read articles, attend webinars and conferences, chat with people who know more than you. There’s always going to be someone smarter in the room. Don’t be intimidated by that person, learn from them. I want to be the best SEO partner to my clients which is why it is extremely important to keep evolving our strategy. I've seen it at other agencies; they will package a strategy and stay stagnant and fall behind. Maintaining the status quo no longer gets the job done; you have to put in the time and effort to not only keep up with all of the changes, but get ahead of them.

It is Wednesday Wisdom, and today, Paid Media Specialist Sophia Artzi shares her thoughts on an article regarding Microsoft Ads' revamp and AI boost by the Search Engine Journal, check it out:

Microsoft Ads is shaking things up with platform name changes and a big push in the digital advertising business. They're expanding their reach to search, native, video, and connected TV channels while infusing AI into their platforms to automate campaign creation. Microsoft has been busy making smart acquisitions and partnerships, gaining more market share along the way. PromoteIQ will now be known as Microsoft Retail Media, and Xandr Solutions will have new names: Microsoft Monetize, Microsoft Invest, and Microsoft Curate. Excitingly, Microsoft is also bringing generative AI to their advertising platforms, which means automated asset creation and better campaign management. These changes aim to provide valuable solutions for advertisers and establish Microsoft as a serious player in the industry. With their strong international presence and capabilities in multiple markets and languages, Microsoft Ads is on a path of growth and innovation.

https://www.searchenginejournal.com/microsoft-announces-platform-name-changes-amidst-market-acceleration/489932/?utm_source=new-daily-newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=daily-newsletter&user_id=de87f2a48c96d0690fc2a5c863fa0a2ee94c2f9b6ab5e722d33f5133e867846e&mc_cid=b30099649f&mc_eid=9949893a6f

PBJ Marketing updated their address.

WE'RE HIRING! If you're a seasoned PPC manager looking for a boutique agency with a true Work-Life Balance, check us out! https://www.linkedin.com/jobs/view/2964561215

Looking to kickstart your Amazon FBA adventure? Here's a simple guide for managing Amazon's PPC suite to your brand's benefit.

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Our team just completed the Marketing with Purpose Course by .

The course discussed some new tools, tactics and strategies to add to our marketing tool belt!

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From the creators of Clutch, Top Design Firms is a new B2B website that helps companies gain visibility. PBJ has partnered with TDF to help our company showcase our services and we are excited to see what this partnership will bring in the future.

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Struggling with where to place your brand's important ads? Here are today's major ad platforms and what you should know about each one!

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