Topic: Creating A Digital Marketing Strategy That Works
Sara is the owner of Graybill Creative, a web design and digital marketing agency. She has been helping business owners and non-profits with their digital marketing since 2009. She does that through website design and development, technical services, and online marketing consulting. Find out more at graybillcreative.com.
How did you get involved in WordPress?
I graduated in 2009 at the beginning of the recession with a degree in Broadcast Journalism and no job. A friend hired me to help him manage a local non-profits websites. The sites weren’t on WordPress at that time but we hired Cory Miller (when he was still building sites) to re-design one of the sites and he recommended WordPress. That was my introduction to WordPress and I’ve been using it ever since.
What do you do with WordPress?
I develop custom sites for my clients and I help them to use their websites strategically to reach their organization’s goals.
What has your experience with the WordPress community been like?
The community has been critical for me getting to where I am today. When I started with WordPress the only experience I had with websites was a one semester class in high school that had me swearing I would never touch another website again. It’s so nice to have people I can reach out to when I get stuck and just need to bounce ideas off of someone. There’s always someone ahead of me willing to stop and help me figure something out. In return, I try very hard to help those who are just starting out. That’s one reason I was very excited to help co-organize the OKC WordPress Users Group this year.
Why did you want to speak at WordCamp DFW?
I’ve been speaking at smaller events for a couple of years now and I love being able to help people and answer their questions. I’ve been wanting to speak at a WordCamp for a little while, I just finally got the courage to send in an application.
Why did you decide to speak on digital marketing?
When I work with clients many of them don’t realize the planning that needs to go into a website. You don’t want to just throw up a website, there’s no way it’s going to achieve your goals if you do that. You have to be very strategic about who it is the website is for and what you want them to do once they get there. Only when you plan all of this out can you turn a website from an expense to an investment that starts bringing money and customers back into your business or non-profit.
What do you hope the audience gets from your talk?
I hope they stop and think about who their website is for and what they want it to do. I hope it leads them to make at least one small change so they can see more traffic/customers/money.
Tickets are now on sale for this year’s WordCamp DFW held on Nov. 11-12. There are also plenty of opportunities to sponsor the event or help run it. We hope to see you there!