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Top 15 Influential Educators in Digital Marketing

Exciting news, everyone!  I was just named one of the Top 15 Influential Educators in Digital Marketing!  This is huge – and not just because I have a big ego. Which I do.

The list, written by Clayton Wood of IdentityLabs.com, contains a list of some very awesome people doing very awesome things in the world of digital. Again, cue my ego. Now, with that said, there were some lovely things said in the article, which I’ll quote here (to read the full article, go HERE).

[Courtney’s] Online Marketing Institute classes take a deep dive into how to leverage optimized technical and off-page assets to drive traffic. This specific niche of the industry is the fastest changing, and Courtney’s 2015 principles are some of the most innovative in the industry, probably because she’s worked in some of the most competitive industries online.

And this is all true.  So why does it matter – besides the fact that it allows my aforementioned, totally healthy-sized ego to go into paroxysms of joy at the praise?

It’s because educating people on digital marketing MATTERS.

They don’t teach this in schools – at least not in a widespread, robust fashion.  My step-sister is 22, so I’m often surrounded by young, college-aged people. I routinely ask the PR majors, business majors, marketing majors, and communications/rhetoric majors what classes they take and if they’re learning SEO, analytics, PPC – anything digital. Sadly, the answer is a resounding no. They don’t teach this in schools. That means it’s up to us as digital marketers to lead the charge, drive the industry, and help other marketers drive ROI in their businesses.

Part of the struggle is that our industry changes on a near-daily basis.  Google’s algorithm is updated approximately 500 times per year. New tools, new features, new software, new best practices, and new technology have driven our industry to be one of the most dynamic, exciting, profitable, and frankly, FUN places to be in today’s job market. But that pretty much means that unless you make it your full-time job to follow the trends, stay up on the news, and constantly strive to improve yourself, you WILL fall behind. So for those who don’t learn this in school, didn’t grow up on social media platforms, and don’t find a killer Friday night to be scoping out the headlines on SearchEngineLand – you need educators who are invested in the process and, not only look to the future but are actively engaged in creating the future of our industry – to teach the masses about the power of what we do.

I love what I do. I love technology. I love the challenge, the quest to find ROI where none existed before. I love that an enormous part of my job is figuring out the user – the wacky, crazy, non-sensical nature that leads us to some pretty crazy search queries, endless Wikipedia loops, and lives lived and friendships made based on what Game of Thrones character the most recent Buzzfeed quiz scored you.  I love digital marketing and I am hard at work on some cool new analytics content to share with OMI soon.

If you want to see me speak, I’ll be at PubCon in October talking about Sex and Google Analytics (trust me, you really want to hear about it), moderating sessions, and participating in PubCon Labs. Leave us a comment or reach out via email if you want one of our SUPER exclusive PubCon discounts for 15% off!

For now – Keep Thinking Smarter.