Jessica Best
Director of Data-Driven Marketing | Barkley
Kansas City, MO, UNITED STATES
Speaker and Digital Marketing Evangelist
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Biography
Jessica is one part massive email, social media and online marketing nerd and one part permission-marketing evangelist. She acts as a strategic consultant and subject matter expert for brands, corporations and nonprofits. She's lead trainings and spoken in front of audiences from a dozen to over 300 from Wichita to New York City to SXSW in Austin. Jessica’s role as Digital Marketing Evangelist means she leads the charge implementing the best practices she preach for emfluence’s own digital marketing strategy.
Industry Expertise (10)
Direct Marketing
Manufacturing
Social Media
Retail
Advertising/Marketing
Internet
Media - Online
Restaurant/Food Service
Computer Software
Financial Services
Areas of Expertise (3)
Digital Marketing
Email Marketing
Social Media
Accomplishments (4)
2009 Young Direct Marketer of the Year (professional)
2009-03-11
The Kansas City chapter of the Direct Marketing Association nominates the professional under 32 years old that best demonstrates involvement in the direct marketing community, along with practical experience and a strong sense of ethics in direct marketing. In 2009, I was selected by my peers, fellow leaders in the KCDMA, as the foremost example in our chapter.
Red Pill Email 'Rising Email Star' (professional)
2011-03-22
Authors and founders at Red Pill Email each year selects a short list of rising stars in the email marketing industry, defined as those with less than 7 years' experience. In 2011, I was including alongside some of the best in the industry, the first year they featured industry-side marketers (previous years had been awarded to brand-side marketers).
SXSW Interactive Presenter (professional)
2013-03-11
I consider it among my greatest accomplishments that I've spoken among the ranks at South by Southwest Interactive in Austin. In 2013, I gave a Future15 presentation called "I Want My $28! Rockin' Email Marketing ROI" focused on offering the attendees 2 ways I can guarantee an increase in your email return on investment. I'm also proud to have had such high praise in the feedback forms administered by SXSWi.
National Speakers Association Member (professional)
2013-04-15
In early 2013, I realized it was finally time to join the ranks of the professionals and applied for National Speakers Association Membership. I speak around 30 times a year from Austin to New York to Colorado to my own backyard as my primary role at emfluence and was excited to be included in a group that focuses on improving the craft of speaking!
Education (1)
University of Missouri - Columbia: Bachelor of Science - Journalism, Strategic Communication 2005
With a degree in journalism, I gravitated naturally toward Twitter and most social media. I'm an authentic geek, crafting 140-character stories thanks to my training summarizing large batches of information in short stories to make the front page.
Affiliations (7)
- Kansas City Direct Marketing Association (KCDMA)
- Direct Marketing Association (DMA)
- Social Media Club (SMC)
- Social Media Club of Kansas City (SMCKC)
- National Speakers Association (NSA)
- National Speakers Association Kansas City Chapter (NSA-KC)
- Business Marketing Association (BMA)
Links (1)
Testimonials (10)
Chris Lakin, Vice President of Direct Marketing Days | Kansas City Direct Marketing Association
My only regret is that I hadn't booked Jessica in the original line-up. An event coordinator's nightmare, a speaker cancelled the night before the event. Jessica stepped in and easily gave one of the best presentations of the day. Jessica's energy is infectious. Her zeal for all things digital is obvious and her charm keeps the audiences' attention. One of those speakers that knows how valuable your time is and doesn't waste a minute of it during her presentation.
Ben Smith, Founder/Conference Planner | Social: IRL
I have asked Jessica to speak at at least 8 of my events in the last 12 months, including having her as a keynote speaker. Partly due to the great content she provides, but also due to the great way she delivers it. Very engaging and upbeat presentation that always provides practical action items and takeaways. She brings a true passion for the subject matter and captures her audience’s attention, working with them rather than just speaking to them.
Andy DiOrio, Director, Corporate Communications | AMC Theatres
I never knew email could be so interesting. I left Jessica's session knowing that email marketing is more than just a chore having to be managed at work, but a marketing tool that produces real results.
Debbi Johanning, President | Social Media Club - Lawrence
The group is still talking about your presentation -- a real hit for sure!
Joe Mansour, Digital Director | Public Notice
Great presentation on #emailROI from @bestofjess. Super passionate & informative talk. #veryimpressed #sxsw
Melanie Rambo, Digital Marketing Specialist | Associated Wholesale Grocers
Great speaker! Engaging and had good, real-life, easy-to-understand info and examples.
Gay Jones, Owner | Savory Addictions
Jessica's presentation/style made technical & potentially dry stuff fun & informational.
Kate Rados, Group Digital Marketing Director | F+W Media, Inc.
Your presentation was fantastic and we were thrilled to have you a part of DBWDM.
Merritt Engel, Vice President/Principal | Merrigan & Co
Jessica is a terrific speaker, a real crowd favorite. She brings a wonderful blend of expertise, energy, humor and positive energy to every presentation. Jessica also makes complicated subject matter easy to understand and gives great tips on how to put the insights to work right away. I highly recommend her.
Lindsey Leesmann, Business Communicators Summit Director | Kansas City IABC
Jessica presented at our annual Business Communicators Summit. She was incredibly knowledgeable on getting the best return on investment in email marketing; and even better, she was able to present it in a way that was entertaining and engaging. Our attendees absolutely loved her!
Event Appearances (8)
I Want My $28! Rockin' Email Marketing ROI
South by Southwest Interactive Austin, TX
2013-03-11
Email Marketing Still Works
Digital Book World's Discoverability & Marketing Conference New York City, NY
2012-09-25
Email Marketing: the Good, the Bad & the WOW That Kicked A$$
American Marketing Association January Seminar Denver, CO
2013-01-24
Don't Just Add Social Media - Integrate It
Nonprofit Connect's Annual Nonprofit Solutions Conference Kansas City, MO
2013-10-21
I Want My $28! Rockin' Email Marketing ROI
KC/IABC's Annual Business Communicators Summit Kansas City, MO
2014-02-27
Don't Just Add Social Media - Integrate It
Social IRL's Social for NonProfits seminar St. Louis, MO
2013-01-22
Crazy Enough to Test and Prove Email Onboarding Works
Email Evolution Conference New Orleans, LA
2016-04-01
I Want My $28! Rockin' Email Marketing ROI
Content Marketing World Cleveland, OH
2015-09-10
Sample Talks (5)
I Want My $28! Rockin' Email Marketing ROI
What if every marketing campaign you deployed earned you $28 for every $1 you invested? Email marketing still rocks the highest return on investment of any marketing medium. That is, if you do it right. Are you getting your $28 return on investment? Learn two ways that will increase your email marketing return on investment... guaranteed. This talk was given at South by Southwest Interactive in Austin and has good information for even an experienced email marketer.
Email Marketing: the Good, the Bad & the WOW!
This session is the perfect overview of email marketing best practices. Learn the 10 things you should always do and the 10 things you should never do in email marketing. Then hear about some of today's best examples and what's working right now.
Social Media: the Good, the Bad & the WOW!
This session is perfect for a beginner or intermediate marketer looking to improve and integrate social media into their marketing plan. You'll learn the 10 things to always do and the 10 things to never do in social media. Then, Jessica will share examples from brands and companies who do it well.
Email vs. Social: Does Anyone Still Use Email Marketing?
There's a feud still boiling between brothers in the marketing industry: Email vs. Social Media. Which brother will win the battle? Email still has the power to grab your undivided attention and partnered with Social Media can be even more impactful. Take a look at what makes great email marketing in the current digital marketing scene and then take a look ahead at what's next.
Don't Just Add Social Media -- Integrate It!
Social media has grown faster than any other marketing medium before it, largely because it's accessible and usually affordable. But are you just adding social to your current marketing plan -- or worse, ONLY doing social media? The way to get the most out of social media is to fully integrate it into your marketing, public relations, customer service, research and development and more. Jessica speaks on how to integrate and offers examples of those who have done it well.
Style
Availability
- Keynote
- Panelist
- Workshop Leader
- Corporate Training
Social