Give My Regards to Broadway… and Yext Onward19, too!

Yext Onward19 Speakers

The iconic Theater District in the center of midtown Manhattan, New York City was the perfect backdrop for Yext’s annual tech conference called Onward. Like the neighborhood in which it was held, the conference was vibrant, fast paced, and crackling with excitement.

As the Partner Marketing Manager for Boostability, my job at Yext Onward19 was twofold: 1) set up, organize, and run our booth throughout the event and 2) absorb as much content as humanly possible from the incredible lineup of speakers Yext brought in. While booths are utterly fascinating, in this post I will focus on the latter part of my experience: content.

Because of my background in theater and being in proximity to one of the largest theater hubs in the world, I constantly had showtunes running through my head at  the conference. Not one to ignore my musical theater impulses, while sitting in each session I wondered, “If each of these presentations were a Broadway musical, which one would they be?” 

 

Howard Lerman – CEO and Founder, Yext

Howard Lerman

Credit: Yext, Broadway.com

Hamilton

Presentation at Yext Onward19: Candid, enlightening, thought provoking

“82% of online information about brands is unverified. We’re living in a new age of search, and consumers are asking more specific questions than ever. But brands haven’t had the ability to answer those questions, opening the door for unverified third party sites to step in with misinformation.” 

Be protective of your brand and make sure that your voice is the loudest when it comes to your products and services. Don’t let people like Todd Munion, a random man on the internet without all the answers, be the one to answer your customer’s questions. As Howard stated so well, “The customer journey starts with a question. You should be the one to answer it.” 

 

Earvin “Magic” Johnson – Chairman and CEO, Magic Johnson Enterprises

Magic Johnson

Yext, Broadway.com

Bring It On the Musical

Presentation at Yext Onward19: Savvy, passionate, driven

“Sometimes your competition can make you better.” 

Competition keeps us driven, sharp, and focused on what it takes to succeed. Billie Jean King said, “Pressure is a privilege.”  If you see a challenge, step up to it. This gives you the chance to improve. And when you improve you have the opportunity to create memorable and positive experiences for your customers that can strengthen your brand. Be a brand that people WANT to recommend to their friends.

“Overdeliver and they’ll go and talk about you FOR you.” – Magic Johnson

 

Seth Meyers – Host, Late Night with Seth Meyers

Yext, Broadway.com

Legally Blond the Musical

Presentation at Yext Onward19: Smart, clever, insightful

“Sometimes I’m asked how I’m able to come up with so much content for my show. Easy. I have a staff of 15 writers.”

Behind every person is a team. Rely on the wisdom and expertise of those around you who can help you look at a project from different angles. Surround yourself with people whose work you trust so you can delegate and stay focused on the bigger picture. Two eyes (or 15!) on a project is always better than one. And together as a team, you’ll achieve things far greater than you can achieve on your own. 

 

Jill Ellis – All-Time Winningest Coach in U.S. Soccer History; Former Head Coach, U.S. Women’s National Soccer Team

Jill Ellis

Credit: Yext, Broadway.com

Dreamgirls 

Presentation at Yext Onward19: Powerful, inspiring, evocative

“Take away soccer [or whatever it is you do], who are you?” 

You can apply this to your business or personally. If you take away that branding you’re known for, who are you as a company? Is it meaningful? Or would you feel lost without that sense of identity? It’s important to know what your brand is at an intrinsic level. What values drive you and your company forward? 

She also talked about teamwork. “Know your people. Know the fabric of them. Try to connect with them on a personal level.” Team building and humanizing your brand

really helps your company grow. When you make that connection with the team, they want to work harder for you and the customers you serve. 

 

Seth Godin – Best selling author and Marketing Hall of Fame inductee

Seth Godin

Credit: Yext, Broadway.com

Mary Poppins the Musical 

Presentation at Yext Onward19: Informative, fun, kind of magical

“In the future, it simply won’t be enough to be found; you’ll need to be LOOKED for.” – Seth Godin

Be something people want and/or need so that they’ll look for you. Do you have an amazing product, but don’t get a lot of traffic to your site? It might be because you need to do a better job marketing your company as the solution people are looking for. People inherently trust brands that they know. When people are looking for a solution, if your branding is something they already know and trust, they’ll come to you more often. They will even seek you out. 

A key message from Seth is to look at a problem differently and work smarter, not harder. We’ve heard this messaging before. But it’s crucial in today’s cut throat business environments to solve a problem in a smart and innovative way. Working harder does not necessarily mean you’re going to succeed, but if you work smart, it will.

Sara Beth Preston

Sara Beth (or SB for short), is the Senior Manager of Partner Marketing at Boostability. A graduate of Utah Valley University, SB studied writing and stage management as part of her B.A.—skills she uses every day to help Boostability partners increase their revenue and execute on results-driven SEO strategies. Specializing in SEO content creation and management, SB also brings 15+ years of event coordination to the Boostability table. In her free time, Sara Beth is an avid reader, board gamer, Dolly Parton lover, and coffee enthusiast.