Mary Jo Preston

Mary Jo comes with over 30 years experience in media, marketing, advertising, promotions and special events. I love ever changing technology and all the craziness that comes with it.
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Recent Posts

Stream Creative Celebrates 10 Years of Experience Inbound!

Can you believe it? Ten incredible years of Experience Inbound, Wisconsin's premier marketing and sales conference! As the Special Events Director at Stream Creative, I've been here from the beginning, and let me tell you, it's been quite the journey. From our humble beginnings to now, it's been a wild ride filled with excitement, growth, and unforgettable moments. 

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Author: Mary Jo Preston

Speak AI Like a Pro: Essential Terminology Every Marketing & Sales Pro Should Know

When it comes to Artificial Intelligence (AI), there are tons of terms and concepts that can be challenging for marketing and sales professionals to keep up with. Each day, more and more articles come out on AI. I start reading and find myself asking - What the hell does that mean? 

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Author: Mary Jo Preston

Google Ads Made Easy: 8 Simple Yet Effective Steps to Take For Campaign Success!

Are you looking to take your digital advertising to the next level? Look no further than Google Ads. 

As the most popular search engine in the world, Google offers advertisers unparalleled reach and targeting capabilities. But the benefits of starting a Google ad campaign go far beyond just putting your brand in front of more eyes. With Google Ads, you can target your ads to the right audience, control your costs, measure your success, and more. But to do so, you must ensure you set up the campaign correctly from the start for optimal success.

Something to know about me, I don’t like to rush into anything. I am a planner by nature and hate doing things last minute. In this post, I will share with you 8 steps I have learned from my experience in Google ads campaigns — some learned the hard way. 

Let's be honest, not all campaigns are going to work. If you have been doing this long enough like me, you understand that failure is a part of the learning process.

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Author: Mary Jo Preston

Marketing Conferences vs Workshops, Which is Right for You?

Are you ready to take your digital marketing skills to the next level?

The best way to keep up with the latest marketing trends and technology is to invest in your own education. Stay ahead of the curve by attending marketing conferences and workshops and learning from thought leaders and industry professionals who share their insights, tips, and tricks to meet and exceed marketing goals.

But how do you decide which is right for you?

Well, that depends on what you want to learn and how you learn best.

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Author: Mary Jo Preston

5 Work Ethic Traits ChatGPT or Any AI Tool Can’t Give You

In today's rapidly evolving business landscape, you've likely tried various AI tools in your workplace. As a marketer, I wholeheartedly acknowledge the advantages of these tools in enhancing efficiency and conducting research. However, in a leadership role, I firmly believe you can’t use ChatGPT or other AI tools to install good work ethic traits.

Having good mentors, comprehensive training (including failure and mistakes), and individuals eager to learn from the ground up remains unparalleled. Before the AI Champions interject, I’m not encouraging the Rise of the War With Machines (or am I?)

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Author: Mary Jo Preston

Conversational Marketing: How to Make a Chatbot for Customer Support and Sales with John-Erik Pszenny

Some bot questions are easier to answer than others. How do robots eat salsa? With microchips, of course! How do I use conversational marketing and bots to drive lead generation on my website? Hm, for that one, let's ask an expert!

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Author: Mary Jo Preston

What Are Manufacturers Doing Differently In Their Business to Adapt and Grow

I had the pleasure of attending the BizTimes Next Generation Manufacturing Summit on Wednesday.

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Author: Mary Jo Preston

Digital Advertising in Today's TV Landscape: What You Need To Know

The TV landscape has changed. Technology now allows us to stream our favorite channels wherever we are and on whatever device we are on. This means as an advertiser you have more advertising options to get your brand in front of your audience.
I had the opportunity to sit down and talk with Ben Van Horn, Director of Advanced Advertising at Spectrum Reach. In our interview, we talked about:

Watch the video below to see the entire conversation on the current and future state of TV advertising, or scroll down to read the sections most relevant to you and your business. 

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Author: Mary Jo Preston

Building A Better Landing Page: An Interview with Jennifer Pepper of Unbounce

There is a real art to building the perfect landing page. You can’t have too much or too little information, you need to be persuasive but not pushy, and you need to offer something a visitor would go through the trouble of filling out a form for.

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Author: Mary Jo Preston

Mapping Out An Email Sequence For Marketing Success an Interview with Caroline Matis

We all know email marketing is a crucial element in our marketing plans, but how can we use it more effectively?

In this interview, I sit down with Caroline Matis from Emma and we talk about how to map out and use email marketing throughout the customer journey. Caroline also gives us a sneak peek at what she will be talking about during her session at Experience Inbound this June.

1. How long have you worked at Emma? What is your role?

I’ve been with Emma, a CM Group brand, for eight months. Within this time, I’ve held a few roles. My first position included overseeing all social media and public relations for the company. Now, I’m the Corporate Marketing Manager, responsible for a larger portion of the marketing mix including communications, demand generation, events, and more.

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Author: Mary Jo Preston