The question of female speakers and gender diversity within the SEO industry has always been a hot topic. Even among women it’s been widely debated because many don’t see an issue, simply don’t want to speak for a variety of reasons, or feel the bias against us so strongly that it becomes demoralizing to speak or even unsafe.

To understand whether search marketing conferences were adequately representing gender diversity, aimClear conducted their study and found that on average, only 25.3% of conference speakers/coordinators were women. The last time I checked we have a majority share of the world’s population, so there’s still a lot of work to do if we want to give women an equal voice. This extends to women wanting to speak, which again, many don’t.

As a female in the industry, and arguably a leader in the space, I want it known that I’m comfortably positioned on the side of more diversity is needed (not just gender). However, I’m also of the opinion that we need less empty rants in the blogosphere–we need to actually do something about it! It’s disheartening (and sometimes I contribute) when women are approached to speak or share their professional thoughts and they simply don’t respond. This speaks to one of my favorite quotes that I picked up after watching Miss Representation (it’s excellent—go watch it!):

“You can’t be what you can’t see.” – Marian Wright Edelman

If we don’t like what we’re seeing, we have to actively work to fix it. This isn’t as easy as it sounds though.

My completely anecdotal opinion is that for a woman to have a family and a career, we take on so much that we have less time than our male counterparts, and how we allocate that time becomes a series of sacrifices and prioritization. This isn’t unique from many men with families or other priorities, but let’s get real here–if a woman wants to start a family and run a business (I’m currently five months pregnant, so this is top of mind), there is a huge commitment of time, energy, and physical constraints. This naturally sets women back for a few months, so how we spend our time becomes a precious balancing act. And, the few months we’re “set back” requires a lot of preparation, especially in an SEO agency like Outspoken Media or a startup where everyone is already maxed out. Fortunately, most women have nine months to get ready and have already been setting things in motion long before the actual pregnancy. This has been the silver lining of my pregnancy–forced business planning, process development, team training and empowerment, etc. We still have work to do, but we’re getting there and it’s going to position us for long-term growth, not just a short-term bandaid.

I don’t want to agree with posts like The Myth of Having it All and Why Women Still Can’t Have it All. I want to be the exception, but it’s hard—physically, emotionally, and mentally. While Outspoken Media is thriving more than ever, I’m dropping the ball on incredible personal (and brand) opportunities like starting a column on Search Engine Watch, contributing a post to Smashing Magazine, or getting back to Entrepreneur.com about those interview questions.

We all have the same amount of time in the day and my family, my team, my clients, and then my health comes first (yes, my health has had to be better with the pregnancy, don’t worry about that, baby is fine). Those incredible opportunities may not be there in another six months, but I know that I’m positioning the Outspoken Media brand for growth and that WILL be here in six months. I know where our leads come from and it’s about consistently doing great work for our clients, word of mouth referrals, industry connections (like you!), and speaking opportunities. Those media opportunities drive links and some leads, but they never convert as well as the referrals. Also, we’ve seen an immense amount of new business generation simply by retaining our clients and expanding services. They’re now generating new business for us by selling us to other divisions or properties owned by their parent company. That’s success!

While I’m focused on what’s going to drive long-term success, I’m also speaking aggressively this Winter/Spring along with Sean, because we know that this will drive more leads and authority for the brand. Yes, I’m pregnant (and I’ve spoken to MANY women lately who are terrified to tell a business contact this or even admit to having children–seriously!), but I’m doing what’s right for my business and in the process, I’d like to think that I’m helping increase gender diversity at these conferences.

Want to hear more from Sean and me? I promise I won’t rant about women’s rights (though I will talk endlessly about babies if you ask), but I will be happy to discuss the future of SEO, social media analytics, reputation management, and organic link development. Sexy, huh? I think so, which makes it feel less like a job despite the hours of uncomfortable, pregnant travel to get there. I can’t wait to speak, because it’s building a future for my business, my team, and my family. I hope this helps empower more women to put themselves out there regardless of the industry’s lack of gender diversity and knowledge that women score consistently less favorably than men. We are the change that needs to happen. I’ll see you at:

Upcoming National Events

February 14, 2013 – Patch.com’s Main Street U Summit

Happy Valentine’s Day! Catch Sean Stahlman speaking on The Misconceptions of SEO and Small Business SEO.

February 22, 2013 – SearchFest 2013

I’ll be speaking on Social Media Analytics: Discovery and Attribution with Mike Pantoliano.

March 11-13, 2013 – SMX West 2013

I’ll be coordinating and speaking on the Essential SEO Analytics: The Performance Metrics That Truly Count session with Jon Henshaw, Will Scott, and Rob Bucci, and I can’t say this enough times—do not miss this session! It’s going to be an important conversation on the future of SEO performance metrics, and packed with both actionable advice and advanced theory. Don’t believe me? The speakers keep saying how excited they are to not just be on the panel, but how much they wish they could just sit in the back of the room and listen. Um, yeah, it’s going to be epic.

I’ll also be speaking on the How To Groove To The Google Dance (Yes, It’s Back) session with Danny Sullivan, Mitul Gandhi, and Marcus Tober. We’ll be prepping for this panel soon and I expect it to be equally epic with so many Google updates happening and new tools like MozCast launching just to make sense of it all.

March 20-21, 2013 – Internet Marketing Conference

I’ll be speaking on the SEO Panel–SEOs Role in Online Marketing with Jim Hedger, Barbara Coll, and Benj Arriola.

March 26, 2013 – SEOmoz webinar

I’ll be presenting a webinar over at SEOmoz on a topic that is still in development, but we’re honing in on something really unique, compelling, and personal. Stay tuned! In the meantime, check out my previous webinar on Online Reputation Management: Branding for SERP Domination.

Upcoming Local Events

April 9, 2013 – Women@Work Connect

I’ll be speaking with two other women from the Capital District on How to Manage Your Personal Brand Through Social Media for their breakfast series.

Date TBD – Social Media Breakfast Tech Valley

I won’t be speaking at the next breakfast, but as an organizer along with Pearl and several other local professionals, I wanted to get this on the radar for March. The topic will be on The Mechanics of Social Media and we’re excited to get technical with local area experts! Stay tuned.

Does that feel like a lot? It does to me, but I’m just a pregnant woman who can’t have it all! For those worried, I’ll be done traveling by the 7-month cut off, so all is good and yes, traveling while pregnant requires a different set of planning (e.g. locating nearby hospitals for worst-case scenarios, packing snacks, finding professional clothes that even fit, planning bathroom breaks, etc.). Regardless, I’ll see you at the conferences and if our paths don’t cross in-person, contact us. I’d love to chat about new business, partnerships, or just how you manage to balance everything.

Are you a woman who has it “all?” I’d love to hear your story, especially if you decided to compromise. Are you a man who has had to sacrifice for your family? Share! Have something that you just need to get off your chest? Go for it. It’s a hot topic, because it’s REAL.

Today, we finally have a new brand and site to match, and soon we will have a new office. Each milestone was critical in demonstrating publicly and internally the hard work we’ve put into this business. We hope you like it, let us know in the comments below! Even better, if you love the new brand, give us a like, follow or plus, so we can keep in touch. We still have a lot of content work to do and a big part of that will be free resources and future phases of development.

Getting Here

Sometimes the hardest part of being a business owner is never prioritizing the business over your clients. I think this is ten times more difficult when the business owner has a background in servicing those clients, because you want to do the work more than you want to talk about, or market it.

Let’s break away from hyperbole–I’m talking about Outspoken Media and me. Unfortunately, we’re in the business of marketing, so to not do a good job in the area we specialize in, because the business is too busy marketing others, is hypocritical. It can also be demoralizing to a team and business that have grown well beyond the early stages of the company. I asked for advice recently on team development and one individual I respect immensely said I should treat my team like a significant other (they need to be loved and feel special). They need to have pride in the relationship they’re in, and sometimes our marketing isn’t even for new business–it’s to show our amazing team the attention they deserve, and that they’re a critical part of something great.

I couldn’t agree more, I’d just never thought about team in this way before. It changed me and I wanted to give the team something new and shiny. Something that gives them pride when they tell their friends they work with Outspoken Media. I’m fairly certain they already feel that way, but I wanted the people they meet to go–”wow, Outspoken Media is awesome, that’s so cool that you work there!” Who doesn’t want to feel like that? And, selfishly, I wanted to practice what I preach, and be accountable to our brand. I’ve made a lot of excuses over the years as to why we didn’t have a new look, but it was time to get the job done.

The first two years of the business, it was easy to make excuses–we had to throw our brand together a week before the Wall Street Journal “outed” us. (Yep, that happened.) So we hit the ground running, there was no looking back. Two years later we had a significant change in leadership, a year later we went through the same all over again. There were always preoccupations that distracted me from giving the company what it needed, because I was focused on survival and major personal growth as a new business owner and CEO. It’s been four years now and I’m happy to say that through all of the changes, the company stayed profitable, discovered our values, and took care of our clients.

Now it’s time to balance the two–great services with a great brand.

Development of the New Brand

Deciding to rework the brand was easy, actually doing so was another story. This story starts back in 2011 when we contracted the services of a freelance designer to make a new logo. Truth be told, we found someone with very little experience, but loved the price.

• Lesson one: you get what you pay for. We quickly realized that discount shopping for our brand was getting us nowhere fast.
• Lesson two: you have to love the designer’s other work. Every designer has a unique style, if you don’t love what they’ve done in the past, why are you going to work with them on your brand? Find what attracts you, and go with that.

One fateful day we stumbled upon a local risograph printing business who we felt would be the perfect fit for our new brand. We convinced them to do an exchange of services and we loved the logo they created for us, as well as the colors. The only problem was the dated use of the RSS icon. We showed a handful of you the design and there were mixed opinions. So, I sat with the logo for a long time. Almost a year to be exact. We actually used the logo on the doors of the current office, and painted the office walls the vibrant purple and orange. We were living with a split personality between our current black/blue megaphone:

And the new logo:

I knew we needed a logo that would feel timeless, so as much as we loved our new one, I waited. Then, at a local Build Guild meet up, I ran into Seth Louey and his straight-forward approach was the perfect fit for our outspoken brand. Seth had just completed the branding for Mad Glory, an online gaming communities service provider, and we loved the thought process behind it. The next week, Seth had a version of the following to show us:

Soon he sent us the colors:

And then, the collateral:

Building It

Things were moving and coming together naturally! It was time for the website design. That was a tad more difficult, after all, we’re SEOs who know our way around a site, and have strong opinions. Likewise, a designer wants to maintain the integrity of their design, and a developer wants to make it work! This is a natural point of friction due to the function of each job, and this can often go horribly wrong. We were fortunate that we partnered with two incredible guys who already had a working relationship together.

Meet the guys:

Seth Louey	Mubashar “Mubs” Iqbal

I already mentioned Seth, but Mubs is a genius when it comes to development, because he likes to build things like Statamic on the side and is a fixture in Tech Valley’s development scene.

Seth got us the comps, and Mubs went to work on a custom WordPress build. We’ve always been known for the Thesis framework Outspoken Media was originally built on, and it served us well, but we decided on a custom theme and Mubs delivered with some fantastic backend work that will make future maintenance a breeze for the whole team. It isn’t realistic that I continue to maintain the site with the help of contractors, especially as the company grows.

We decided not to add too much “new” content to the site, yet. We wanted to release the new brand and theme and see how the search engines responded first–we are SEOs! In the coming weeks, we’ll be fleshing out the service pages, the blog categories, the new resources section, and much more (can you say “responsive design”?). So, stay tuned. We’ve just begun, and we can’t thank you enough for your continued support and feedback!

Moving In

In addition to the brand changes, we’ve got a new office in the works as well. We move in two weeks to 415 River Street in downtown Troy, just a few blocks from the current office. Given the changes the company has been through, it was time for a new start. The location will better serve the needs of our team, the brand, and our focus moving forward with a long-term commitment to our clients and the community. For our local friends and partners, we hope you’ll join us for the opening! Details soon.

In the meantime, here are some shots of the office in development:

BEFORE:

AFTER (in development):

You can view more pics from the process here.

Giving birth to the new brand has been an adventure that we’re all proud of, and a massive personal achievement on my end. It’s more than a facelift, it represents everything I’ve worked hard to maintain and build. It’s also indicative of the new team and how excited I am to give them what they need to be successful and happy.

Thank you to everyone who helped us get here especially those involved in the process!

There’s just one more adventure ahead for me, and it’s a game changer:

This will be our first, and I’m fortunate to have an incredible husband, family, friends, team, and clients who make balancing work and home far less complicated than I ever imagined it would be. I’m excited to be both a mom, and a business owner who still makes positive ripples in our industry. I want to be a role model to this little person, and show him or her that you can be true to yourself, work hard, and love your family above all else. I hope that one day he or she reads this and feels like I did a good job.

Thank you again for the support, it makes all of the hard work and years it took to get here worthwhile! More to come…

Hi, my name is Emily Cote, and I am the new Community Manager for Outspoken Media.

You probably didn’t know this, but I have been the Community Manager for the past month. The reason you didn’t know this is because I have pretty much been non-existent online since then. And honestly, I owe you an apology for that.

No one ever likes to admit their weaknesses. It goes against all human nature. But I believe the only way we can ever make progress (as individuals, and as a species) is to know where we are starting from, and to know where we want to go. In between, there is a lot of stumbling, a lot of questioning, and a lot of positive, life-changing growth.

I also think I need to tell you, our readers, the truth. At Outspoken Media, we are pretty much starting at square one.

Let me be clear—not on the client side. Throughout this process of organizational change, our clients have always come first. We are so dedicated to providing consistent, high-quality work for them that we did everything we could to ensure they were buffered and protected, and experienced very little change throughout this transition. And I think, even though it has been a lot of hard work, we have been successful.

But from a social standpoint, I have inherited a community that has experienced a loss, and a brand that is trying to find its new voice. To act as though nothing has changed is doing a disservice to everyone in the community.

A Confession

Outspoken Media is not the same company it was three years ago. Heck, it isn’t the same company it was when I started six months ago. We’re evolving on so many levels, and we are heading toward some truly exciting things. I can’t tell you how much I, in just six months, have fallen head over heels for this company and for our team, or how inspired I am when I wake up every morning, knowing where we are headed.

But, to our community, we look almost the same. It’s the same website. The same logo. The same services. The same general content. And I believe, up until today, the same status quo.

The responsibility that came with inheriting this community has had me mentally paralyzed for the last month. I have wanted so badly to jump in and interact with all of you, but I didn’t know where to start. Out of fear of doing the wrong thing, I have done nothing. And I think that is because I, too, have been operating under the pretense that this company is the same, and that I am expected to fill certain shoes.

A Revelation

But then, this morning, I woke up and I was hit with a realization—one that I probably should have come to sooner. The only reason it has been so hard for me to jump into this, to see the big picture, is because I have been looking at our company through the wrong lens.

It’s time for me to start treating Outspoken Media like a client. A client who is going through a rebranding process. A client who needs a new social media strategy.

Client fallout is almost always attributable to the difference between expectations and outcomes. Therefore, one of the first things we do when we start with a new client is set realistic expectations. We walk them through our work process, we tell them what results they can reasonably expect, and we don’t make promises we can’t keep. It’s nothing but honest communication, usually backed up with hard data.

So, this blog post is step one. I am setting your expectations.

A Plan

This blog is going to change. We’re not going to be posting as often as we used to. But when we do, it’s going to be big. We’re going to start targeting higher-level SEO topics, and talking more about the work we actually do on a day-to-day basis. We’re going to talk about the things we are actively learning, about the tools we are using, and we’re going to start showing lots of data when we can. We’re going to be using those nifty colored boxes you may have spotted in our posts, to outline real, actionable items you can take away from each piece and use in your work.

We’re also going to be doing more case studies. And hopefully you noticed in the title—I have decided to use our own brand as a case study.

I want you to join us during this process. I want you to see how we’re going to get from where we are today to where we are going. Just as we plan to do on the blog overall, for our own brand case study, I want to talk about the tools we are using, the things we are learning, and, yes, I am going to show you lots of data. In return, I am going to ask you, our community, for the following deliverables so we can have a great new working relationship.

A List of Requests

• Please give us your feedback. Honest communication is a two-way street. We want to know what you think. Suggestions, comments, criticisms… please send them our way. I always tell my clients: “If there is anything else I can do to help or do my job even better, please do not hesitate to ask.” The same rule applies to you. Here is my e-mail to show you I mean it: emily [at] outspokenmedia.com.

• Please pardon our dust. Rebranding is a lot like trying to remodel a store while everyone is still shopping. We have lots of client work that still needs to get done, and even with all the recent changes, operations haven’t missed a beat. But it’s a messy process to change course while trying to keep the same momentum, and we hope you’ll be patient with us while we work it all out.

• Please know how much we care. Our industry is really special. Rarely do you see so many competitors working together toward the common good of the entire industry. Rarely do you see so much collaboration. Rhea’s link-building spreadsheet… how awesome was that? Look how many people pitched in, and how it evolved. We want more of that! We want to work with the industry to make it better. If you see ways we can help improve something, we want to know! Give us a shout, and we’ll do our best to pitch in and work toward the common good.

• Please be excited. I can’t tell you all the things that are coming down the pike for Outspoken Media, but they are so awesome, sometimes they keep me up at night. Some of them are coming soon. Others are going to take more time and a lot more work. But the vision we have for this company, and the passion we have to drive us in achieving that vision, are unmatched by anything I have ever experienced in a job before. I know I can’t fully convey all this to you, but I am just going to ask you to trust me. And I want you to be there to celebrate our successes. And we want to be there to celebrate yours! SEO is not dead. It’s evolving into something new and exciting, and we are very happy to be a part of the change.

I honestly wasn’t sure if I could handle this new role and do it justice. But, knowing the industry, I am hoping I will be able to lean on all of you and ask for advice as I start to get my feet wet. This is all new to me, and I am both scared and excited. But this is my chance to be a part of something beautiful and amazing—the rebirth of a company and a brand that means the world to me. And I can’t wait to jump in.

Lisa’s brand has been intangibly tied to Outspoken Media as the voice of this blog and our community. We recognize Lisa’s a tough act to follow and we can never replace her, but we have great talent that’s ready for the opportunity to take more of a leadership role with the brand. I promise we will not let this community fade. We owe that to you and ourselves.

We wouldn’t be where we are today without your continued support, readership, and communication. You—our readers, friends, and colleagues—make Outspoken Media what it is, and we are going to continue to bring you the same honest, sometimes in-your-face content you’ve come to expect from us.

What does the next chapter look like for Outspoken Media?

What you won’t find:

Lisa 2.0

Yes, there will be featured writers and a social media manager, but we’ll be moving to a more diverse voice that focuses on a community-based environment versus one strong voice.

Weekend Coffee Links

These were a perfect place for Lisa to collect her findings from the week prior. Random bits of humor and insight that didn’t belong to a single post, but also deserved more than a tweet. With WCL retiring, don’t worry, there’s still Cup of Joe from Joe Hall.

Monthly Link Roundups

The entire Outspoken Media team will be blogging more, so we’ll be turning our interesting finds into something tangible, actionable, or a strongly worded commentary (remember, we *are* Outspoken Media).

What you can expect to see:

More of me

Hi, I’m Rhea Drysdale. I run this ship. I’m usually buried in client reports, e-mails, and team meetings. It’s time to break out of my very comfortable shell and get to know you. What you need to know about me is that I can be pretty straightforward. Lisa was vocal on the blog and I’m vocal in business. I’m honest with our clients and the team, which means I’ll forget pleasantries at times, but the trade-off is passion and experience. I love this industry and that’s what I’ll be bringing to you.

A lot more from these guys:

Michelle Lowery
Michelle is our content maven and many of you know her from her recent liveblogging coverage. Michelle produces and coordinates all of the content for our clients, assists with SEO audits, and client strategy development. She also helps train and ensure quality from the team with their outreach methods, and is the resident word nerd we go to with all our grammar questions.

Joseph Schaefer
Joseph is my right-hand man when it comes to technical SEO. He produces SEO audits and link development strategies for clients. He’s also responsible for client reporting and analytics, and always makes himself available to help the team. He keeps all of us informed, focused, and laughing.

Danika Atkins
Danika loves clients, and not just a little. She would probably marry a couple if she could. She gets results. She’s also getting her MBA, and loves all things business, so she helps with proposals and operations, often referring to the team as “human capital.” We know she means it affectionately.

Emily Cote
Emily is the heart of the team. She keeps us on-task and motivated, while also kicking serious booty with link development and social media management. Don’t let that description fool you—she’s also one of the quickest SEOs I’ve ever trained, and will attack any SEO audit we throw her way. She will be doing a lot more Outspoken Media-focused work for us including newsletter management, social strategies, and community development.

Conference Attendance and Coverage

Were you worried we’d stop liveblogging? Hardly. Michelle Lowery will take up this torch, and she’s already killed it with Searchlove, Pubcon Vegas and Linklove. Feel free to send her your PowerPoints and bribes!

I’ll still be speaking at conferences, and you can expect to see me on a well-rounded set of panels. Yes, I speak often about online reputation management, and we do provide great work to those in need of help. However, we also do a lot of link development, SEO audits, and social media marketing. Don’t believe me? Take a look at our service breakdown from 2011 (Not what you were expecting, huh? That’s our reputation problem and it’s time to fix it.):

Videos

We love videos. I love them especially because I’m an extrovert who doesn’t know how to think without speaking. Keep your eyes peeled; we’re going to be rolling out a new project we think will add tremendous value to the community.

OSM Newsletter

Guess what? Newsletters are pretty cool. They help us keep in touch with you about the really important stuff. Too bad we’ve never done anything with the e-mails we collect! Time to change that. You gave us your feedback on what you’d like to see in a newsletter, and we’ve been working with the amazing DJ Waldow to set up a solution that will bring value and humor to your inbox once a month.

A look inside Outspoken Media

Speaking of your feedback, you mentioned wanting the following:

We listened. We’ll be sharing a lot more of the Outspoken Media antics and what we’re up to, whether it’s ensuring everyone is on the same page when it comes to how the toilet paper should fall:

Image courtesy Gunaxin

or how we’re supporting our favorite non-profits and organizations. The team recently sat down to talk about what we value. All of us want to see more active involvement with the causes we love, so we’re going to make that happen.

More Guides

A lot of people really loved the ORM guide. We released it back in 2009. It’s out of date, and in need of a makeover, so that’ll be released soon. We’re also going to bulk up on other guides we feel will help you with your Internet marketing campaigns and branding. We’re taking requests, so let us know in the comments if there’s something you want to learn more about!

More Social Media Management

We know you LOVE US; now you just have to like us! Follow Outspoken Media on Facebook, Twitter, Google+ and Pinterest to get unique content, tips, and interesting tidbits we think are awesome. Keep showing us love, and we’ll give it back in spades.

Guest Posts and Interviews

We’re accepting guest posts. Yes, I made you read to here to mention that. Mwahaha. Have something you think would be a great fit for the blog? We’re going to be pretty picky about the content we host, so if you contact us, make sure you bring your A game. We’re especially interested in featuring writers from complementary and innovative industries.

Local Involvement

We love Troy, NY. Whether we’re participating in and sponsoring Tech Valley’s first Startup Weekend, or organizing speakers and topics for Social Media Breakfast, we want to continue to support the local industry. Cultivating talent, honing our skills, and networking with some of the Capital District’s best is vital. This business is only as good as the city and community that supports it. We are going to keep giving back, and hope to see you out and about!

That’s it for now. Phew! Trust me, there’s more. We have a lot up our sleeve, so stay tuned because right now, we’re only limited by hours in the day. The future of Outspoken Media is now, and we are fired up about it. Thank you for your continued support. It means everything to us, and there is so much awesome coming up, we are STOKED!

One thing is for sure – I couldn’t have asked for a better learning environment. Outspoken Media was started because of our desire to do better, to be better, and to create something we didn’t think existed in the market. And three years later, I truly believe that we have. We’ve created something that serves clients, serves our industry, and that provides an extraordinary amount of value. I’m incredibly proud of it and the team that we’ve assembled here, people who believe in the same high standards we do and who strive to not just meet them, but surpass them, every day.

Outside of just growing a great company, the past three years have treated me to an amazing degree of personal growth. I’ve never loved or fought for anything as hard as I’ve loved and fought for Outspoken Media. And I wouldn’t change any of it. But it’s time for me to make a move. A friend tweeted not long ago that time and how we spend it is our most precious commodity. Each choice is an investment in our future. I’ve never believed that as strongly as I do today. That your priorities are the things you do, not the things you say you do. And how you spend your time matters. It defines you.

While the lessons I’ve learned on this road of entrepreneurism will stay with me forever, it’s a path and a lifestyle no longer in sync with where my heart is. And I can’t ignore that. I’m not entirely sure what that will mean for me or what my next adventure will be, but I know that right now is when I need to find out. It’s the right time for me and for Outspoken Media to make a change.

Saying goodbye is never easy, but Outspoken Media will continue to be a success. I thank the team for everything that we’ve built together and I thank Rhea for her partnership, for being my sister through it all and her commitment to the Outspoken Media vision. We wouldn’t have gotten here or built what we have without each other. I couldn’t leave without her full support.

Rhea will post tomorrow to let you know what you can expect from Outspoken Media in the future and all the magic that they have in store. If I were you, I’d stay tuned for that because an even more badass chapter of Outspoken is on its way. I know I’ll be watching and cheering them on with all I have.

Thank you to everyone who has supported me over the past three years and your continued support of Outspoken Media. Your support has, and continues, to mean everything.

We’re working with folks on our end to help put it together, but before we get too far, we wanted to give you the opportunity to help shape it. After all, it is YOU we want to get down and dirty with. We want your input.

So while we’re working on putting something together, we’re giving you the opportunity to help shape it. After all, it’s you we want to get down and dirty with. We want your input.

Embedded below you’ll find a few questions that will really help us as we put together the Outspoken Media newsletter. If you could take a few minutes to fill them out, we’d be your forever fans. Even more than we already are. If the embed is being wonky (which embeds sometimes are), you can view the full survey direct by going here.  And, really, thanks again.

What’s so special about today? Today is Outspoken Media’s birthday. A birthday that comes a couple weeks after the New Year, which means Lisa and I have been in a period of intense introspection (or holiday food comas, who knows). But isn’t that what we do on birthdays and at New Years? We think about the past and how we got here and we think about where we’re going.

When you own a business, those are the most important questions to ask yourself:

How did we get here?

Where are we going?

So, stop and think about those questions for a minute. Whether you own a business or not. What are you doing? Why are you doing it? Where do you want to be?

Your vision might be crystal clear, completely clouded-over or shifted a few degrees. Regardless of the answer, you probably have a vision, which is what drives you to do what you do everyday.

Defining the vision of a company can often feel incredibly complicated. You have to have a shared vision with your partners and shareholders and getting everyone on the same page can be difficult. You also have to develop a system of accountability for every stakeholder to ensure that you’re working towards that vision. And, you have to communicate that vision tirelessly to your team, customers and community because they will help keep you accountable to it.

When we started this agency we didn’t have a clear vision of what the business would look like in three years. What we did know without question was that we wanted to work with people we respect and we wanted to be proud of the work we produced. Those may seem like incredibly simple ideals, but for many businesses and employees, it’s difficult to achieve one or both.

With Outspoken Media, there is so much strength in this business, because of the team and community behind it. Our team believes in being fulfilled professionally and personally. And we don’t support them because we have to, but because we want to. In return their support, curiosity, drive, voice and quirkiness make this office the fun, fulfilling environment that it is. Then we turn to you, our community, and we see just as much insight, excitement and candidness. Sometimes it’s downright overwhelming to see what’s been built here.

So, I want to take just a couple more minutes of your time to talk about the future. What can you expect from Outspoken Media in 2012?

An outspoken team

Lisa has been the resident blogger for Outspoken Media since day one and we’ll never pretend to have an ounce the skill she possesses in just one pinky finger. But, you’ve heard a lot from Lisa and it’s time to hear more from the rest of the team as well, because they have unique insight into the daily challenges of SEO, reputation management, link building, client management, business operations and project management. Besides their experience, they have individual voices and interests that go beyond our company services and we want you to benefit from those voices as much as we do. Our vision changes with them, because the company is nothing without the team behind it and sometimes, someone will bring a skill set that can shake everything up.

So, you’ll be hearing more from our seasoned vets, Michelle Lowery and Danika Atkins, as well as, our newest members, Joseph Schaefer and Emily Cote.

Meet Emily

We haven’t publicly talked about Emily outside of hints in the 12 Days of SEO when “Elf Emily” gave us her Twitter confession and shared tips for conversion rate optimization. We had to see if she’d complete us and not only does she fit in, she keeps us on our toes. Literally. She’s got us doing daily exercises when we hit that awful post-lunch energy plateau.

Take a minute to welcome Emily and get ready, because you’ll be seeing more of her, as well as, the rest of the entire team in 2012.

An outspoken brand

As a company, we’re pretty passive. What I mean by that is we’re fortunate to have a strong branding officer who keeps us in your feeds and conversations. And, through our conference coverage and speaking schedule, we make some phenomenal connections. Those two channels alone mean we get a lot of leads. That makes it easy to put the brand on auto-pilot, because we’re so busy with client work. Unfortunately, there’s nothing worse than not pushing ourselves to evolve, especially to evolve to the level that we advise our own clients! At its core, a brand is nothing without relationships. Relationships with our amazing readers (THANK YOU!), our clients, our team and even our local community.

We get that and it’s time to do more with those relationships. We’re tired of dating casually, lets take this to the next level. We want to go steady with you. I know, actions speak louder than words, so stay tuned as we dive into the wonderful world of email marketing and other methods of connecting with and rewarding you, our loyal community members.

We want to give you more of us and our individual personalities. And, if you’re ever in the neighborhood of Troy NY, stop by the new office and co-work for the day or just say hi, the door is open.

We get asked often why we chose to stay in Troy to build Outspoken Media. After three years, I can say that there is no better fit for our bold, boutique business. We’ve gotten to know the talented professionals and startups that keep Troy’s numerous cafes and sandwich shops open and they keep us energized. You can’t spot these businesses so easily from the road, but they’re there, just like us. Troy’s tech community is booming from Ruby on Rails developers, app developers and gaming communities to data center management and web designers who also keep our walls stocked with whimsical and inspiring prints. As much as you give to us online, they give to us offline and in 2012 we will be just as outspoken with this local community.

An outspoken strategy

I read an article recently that discussed research on what CEOs actually do and it was really interesting to see the level of productivity increase when CEOs took the time to be *IN* their business rather than out of it schmoozing over expensive lunches. In 2012 I want to continue to work closely with this team, because while we want to be more of an outspoken team and brand, there is nothing more vital to the future of this business than the services we provide. We are finding ways to bring more value to our clients and our methods. In 2012 this will take the shape of structural changes, education, development and much more.

Lisa already told us which Internet marketing trends to watch in 2012 and we’re seeing the same.

Local. Mobile. Social. Cloud. Apps. Security.

There’s so much going on in 2012 and it’s only the 19th of January! The role of the SEO has grown and though we define ourselves by that term, we are truly becoming digital strategists. We have to to fit the needs of our clients and the demands placed on them by new technology and every-changing search features (and sometimes shrinking) and new social networks like Pinterest or Google+. We’ll be working to find the most effective ways to leverage these changes and offer value to our clients through them.

Beyond the educational arm of Outspoken Media, we’re improving our internal processes to make training rock. And, we’re BUILDING TOOLS! I’ve mentioned this before and it’s still probably my favorite part, because it’s giving the team ways to maximize their time and stop feeling bored by the mundane tasks. It frees up our brains to focus on the most important part — analysis and strategy. For our group of nerds, that’s like Christmas morning and we’re proud of that.

There’s a lot more going on under the hood of course outside of the team, the brand and the strategy. We have big plans internally for continued education, process development, new services, project management, business development, client management, tool development, employee benefits, organizational development and business operations. However, unless you’re a freak like myself, you probably don’t want to talk business theory and management for another hour. If you do, feel free to contact me directly of course (rhea@outspokenmedia.com), I love this stuff! :)

And, circling back to that one precious word (vision), I hope what we’re trying to do here with Outspoken Media is a little clearer, because we’ve been having so much fun behind closed doors, it’s time we let you in on more of us and hopefully you’ll do the same. Thank you for your continued support and readership.

Photo credit: Aih.

On November 14, 2011 Outspoken Media took another big step when we moved out of that shared working environment and into a new space of our own.  Space that we had built to our own specifications and our desires, and which now houses our team of Outspoken Media employees.

The new Outspoken Media office gives us more than 2,700 square feet of working space in Troy’s Atrium. It’s allowed us to stay in downtown Troy near all of the businesses, people and coffee houses that we love. And, most important to me and Rhea, it’s given our team the environment that they deserve. Because it’s no longer just me and Rhea with individual laptops.  There’s a real team here now. And that team just got its first permanent home. One that is finally worthy of them and everything they bring.

When we were designing the new Outspoken Media office, Rhea and I were agreed on much of what we wanted. We knew that we wanted a functional open working environment so Danika, Joe and employees you haven’t met yet could talk out problems and methods when they came across them. And that meant doing things like knocking down walls, remodeling kitchens, and demolishing structures we had no use for.

It meant getting new carpet, deciding on some awesome colors, and watching Rhea obsessively run over to the new space daily to check and report back on its progress.

For our team, it also meant new workstations for everyone, a built-in magnetic whiteboard for brainstorming sessions, five private meeting rooms located in the back, and more room for impromptu dance parties, games of catch, and other things we couldn’t provide them when we shared office space.

For me and Michelle, it also meant private offices (with doors!) for each of us so that we could write without wanting to Strangle. Everyone. And I must say, today we’re settling into our new digs just fine.

We’re excited about our new office and even more excited about what it will allow us to do – helping us to better service both clients and, just as important, the team that Rhea and I couldn’t feel luckier to have.

Welcome home, Outspoken Media.

[Keep an eye out for several announcement posts coming from us over the next couple weeks/month. A new office isn’t the only thing we’ve got going on. Not by a long shot. :) ]

What’s better than that?

Ready to meet the people who will be manning the blog while I’m sitting in the sun writing about my feelings?

Monday, July 11 – Andrew Norcross

I’ll let you in on a little secret. There is more than one female in this office with a crush on Andrew Norcross. He’s kind of a house favorite. And it’s because he’s a talented Web developer/ WordPress designer who doesn’t just show up, but who brings it in everything he does. He’s got an opinion, he’s got a whole lot of edge, and he’s all about the rock ‘n roll. When it came time to pick names for Expert Week, I couldn’t think of anyone else to start us off on the right foot.

Tuesday, July 12 – Jen Lopez Ben Cook

I’m a big fan of people who have a voice and who aren’t afraid to use it. And Ben Cook aka Skittzo is definitely one of those people.  I’m not sure what Skittzo is going to rant, er, write about, but I have total faith in him to blow your minds, if not slightly offend you at the same time. ;) I just asked that he please not get us banned from the Internet. Kidding aside, Ben’s a really smart guy and we’re lucky to have him. I appreciate him stepping up in a pinch.

[Jen Lopez from SEOmoz was originally given the Tuesday slot but is currently undergoing chemo and felt like she needed to postpone her post and just go with the flow.  We're sending her lots of hugs and are looking forward to a true Jennita blog whipping once she's feeling up to speed.  Feel better, Jen! :) ]

Wednesday, July 13 – DJ Waldow

Dude. In January, Rhea and I sat down and plotted out a plan for the year. One of my goals was to find a way to get DJ Waldow to post on Outspoken Media and next week that goal will finally become reality. DJ is all about bringing email marketing and social media together, two things that I really love. DJ bathes in awesome and, don’t tell him, but my plan for 2012 is to finally hunt him down and meet him in real life. DJ blogs over on Social Butterfly Guy. You can find him online by typing “DJ Waldow” in the search engine of your choice.

Thursday, July 14 – Justin Briggs

Distilled’s Justin Briggs was one of the new faces I met during SMX Advanced and he simply blew me away. He gave a great presentation during the linkbuilding session and he, along with his cohort Ben Estes, kept me and Sabre in giggles when we had the chance to chat with them during one of the networking parties. He’s a fresh voice, a smart voice, and someone who deserves to be on everybody’s radar. I’m just lucky we got him to share some insight here before he gets too famous for all of us.

Friday, July 15 – Susan Esparza

Most of you know that just a few years ago, Susan was my boss when I worked at Bruce Clay. That means it was HER job to keep me in line. Poor thing. Though no longer my boss, she’s become a good friend and I asked her to be part of Expert Week on Friday because I’m hoping she’ll tell a story that only she can tell. Susan doesn’t blog much these days, but I’ve always thought she has one of the most authentic voices in our industry. I wouldn’t miss her post on Friday.  But don’t tell her I said that. We have a mock rivalry we’re supposed to be keeping up.

That’s it. Those are the five great folks who will be pitching in here next week while I grab some down time. Make sure you tune in next week because I have no doubt these all-stars are going to bring the magic and the fire.

*And yes, I know what you’re thinking, “weren’t you off LAST week?” But I didn’t know that was happening (Rhea is sneaky and surprised me) and I wasn’t off, I just wasn’t blogging. So, there. Also, LEAVE ME ALONE! ;)

Don’t worry, Lisa will be back next week, but what every blogger craves (and deserves) is a much-needed break from the blogosphere. To put things into perspective, in the last year, Lisa published 296 blog posts. Those were just the posts on the Outspoken Media blog, which doesn’t account for her client work, weekly posts on Small Business Trends, her guest posts and interviews, and her personal writing. In other words, she’s been busy, very busy.

She even found time to land these:

• Featured article: ‘King’s Speech’ puts spotlight on often-misunderstood impairment – TimesUnion.com
• 100 Social Media, Internet Marketing & SEO Blogs – Cision
• 100 Top International Copywriters and Content Bloggers – MarketCopywriter Blog
• Small Business Influencer Award Nomination (go vote!) – 2011 Small Business Influencer Awards

Lisa doesn’t just write like a super hero, she literally kicks ass in her spare time. Need proof?

So, join us in wishing our star an early happy birthday and look for some incredible, fresh talent on the blog this week. We’ll be writing about online scandals, how to marry SEO with your sales cycle, why good grammar is important to SEO copywriting and how to increase productivity through crowdsourcing. Stay tuned and go send Lisa some love!