Following on from Talia Wolf the next speaker in the interview series leading up to Conversion World 2016 is Bas van den Beld. Bas van den Beld is the Founder of State of Digital. Bas will be presenting his Keynote session on the topic “Getting to the next best click” on Day 2 of Conversion World on the 19th April during session 1.
Conversion World is an online conference that anyone in the world can attend, they have 3 full days of sessions with 35 world class speakers streamed straight to you. If you want to attend you can use the discount code IWANOW to save upto 40% through a special reader discount we have organised with the conference organisers.
Conversion World has 2 ticket options you can purchase, Livestream only or Livestream + download of session videos. You can buy the tickets online here.
Q: Can you tell us a bit about yourself?
A: I am the owner and founder of State of Digital. During the day I am a professional speaker and trainer and consultant. I help businesses develop a solid marketing strategy based on the needs and behavior of the customers. In the evenings (and many afternoons) I am a dedicated family man.
I have won several awards for consulting, speaking and training. In 2015 I was voted European Search Personality of the year.
As a professional speaker, I haves spoken at many different conferences worldwide. I’ve spoken at large industry events like SES and SMX. I have also spoken in different countries, varying from UK and US to Turkey, Iceland, Ukraine, Estonia, Iran, Spain, Germany, Netherlands and more. That’s what I love most. Speaking for new audiences.
I have worked with, trained or consulted with some of the biggest brands you know. Brands include KLM, MTV / Comedy Central (Viacom), Lenovo, Linkdex, DMA and more. I am also a trainer at several Business Schools, like Beeckestijn Business School, as part of MBA programs.
Q: Can you tell us a bit about State of Digital?
A: State of Digital is one of Europe’s biggest online learning platforms where you can learn about Digital Marketing in general and SEO in specific. The website was originally founded as State of Search. The expanding digital marketing industry and the fact that different aspects of digital need to work together, not apart, made me decide to rebrand to State of Digital 2 years ago.
State of Digital is a platform where industry experts share their knowledge and where marketers can find training in different formats, personal, as a business or online through articles, webinars and online training sessions.
Q: What is one company you worked for previously that you are still inspired by what they are doing today?
A: I think a company like KLM knows very well what it is doing and they have a very smart team of marketers that I love to look at and refer to. The same goes for Heineken. One I would like to mention is the Dutch DMA. Not just for what they do, but for the way they work. Very socially involved, very open and extremely pleasant to work with.
Q: What is one company out there that you think are doing amazing digital projects?
A: I mentioned KLM and Heineken before, but I think there are many that do great things. Look at the marketing in general from Red Bull for example. But also Nike. I personally love how Paddy Power keeps thinking of new, fun things on digital.
Q: What is one marketing channel that seems to always be leading in digital?
A: I should actually refuse to answer this question because it indicates that one is more important than the other. And that is not the case. They all work together, depending on the needs of the customer and what the business or brand wants to achieve. So for one search is more important, for another e-mail and for yet another one content marketing. You could say that in the end conversion comes closest, since that is always about the customer :).
Q: What is the importance of accurate real-time data for search?
A: It’s becoming more and more important every day. We have tons of data, but the real time data is most important because people change constantly. So if we know where they are and what their intentions right there and then are, we can provide them with the best experience. I even think real-time data will be what we will be only looking at in the future.
Q: Can you tell us a bit more about your proposed topic?
A: I am very dedicated these days about the ‘next best click’. This means knowing what your reader/audience/customer should do next when they see your content. Too many businesses are just creating content for the sake of creating content. Because they heard ‘content marketing’ will do it for them. Content marketing can be very powerful, but only when done properly.
I will be talking about understanding that next best click and also making sure you have set up your process properly to actually get there.
Q: Are there any other Conversion World sessions/speakers you are looking to see?
A: Oh so many! I always enjoy listening to Jeffrey Eisenberg as well as Stephen Pavlovich, but I’m specifically looking forward to Roger Dooley’s talk.
Where can people find you online if they want to engage, follow or connect?
Best is social media channels like Twitter, or follow me on Linkedin. I blog on State of Digital of course. Thank you Bas for taking the time out to answer these questions. I also would suggest checking out Bas’s blog if you want to consume a bit more of the great content shared previously.
If you want to catch Bas’s session you can use the discount code IWANOW to save upto 40% when you buy the tickets online here.