Katie Tweedy’s 11 Year Collectiversary
Katie started at Collective Measures 11 years ago. From an SEO intern to the Associate Director of SEO + Content Marketing, her impact on the agency is impossible to overstate. Katie has consistently brought creative solutions to client business challenges, thoughtfully using data to develop clearer content that solves problems and answers questions. She’s also the most vivacious, bubbly, enthusiastic person in almost any room, which means she’s as beloved as she is successful. We’re so lucky to have Katie on the team.
To celebrate 11 years of Katie, we sat down with her to talk a walk down memory lane.
What made you decide to apply to Collective Measures eleven years ago?
Fun fact: I didn’t actually apply for a position. I had an informational interview with a former coworker and Nina herself sat in on that informational interview. At the end she offered me a 3-month internship. That internship turned into a job offer, and 11 years later I’m still here!
But as for why I was even interested in working at Nina Hale (it was still Nina Hale then!)? I knew I wanted a job that was in marketing. I knew nothing about SEO or content marketing, but it sounded interesting and it was clear to me that digital marketing would be around for a long, long time. Working at an agency and learning the ropes seemed like the perfect opportunity!
Do you remember your first day? What was it like?
On my first day they had a desk set up for me by the kitchen. I remember Leslie Gibson went out of her way to greet me, learn a little about me, and make sure I had a lunch buddy that first day. Truly one of the kindest people and I’m so thankful to have worked with her for 11 years now!
How has Collective Measures changed over the years?
Collective Measures has changed SO MUCH over the past 11 years. We went from Nina Hale to Collective Measures, we moved from our little office in the Warehouse District with two windows and a playlist we couldn’t control to our current gorgeous office lined with windows and a great view of the city. We’ve grown from 13 people to roughly 100. We went from having nearly no processes or templates to having streamlined approaches to work and a part-time proofer.
But some things haven’t changed, like our dedication to quality work and the fact that NH / CM attracts the best kind of people: smart, driven, and just the right amount of weird.
What do you like most about working in SEO / content marketing?
Working as a content strategist satisfies so many of my interests. I get to do some creative work and I get to problem solve on a daily basis. I am actively working with clients to make the internet better with clearer content that solves problems and answers questions. And I get to storytell! That might be my favorite part: unraveling the data to understand what it means and making it into a cohesive story for clients to guide next steps.
How has SEO / content marketing, or our approach to SEO / content marketing , changed over the years?
Oh my goodness SEO has changed so much since I started. Eleven years ago I was link building, manually uploading URLs and descriptions to directories. Thankfully that’s no longer a viable SEO practice! Today, there’s a much bigger emphasis on quality content as an input for overall digital success. And our data sophistication has grown in leaps and bounds.
What do you like most about working at Collective Measures?
The people! There are so many whip smart, driven people at Collective Measures, but the overall generosity sets this group apart. People here are generous with their time, always willing to help with a project or explain a new concept. That kindness tempers the drive, making it such a fun, collaborative place to work.
What has been your proudest achievement in your time with Collective Measures?
Looking back on my 11 years, there are a couple of moments that stand out to me. Firstly, I’m proud of my very first content strategy, complete with persona development. It was a doozy to pull together and took months to gather and synthesize the data, but the end result was super strong. I’m also extremely proud of my 13 (and counting!) speaking roles at various national conferences, starting with Confab in 2015. Public speaking has become an unexpected strength and delight over the past 5 or so years.
What is your favorite memory from your time at Collective Measures so far?
There are too many to just pick one: Our company trips to Nina’s family home on the St Croix river. The two segway tours, one where we hit a surprise monsoon and got trapped under an overpass on Nicollet Island. Becoming a Google Glass Explorer and spending a weekend in NYC with Nina and a few coworkers to get the Glasses. Afternoon ice cream & beer carts. Holiday week office karaoke. Bring your parents (and families and friends) to work day. So many good memories of the years.
What do you envision the next ten years at Collective Measures will look like?
In ten years time, we’ll have even more sophisticated data capabilities and some of our current work will be automated (for the better!). But some things will stay very much the same, like our commitment to our clients, the collection of smart, weird, and wonderful people, and of course Herman the Horse lamp.
