We’re excited to introduce you to our next featured BOLO speaker, beer-drinking and acronym-hating Susan Baier of Audience Audit.  She was a popular speaker last year and will be back to lead the Targeting Super Forum and present a case study in October.

BOLO: What do you like to discuss with close friends?
Susan:  Beer.  Monty Python.  Kids.  Small business.  Fishing.  Building community.  Beer.

BOLO: What do you love about the marketing industry?
Susan:  I love that it’s so dynamic – new technologies and tools, amazing new ways to hear from our audiences and reach them — but that the fundamentals never change:  Be relevant.  Be helpful.  Get the right message, to the right people, in the right way, at the right time.

BOLO: What do you hate about it?
Susan:  I hate that we treat it like it’s rocket science.  It makes so many companies feel like they can’t possibly do a good job at it — that they can’t possibly implement all this science fiction stuff into their business.  I think the acronyms really scare people away from understanding that even the smallest organizations can do a better job, grow their business, and make their customers happier, just by taking the time to think carefully about what they’re doing.

BOLO: Why do you think your BOLO topic is important in today’s marketing climate?
Susan:  Today there are more ways than ever to reach a customer or prospect.  And, unfortunately, that means that people are inundated with messages all day, every day — and most of them aren’t even relevant to them.  No wonder we get sick of the emails, sick of the popups, sick of the ads, and just say NO MORE, THANK YOU.  It’s more important than ever that our messages are crafted to reach only those to whom they’ll matter, and that they serve a purpose — solve a problem — so that we’re truly making our customers’ lives easier instead of just talking to hear ourselves speak.

BOLO: List 5 things about you that only your best friend/spouse/dog knows about you?
Susan:

1. I was my college women’s powerlifting champ.  I also played rugby.  I was a big, solid girl in college.
2. I passed out when I had my ears pierced.  And when my daughter had hers pierced.
3. I have a huge crush on Jean-Luc Picard.
4. I can recite the introduction to the Canterbury Tales in Middle English.
5. I can cross one eye at a time.  Either one — you pick.

BOLO: If you’ve attended BOLO before, what was your favorite memory? If you haven’t attended, what are you looking forward to the most?
Susan: This is a tough one.  I have to say there are two that really come to mind:

1. Vaudeville.  HYS-TER-I-CAL.  Holy moly.
2. Beer time!  I had the most amazing conversations with people AFTER the sessions, when we were all just hanging around.  It was great.

As for this year’s conference, I’m really excited to be presenting a case study in partnership with Chris Tieri from smith&jones, who I met at last year’s BOLO!

BOLO: What other BOLO speaker(s) are YOU excited to hear/see/drink under the table?
Susan: Scott Stratten and Kelly McDonald have both long been on my “MUST drink beer with” list.  I just think they’re both really insightful, smart and always seem to give me something amazing to think about.  And of course my friends Jay Baer and Michael Barber are ALWAYS on that list.  They never leave it.

Susan Baier has more than 20 years of experience in the marketing business, and her company, Audience Audit, offers marketing strategy, relevance consulting and attitudinal audience segmentation research.