Kristan Bauer is an Advisor and the Founder of Conifr Media, an SEO consulting agency, which she sold to SEO Collective in 2024 to elevate their success. With over 15 years of experience in search marketing, she has developed SEO strategies for numerous Fortune 500 companies and prominent brands, including Google, National Geographic, and Express. Before Conifr Media, Kristan served as the Director of SEO at Zillow Group, where she managed a channel with over one billion annual visitors, and the Head of SEO at Amazon Web Services. Kristan provides independent consulting, advising, and coaching across various business and marketing disciplines.

While most e-commerce brands recognize the value of SEO, many focus too heavily on optimizing their product pages and neglect resource content. Without a strategic approach, companies waste time creating content that doesn’t generate traffic, links, or conversions. How can brands leverage resource content to improve visibility and drive revenue?

According to SEO consultant Kristan Bauer, product content involves optimizing product, category, and merchandising pages for search engines, while resource content educates, engages, and informs users at various stages of the buying journey. Resource content is sharable and linkable, allowing brands to build domain authority and drive organic traffic. Kristan emphasizes that brands must align resource content with user intent, invest in high-quality editorial strategies, and ensure articles support product sales rather than existing in isolation. By conducting keyword research, leveraging competitive gap analysis, and structuring content to maximize linkability, brands can improve their SEO performance.

In today’s episode of the Up Arrow Podcast, William Harris invites Kristan Bauer, an Advisor and the Founder of Conifr Media, to talk about optimizing resource content for e-commerce SEO. Kristan shares SEO strategies for AI-driven search engines, how to resolve technical SEO issues, and how to leverage competitive gap analysis to identify content opportunities.

Will Nitze is the Founder and CEO of IQBAR, a leading nutrition company offering keto, vegan, and paleo protein bars and supplements. Under his leadership, IQBAR has expanded to over 10,000 retail locations. Will also co-hosts Eating Glass, a podcast that features startup founders.

Building a CPG brand is challenging, especially when navigating product pivots, supply chain disruptions, and transitioning from e-commerce to retail. Many entrepreneurs struggle to maintain their brand vision while evolving to meet market demands. How can founders scale their business while maintaining profitability and operational excellence?

CPG brand builder Will Nitze leveraged customer feedback to shift from a niche product focus to a broader value-driven brand, making strategic pivots to expand his company’s total addressable market. When scaling a CPG brand, entrepreneurs must differentiate their supply chain practices, leverage omnichannel distribution, and transition from DTC-only to retail locations. Developing partnerships with major retailers requires testing and iterating products and selecting partners that align with your target audience.

In this episode of the Up Arrow Podcast, William Harris chats with Will Nitze, Founder and CEO of IQBAR, about creating a $100 million CPG brand. Will discusses the importance of evolving product positioning, optimizing supply chain operations, and scaling through an omnichannel strategy. He also dives into overcoming manufacturing challenges, maintaining a lean team, and controlling your psychology for continuous results.

Tamsen Webster is the Founder and Chief Learning Officer at Message Design Institute, where she helps leaders craft compelling messages to foster large-scale change. With over 25 years of experience in persuasive message design, she is a renowned message strategist and keynote speaker. Tamsen is the author of two best-selling books: Find Your Red Thread and Say What They Can't Unhear. She has collaborated with major organizations, such as Harvard Medical School, Fidelity Investments, and Klaviyo, and serves as an Idea Strategist at TEDxNewEngland.

When strategic planning fails, it’s often because organizations either overlook their core values or struggle to communicate their vision effectively. Many businesses approach strategy with a broad brainstorming phase, leading to unrealistic or misaligned initiatives. How can leaders align decisions with their organization’s internal philosophy to catalyze intentional change?

According to message strategist Tamsen Webster, every decision follows an internal logic based on people’s existing beliefs. To foster lasting change, leaders must communicate in a way that aligns with these existing perspectives. Tamsen explains how identity shapes decision-making and why brand messaging should reflect true values rather than aspirational statements. By recognizing patterns in decision-making and communicating strategically, businesses can create messages that resonate deeply with employees and customers.

In this week’s episode of the Up Arrow Podcast, William Harris hosts Tamsen Webster, the Founder and Chief Learning Officer at Message Design Institute, to explore the nine principles of lasting change and how to gain buy-in for organizational transformation. Tamsen shares examples of strategic messaging in renowned brands, how to balance two opposing beliefs, and how storytelling and intuitive messaging influence effective communication.

Josh Durham is the Founder of Aligned Growth, an agency that helps DTC brands scale through influencer partnerships and performance-driven user-generated content. Before establishing Aligned Growth, he co-founded Weighting Comforts, a weighted blanket company that he grew to over $6 million in annual revenue before selling it in 2019. Josh also served as the Head of Growth at Groove Life, where he managed sizable advertising budgets.

Influencer marketing has become a popular tactic for brand awareness, yet many advertisers misunderstand its role and expect direct-response outcomes similar to paid social ads. How can brands leverage influencer partnerships to drive long-term growth and brand awareness?

While influencer marketing can generate sales, its primary function is to create brand interactions and organic content at an efficient CPM. Instead of relying solely on paid partnerships, brands can start with product gifting to build relationships with influencers and generate authentic content. This approach allows brands to test products on various creators while keeping costs low. Having led influencer growth initiatives for major brands, Josh Durham suggests combining product gifting with strategic paid influencer collaborations, ensuring a mix of organic and sponsored content for maximum reach. He also emphasizes prioritizing audience fit over follower count, advising brands to target influencers whose content aligns naturally with their brand rather than chasing big-name endorsements.

In the latest episode of the Up Arrow Podcast, William Harris talks with Josh Durham, the Founder of Aligned Growth, about scaling influencer partnerships. Josh shares his experience working with celebrity influencers like Tony Hawk, how to measure influencer marketing effectively, and how brand interactions drive purchase decisions.

Preston Rutherford is the Co-founder of Marathon Data, which measures revenue from brand-building efforts. He also co-founded Chubbies Shorts, a men’s apparel brand, and Loop, a software company that streamlines the returns and exchanges process for e-commerce brands. Before exiting Chubbies, Preston grew the brand to $100 million, drove over one billion video views, garnered four million social media followers, and became the most-viewed men’s apparel brand on social media.

Performance marketing is a useful strategy for generating and measuring initial clicks, leads, and conversions, but it doesn’t foster audience engagement or retain consumers long-term. Similarly, while ROAS measures efficiency from these ad campaigns, it fails to measure their engagement across channels. What metrics should brands track, and how can they shift from direct response and performance marketing to brand engagement?

Multimillion-dollar brand builder Preston Rutherford warns that focusing solely on ROAS stunts long-term goals; instead, brands should track effectiveness metrics that measure customer lifetime value. You can acquire and retain customers through brand-building and awareness campaigns that leverage engagement-driven content. Each content piece you produce or share establishes your reputation, so you should create campaigns intentionally to build a resonant brand story.

Tune in to the latest episode of the Up Arrow Podcast as William Harris chats with Preston Rutherford, the Co-founder of Marathon Data, about creating brand marketing content. Preston explains the 95 rule, how he recovered his brand from bankruptcy, and his engaging text and email marketing approach.

Andrew Youderian is the Founder of eCommerceFuel, a vetted community of seven- and eight-figure sellers. Having launched and sold several e-commerce stores, he has experience in SEO, organic and content marketing, and community building. Andrew also hosts The eCommerceFuel Podcast, which features e-commerce thought leaders.

Many entrepreneurs believe that achieving a nine-figure exit is the ultimate goal, but the pursuit often comes with significant trade-offs. The relentless focus on scaling at all costs can lead to burnout, strained personal relationships, and an imbalance between work and life. How can you build a winning e-commerce brand without sacrificing your time and energy?

As an eCommerce business builder, Andrew Youderian argues that financial freedom should be about achieving a fulfilling and balanced life rather than simply accumulating wealth. Building a durable and resilient e-commerce brand requires focusing on high-quality products, exceptional customer service, and authentic brand connections. Entrepreneurs who prioritize these elements can create sustainable businesses that thrive, even in highly competitive markets. Andrew also highlights the importance of operational efficiency, recommending that business owners stay lean and avoid unnecessary overhead that can hinder long-term growth.

In today’s episode of the Up Arrow Podcast, William Harris hosts Andrew Youderian, the Founder of eCommerceFuel, to discuss building strong e-commerce stores to achieve financial freedom. Andrew explores AI’s potential to enhance e-commerce websites, the importance of maintaining conviction in your efforts, and allocating efforts throughout various areas of your life.

Sarah Carusona is a Fractional CMO and Head of Growth at MentorPass, which matches startups with vetted mentors who have launched and scaled consumer product companies. As an e-commerce leader, she has driven profitable growth by overseeing $200 million in media across performance and traditional channels, managing holistic retention programs, and spearheading website merchandising and CRO. Before MentorPass, Sarah was the Director of eCommerce at OluKai, an eCommerce Growth Strategist at Common Thread Collective, and the Director of Media Buying at Tier 11.

When managing digital advertising, businesses often rely on outdated strategies like tweaking campaign settings in hopes of driving results. However, this approach overlooks the role of content quality and product strategy in achieving sustainable growth. So how can businesses effectively scale beyond the limits of traditional media buying tactics?

E-commerce consultant Sarah Carusona explains that modern growth relies on a combination of innovative product launches and compelling storytelling. Brands must focus on creating excitement through consistent new product releases and engaging narratives that capture consumer interest. By shifting their efforts from micromanaging ad accounts to developing robust marketing calendars and creative strategies, companies can build long-term success. Sarah also stresses the importance of moving beyond short-term fixes and reactive problem-solving toward proactive planning for future growth.

In this episode of the Up Arrow Podcast, William Harris chats with Sarah Carusona, a Fractional CMO and Head of Growth at MentorPass, about strategies for profitable brand growth. Sarah explains how to obtain founder buy-in for content strategies, why you shouldn’t rely solely on UGC and TikTok Shop, and her attribution system for content-driven sales.

Brad Hoos is the CEO of The Outloud Group, a global influencer marketing agency. Brad and his team have worked with hundreds of eight- and nine-figure brands, including Athletic Greens, NerdWallet, and SimpliSafe. As a former management consultant and business builder, he has been featured in The Wall Street Journal, USA Today, and Forbes.

When working with influencers, brands either select a single influencer to create content on one platform or choose creators who advocate for any brand without consistent loyalty. This can compromise brand integrity and consumer trust, leading companies to believe influencer marketing isn’t worth the investment. How can you capitalize on influencers who will promote and advocate for your brand?

Influencer marketing specialist Brad Hoos maintains that low-quality influencers ruin a brand’s reputation, especially when targeting consumers on social media. He says to identify creators who have invested in their audience’s interests to establish a loyal following. These influencers understand how to create content that adds value and positions your products as top performers in the market. You can also select creators by evaluating their CPA and performance metrics in specific categories.

In this episode of the Up Arrow Podcast, William Harris sits down with Brad Hoos, the CEO of The Outloud Group, to discuss influencer marketing strategies to promote your brand. Brad explains the difference between brand advocacy and voice, how to expand into new markets using adjacent targeting, and AI’s role in the influencer marketing space.