Interview with WCSTL Speaker: Tyler Kelley

Posted on by Nile Flores
Into content marketing? Well, Tyler Kelley will be covering that at WordCamp St. Louis with his session, The New Rules of Content Marketing. Read a little about him and a peek into his WordPress journey.

Interview with Tyler Kelley

Tyler says, “We just launched a new podcast in conjunction with Venture Cafe Global called Innovation City. In this audio/video podcast, we interview the innovators, disruptors and creators who are driving the innovation movements in cities across the country. We were recently at the Emerge Americas conference in Miami Beach, Florida to record the podcast on location inside a custom-made glass booth which was built by the team at the University of Miami. In this photo, my co-host, Michael Johnson, and I are interviewing the University of Miami President, Dr. Julio Frenk.”
NILE FLORES: When did you start using WordPress?
TYLER KELLEY: I built my first website in 1999. It was for a mobile disc jockey business that I started in college. As a student, I didn’t have the funds to afford yellow page ads, so I decided to learn how to promote my business online. Google had just launched and was in its infancy. I had a chance to learn search engine optimization and marketing early on, and these skills have been major factors in my professional development.
WordPress launched a little later (in 2003). I started using it right away for my first job out of college. We used WP to build websites for home builders in Southern California. I have been a fan and a user ever since.
NILE FLORES: What are a few takeaways that attendees will get from your talk?
TYLER KELLEY: In the lighting-fast, content-driven world of today’s business, doing what you’ve always done is a recipe for disaster. Stumble along with the same old, tired marketing techniques, and the customers will fly past you.
In my session, I’m going to reveal how to get into the fast lane by creating content that attracts attention, inspires engagement, and increases sales. My goal is to provide several key takeaways, insights and tactics that people can start using in their businesses or in their web marketing as soon as they get back to work on Monday morning.
NILE FLORES: WordPress is turning 15 years old. What would you like to see in the future for WordPress?
TYLER KELLEY: The team at WordPress does a good job of staying on top of the game. They’re probably already working on this but I would like to see better organization of media, easily customizable admin based on user type and category templates.
NILE FLORES: “And just for funsies”, over the past few years, the WordPress community has seen the rise of the cute Wapuu character? Heard of it? And if so, what’s your favorite Wapuu? (Wapuu Reference: https://wapu.us/ )
TYLER KELLEY: This looks like something my Art Director would love. This is the first I’ve seen it. Cool stuff!
NILE FLORES: What is your favorite area of the WordPress admin?
TYLER KELLEY: Most of my admin areas are completely customized and I spend most of my time in my plugins. However, if I had to pick a favorite it would be the General Settings because the only time I find myself there is when I’m creating a new site for a new brand and that’s what’s most exciting for me: the act of creation. I love it.
NILE FLORES: What are the top three WordPress plugins that you believe every WordPress user should have installed?
TYLER KELLEY: Two plugins I always use are Better Delete Revision and Yoast SEO. My third pick isn’t a plugin, its a host: WP Engine.
Don’t miss out on Tyler’s WordCamp St. Louis session. Get your ticket today!