Taking clients further: How Tempest’s growth marketing team drives success

His work, specifically, is content marketing for destination marketing organizations, tourism agencies and visitor bureaus across North America. Huff previously worked at a tourism organization in the Philadelphia region.

“I’ve learned a ton since joining Tempest, and if I knew what I know now when I was with [my previous employer], our already excellent content would have been taken to another level,” said Huff, who joined Center City Philadelphia-based Tempest in January 2022.

Huff leads Tempest’s growth marketing team, which focuses on enhancing the online presence of the company’s clients.

The growth marketing team is comprised of Huff, content marketing manager Sarah Bellamy, content analysts Jess Kaitz and Jessie Rogers, digital operations specialist Sarah Dougherty and search engine optimization (SEO) specialist Soala Idasetima, as well as senior performance marketing manager, Andy Kurlander – based in Las Vegas – who oversees paid search and programmatic advertising strategies. The team currently collaborates with about 40 of Tempest’s more than 200 clients on a day-to-day basis.

The team’s efforts involve a blend of SEO strategies and content creation. To kick off a project, they analyze each location’s unique story to be highlighted online, which they refer to as “destination drivers.” For instance, in the case of Philadelphia, the city’s iconic cheesesteaks and Liberty Bell serve as its destination drivers.

Additionally, the team identifies strategic opportunities to improve a destination organization’s presence within organic search by developing new website pages or blog entries, enhancing or updating existing pieces on the website, or otherwise optimizing current content for search with refreshed title tags, thoughtfully crafted meta descriptions and other SEO improvements.

Over time, Tempest’s Growth team develops an expert-level understanding of any given destination’s experiences and attributes, and closely aligns that knowledge with insights from destination partners. This ensures that the stories being crafted by the Philadelphia-based team are presented accurately and in a way that captures and portrays any given community’s unique identity with authenticity.

Bellamy — the team’s content marketing manager — remembers in Big Bear Lake, California that an article about tire chains on the client’s website ended up being one of the highest-performing pieces because of the location’s wintery climate.

“All of the destinations have their own characteristics that are unique and interesting, and we really grow fond of each of them on our team,” she said.

Bellamy joined Tempest in September 2021 after spotting a job posting in Technical.ly’s newsletter for job listings one morning. She joined as a content analyst and was promoted in December 2022 to content marketing manager.

Though she didn’t have prior experience in the tourism industry, Bellamy’s love of traveling drew her to Tempest. On a work-sponsored trip, Bellamy was able to visit a long-awaited destination: Detroit, home of the Coney dog and the Motown Museum.

“I’ve traveled all over Europe and all over the US, and Detroit was always on my bucket list,” Bellamy added. “It was one of my top five places I wanted to go and it didn’t disappoint. It’s a beautiful city.”

Kaitz, a content analyst on the team, shares her passion for traveling and writing about destinations across North America. But looking back on her arrival at Tempest in June 2022, something else pushed Kaitz to join the company.

“One of my biggest things is work/life balance and employee health overall, and Tempest made it clear that it was a priority for them,” she said. ”During the interview, they even asked me about signs that would let them know I was stressed so they’d be able to help out. I have never been asked that in an interview before in my life.”

The team stays in touch with weekly discussions, including regular chats about how workflow can be improved. These conversations have allowed Kaitz to collaborate with Idasetima, the team’s SEO specialist, and learn about the technicalities of content marketing.

Idasetima became interested in SEO while studying for his professional writing degree at York College of Pennsylvania. He joined Tempest’s team in October 2022 and devises content optimization strategies to make clients’ websites search engine-friendly, as well as assisting clients with transitions to newly launched sites.

“I hit the jackpot at Tempest because travel is a very interesting industry. It’s liquid and it’s ever-changing,” Idasetima said. “I’m very grateful that I’m helping a lot of tourism companies increase their visibility while feeling supported by my team.”

“We have a very synergistic relationship,” he added. “That’s the best way to describe it. We tend to collaborate really well and play off of each other’s ideas and use each other’s expertise to make ourselves better.”

“Expertise” is exactly how Huff describes the growth marketing team’s services. Tempest, he said, offers itself as an extension of clients’ internal teams. With the growth marketing team, clients gain access to committed professionals from a variety of backgrounds that allows the team to provide well-rounded guidance on content development.

Watching the team and each person’s skill sets grow as a manager has been rewarding, Huff said.

“There are a few things that stand out when we are looking for new people to join our team, such as someone with a creative mind or that wanderlust mentality with a passion for traveling. Those who always want to learn something new and be a part of a very collaborative working environment do well here,” Huff said. “I am beyond lucky to have all the members of my team match that description and more.”

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