Seven Years of Comma Copywriters: Charcuterie & Content Chats
In May 2023, Comma Copywriters held a birthday bash, celebrating seven years of business. This year's theme was “Charcuterie and Content Chats,” featuring a decadent spread of meats, cheeses, and TEDx-style presentations from Utah’s top marketers. The following recap was written by Emily Garland, a writer on the Comma Copywriters team.
Professional Headshots for Everyone
This year, we partnered with CMO Zen’s Chad Jardine, who gifted every attendee with free professional headshots by Kinser Studios. As guests arrived, they could choose to get their picture taken before heading inside the conference area for great food and even better conversation.
Welcome from Our Founder, Crystalee Beck
After everyone got settled in, Comma founder and CEO Crystalee Beck took to the stage to kick things off. Beck delivered a genuine, heart-felt address about how Comma got started, where we are now, and what the future looks like for our team.
Comma was founded seven years ago by Crystalee Beck, who wanted to create her own ladder to success. The name Comma comes from the word COMMUNICATION, because we help brands communicate their message through content worth reading.
As Beck spoke about the company’s founding, she emphasized the importance of family, and putting “Life First,” and then shared a personal note: just one day before this event, Crystalee learned that her grandfather had passed away.
The emotion in the room was palpable as she spoke about her late grandfather. “I couldn’t do this event without taking the time to honor him,” she said. “He’s such a hardworking man and has influenced me so much.”
Are Robots Coming After My Job?
Next, Beck touched on a topic at the forefront of everyone’s minds these days: Artificial Intelligence (AI).
“I have to talk about this because everywhere I go, people ask me about it,” she said. “I had a month of sheer terror, but I’ve talked to a lot of AI experts, and I feel really confident there is a great space for us in an AI world.”
She explained how one of these experts put things into perspective with a great analogy: the invention of the tractor. Like the tractor, AI is a technological innovation. Farmers who rejected the unprecedented technology of the tractor fell behind, and those who fail to embrace AI will face the same fate. On the flip side, farmers who embraced the tractor learned how to stay relevant in the industry, and marketers who embrace AI will stick around too.
Beck emphasized, "Disruptions in technology take some getting used to, but we are the writers learning to drive the tractor.”
New Hiking Series: Marketers on Mountains
To close out her remarks, Crystalee introduced an exciting new event: Marketers on Mountains. This summer, 97th Floor, Backpack Marketing, and Comma are hosting a series of hikes designed to give marketers a break from the office and a chance to find fresh ideas in the fresh air.
Catherine Bennett from Backpack Marketing chimed in about her excitement for the event. “There’s something about having a genuine connection in nature,” she said. “I think there’s so much magic that can happen on these trails together.”
We would love to have you join us on the mountain. Register today!
Content Chats: Learn from Utah’s Leading Marketers
The rest of the evening was highlighted by five notable local marketing experts. We love hearing from people who are not only knowledgeable in their field but passionate and inspiring as well.
Adam Jackson – Beehive Meals
First up was Adam Jackson. As co-founder and COO of Beehive Meals, Adam has seen incredible growth since the company’s founding in 2019. Beehive Meals has distributed 1.5 million meals and emphasizes a “Bow Tie Funnel” approach when looking at the customer journey. “It’s a holistic approach,” said Adam. “We need to study the entire lifetime of a customer, including what happens after they leave.”
Ashley Walton – Content Maven and Vital Brands
Next up was Ashley Walton, founder of Content Maven and cofounder of Vital Brands. She discussed the importance of the UX Honeycomb Framework. By making content useful, desirable, accessible, credible, findable, and usable, you create content that is valuable. “I believe in the power of content to help people,” said Ashley. “You can surprise and delight and show users why they can trust you.”
Allison Roberts – CEO of Burst Fitness
As an opportunity to get everybody off their feet, our next presenter was Allison Roberts, cofounder and CEO of Burst Fitness (formerly Fastercise). This company is built on the idea that anyone can fit exercise into their daily routine, with 60-second increments of fitness “bursts.” Rather than blocking several hours out of your day, you can use the Burst Fitness app to work out in short bursts whenever, wherever—even at a marketing event! Everyone stood up to shake, move, and laugh during this quick, fun, energy-boosting activity.
Rachel Bascom – Content Marketing at 97th Floor
With the room buzzing, Rachel Bascom took the stage next to discuss SEO. With 10 years of experience in digital marketing, Rachel said she’s often asked, “How do you balance SEO content with quality content?”
“I’ll let you in on a little secret,” she said. “SEO-optimized content is quality content. It always has been.” As the head of content marketing at 97th Floor, Rachel has always prioritized authoritative content. Her pro tips for standing out?
Think of your audience.
Value Google’s “opinion.”
Use new tech wisely—Embrace it, and protect against bad practices.
“It’s our responsibility to make the internet better,” said Rachel.
Logan Mallory – Motivosity
Last (but certainly not least) was Logan Mallory, VP of Marketing at Motivosity. Logan gave a lighthearted presentation all about leaning into failure, rather than letting it get you down. “When we’re vulnerable and look at what’s going wrong, we can grow,” he said. By being transparent with your client base, owning your mistakes, and using mishaps as a way to learn and do better, marketers can earn trust and inspire credibility.
Thanks to Utah-based Gift Bag Sponsors!
As the evening came to a close, attendees left with a generous Utah brands swag bag featuring some amazing partners who are all based in the Beehive State:
We look forward to another amazing year at Comma and can’t wait to celebrate with you all again. (Check out our past bday celebrations at Kiln: Comma's 5th Birthday Party & Comma's 6th Birthday Party)
As our founder, Crystalee Beck said: “This is not something we could do alone.” We owe so much to everyone who has supported us this far. Cheers to seven years!
