Everette Taylor talks Marketing, Millennials and Entrepreneurship

Marketing and advertising seems to be a growing field for Millennials. Maybe it the creativity it allows to be created or the technology aspect that drives the interest of most. The Quintessential Gentleman spoke with All-Star Marketer Everette Taylor, the Chief Marketing Officer for Skurt. Mr. Taylor talks marketing, Millennials and entrepreneurship.

Growing professionally, in a digital advanced world, how has marketing changed from when you were in college till now?

It’s becoming more and more technically driven. Marketers now have to have some level of technical abilities, many are learning to code. Also data is more important than ever. Taking marketing classes in college, it was very brand oriented which is important but you have to adapt to what marketing is now.

Social Media Influencers are bringing in the money these days. Do you find this type of marketing/advertising effective?

I’m luke warm when it comes to influencer marketing. When it’s done right, its great. First of all, it’s important to find influencers that are relevant to your audience. Secondly making sure that their followers aren’t just vanity and they have real engagement and influence. Lastly, not paying influencers up front and setting CPA deals for them to earn what they do and see an actual return on investment for the company.

Start up. Start Up. Start Up. That’s all we hear these days. Why do you think it’s a good idea for millennials to work at a startup instead of a company that has been around for a long time?

It allows young people the ability to take on a lot of responsibility and have meaningful impact at a company. At a startup, your performance on a day-to-day basis affects the survival of the company. I don’t think there’s any better experience than that.

Why do you think employers need to hire millennials?

Diversity is extremely important, can’t be biased towards young people who are culturally aware of things the older generation is not and come equipped with new skills that the older generations may not possess. Millennials are passionate and hungry to make a name for themselves, have to take advantage of that.

Where did the idea of Skurt originate?

Funny you ask, because I’ve seen people on social media try to accuse the company of appropriating black culture because of its popularity in hip-hop ad-libs. The song that made that “skrt” ad-lib popular was the Uber Everywhere song by Madeintyo which was released in 2015. Skurt the company, was formed in 2014.  The name actually comes from the onomatopoeia that tires make when a car is taking off fast.

Nowadays, job seekers are choosing jobs instead of settling with whatever job hires them first. How and why did you choose Skurt?

I’m an entrepreneur first and foremost, I’ve started 4 companies before coming to Skurt – 3 of which are still around. When choosing to work with any company, it has to feel right. I met the founders early on before the app even launched officially, they struck me as passionate and hungry to change the world. That stuck with me.

When the time was right, I decided to join them for two reasons. I loved the product/service, which I genuinely feel is transcendent, world-changing, and will allow people to have affordable access to mobility. Secondly the team, I love the people at the company that I have the opportunity to work with. I couldn’t do what I do without the team around me.

There are so many people who claim to be a marketer. What do you think are the best qualifications of a great marketer?

Someone who is data-driven and understands the importance of multivariate testing. A person that understands the importance of branding and has high emotional intelligence. Someone that customer success is integral to the marketing experience. And lastly someone who’s a voracious learner, constantly wanting to improve their skill-set and also learn their customers/users better.

What advice do you give to an Entrepreneur who has a great product or service but have no idea how to get the word out about it?

There’s no such thing as a great product/service until other people say so. As entrepreneurs we think everything we create is “great” and that’s just not the case. Establishing product/market fit is essential and making sure that your product really is “great” before trying to get your product out to the masses.

At the end of the day if you have a great product/service, word of mouth will be your biggest engine for growth. To find initial users, figure out your target audience and where they reside in the physical/digital space and go out there and talk to them. There’s no special tricks to the trade.

How do you stay up to date on the current industry?

Biased but the website/company that I helped start GrowthHackers is a great resource to stay up-to-date on new marketing trends, tactics and technology. Outside of that, I make sure to pay attention to what’s going on in the world, being socially aware and maintaining knowledge of what’s culturally relevant is essential as a marketer. Lastly I’m always trying to expand my skills. I still take online classes to this day.

What can we look forward to seeing from Everette Taylor?

Continue to expand Skurt into new cities is the main goal, we have a really special product and service. Just want to do my part in continuing to bring that experience to the masses.

#Entrepreneur #EveretteTaylor #Marketing #Skurt