This is part of the say something nice about an SEO/SEM series - feel free to nominate someone over here.
Matt Umbro, 32 years old, lives in the greater Boston area with his wife and new child. Matt has been instrumental over the years for his guidance and wisdom around PPC topics and paid search tactics. His strong passion around paid search ads, PPC techniques and the overall SEM industry is well respected by his colleagues and all those who know him in our industry.
Through a weekly PPCChat, a Twitter chat where industry specialists discuss, analyze and debate various PPC topics, he has helped promote new faces, new ideas and new methods in the PPC community. You can actually follow the hashtag #PPCChat on Twitter and see how active he is.
Since 2007, Matt has been helping the PPC industry at large and he is exactly the type of individual that fits in this daily column.
Matt received two nominations. The first was from Kirk Williams who wrote:
I'm not sure if there is anyone who has personally influenced me more in the PPC industry, than Matt Umbro. If the man isn't a legend by now, I will do my best to make him one. The thing about Matt is that he isn't just brilliant at PPC... he's also one of the nicest people in PPC. This makes it really, really hard not to like the guy and I've never heard anything bad said (even as a snarky whisper) about Matt. It is the rare person that is held universally in high regard in digital marketing, but Matt seems to be that person in PPC (or at least one of them :). Matt and I come from fairly different overall philosophies in religion, politics, and life in general and perhaps that's why I respect him so much. Because we have been able to discuss things in which we hold differing views as we try to both reason with, and understand the other. I have a few personal stories I think of when it comes to Matt, whether it be a fun "wouldn't it be fun to write a PPC book together" conversation in Dallas at State of Search that never came about, or Matt answering quick email questions I have requesting advice. I think the one that most sticks with me is our Uber ride together to the airport after some conference last year as we chatted about everything from workload to life events to the future of PPC (and our role in it). I'm thankful Matt Umbro has been in, and really helped shape PPC by beginning PPCChat, and I'm exceptionally privileged to have known him personally.
The second was from Mark Kennedy who wrote:
Matt is the founder of PPCchat on twitter and I can't tell you how many times it has helped me learn, discuss, and test new ideas. The community is awesome and he not only started it, but has maintained it weekly for quite a few years. I've met many great ppc'ers and he really created something special on his own time.
Matt Umbro Bio: Matt been in the PPC industry since 2007, working and collaborating with clients across several industries to attain better ROIs, improved lead generation and increased brand awareness. He is also the founder of #PPCChat, a weekly Twitter chat where industry specialists discuss various PPC topics.
Favorite thing about the SEM community? The constant sharing of ideas and resources. All industries have smart people, but not all are willing to share. The PPC industry is full of bright and engaging people who look to better our community.
One piece of advice to the PPCers out there? Don't be afraid to fail. I wrote this post to explain my feelings on this matter.
Favorite things in general? I've been traveling a lot more over the past few years. It's been exciting and fun to visit new places.
What you want to be known for in the SEM space? I want to be known as someone who has worked hard to bring cutting edge ideas and work to the PPC industry. It's cliche to say that you love what you do, but I really do have a strong passion for the work. I started in this industry a decade ago and have never looked back. I'm beyond grateful that I was able to find what I loved to do right out of college.
You can learn more about Matt on LinkedIn or follow him on Twitter at @matt_umbro.
This is part of the say something nice about an SEO/SEM series - feel free to nominate someone over here.
