Driven, passionate, and strategic — spend a few minutes with Ali Schwanke and you’ll see how these words closely define her as a marketer and entrepreneur, and why audiences love the opportunity to pick her brain in marketing sessions.
Ali started her career as a photographer shortly after college but was pulled into marketing through a series of jobs, additional education, and opportunities. Logging work experience as both an in-house marketing director and a strategic marketing consultant at an agency, she decided to venture out on her own as a solo consultant in 2013, and then launched her company, Simple Strat in 2016.
With a fierce dedication to strategy and building momentum, Simple Strat is positioned as the marketing agency for companies serious about growth. Ali was inspired to start the company to redefine marketing as a center for growth, rather than a misunderstood and underutilized cost center inside a company. Ali and her team are working diligently to educate and transform the industry through strategic marketing — including the development of a marketing software that tackles that very challenge.
Ali is a sought-after marketer and content creator, sharing her expertise with audiences worldwide. She’s a former AMA Marketer of the Year, 2018 fellow in the Pipeline Entrepreneurial Fellowship of high performing entrepreneurs, and was recognized by the Midwest Business Journal as one of their top 20 under 40. With her success, comes the success of Simple Strat, winning the Corporate Marketer of the Year award from the AMA in 2018.
Ali serves on the National Practitioner’s Council for the American Marketing Association in Chicago, the committee for Marketing Week Live in Las Vegas, and is a past president of the American Marketing Association Lincoln Chapter.
When asked to provide one tip of advice to young entrepreneurs, Ali says, “Surround yourself with good people who will give you advice, call you on your bullsh*t, and push you to be better. You can Google anything, but having a trusted, experienced resource only a phone call or text message away is priceless.”
While Ali leads a busy lifestyle, she loves spending time with her husband and two boys. When she’s not in the office, she likes to run, make cookies, and cheer on her kids at their soccer and baseball games.
Her Session Information:
Vanity Numbers Lie. Learn the Truth About Marketing Metrics and What You Should Be Tracking
About Revolve Conference
Revolve Conference is the flagship event for those either making or hoping to make an impact in the creative industry. The conference brings together extraordinary speakers and practitioners from around the country in user experience, design, marketing, business operations, digital project management, and content strategy.
Revolve is more than just another conference! So come armed with curiosity; a willingness to experience the food and culture of Charleston; and know that you’ll go home better for having had the Revolve Experience!
