Today we’d like to introduce you to Kiera Wiatrak.
Hi Kiera, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
I always like to start my story by sharing that I have a background in journalism. I went to journalism school at the University of Wisconsin, and freelanced at various newspapers through college. In fact, my first job out of school was in UW’s newsroom.
I think this is important context because the ability to tell stories has really underpinned every task at every job I’ve ever had since.
I quickly pivoted from traditional journalism into social media around 2009/2010, when it was just transitioning from a college networking tool into a real business opportunity. Those early social media roles eventually led me to launch my first entrepreneurial venture, the original Dogeared Social, where we managed all aspects of social media for SMBs and nonprofits. The name references dogeared pages of a well-loved book that you want to return to again and again, representing the great stories we tell. It was also in honor of my dog, Niles, who was just a young pup then but will celebrate his 15th birthday this summer!
After a couple years at Dogeared Social, I returned to the corporate world to expand my digital marketing experience. I spent three fantastic years at what was then J. Walter Thompson, working primarily on the US Marine Corps account, then followed my boss to Florida to run digital marketing at Orangetheory’s corporate headquarters.
During COVID, I gained startup experience where I learned to get creative and have big impact on small budgets. Then, I finally felt ready to relaunch Dogeared Social as Dogeared Digital, a content marketing agency.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
One of my biggest challenges has been getting in my own head. Even in the years between Dogeared Social and Dogeared Digital, I felt that pull back toward entrepreneurship. To me, there’s nothing more fulfilling than building something of my own.
But I was held back by fear of losing the security of a full-time job, and doubts: “What if I fail?” “What if I’m not cut out for it?” The blessing in disguise came when I started climbing the corporate ladder into leadership positions that, in marketing, have notoriously shorter tenures. I figured if there’s no security in the corporate world at my level, what’s stopping me from doing what I actually want to do?
The other major challenge most entrepreneurs face is wearing many hats. I started Dogeared because I love what I do and I’m good at it. But I’m not just doing client work. I’m also the sales team, the bookkeeper, HR, finance, tech support, and everything else businesses need to function but can’t outsource before hitting a certain inflection point.
I don’t love every hat I wear, and I’m certainly not good at everything. But how quickly I’ve had to learn and execute has been rewarding. Just seeing that I’m able to do it is a major confidence boost.
As you know, we’re big fans of Dogeared Digital. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about the brand?
Running Dogeared Digital is probably the closest I’ve been to my journalism roots since that first job. It really feels like all of my experience coming together to tell stories in a brand new way.
In short, Dogeared Digital fills the gap left by diminishing returns of traditional advertising with content. People are sick of constantly being sold to and tuning out advertisements at unprecedented rates, leaving brands spending hundreds of thousands, sometimes millions, on campaigns people simply ignore.
Instead, Dogeared Digital is a relentless advocate not just for our own clients, but for the clients and customers of our clients. We dive into their psyche, understand their needs, fears, and desires, and create content that directly benefits them on all the channels where they consume it.
We create content ecosystems for our clients designed to nurture relationships from the time someone first discovers your brand to providing that final nudge they need to sign on the dotted line.
This isn’t a one-and-done blog post. We’re designing a system that shows up for your prospects at every touchpoint where they’re seeking trusted information. The content builds trust first, then naturally converts through consistent value and repeated exposure.
Can you tell us more about what you were like growing up?
I was fortunate to have a pretty traditionally suburban and unremarkable upbringing. I grew up in the suburbs of Milwaukee, Wisconsin (yes, it’s just as cold as you’d imagine). I enrolled, alongside many of my classmates, at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
I was a pretty active kid. One unique thing about my childhood is that I was a competitive figure skater from the ages of about 5 to 10! My competitive spirit was strong at a young age. I think it persists in me now and keeps me going during the harder days.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.dogeareddigital.com
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kierawiatrak/
