inSegment: A Babson Alumni’s Success in Digital Marketing
Babson alumni Alexander Kesler ’99 is a serial entrepreneur that has used his Babson education to create many successful ventures. Currently he is the CEO and President of inSegment, full-service digital marketing agency.
What is your business and who are its founders? (what has your entrepreneurial journey been like?)
inSegment, Inc. is an innovative, full-service, digital marketing agency that specializes in digital strategy, SEO, SEM, demand generation, display advertising, custom web design & development and advanced analytics. I started the company in 2007 to help businesses maximize their online potential through targeted, integrated digital marketing solutions. Over the past 10 years, inSegment has evolved into one of the country’s fastest growing privately held companies and a leader in its field.
Where did the idea for inSegment come from?
At the age of 22, I created an anti-theft tracking technology for portable devices and subsequently started my first company, zTrace Technologies. I employed a myriad of digital marketing tactics to successfully launch zTrace and establish brand recognition. As a result, zTrace became the second largest company in its sector with sales in more than 50 countries worldwide. After seeing how my efforts fueled tremendous accomplishments, I realized that I had a knack for profoundly and efficiently marketing corporations. A serial entrepreneur, I identified that there was an opportunity to help other organizations achieve profound results through my unique and effective approach to digital marketing.
What makes your business unique?
inSegment’s digital performance marketing strategies are tailored specifically for B2B technology, financial, and higher education organizations. Our team of industry experts has worked with numerous clients in these markets, and are experts in connecting businesses in these verticals with their target customers through innovative digital marketing campaigns. Rooted in collaboration, we involve our clients in all aspects of program development, from the design stage, through execution, to program development. As a result, we provide quantifiable, high-impact marketing results and deliver a maximum return on investment.
Committed to surpassing client expectations, we are constantly innovating and evolving to ensure that we are providing the most advanced offerings on the market. This propels us to develop forward-thinking solutions–such as our proprietary Conversion Architecture® methodology, which addresses the needs of every possible user type to increase the likelihood that a website visitor will take action and convert into a lead.
Through actively listening to industry needs to identify absences in the market, inSegment has expanded into several spin-off companies: INFUSEmedia—a data-driven B2B Demand Generation Network that drives leads, with various degrees of engagement, throughout the marketing funnel—Let’s Verify, and IT Curated. We pride ourselves on continuously innovating and evolving to generate the most advanced services on the market.
What are your goals for the future?
Personally, as an entrepreneur, my future goals are to continue finding opportunities in the industry to innovate revolutionary solutions, as well as, growing and improving my businesses and offerings.
As for inSegment, we always aim to be proactive, rather than reactive, when it comes to industry trends and market behavior. We actively listen to industry needs and monitor markets trends to ensure we are delivering innovative practices that address our client’s concerns.
Machine learning and AI have been on our radar for quite some time now. Our near-term goal is to leverage machine learning with regards to campaign optimization. We are currently in the process of rolling out a new offering that does just that. Our proprietary Conversion Rate Optimization (CRO) offering uses advanced data analytics and tracking, to analyze site traffic, visualize trends, and identify key CRO opportunities. The insights from our machine learning are poised to positively impact site engagement, conversions, and eventually business revenue. Our program is designed to make big data an asset with intelligent testing and actionable recommendations.
How did Babson help in making inSegment a reality?
My experiences at Babson truly molded the entrepreneur I am today. My courses, professors, and fellow peers inspired and challenged me to produce the most creative and groundbreaking work and inspired me to be a radical-thinker, trailblazer and thought-leader. Babson’s diverse community fostered an open-minded and collaborative environment which allowed me to engage with individuals of different cultures, customs, and ideas–a setting that I strive to emulate at inSegment.
What is your favorite part of running inSegment?
My favorite part of running inSegment is being able to contribute and revolutionize solutions for such an inspiring and ever-changing industry. I am blessed to be able to work with a community of talented digital marketers to help businesses achieve significant marketing results. My team of hard-working and creative individuals are some of the most diligent and inspiring people that I have had the privilege of working with. I love being able to consistently engage with the passionate members of my team, and, I take great pride in challenging them to think outside the box. I believe that through collaboration and inspiration from peers, we move each other to realize our highest potential and in turn, develop our best work. Seeing our clients benefit from the originality and attention that our team dedicates to each and every campaign has been one of the most rewarding experiences.
I’ve also enjoyed watching inSegment evolve from a concept to a full-service digital marketing agency that provides creative solutions to fulfill industry needs. I am extremely proud of and thankful for our team’s success thus far.
Anything else you’d like to add?
I firmly believe in providing talented people, who may not have access to sufficient resources, an opportunity to realize their potential by challenging and inspiring them to continue innovating. I thank Babson for fueling and kindering this entrepreneurial fire within me and attribute my years there to much of my success.