Jennifer Myers Ward, Founder & CEO - ebove&beyond
Jennifer Myers Ward
Founder & CEO
ebove & beyond, inc.
https://www.linkedin.com/in/jennifermyersward/
https://www.facebook.com/eboveandbeyond
https://twitter.com/eboveandbeyond
https://www.instagram.com/eboveandbeyond/
Let’s give a warm welcome and congrats to the incredible Jennifer Myers Ward who I had the pleasure of meeting in person as she recently won a 2023 AFFY Award for Agency Of The Year for her company ebove & beyond at the awards gala in October in Los Angeles! Jennifer, your agency started back in 2003, has been recognized with additional prestigious awards like the Affiliate Summit Pinnacle Award. Can you share the story behind the agency's journey, what led you to start it, and what principles have been fundamental to its remarkable success?
ebove & beyond originally started in January of 2003 with just one employee, me. Previously, I had worked in Europe for 3 years with Amazon, first on their associates program, then email marketing and then onto business/ partnership development. After 3 years, my visa expired and so I headed back to the US.
Upon leaving cold, rainy London, I decided to relocate to Florida. I was in need of some sunshine and warm weather. I found a job using Monster.com as the VP of Ecommerce for a family owned jewelry company in Boca Raton, FL. After 2 years of success introducing and growing the online business there, I decided that I wanted to branch out. I was getting quite a few inquiries from friends and business contacts asking if I could help them with their online initiatives. This was back in 2002, so my online marketing knowledge from Amazon was pretty useful and seemed to be in demand. So, I decided to trust my gut and I ventured out on my own to help retailers better understand and grow their online businesses.
I truly believe that ebove & beyond has seen the success we have based on how we approach working with our clients. We are a hands-on agency that treats each client as if they are our only client. We are available for what they need, when they need us and we customize our strategy based on their specific, individual business. There is no automation or cookie cutter approach, every clients’ program is tailored to fit them and to help meet their specific goals.
What challenges does your agency, ebove & beyond Inc. help solve for customers, what sets you apart from other agencies, and what types of clients should reach out to you?
We help retailers build strategies that focus on customer acquisition and retention, through the creation & management of a targeted affiliate marketing and email programs. We believe that our personal, hands-on approach, as well as our own client-side experience, make us a rare find among agencies in our space. We work with retail clients across all different verticals from food & beverage to apparel to health & beauty to pets and everything in between!
You've had a diverse career in the online marketing industry, starting at an advertising agency to Amazon.co.uk then building Palm Beach Jewelry's online business. How has this variety of experiences shaped your approach to affiliate marketing, and what valuable lessons have you learned along the way?
Ironically, my experience at the advertising agency after college really helped me understand what type of agency I would want to create one day. I was introduced to a very cold and non client-focused agency environment. It was all about revenue and nothing about the actual client or the relationship with that client. I knew then and there that if I ever had a chance to have my own agency, I would do things very differently. I have taken that lesson and used it as a foundation for ebove & beyond. We pride ourselves on being very hands-on in our client relationships, digging deep to figure out how we can truly help our clients achieve their goals and foster the growth of their brand.
In terms of my experience with Amazon.co.uk, it was very unique as we were a start-up back in those days, especially in Europe. To put it in perspective, Amazon started in 1994 and Google wasn’t even ‘born’ until 1998. So, I learned to be very resourceful and creative in my efforts. I learned to think outside the box and push the boundaries to get as much impact out of every marketing initiative I was involved with. I then took that creative, headstrong approach with me when I came on board at Palm Beach Jewelry.
As a female entrepreneur and leader in the online marketing industry, you've undoubtedly broken barriers and paved the way for others, especially for women. What does it mean to you to be an inspiration and example for your daughter, demonstrating that she can accomplish anything she sets her mind to?
I believe that being a woman entrepreneur for over 20 years is one of my greatest achievements. I started my business at the age of 28 and it was back in early 2003. I can tell you, I was one of very few women in the industry at that time and certainly had to ‘hold my own’ in a variety of different situations. I had to fight harder and be more diligent than my male counterparts. And, to be honest, that experience has helped to make me who I am today and has contributed to my personal success, as well as the success of my agency. I love being able to show my daughter, as well as other girls out there, that you can achieve anything you set your mind to…it just takes hard work and dedication!
Your dedication to providing individual attention to clients at ebove & beyond has resulted in substantial growth for your affiliate programs. Could you share some strategies that have been particularly effective in nurturing these client relationships and driving triple-digit growth?
We spend a great deal of time getting to know our clients’ businesses inside and out. We familiarize ourselves with their demographic, their customers’ buying habits, their competitors’ strategies, any potential buying hurdles, etc. Then, we leverage that knowledge to create a truly personalized growth strategy for their specific brand. If you were to “lift the hood” of any of our affiliate programs, you would very quickly see that no two programs are exactly alike. We create custom programs for each client, carefully balancing the right types of affiliates with the appropriate messaging. There is no “one size fits all” approach to program growth and what works for one client may not work for another. It takes a true understanding of the client and the brand to be able to deliver a successful program with impressive results.
Your career has taken you from being an affiliate to working on both the client and agency sides. Can you discuss how these various roles have informed your perspective on affiliate marketing, and how they contribute to your success as an agency owner?
I have definitely been on all sides of the affiliate world over the past 20 years. It is a little known fact that I had an affiliate site for a short period of time back in 2009-2010, HerGameFace.com. Me and my business partner started the site in hopes of creating a site where women could find team apparel and fan accessories specific to the female demographic. At that time, sites selling fan gear were geared towards men with very little to offer women. We had no real budget, just affiliate links, so we were quickly ousted by larger companies that finally decided to cater to the female fan base as well.
I definitely feel that my experience as an affiliate, a retailer and now an agency, has helped give me a cohesive understanding of the challenges of each part of the affiliate equation. Being able to deliver what each person needs and make things easier for them, enables us to tailor our approach to help eliminate some of the frustrations and ease some of the struggles of affiliate marketing. It allows us to better understand how to deliver what is useful and how to support everyone involved.
Winning the AFFY Award in 2023 (pic of you below with Roastmaster comedian Jeff Ross) is a significant achievement. How does it feel to receive this recognition, and what do you believe it represents for your agency and the online marketing industry as a whole?
Wow, just wow! I am still in shock after winning this prestigious award. Naturally, I believe we are the best agency out there, but to be presented this award from a respected group within the industry further validates what I know to be true. This award represents the success we have had over the years for our clients, it proves that our hands-on approach and personal attention to our clients is invaluable and leads to success for everyone involved. It also shows that size does not matter, we are a boutique agency with 6 people on our team. We are 6 strong, smart and experienced people who are tenacious, dedicated and willing to push hard to make anything happen for our clients.
In a rapidly evolving industry, what advice would you offer to aspiring women entrepreneurs and marketers looking to make a mark in the digital marketing world, given your own path to success and your dedication to growing and protecting the online marketing industry?
Get out there, don’t be afraid.
Push the limits, think outside of the box…get creative!
Meet people, learn from them and see if there’s anything you can do to help them in their business or in life. Be sure to build true relationships, keep up with people and stay in touch.
Surround yourself with people who scare you, meaning hire people who you feel are smarter than you or know more than you do. Be intimidated by them, it’s ok, you will learn from them and continue to grow as a leader and as a person.
Finally, create a true work-life balance. It’s a must for true success, don’t miss out on your kids growing up or your own personal well-being by immersing yourself in business all the time.
What do you do for fun and what are you looking forward to?
Outside of work, I enjoy spending time with my family. We do quite a bit of traveling for lots of different experiences. We are big cruisers, we have a port right here about 15 minutes from our house. It’s a very convenient and cost -effective way to vacation, especially when the kids were younger. Between the cruises and our other family vacations to Costa Rica, England & Germany, our kids have actually been to more countries than they have States. We are big sports fans in my house. We also travel for sporting events such as NASCAR races, NFL football games, NBA games and University of North Carolina football and basketball games.
Beyond satisfying my travel ‘bug’, I enjoy working out, spending time with friends and relaxing at our little beach right across the street!
Grant Beach, here in Satellite Beach) that we live across from. It's where our kids grew up and where we got married. It's small, not commercialized and never crowded.