Tina Dixon - Founder of Queens of Digital Marketing & COO Ringlab Media

I’m honored to interview the Queen of Digital Marketing Tina Dixon! You've achieved remarkable success in the Pay Per Call industry over the years. Can you share a little about how you got started in this industry? 

I actually started this journey during Y2K as a E-commerce manager for a Cajun Chef where I built an 800 page recipe database in Dreamweaver on the web with an added e-commerce store. This is where I managed to rank  #1 in SEO for Cajun Food.  Back then, it was easy to rank! You can check it out at http://www.jfolse.com/newfindrecipe.htm.  It is still very active today 23 years later!  In 2005 after Hurricane Katrina, I moved to Las Vegas and had my first affiliate marketing job as a campaign manager working for an advertiser. 

You’ve been graciously vocal about overcoming trauma from human trafficking before breaking into this industry. And, you are doing so much to help other women affected by this. Can you share a bit about what you have overcome and also what you are doing to help others affected by this? You mentioned you and Carlos Corona are creating scholarships and work opportunities for those affected?

Yes Debra, that's true, I am a survivor of human trafficking. I was trafficked from the age of 14 to well into my 30s. I came from an abusive home and my self esteem was almost non-existent so it was easy for my trafficker to convince me that he was going to provide that family I craved. After years of mental manipulation and coercion, I truly believed that he was my family. 

Lots of people wonder why I didn't leave sooner and I have learned that I was trauma-bonded. This is common for survivors of Trafficking and Domestic Violence. Even after I finally left, the effects of that trauma caused me to continuously BLOW up my life. 

In 2013 I was finally willing to deal with it. I entered a trauma program.  It was at the end of the program that I went to work for Kevin De Vincenzi. I had worked in Digital Marketing on and on for several years but again consistency wasn't my strong suit. The PTSD and trauma literally had me at a stand still. Kevin's mentorship and care helped me to build a foundation.  He taught me Pay-Per-Call and I never looked back.

Today through my organization, the Queens of Digital Marketing and the generosity of Carlos Corona and Unik Media, we are able to offer Human Trafficking Survivors a chance to learn this business and become entrepreneurs like myself.

Tina, your group 'Queens of Digital Marketing' stands out as a testament to your dedication and leadership in the industry. Could you share the inspiration behind starting this initiative and the impact you hope it will have on women in the Pay-Per -Call space and women everywhere?

You know Debra, I've been in Performance Marketing most of my career, over 20 years, and it remains a fact that men far outnumber women at the executive level. My background gave me visibility into how this played out and left women behind. I wanted to empower women to succeed by networking with one another. Today, women-owned performance marketing agencies are the norm because of organizations like Queens of Digital Marketing and LinkUnite.  We are getting the deals, we are closing the sales and implementing the campaigns for winning performance marketing strategies. 

Tina, as your career progressed, you transitioned from being an individual contributor to building the successful agency,  Ringlab Media. Could you walk us through the pivotal moment when you realized it was time to hire a team and expand your operations? Additionally, for many entrepreneurs, letting go of control can be a challenge. How did you navigate that transition, and what strategies did you employ to ensure a smooth delegation process while maintaining the quality and vision of your work?

Ringlab Media was built in the midst of a Global Pandemic.  My primary focus during that time was the travel industry and we all know what happened when the pandemic hit and the bottom dropped out of travel.  My now partner was one of my biggest publishers in flight. We developed a plan to resuscitate which included the development of our own network.  Ringlab grew really fast and by the end of our first year we were generating over 5000 calls a day. At that time, it was just myself, BC Smith, my business partner and Stephen Stepanik, who is now our VP of technology. Those early days were rough; we all filled multiple roles like many startups do.  It finally became apparent that we needed help and I hired two VAs: Ananbel Apardo, who is now our operations manager VA and Farrah Wilkhom, who handled payments and invoicing. Of course next came a CPA and a few months ago we also brought on a full time first level tech to manage Ringba.

We all have role models who influenced us. Who was one of your biggest inspirations or mentors and what valuable lessons did you learn from them? 

I mentioned Kevin earlier but one of the most important mentors has been my business partner BC Smith.  BC is a great guy with a strategic mind. He is very focused on his long term goals and has a sense of practicality.  He has taught me to examine every angle and outline my goals and follow the path towards them.  Not only are he and his wife Karen lifelong friends,  I consider them family.

Networking is essential in any industry. Can you share an experience where a valuable connection you met at the Affiliate Ball played a pivotal role in your career growth?

Well I don't want to name drop or anything but there was a VP of a major Telecom that I met many years ago at an AFFY event that I still do business with today and is one of my major directory buyers.

Tina, you have already won the legendary AFFY Award, the premier award in performance marketing,  for your humanitarian efforts in Performance Marketing and now, I wanted to give you a BIG congrats on your upcoming AFFY Awards nomination for the Heart Award.  where winners will be announced at the upcoming red-carpet, star-studded AFFY Awards Gala at the AFFY Expo on October 16th in Los Angeles! Tell us about what this means to you. 

Oh course I was beyond honored to win the AFFY Award earlier this year at ASW. I've met so many wonderful people because of it! When I heard the news that I had been nominated for another award and it was a Heart ❤, I was immediately brought to tears. We have worked so hard this year to make Scholarship for Survivors a reality. I felt as if the nomination was a symbol of the program's success. Even if I do not win, as there are many other great nominees,  it's certainly a testament to our work.

You can find Tina at https://www.linkedin.com/in/ladesignz/.