Primed for Amazon Marketing: Meet Yvonne Schmidt

With over 20 years of experience in consumer electronics marketing, Yvonne Schmidt followed advice from a mentor to pursue consulting. As a consultant, she gained additional category experience in point of sale, appliances, beauty, pet, snack food, kitchen, and more. Uniquely positioned to help clients with product marketing on Amazon, she truly enjoys developing the best strategies to maximize growth on the ever-evolving marketplace. In her spare time, you may find her gardening, running, cooking, volunteering, traveling, or taking care of her family’s pets including four chickens, two cats, and a dog. She has two children, ages 9 and 11.

Yvonne’s Keys to Success

• Drawing from deep experience in consumer electronics
• Focusing on a niche in marketing consulting
• Fostering relationships through LinkedIn
• Adeptly managing multiple clients

What type of work do you do?

I focus on the flywheel of Amazon. There are many aspects that a business must consider when selling on Amazon domestically and/or internationally, including product launches, search relevancy, reviews, keywords, SEO, content, video, DSP or search ads, promos, variation strategy, testing, winning the buy box, and assortment. Often, businesses don’t communicate to the consumer in the most meaningful way, so I ensure they optimize their pages to generate the greatest conversion once a consumer lands on their product detail page. Amazon is really unique, and I can help the brand sell within the vendor or seller ecosystems. As much as I know Amazon is constantly innovating – I am strategic and involved in the tactics.

What are you currently working on?

I work full-time with multiple clients. Through EM, I am working with a point of sale brand. I currently work with a toy brand, coffee accessory brand, and am working on an app.

What path did you take to become a consultant?

I worked in consumer electronics for about 20 years and had been volunteering with a group called Leading Women in Technology. At a speed mentoring event, I talked to a co-founder and she told me that with my Amazon knowledge I should consider consulting. I had never considered consulting prior to that point in my life and looking back, it was some of the best advice I’d ever gotten. Later, I met EM Marketing and that community gave me the confidence to say, I can do this.

I’m so grateful for the years of experience with both larger and small tech companies – understanding processes and being part of amazing teams. No two companies do it the same way, and that’s what’s really helped me in my consulting role. I bring value to a team because I can see what’s happening in different industries and how Amazon is pivoting. When you’re inside one organization, you may not get that experience through different vendor managers, case management, brand registry, third party vendors, or through your Amazon account exec.

I do find that agencies are really good, but they may put a junior person on the business and they haven’t seen the world through the lens that I have. Coaching a brand using my past experience is what’s really fun for me.

For consulting, you’ve got to have the rigor. You have to hold yourself accountable. Your client is relying on you. You can’t just market yourself and not deliver. I care so passionately about driving the results that I’ve signed up to help a client achieve. That’s exciting and empowering.

What has been your biggest challenge about being a consultant? How have you addressed it?

Time management can be a challenge, especially when you’re working for a multitude of clients. Sometimes things get hot all at once, and you can’t always plan those things. I’ve got to stay on top of everything.

What do you love about consulting?

It’s the variety of products, driving the business forward, looking at innovation, watching changes in the Amazon flywheel/selling experience, and providing strategy to my clients. It keeps it fun and interesting! I love the personal relationships that I’ve developed. I operate like an employee, a shareholder, an executive, an owner. I say that in the best way – I don’t look at myself as a consultant. I’ve always felt passionate for the teams I’m supporting.

How do you market yourself?

For me, it’s really been relationship-driven through word of mouth. I go out of my way to stay in touch with people on LinkedIn. Once you’ve established an opportunity, it can take time to foster before it actually comes to fruition.

What are the things you like to do when the work slows down?

Now that we can travel again, I’m excited to take the kids to Europe for their first time this summer. I love running. I get up early three mornings a week and do a cardio core fit for moms class. I love to garden. This is kind of old school, but I love to find and send fun little cards. I love my pets – we have four chickens, two cats, Bob and Lulu, and a dog, Piper. I have an 11-year-old daughter, Margaux, and a nine-year-old son, Charles, and my husband, Brian. It’s a busy household!

What’s one tip you would give to new consultants?

Be open to listening and taking action. It’s OK to do things that feel uncomfortable. When I joined Leading Women in Tech, I was so nervous meeting these amazing women. I’ll be honest, I just didn’t feel as accomplished. Get out of your head; get rid of negative thoughts and that noise. It may feel daunting and scary, but there’s a dramatic upside. If you set your sights on it, it’s achievable.