Introduction to Kason Olson

Today we have Kason Olson, a digital marketing expert based in Salt Lake City, Utah. Despite having ADD, ADHD and dyslexia Kason did well academically with the help of his family and mentors.

He is the Digital Marketing lead at Cubi-scan and founder of Arctic Marketing Solutions where he helps small to medium sized businesses grow through innovative marketing strategies.

Kason combines creativity with technical expertise, especially in making websites compliant with legal standards like WCAG & ADA. He also plans to get back into lacrosse by joining an adult league. Through his work Kason is committed to moving the digital landscape forward by helping businesses adapt and thrive in the digital age.

Table of Contents

• Who is Kason Olson?
• Current Projects that Excite Kason
• Tactical and Strategic Digital Marketing Advice from Kason
• Where Does Kason See the Future of Digital Marketing Going?
• How to Get in Contact with Kason
• Conclusion

Who is Kason Olson?

Early Life and Challenges

Kason grew up in Colorado Springs, CO about an hour and a half south of Denver. He was one of four kids in an active family that loved sports, dance, hiking and camping. From a young age Kason played lacrosse and developed a love for snowboarding which he calls his “zen” activity.

But Kason faced some big challenges growing up. He was diagnosed with ADD and ADHD and dyslexia. Academic life was tough:

“I’d be working 10 times harder than they were for C pluses and B minuses, right? Where they would do half as much as I would and they’d get B’s and A’s.

Overcoming Learning Disabilities

Despite all this Kason found ways to adapt and overcome his learning disabilities. In his junior year of high school he worked with a neurotherapist who used some innovative techniques to rewire his brain:

“He scanned my brain and found the different areas that were like, okay, this area is firing off correctly, but this isn’t… We pretty much did was he sat me in front of a screen and he measured the different areas of my brain. And I played what were called like neuro games, right? So I would have to physically activate different parts mentally to be able to activate that part of the brain, or like help the game interact correctly.”

This helped Kason create new neural pathways and strengthen existing ones and he credits it with making a huge difference in his ability to work and process information.

Education and Early Career

After high school Kason attended three different universities:

1. Utah State University
2. Brigham Young University of Idaho
3. Utah Valley University

While at BYU Idaho Kason became interested in entrepreneurship after talking to people who owned their own businesses. But there wasn’t a degree or internship for entrepreneurship. So he focused on marketing as the next best thing:

“The only way people actually know about a business is if you market it. You have to be known to sell something or have clients or customers or whatever it is.

Kason worked in various marketing roles throughout his college years and got experience in different areas of the field. That would come in handy later.”

Current Projects that Excite Kason

Digital Marketing Lead at Cubi-scan

Kason currently holds a salaried position as the Digital Marketing Lead at Cubi-scan. In this role, he manages various aspects of the company’s online presence, including:

• Website management
• SEO optimization
• Marketing campaigns
• Product marketing
• Overall marketing strategy

Growth of Arctic Marketing Solutions

Kason’s own company, Arctic Marketing Solutions, which he started in 2020, is experiencing rapid growth. The company now has dedicated teams for various marketing services:

• SEO
• Web design and development
• Branding and brand design

Kason expresses excitement about the company’s growth and how the different pieces are coming together to form a comprehensive marketing solution for clients.

Website Compliance Project

One of Kason’s most exciting current projects involves helping a client whose website is not compliant with WCAG (Web Content Accessibility Guidelines) and ADA (Americans with Disabilities Act) standards. This project highlights the growing importance of web accessibility in the digital marketing landscape.

Kason explains the significance of this issue:

“Back in 2016, a blind individual actually sued Domino’s because he was not able to order pizza off their website. And so because of that, they went all the way up to the Supreme Court, and the Supreme Court favored him, eventually, you know, a few years later, and we’re like, okay. In the Americas, at least. And actually in Europe and a lot of other places, we need to make sure that the website is accessible to anybody with any kind of disability.”

This project involves not only making the client’s website compliant but also providing documentation and advice to help settle the lawsuit without further financial consequences.

Tactical and Strategic Digital Marketing Advice from Kason

The Milestone Model

Kason has developed a comprehensive approach to digital marketing called the Milestone Model. This model is designed to help businesses assess their current marketing position and create a strategic plan for growth. The model consists of three stages:

1. Foundational Stage
• Assess brand design and messaging
• Evaluate website effectiveness and best practices
• Determine if the company needs to start at this stage
2. Trust Building Stage
• Evaluate online presence and credibility
• Assess SEO performance
• Review reputation management (online reviews, directory listings)
• Ensure website compliance with WCAG and ADA standards
3. Business Building and Scaling Stage
• Implement paid advertising (Google Ads, social media ads)
• Develop outbound prospecting tools
• Implement email marketing campaigns

Kason emphasizes the importance of following this model in order:

“If you stick with that model, I can guarantee you success because it’s been proven time and time again. There hasn’t been a client that I’ve worked with that has moved through that model that hasn’t seen growth.”

Case Studies

To illustrate the effectiveness of the Milestone Model, Kason shares two case studies:

1. Startup Company
• Started with no marketing presence
• Invested about $30,000 in marketing, including paid advertising
• Followed the Milestone Model through all three stages
• Result: 4x return on investment within 6-7 months
2. Local Acupuncture Clinic
• Implemented only stages one and two of the Milestone Model
• Within six months:
• Increased new patients from 4-5 per week to 10-15 per week
• Total weekly patients increased from 60 to nearly 100
• Result: 50% increase in revenue

Advice for Business Owners on a Budget

For business owners who can’t afford to hire an agency, Kason offers the following advice:

1. Utilize Free Resources
• YouTube tutorials
• Educational podcasts (including Kason’s own “Crafting Success Online”)
• Online courses on platforms like Udemy
2. Get Hands-On Experience
• Start implementing strategies yourself
• Learn by doing and experimenting
3. Evaluate Your Current Position
• Assess your business’s strengths and weaknesses
• Identify areas that need improvement
4. Focus on Specific Areas for Improvement
• Once you’ve identified weak areas, concentrate your learning efforts there
5. Follow the Milestone Model
• Even if you’re doing it yourself, stick to the proven structure of the model

Kason emphasizes the importance of understanding the full marketing landscape before diving into specific tactics:

“A lot of times what you should do, if you’re a company is at the beginning of the year, or really at the end of the year planning for the next year, you say, here’s the marketing plan. Here’s everything that we’re going to put into it. And here’s how it’s all going to play apart with each other.”

Where Does Kason See the Future of Digital Marketing Going?

Kason identifies several key trends that he believes will shape the future of digital marketing:

1. Artificial Intelligence (AI)

AI is rapidly changing the marketing landscape, causing previously separate marketing initiatives to merge:

“AI is obviously changing the game drastically. It’s changing things rapidly enough to where a lot of the marketing initiatives that you used to be able to segment and do SEO, copywriting, website are starting to almost merge together again.”

Kason believes this convergence will lead to a renewed focus on copywriting and content creation, as AI tools take over more technical aspects of marketing.

2. Virtual Reality (VR) and Augmented Reality (AR)

While VR is advancing, Kason sees AR as a more immediate and practical application for marketing:

“I definitely think that virtual reality is starting to become more of a reality, but augmented reality is kind of almost a medium step in between. And I don’t think people are quite ready to be able to jump into another reality.”

He predicts that AR will play a significant role in marketing over the next 10-15 years, creating new ways for brands to interact with consumers in their everyday environments.

3. Focus on Clear Communication

With the advent of new technologies, Kason emphasizes the continued importance of clear, effective communication:

“Now that we have all these tools to grow and do the work for us, now we need to focus on almost like the copy that we go into. Right. And so that can relate to your website. It can relate to VR and just making sure that your captions or whatever it is you’re wanting to get people’s attention to is very clear.”

4. Integration of Traditional and Digital Marketing

Kason notes that the rise of AI and other technologies is leading to a convergence of traditional and digital marketing techniques:

“Back 30 plus years ago, traditional marketing and copywriting and stuff like that was really the only, and like TV ads, billboards, radio, those were like the biggest forms and how you’re actually able to do marketing and get customers. Right. And so with AI, it’s almost like taking a lot of those things back to that era.”

This convergence suggests that marketers will need to be well-versed in both traditional marketing principles and cutting-edge digital techniques to succeed in the future.

How to Get in Contact with Kason

For those interested in learning more or seeking Kason’s expertise, he offers several ways to connect:

1. LinkedIn: Kason is active on LinkedIn and welcomes new connections. You can find him by searching for Kason Olson on the platform.
2. Website: Visit Arctic MS to learn more about Kason’s company and services. You can request more information or a one-on-one session through the website.
3. Podcast: Listen to Kason’s podcast, “Crafting Success Online,” available on Spotify and Apple Podcasts for free marketing tips and strategies.

When reaching out through the website, Kason suggests mentioning that you’d like to speak with him specifically to ensure a direct connection.

Advice to His Younger Self

What advice would he give to his younger self? Two things:

1. Relax and Trust the Process: Like many of us, Kason agrees that staying calm and trusting that things will work out is key.
2. Focus on Copywriting: Kason wishes he had paid more attention to copywriting earlier in his career:

“One thing I would have told myself back then was, okay, you’re doing great at all this stuff, Kason, but let’s pull the reins back just a little and focus on the written side of things.”

Inspirational Resources

Kason shared some of the leaders, books and podcasts that inspire him:

1. Russell Brunson’s “Marketing Secrets Show”: A marketing podcast.
2. “The Marketing Millennials”: Another marketing podcast Kason enjoys.
3. “Contagious” by Jonah Berger: Kason’s favorite marketing book, which he describes as informative and entertaining:

“For me, it’s like, I need to get the information, but I also need it to be entertaining and not as like some other business books where it’s like really drawn out and, you know, so technical. It gives you the stats and stuff like that, but it’s a little bit more engaging.”

Conclusion

Kason Olson’s journey from a young man with learning disabilities to a digital marketing leader is both inspiring and educational. His experiences have formed a unique approach to marketing that’s holistic and strategic while being practical and results driven.

The Milestone Model that Kason has created is a roadmap for businesses to get online and grow. By building a strong foundation, establishing trust and then scaling, companies can avoid the common mistake of jumping into advanced marketing tactics before they’re ready.

As the digital marketing landscape continues to change with AI, AR and other technologies, Kason’s advice to focus on clear communication and copywriting is timeless. His prediction that these new technologies will bring traditional and digital marketing together means marketers of the future will need to be jack of all trades.

For business owners and marketers looking to get online, Kason’s advice to use free resources and get hands on experience is golden. In an industry that’s always changing, being able to learn and adapt fast is key.

So there you have it. Kason’s story and advice. Success in digital marketing and business is not just about the tactics, it’s about the mindset, learning and being able to adapt.