What do you currently do?
I am Online Marketing Director for DPOM, a Google Partner agency offering online marketing services. My role consists of strategising and implementing online marketing campaigns for our clients to increase their visibility and sales.
What is your inspiration in the business?
Growing a business is tough and there’s a huge amount of hurdles along the way but from a marketing perspective it’s a great feeling to help growing firms succeed online by applying our experience and avoiding the mistakes many make. There’s no greater feeling as far as I’m concerned than seeing a small firm grow into a larger firm as a result of the work we do. It results in retaining clients for life and a warm fuzzy feeling. It’s a great motivator.
Who do you admire?
Tough one, there are a few people. Steve Jobs was a true pioneer in the tech industry and had a gift for spotting opportunities where others couldn’t, then there’s David Oglivy who became known as the “father of advertising” but I’d have to say probably my old man. He’s an old school marketing director and has helped grow some very successful firms (including this one!). He started out before the internet even existed so the balance of an old hand with a young digital firm gives us a real edge.
Looking back are there things you would have done differently?
Of course! Starting out we had what I call our fair share of identity crises. Looking back, there was a time we tried to be everything to everyone but after taking stock and specialising in the areas of our business we are most passionate about, we really started to build a momentum. Truth be told, it took us a couple of years to find our feet and convince ourselves to take a leap of faith and specialise. Doing it earlier may have helped us, but I guess that is all in the past and speculating will get us nowhere- I am looking ahead!
What defines your way of doing business?
Brutal honesty and transparency. Our clients pay us for our experience and expertise and we “tell it like it is”. We’re not paid to tell clients what they want to hear but what they need to hear. In an industry where misinformation about online marketing is rife, we back up everything we say with stats and facts. In most cases, our clients appreciate this approach and we have incredibly long lasting and fruitful relationships as a result.
What advice would you give to someone just starting out?
Don’t be afraid to make mistakes, they are inevitable. Make them, learn from them and move on quickly. Don’t dwell on things you can’t change.
If you’re a service based business like ours, you owe it to your clients to give them clear expectations from the beginning. It’s better to turn down a client that will be troublesome later than to endure the stress, hassle and cost of dealing with a problematic customer.
