Three key takeaways from this interview with an Digital Marketeer
- A Digital marketeer help companies become successful online
- Teamwork goes beyond working with colleagues, it also means becoming part of clients’ teams
- The Swiss mountains are a big plus when working at the Zurich office
Natascha: Hi Jesus! Thanks so much for taking the time to answer a few questions for our readers.
Over the past few months, I’ve really gotten to know GANDT’s incredible company culture and team members. However, I still don’t 100% understand what day to day work looks like for Gandties. So, I thought it might be a good idea to interview one of the Digital Marketeer. Thanks so much for your time!
Jesus: Hi Natascha, thanks for having me! Of course, let’s get right into it.
N: For starters, tell us a little about the Gandtie in yourself – in thirty seconds.
J: Thirty seconds only?! Okay, let’s go. Hi everyone, my name is Jesus and I come from sunny Spain, been working as a Digital Marketeer for some thirteen years now, in three different countries, mostly focusing in performance marketing in agencies, startups and big corporations. I joined GANDT in summer 2020 and loving it so far! Uh, I think that’s it for thirty seconds!
N: Nailed it! So, you’re a Senior Digital Marketeer Expert here at GANDT. What exactly does that job role entail?
J: That’s a good question. I could start by making a long list of all the different projects, the different clients, the different channels, and the different people a Digital Marketeer deals with. But someone very smart once said that you don’t really know something until you can explain it to your granny. So let me tell you exactly what I told my granny when she asked the same question.
“I help companies to find answers to the questions they have when they’re looking to be more successful online. I bring in my experience and knowledge on digital communication and they bring what they know about their product and their customers, and together we find solutions for the challenge of communicating better.”
It’s as if they want to write a letter to a customer far away, and I help them find the address, the correct stamp, a nice envelope and support them in making the writing itself a little more compelling, so we make sure the letter arrives and gets the attention it deserves.
The only difference is that in our case instead of a postal address we actually use Google Analytics to learn how to reach the customer. We create custom audiences to deliver that message through Facebook ads rather than a traditional letter. And we optimize landing pages to make sure we collect the answer when it happens.
N: I love that traditional letter anecdote! Okay, so now let’s imagine it’s Thursday. What does your working day as a Digital Marketeer look like? Take us through it step by step from the moment you wake up until the moment you close your eyes to sleep.
J: Thursdays are busy! I wake up early to have a look at the tasks for the day before the little monster – my son – awakes. Yes, we live with a little, two-and-a-half year old loud and happy monster. Normally I have a plan for the week and some stuff has already been scheduled long before, but because of the constant communication with clients, everything can change all the time. Once the little one wakes up, and after a more or less easy breakfast and dressing up, I take him to the day care and return home.
We have our own GANDT office in Zurich, yet often we work together with our clients in their own locations. We are also very flexible and in these times of COVID-19, and I do I prefer working from home right now. Then the ‘official’ day starts and I try to follow the plan as much as possible. Some time is blocked for operational tasks like modifying paid search accounts or reviewing the performance of our latest Facebook ads for a client. Then there’s also time for calls, both with other Digital Marketeer colleagues from GANDT or our counterparts in the client’s teams. Communication is an essential part of GANDT’s DNA.
We are constantly talking and chatting on Slack and video calls, not just about what we find but also about what we are looking into at the moment. We try to do the absolute opposite of the ‘end-of-week-report-with-only-bragging-but-not- much-transparency’ and always communicate openly with clients and colleagues alike.
To give you an example, on Thursday this week I started by quickly reviewing the calendar and moved a couple scheduled tasks to accommodate for more urgent decisions taken the previous day. I blocked two hours without email or instant messaging to finish the implementation of tracking pixels in a new account for a client and then I had a call with the client to check everything together.
After that, I spent some time answering questions pending in emails and finished the day by having our weekly online coffee break with the GANDT colleagues – it’s the perfect moment to get updates on everybody’s plans for the weekend and ideas on what to watch on Netflix.
N: Now that you mention that team calls, how much do you work on your own as a Digital Marketeer and what role does teamwork have when it comes to your results?
J: Everything is teamwork. Actually, one of the things that surprised me the most about GANDT when I started is the amount of information that is shared. In a specific topic I may be the person talking to a client, but I am also sharing all the notes with my colleagues and discussing my own ideas, launching questions to the team about my doubts, and asking them to validate and strengthen my own conclusions.
But when I mention the team I am not just talking about Digital Marketeer in GANDT. At the same time we also blend into our client’s own teams, and from the beginning the communication includes them, as well. If we are all working towards the same goals, it just works so much better when we all integrate in one joint team!
Funny story that happened to me was that after working for a specific client for some time, an employee there told me he had just found out we were working for GANDT and that he was shocked. He always thought we were just regular colleagues based on how often we were in their office, taking part in their normal meetings and even joining their lunches.
N: That’s incredible – being considered part of the team even though you’re hired as an external at first is definitely one of the greatest compliments! What’s your favorite part of working as a Digital Marketeer?
J: To me, the best part about working as a Digital Marketeer is that everything changes so quickly, so getting bored is impossible.
If you think of it, five years ago we were talking about the possibilities of advertising in Instagram as the (then) new, unexploited channel… and today Instagram is everyday stuff and we are all hearing about TikTok as the newest thing. It is great if you like playing and testing new stuff every day!
N: What’s your least favorite part of working as a Digital Marketeer?
J: I think that, paradoxically, in digital marketing the good and the bad can be related to the same element: the fast paced change. It makes everything dynamic and interesting, for sure, but sometimes you may feel a little overwhelmed when you realize that it is impossible to stay on top of everything.
At the end you have to make some sort of agreement with yourself and make your choices, specialize in some channels or processes and (necessarily) accept that you will not know so much about others. It is up to you to decide how to fill in that balance so it makes sense. In that case it becomes extra important to be part of a good team with different skill sets, so they fill in where my own expertise is not so strong.
N: That’s a fair point – and related back to the importance of teamwork in general! What would you recommend anyone looking to start their career in the digital marketing sphere?
J: Start! Just that: don’t wait, start now. You don’t need to wait for a company to hire you or anyone to give you permission to begin. All the information you need is already available online, many of the tools can be accessed for free and there are endless possibilities to start reading, playing, getting your hands dirty and becoming familiar with the systems.
Once you start soaking up the information, there are certifications for the most important channels that you can get for free, as well. After that it will be much easier then to land a traineeship in some agency or marketing team. *Cough* Have you checked out our GANDT job openings recently?
Also, share what you know. You don’t need ten years of experience to have an interesting opinion to share with others! And finally, always, always keep learning.
N: That’s such great advice. You can never learn enough – both on the job and in your private life. On that note, what do you do on weekends?
J: Well, I live in Switzerland and if in Rome you do as Romans do, in Switzerland you just go to the mountains. We are a very outdoorsy family and we try to take every chance to hike up a mountain and soak up the sun – or the snow – and the beauty of this ridiculously beautiful country.
N: Sounds like a dream! Thanks so much for taking the time out of your very busy workday to speak with me.
J: Thank you for listening!
Interested in learning more about how we can help you as a company? Find out more here.
Or curious about what it’s like working for GANDT? Just ask someone from our team.
