The Journey of a Marketer
Life as a marketer is definitely interesting, but where do I even begin? To give you some background, my name is Michael, and I'm a digital marketer for Bargain Chemist. I'm responsible for our website's daily operations, email marketing (EDMs), Google Ads strategy, and SEO.
I started my academic journey with a degree in communications at the University of Canterbury, but everything changed when I took my first marketing paper. I was immediately hooked and knew it was the right path for me. I ended up switching my major and later graduated with a Bachelor of Commerce, majoring in marketing and information systems, at the age of 28.
Getting my degree later in life made the job hunt a bit tough. I applied for many positions and had a few interviews that just didn't work out. But then, on a whim, I applied for the job I have now and got it. I've been incredibly grateful to be working in this industry ever since.
A Day in the Life: Diving into the Data
So, what does a typical day look like for me? Well, it's filled with a lot of data—something I didn't fully expect when studying marketing. In the world of digital marketing, data is everything. Since our website runs on Shopify, we use a lot of data from its reports, including:
- Sales Reports: Daily, weekly, monthly, and yearly sales to track our performance.
- Conversion Rates: To understand how we can improve the customer experience on our website.
- Analytics: We use GA4 and Klaviyo for email marketing data, along with other apps we're considering.
A key part of my job is analyzing this data to see how we're performing and what we can do better. Understanding how to read data, spot key insights, and make sense of it all is a critical skill in digital marketing.
Working with Agencies and A/B Testing
Since we're a small team, we partner with agencies to help us with specialized tasks. We work with OMD for our Google Ads and SEO, and I help with the overall strategy. We have monthly meetings to review performance, discuss future plans, and ensure we're aligned on our goals. They handle the technical aspects, like setting up Google Ads and conducting keyword research, while we focus on the bigger picture.
Email marketing is another big part of my role. We send out a lot of emails each month, and my number one tip is this: A/B test everything! If you're not A/B testing, you're missing out on opportunities to learn and improve. By analyzing data on open rates, click-through rates, and design variations, we can optimize our emails for better results. Emails can contribute a significant amount of revenue, so having a good eye for design and understanding what makes an email effective is crucial.
A High-Level Overview
So, what do I do as a marketer? A lot! There's always something new on the go. My work is centered on understanding data and using those insights to improve the customer journey and our overall performance. A significant portion of my time is spent in Excel, analyzing numbers and spotting trends.
Ultimately, being a marketer requires a high-level overview of many things:
- Data Analysis: Using insights to make informed decisions.
- Design: Understanding what good design looks like, both for websites and emails.
- Strategy: Seeing the bigger picture and planning for the future.
This blog post provides a high-level overview of what I do, but I plan to create more detailed posts on each topic in the future.
Until next week!