In Conversation with Joey Dorrington
Where do you work and what do you do?
I work at Fenton Stephens, a Creative Agency in Melbourne. I am the Director of Analytics and Performance so I’m responsible for the performance marketing strategies for our clients, ensuring we maximise the overall return on ad spend of our marketing activities.
Tell us a bit about yourself?
I am a results-focused marketer working with some of Australia’s best brands to deliver measurable outcomes from marketing. I’ve worked in Digital Marketing for the past 12 years and love the ever-changing nature of the work. I am a big believer in a test and learn approach, trialling out new channels and technologies as they emerge, and helping clients navigate these new opportunities. It feels like yesterday when we were experimenting with this new ‘social media’ thing, and we all know where that is at now. A core focus for me these days is how we can integrate and leverage our clients’ data to drive better experiences for their customers and, in turn, create a competitive advantage.
What changes have you seen in the current COVID-19 crisis within the digital space? The good, the bad and the ugly.
The one thing I can say with confidence is that everything is in a state of flux. We have had weeks where some clients have amazing results, and some weeks they have very poor results. Some clients are killing it in Facebook, some are killing it in Google, some in both, and some in none. This heightens the importance of a good performance marketing team, and a data and analytics team. In times like this you need to have dynamic & flexible budgets, and be ready to change to what’s working in an instant, not a day. It can be the difference between a best week ever, and a worst week ever.
What positives do you see coming out of this COVID 19 crisis for digital marketing spends?
I saw the growth in Google Adwords shortly after the GFC on the back of clients wanting to spend their budgets in areas where they could measure the outcomes of the activity. I expect the same on the other side of COVID19. CMOs will need to be more accountable to the business, and in turn, this means our work also needs to be more accountable. With the amazing ability to measure the impact of digital marketing on the upper, middle & lower funnel, I expect to see budgets increase in these areas exponentially over the next 3 years.
Tell us what you are currently working on?
We are currently working on pivot strategies across all clients to ensure we can meet their changing needs. With retail down, we are pivoting to e-commerce, with appointment focused clients we are looking to alternate meeting methods like Facebook Live & Zoom. Every client needs a creative approach to get through this period, and be ready on the other side, as those who are prepared will bounce back the fastest.
What would your advice be to someone wanting to break into the digital arena, both during this COVID 19 crisis and beyond?
I would get my training & accreditations on Facebook & Google up to date. These two channels represent 60% to 80% of digital budgets, so focus on becoming an expert in both of these before you look at anything else. Having the accreditations will put you at the top of the list, and show how keen you are.
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