Meet the Team: Amy and The Marketing Department

Meet Amy

How long have you been at Dock?

15 years.

What’s been a highlight of your time here?

It’s been a real privilege to watch our company mature from its beginnings as IGOO, and be present for almost the entire journey. Ben, one of the founders, introduced me to the rest of the team back in 2010 and I’ve never looked back.

We moved from Allerton Road to The Baltic area in Liverpool City Centre about 10 years ago, which was really exciting, and have worked with loads of amazing people and great clients along the way. I’m very fortunate to say I love my job and enjoy working within an expert team in an enthusiastic, positive environment. It’s been years of friendship we’ve shared now, so the support and laughter that goes along with that are part of our everyday experience.

What skills have you developed since joining Dock?

Practically all the skills I use in my role now, I’ve learned while being at Dock.

What skills do people assume you need but rarely use?

I have a really good head for data, but I’d struggle to add together the cost of three items in a shop! Mental maths really isn’t my strong point, but I’m good at working with data, reading patterns, understanding causes and predicting outcomes.

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The team at a glance

Department: Marketing Department

Team size: 5

Roles in the team: Head of Paid Search, Head of Digital Marketing, SEO Executive, PPC Executive, Paid Social Executive.

Who do you work closest with internally?

Day to day we work most closely with the Project Managers of our marketing clients. Following that, I personally work quite closely with the development team, as there tends to be a lot of crossover for things like tracking, landing page optimisation, structured data and product feeds.

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What does the Marketing Department do?

A website is only worth so much without the right audience.

We make our clients’ websites discoverable, funnelling high-quality, tailored traffic from across the web. We also make sure their sites function as intended and provide valuable interactions with potential customers.

In short, we facilitate our clients’ visibility online. Providing the technical knowledge and support they need to use their marketing budgets in effective and profitable ways.

Skills you use daily

Multitasking, data analysis and technical implementation.

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How the Team Works

How do you usually share work or responsibilities?

We tend to have individual responsibility for a number of clients and shared responsibility on larger accounts. Our marketing team is small and tight knit, so although there’s a lot of knowledge crossover, each of us has skill and experience in slightly different areas.

We use MeisterTask to manage our workload, which works really well. It keeps projects running smoothly, and also allows us to easily see where each client is up to in terms of live and upcoming tasks, so we can take the reins if anyone is away.

How do you handle pressure or tight deadlines?

The tightest deadlines tend to be for promos such as flash-sales, which are often reactive to a client’s market. These are less predictable than product launches or seasonal sales, etc, so we always need to remain flexible enough to handle short-notice requests, as well as scheduled work. 

We use a priority system to shift work around when something urgent comes in, and a tiered system that sets out what’s possible depending on the time frame available. Project Managers help balance account maintenance with promotional activity so the core health of accounts is maintained.

I think in terms of pressure, good organisation is key as well. When we’re clear on an account’s progress and confident in the decisions being made, then we can feel ready to answer any questions on work, performance or direction with confidence and transparency. 

How do you support each other when things go wrong?

There will always be some unexpected hurdles come up when working in tech, and this often results in a loss of time more than anything else. However, with us having plenty of skill crossover within the team, we’re usually able to jump in and keep everything ticking over relatively easily while a problem is resolved. 

In terms of life outside work, we’re lucky to have a really close team who look out for each other. So we’re always keen to offer support, wherever life’s personal ups and downs take us. Hybrid working has complemented that element too I think, giving us a good balance between focused time away from the office and quality time together as a group, to catch up on work and life in general.

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Client Work

Can you give an example of a recent project?

We’ve recently been working with a client in the STEM education sector to generate leads and ecommerce traffic to multiple websites across three countries and two distinct markets.

We took on several existing and problematic ad accounts, repaired them and then created additional accounts for new regions. Following that, we handled tracking setup, HubSpot integration, product feed creation and new ad campaign builds.

Early results: 

September: +9% YoY
October: +170%
November: +228%
December: +376%

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What’s working well for the team right now?

We’ve matured a lot as an agency over the years, gradually selecting systems and ways of working that feel right for us as a team. The methodologies we’ve adopted, such as Agile and MVP (Minimum Viable Product) ways of working, help keep strategies and decision making feeling fresh and logical. Our new studio also gives us access to brand-new tech, breakout areas, meeting rooms and standing desks, alongside flexible hybrid working hours. So all that is brilliant on a practical level.

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What does a good week look like for the team?

A good week looks busy in a lively way rather than a frazzled way. Every day is packed and there’s always a giant to-do list, but moving through a full, well-planned day without too many surprises feels good.

We also have a few team members who work more remotely, so it’s always a treat when everyone’s in town, particularly when we get out for a group event.

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Finish this sentence

Most people think marketing is words and pictures, but in reality it’s signals, attributes and algorithms.

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