Schedule
Daily Tasks
What are your primary responsibilities as a digital marketing manager?
In a broad sense, the job of a digital marketing manager is to get people converting on your website. We use a variety of tools and methods to conduct market research, build campaigns, report results, and optimize our marketing efforts. Typically these are in channels such as email marketing, SEM, SEO, Social Media, and Paid Social Ads, though on some occasions we have branched into offline marketing at events and expos.
Which tools and platforms do you use daily?
On a daily basis I use Asana and Slack for managing my tasks and communicating with colleagues. I also use GA4, Google Search Console, and SEMRush to check in on my SEO efforts and identify keywords to rank for in our blog and product showcases, as well as PPC campaigns. Another important tool I use absolutely everyday is Google Sheets to help clean and organize internal data for use in decision-making and reporting. Finally, I make use of Zapier automation to make sure I have more time for the most important work.
How do you prioritize your tasks?
I look more towards the long term, and generally prioritize the tasks that will have the most impact in the long run. Tasks that need to be done urgently also get moved up to higher in the priority list, but ideally, the number of those are limited by effectively managing workload, and preparing in advance. I like using my Asana inbox so I can see and be aware of all new tasks that come my way, even if they do not yet need to be actioned. I then use the archive notification function to keep those important tasks at the top of my mind at all times until their completion.
Team Collaboration
What’s your team like?
There are just under 30 members on the ZenMarket marketing team and given the variety of languages and backgrounds, it would almost be easier to ask Where aren’t they from?
What are the unique points about your team?
A unique part of the ZenGroup marketing team is our Squad system. This system puts team members who have a specialist set of skills into a team where they can impart their knowledge onto less experienced team members. In addition to training, the Squads work to keep an extra set of eyes on each team member’s work, auditing certain marketing channels to offer tips and points of improvement, without completely taking over. This enables marketers to grow, and become better at the tools they are using over time. The digital marketer will remain in the driver’s seat, while a squad member will offer advice from the passenger seat.
Which other departments do you collaborate with at ZenGroup?
We work extensively with the creative team so we can have high-quality on-brand designs for SNS posts, ad banners, landing pages, and more. They are a lifesaver when it comes to photography, and even filming and editing for reels and videos. We also work very closely with customer support, making sure they are aware of any sales or pushes we intend to do, while monitoring if they spot common trends in customer feedback that we can use to improve our service.
Learning and Development
How do you stay updated on the latest trends in your position?
Currently, I have an interest in seeing how AI tools develop and how I can slot them into my workflow so I have been following Austin Armstrong from Syllaby.io on Instagram. In addition, I like to keep an eye on currency trends so I often look into reports by FXStreet. Finally, if I see an interesting ad on TV, or an interesting tagline in an online ad, I may just Google it to see what buzz it is creating, or to see if I can find any information on what more has gone into the ad.
What have you done for self-improvement?
Back in the day, I used to read a lot of Perry Marshal’s Ultimate Guide to Google Ads. Nowadays a lot of features have evolved so the guide is not so useful from the technical side, but many of the concepts he identified can be more broadly applied to campaign creation, even for other platforms. I would strongly recommend his book 80/20 Sales and Marketing for help with working efficiently.
Work-Life Balance
How do you manage your work-life at ZenGroup?
ZenGroup has little to no overtime work making managing work-life balance a lot easier. In addition, the flexibility of adjusting my start and finish times depending on my schedule means that if I need to hit the snooze button one more time, or have an appointment in the evening means I can do so and still get the job done.
Do you have any tips for maintaining productivity and avoiding burnout?
Take the time to stand up, have a stretch, grab another coffee, and make some small talk with your coworkers. Feeling part of a team that you can rely on helps to relieve pressure, especially knowing they will be able to help you if you ever need it. Also, it can be beneficial to temporarily put down a task and tackle something new every once in a while, before circling to help prevent frustration and tunnel vision, while giving you a different perspective on the original task.
Anecdotes or Stories
Are there any memorable experiences or successes in your role that you can share?
We often get the questions “Is ZenMarket real?”, “Is ZenMarket trustworthy?”, “Do you ship to [country]?”, or “Do you sell [insert product name here]?” It can be frustrating at times when a random person on the internet questions the existence of the company you have been showing up to and marketing everyday for the last 2 years, or when they ask questions you feel like you have answered hundreds of times.
A solution we came up with was to simply show off some of our customers’ stories. This culminated in our From Japan to Me project. This project really made me realize that more than just purchasing and shipping items, we were changing people’s lives by enabling them to connect with their hobbies and desires in a way they would not otherwise be able to. Whether it is access to a specific anime figure to put on display, a retro game you haven’t played since childhood, a Japan-only part for a project car, the fishing rod that will help you land that fish that previously got away, or the fashion item that will complete the perfect outfit for you, ZenMarket allows people to express themselves in ways they simply couldn’t without this connection to Japan. It was really heartwarming to see these stories.
Personal Insights
What do you enjoy most about your job?
I enjoy the freedom I have to come up with and brainstorm new ideas. Digital marketing is a constantly changing and evolving industry, and our company is aiming to grow with it. This necessitates new approaches, ideas, and methodologies.
What advice would you give to someone just starting out in your position?
Learn how to make decisions with data, and know when it is time to switch off a campaign that is not meeting your expectations. And if a campaign did not turn out the way you wanted, do not worry – even a failure is a learning experience. Make note of what didn’t work and use that information to make better campaigns in the future.
