Lauren Downey — I love uncovering phrases people type into Google that generate ad clicks, sales, and leads

Thanks a lot to Lauren for taking the time to do this Interview. “Marketer Interviews” is a interview series catalog where we interview the top marketers out there and present it in an organised and categorized format at interviews.observely.net .
Lauren Downey is Paid Search Specialist at Mad Fish Digital. To learn more about Lauren’s work go to www.madfishdigital.com.

Question: Where are you working now, what is your role and how did you get here?
Lauren Downey: I’m a paid search specialist at Mad Fish Digital, a boutique marketing agency in Portland, Oregon. I began my marketing career in an entry-level SEO position at another agency but soon became interested in paid search, worked freelance on the side, and eventually made my way to Mad Fish.

Question: What is your favorite marketing area? (Social, SEO, Sales etc.)?
Lauren Downey: Paid search, CRO, & analytics.

Question: Why do you love marketing?
Lauren Downey: Three reasons: language, design, and data.

As a language major, I’ve always been interested in the use of everyday language. In marketing, it’s important to understand how people search for solutions and products and with Google Ads, I can do just that. I love uncovering phrases people type into Google that generate ad clicks, sales, and leads, all of which can help dictate ad copy and landing page messaging.

I also love the creative and data aspect of marketing. Our design team creates beautiful landing pages, infographics, and videos that increase leads, sales and improves user experience. By tracking performance on design assets, I’m able to analyze user behavior and make recommendations for future design testing.

Question: What are your favorite books?
Lauren Downey: My favorite marketing books include Traction, Rework, Marketing by Intercom, and anything by Seth Godin.

Question: What marketing related blogs, magazines etc. do you read to keep your skills up to date?
Lauren Downey: The official Google Ads blog and searchenginejournal.com are pretty good. I also keep up-to-date by watching Julian Juenemann’s tutorials, reading Simo Ahava’s blog, and getting news from the Online Geniuses slack community.

Question: What brands do you like or follow on social media and why?
Lauren Downey: A few of the brands I follow are Schoolhouse Electric, RaphaWomen, Castelli, and National Geographic because their images are beautiful and inspiring or educational.

Question: How do you find good content?
Lauren Downey: Any content that is useful, entertaining, or creates discussion is good content.

Question: What tools do you use for analytics?
Lauren Downey: I use Google Analytics, Google Sheets, and Supermetrics.

Question: What’s your #1 advice for people starting to get into marketing?
Lauren Downey: Working at an agency has taught me a lot — not only about Paid Search, but SEO, Inbound Marketing, Social, Analytics just to name a few. If you’re unsure where to start, look for an entry-level position within an agency where you’ll be exposed to other areas of marketing and find your way.

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