We tend to keep things pretty technical on the Clix blog, but we want to share more of what drives our team and how we work – so we hope you’ll find value in our Clix Shares posts!
We held a two day virtual retreat last week (more on that later!) and it put our team in a bit of a reflective mood. The tendency in digital marketing can be to always look forward and set a goal for what’s new or next. We think that’s important too, but it’s just as critical to take a few moments to consider what may have become common to you now but took time to develop. With that, the Clix team is happy to share some of the areas we spent extra brain power in 2021 learning new or expanded skills. Maybe you’ll find some inspiration!
ABBY
This year was definitely the year of testing new channels. With continued tracking hurdles, the need to diversify advertising channels was greater than ever. This year alone, I got the opportunity to run campaigns in multiple channels I’d never tested in before. As our book of business grew and new clients with varying target audiences came on board, we rose to the challenge of finding these audiences and learned a ton along the way.
ANDREA
I have been working on diving more into Google Analytics and how I can use it more proactively and efficiently in my accounts. With GA4 rolling out, there is a lot to learn. I am really looking forward to being able to use the new reporting features that will allow me to get in-depth reporting about funnels, paths, segments and users. Event tracking is also something that I want to learn more about and GA4 has a lot of new features to make that event tracking even better.
BETHANY
I’ve made it a habit to check the new releases sections of the ad platforms I work in as well as regularly read industry blogs. This allows me to stay updated on the newest features that I can test out in applicable client accounts. Even something small, like the new budget reports in Google, can be incredibly helpful in account management. Clients also appreciate when we can share the latest updates and insights with them and give them confidence in us as account managers.
BRITTANY
This year I have been intentional about developing tools and reports that clients find useful. Reporting has always been something that hasn’t been very exciting, and I also drag my feet to create a new report. I am trying to listen to clients and their requests to help create a report that is visual as well as inclusive of all of the relevant metrics. With so many different new platforms we are using, being able to merge all of the data is important as well as being able to showcase all of the great testing we are doing within accounts. Reporting isn’t the most flashy or fun thing to spend much time on, but I am trying to get more excited about it and dedicate more time to developing useful reports.
KAYLA
Our agency dove into the massive project that is a website redesign this year, and that certainly taught me a lot of new skills! We had an excellent partner in the process in BrandSwan, but I quickly realized the lingo and vocabulary for the site development world were things I couldn’t necessarily contextually define or figure out easily. So not only was I able to spend some time learning more about different aspects of SEO, graphic design and brand marketing; I was also reminded of the importance of asking for clarification from the team around you when you need it and using those gaps in my knowledge to drive my curiosity to a search engine to learn more. I’ve always appreciated a balance between putting yourself in unknown territory so you’re forced to really dive into a topic, with asking known experts in your network to guide you more efficiently. Our redesign brought back that awareness, and has further helped me improve our sales processes to match those external marketing efforts, too!
KRISTIN
This year, I’ve intentionally tried to be forward thinking. I’ve been working on planning and looking ahead more. In some ways, this has meant more list keeping, time tracking and scheduling to stay organized to create more space for this. In others, it’s been thinking big for both myself and my clients. I’ve been looking at my own skill sets and decided to get more training in the channel I’m least comfortable in. I haven’t scheduled it yet, but knowing that I need to is a great first step. I’ve been looking at my clients and putting together more proposals for expansion opportunities (both new and in-channel) to keep giving them more and more options for potential growth and development. I found having a template for this approach, where I can swap in/out ideas, has been very helpful and a huge time-saver here.
TIM
Diversification has been the buzzword among small and large advertisers as individual channels such as Google and Facebook increasingly have had issues resulting from rising costs, tracking challenges, and platform changes. I’ve been trying to make an effort, in turn, to expand my knowledge across campaign types and platforms that I’d not previously worked in before. One specific channel I managed campaigns in for the first time this year was Snapchat. I’ve been able to delve into understanding the nuances between campaign and ad types in that platform (collection ads are a bright spot!) along with bidding and creative tactics. I’m looking ahead to my first foray into TikTok Ads by the end of the year, as well.
