My name is Scott and last week I started at Aquamarine Media as a PPC Executive.
My path to digital marketing is unconventional, with the last four years spent specialising in software engineering and more specifically, games development. Now I’m ready for a new challenge in paid search and Aquamarine Media already seems like the perfect fit to become a PPC expert.
This week I have met many of our great clients as well as some new connections at the Business Showcase South West in Bristol. In fact, I have probably explored the South West more in the past week than my previous three years spent studying at Plymouth University! Aquamarine Media’s offices being situated on the Exeter Quay, also makes the daily commute from Plymouth a real treat.
Working as a PPC Executive has been an interesting experience, already I can see several similarities between programming and running campaigns. Each project represents a unique problem that requires a carefully well thought out solution, as well as a high attention to detail.
My current goal is to become Google certified to help develop a better understanding about how we run high-converting campaigns. By shadowing our Managing Director, Alona, I’m well on my way to passing them. The most interesting aspect about PPC so far has been finding new keywords for different projects, and categorising them into similar ad groups. This section of the process feels a lot like a puzzle and is strangely therapeutic!
As with learning any new skill, there are of course challenges and misguided assumptions. I had no idea about how much research goes into setting up well optimised and high-performing campaigns. Potentially, a PPC expert could work with industries from pets to hospitality, and having a good understanding about what search terms companies within those industries should/shouldn’t be targeting is an important skill to develop.
Compared to last Monday I can already see how far my skills have come and I’m excited to see how much I’ve progressed in a month’s time. That’s all for now, however over the next few months, I’ll be continuing to document my transition from a Programmer to a PPC expert!
