Our ‘Profile: A Day in the Life of’ feature takes a look at some of the global professionals working across performance marketing. It aims to shed light on the varying roles and companies across the flourishing industry.
In this edition we head to Los Angeles, to speak with the Global Managing Director at AdMax Local, Ben Gibson.
Name:
Ben Gibson
Job title and company:
Global managing director, AdMax Local at The Search Agency.
In one sentence, how would you describe what the company does?
The Search Agency’s AdMax Local provides fully automated local digital marketing platforms that enable partners to efficiently build and manage search engine marketing campaigns and responsive websites, without the need to build large specialist teams, whilst delivering quality campaigns for their end clients.
What are the company’s unique selling points?
AdMax Local produces and optimises hyper-local, optimally structured, highly relevant and performance-focused SEM campaigns and websites. It is the world’s first fully automated local marketing platform that enables businesses to benefit from high quality local search campaigns. Leveraging AdMax technology and our agency expertise in search marketing, the platform is designed for intermediaries who want to manage paid search campaigns for their clients.
Within the last six months/year, what stands out as the company’s major milestones?
Key milestones for AdMax Local have been launching the software as a service (SaaS) platform in Q3 of 2013, (previous versions were enterprise installations), first partnership in Japan in the same quarter, launching our first public APIs the following quarter and completing the acquisition of MoFuse (mobile-first platform for website generation and management) in Q2 of 2014. This has helped us get to the position we are in today with offices and clients across three continents, and a disruptive platform that is changing the way businesses run local digital marketing campaigns.
Duration in current role:
I have been with The Search Agency for five years (almost exactly! First day was July 20th 2009), and in this role for just over a year.
Where are you based?
Los Angeles, USA, when I’m not travelling round seeing the rest of the team and our clients.
Previous performance marketing-related companies you have worked at:
I started my career at lastminute.com, just as the bubble was bursting in March 2000. I have also worked search-engine side at Looksmart, as well as being part of the senior management team at The Search Works, the leading SEM Agency in Europe, that we sold to Tradedoubler in 2007.
What are your main job responsibilities?
Helping other people’s businesses to succeed, and in turn growing ours.
Take us through what you get up to on a typical working Monday:
Monday is a-typical as it is my set-the-compass day. I’ll speak with my EU leaders in the morning, US teams through the day, and then Apac in the evening; catching up on progress from the last week, and confirming the goals for the week ahead in order to ensure we’re all pointing in the right direction for the week to come.
What top three websites can you be found browsing during your lunch hour?
During my lunch-15-minutes I will look at the FT for business news, The Guardian for real life, Twitter for my personal news feed, and our blog TheSearchAgents.com as well as SearchEngineWatch, PerformanceIN, The Drum and Advertising Age for industry news. Having studied history I am used to speed reading!
What are your top three tips for someone looking to get their hands on a job like yours?
Firstly, in terms of personal skills, I would worry less about getting a specific degree, and more about developing strong written and verbal communication skills (in particular, understanding how to modify your content to your audience), know how to construct and maintain a good argument, and learn how to listen – that way you will deliver and receive better information.
Secondly, in terms of professional choices, pick companies based on their ethos. Make sure you’re a match in terms of growth potential, rather than being too concerned about the initial job, short term benefits or the size of organisation for which you start work – you will grow within the right organisation this way. Finally treat everyone you work with – clients, new prospects, colleagues, employees, superiors, suppliers, support staff – with the same respect and honesty that you want to be treated with; as a moral compass it helps build strong relationships that will last your entire career.
Career-wise, where do you see yourself in three years’ time?
I’d like to be leading a business that has physical offices in the top 20 major and emerging digital markets, providing an automated local digital marketing platform that provides a one stop shop for all local business marketing needs. More simply, in the same position, but with three years growth behind me, a larger global footprint, and a role that has evolved as we have successfully grown.
Tell us one thing people at work don’t know about you?
I was the under-18 Cheshire Chess Champion, and took trials for the England team.