Q&A with Steve Wright, Paid Search Manager

From day one, Steve, our new Paid Search Manager, has been getting stuck in. We sent him a few questions to get to know him better.

How did you get into your industry?

I started as a website designer before getting involved in marketing, I started doing bits of paid search and really enjoyed it, so I joined a PPC agency and have been doing it ever since.

What do you enjoy most about your job?

Paid search is very results orientated. I really enjoy finding opportunities that may have previously been overlooked and using these to drive even better results, using the data available to not only meet targets but exceed them.

What’s your favourite campaign or client you’ve worked on?

ASUS. Although I have worked on very large clients before, these have always been limited to search and shopping. With ASUS I am running campaigns on all channels, including a lot of YouTube which is something I have been wanting to do more of. It’s a large challenging account, but that is what makes it fun!

Best achievement in your career so far?

When I started at THG the accounts I was given were in really poor shape, and had not hit their targets for months. Within the first 30 days I made such a large impact on the accounts that they not only hit the target but exceeded it by a long way, which nobody thought was possible.

Any advice for anyone looking to get into a similar or the same role?

Clear communication with clients is key. For example, you can have the best idea in the world, but if the client doesn’t understand or see the benefit, then you will not get approval for it.

I would also say don’t be afraid to try new ideas and don’t worry if they don’t work. As long as you have learnt something and gained useful data, it is still worthwhile so don’t be disheartened. Use the data and learning and next time things will be better.

What does your ideal weekend look like?

I used to enjoy spending the weekend on Anglesey, diving in the days and camping at night, but with no diving at the moment my ideal weekend would be spending the weekend at the caravan in Snowdonia, hiking and swimming in the mountain lakes, or spending the weekend in my workshop making things!

Do you have any interesting or not so interesting hobbies or interests?

Yes. I am a qualified scuba diver and I used to do a lot of wreck diving (diving on shipwrecks), although COVID has meant no diving for the last 18 months. I am also an amateur blacksmith and I am teaching myself the art of blacksmithing.

Thanks for chatting to us, Steve! Find Steve on LinkedIn for all the latest paid updates.