Our guest today is a who has worked at agency and is now working on client side. He’s a multi-talented marketer whose career could be the envy of many.
Meet Tshepiso Moleko, here’s our conversation:
DOM: What is your role in marketing and what does that entail?
TM: I’m currently a Senior Digital Marketing Manager, that means I spend my days defining and managing demand generation programmes by leveraging paid media campaigns in SaaS. Essentially, what I aim to achieve is to position my brand value proposition to relevant audiences in a timely manner, where our customers are likely to be attentive & open to get more information about the brand. I also ensure that our website is optimised to give relevant information based on search results. So staying up to date with the state of SEO and any changes required to drive visitors to the website and to help them stay as long as possible for potential upsell & cross-selling opportunities is key.
I’m passionate about writing value propositions that resonate with the target audience and translating it into hyper-personalised content that generates meaningful leads through different digital marketing platforms in our clients life-cycle. This role allows me to engage with both the sales teams and business units to understand their challenges around delivering qualified leads
DOM: Why did you choose this role?
In this fast-growing tech world, I love to challenge myself and digital marketing allows me to constantly think outside of the box, develop new and unique strategies, and experiment with various techniques to see what works best. The creativity and innovation feeds into my problem-solving ways of thinking.
DOM: Where do you learn and grow the most as a marketer, agency or client?
I’ve been privileged and blessed to have worked across multiple agencies who specialised in the respective facets of the advertising world for over a period of 10 years…and in every phase of my ‘agency life’ I learnt something new about the agency world and importantly about myself. So there isn’t a specific area I can isolate as I feel that ‘agency life’ is one experience I wouldn’t forget.
DOM: So does that mean you grew the most at agency? How are you applying what you learned at agency to your corporate career?
TM: That’s a great question. There are two key learnings I would highlight. First would be strict project management skills to ensure all involved parties have a clear timing plan and everyone has visibility from communications to execution. Second would be a great passion for storytelling.
DOM: What’s your outlook for marketing in 2023?
The always-on digital approach in the marketing world. How we use digital platforms and mar-tech to deliver hyper-personalised and immersive content throughout the AIDA funnel (Attention, Interest, Desire and action)…good website content and optimisation delivers high-quality organic traffic
DOM: What advice would you give to an aspiring marketer?
TM: Learn and take in as much info in your early years using the 360-degree marketing wheel as your process and progress tracker…you will find which type of advertising/marketing tactic talks the most to you and there on you can specialise within that field….the marketing and advertising world is HUGE and that means there are so many blocks to use to elevate yourself…seeing them as stepping blocks and not a daunting world
DOM: Please explain the 360 wheel and how someone new to marketing would use it
TM: A 360-degree marketing approach/wheel is a comprehensive and integrated marketing strategy that involves promoting a product or service through multiple channels and touchpoints, basically putting the target audience/customer in the centre and surrounding them with all marketing tactics namely public relations, social media, email marketing, billboards, TV, Radio, search engine optimization, and other digital marketing techniques to reach and engage with customers…. This approach takes into account all aspects of the customer journey, from initial awareness to post-purchase support, and seeks to create a consistent and cohesive brand experience across all channels. The goal is to create a seamless and personalized experience for customers, regardless of where they are in the buying process or which channel they are using to interact with the brand.
By using a 360-degree marketing approach, companies can build stronger relationships with their customers, increase brand awareness, and ultimately drive sales and revenue.
How does one use the 360-degree wheel, you ask. First start will be data. Data informs you where your audience will be and which platform they will resonate the most with. Secondly, determining your brand message/content (from long format to short format, from static or rich/video media) based on the audience, will inform your 360 marketing campaign and dictate how you will customize the larger message to the respective selected channels
DOM: What’s the best thing about being in marketing?
I’ve been in both the B2C and B2B world…it’s about the impact/influence you have made to assist the business reach targets…that fills me with so much joy and pride
DOM: In your view what’s the worst thing about being in marketing?
Quite a few, let me rather focus on the two most important points
Firstly, tech/digital platforms: when they are unable to go further than their current capabilities and when they finally catch-up to their competitors you are lagging behind with your competitors and the futuristic work that they are doing
Secondly, people: (uhhmmm, this could get awkward) –
Marketing teams not aligned with other marketing or adverting partners when it comes to efforts made to attract the set audience;
When sales and marketing have different opinions on who the targeted audiences are, what their challenges are and what the best marketing strategy is to reach the strategic objectives
DOM: When did you first fall in love with marketing?
TM: In high-school, probably Grade 11, I was watching Idols SA (which was sponsored by Coca-Cola at the time) and thought how interesting it would be if they could bring the beverage and singing competition into one ad….I envisioned an Idols studio cleaner (not looking like an idol) sweeping the floor and no one is around…just her, the stage and the judges empty chairs….she steps up and bolts a number…camera does a 360 and when it comes out the other side she is dressed like an idol and the crowd is watching and cheering her on…last 180degree camera turn and we back at reality, she smiles…wipes the judges desk and opens a closed Coke bottle or can…tag line “It could be you” – in my mind this became a series of like-minded ads featuring non-idol looking consumers who can sing and the tag line brings it all together….
DOM: So you’re quite a creative person, do you think creativity is an important skill in marketing?
TM: Certainly, I believe being creative is a key skill to have when in marketing. In a crowded landscape, brand recognition and recall is important, and making memorable content is key to stand out from the rest. It allows me to think outside the box on how we serve emotive content to our audience. It also allows one to think of ways to A/B test different visuals or copy on our most impactful platforms to increase engagements and time spent on the brand.