3 Traits of A Successful Optimization Expert
It’s easier to assess success in some roles than others. A great athlete finds victories in their sport. A great teacher expands the minds of their students. But what makes an outstanding optimization expert?
Strong results are always the end goal, but those achieving them again and again aren’t doing so by sheer luck. After more than 20 years working in this industry we’ve narrowed down three of the key traits we believe all successful optimization experts have in common — traits both required to expand their careers and better their clients’ bottom lines.
1. Always know what’s important.
Before any presentation or pitch, ask yourself this: what is most important to the listener? Whether you’re interacting with your boss, the CEO, or a client, you should stay hyper aware of what’s imperative to that audience. If you remain focused on solving their problems or lifting their KPIs you can provide value and highlight your expertise — otherwise, you run the risk of testing lower-value opportunities simply because they’re accessible or trendy.
The skill here is focused on one simple-sounding talent: active listening. If you’ve truly listened to this person or group in the past, remaining focused on their needs should be simple; it’s when you let your mind wander, or you begin to make assumptions, that you may start offering “solutions” to problems they don’t actually have.
2. Train your marketing mind.
You’re working with marketers solving marketing problems, but are you staying up-to-date on all things marketing? A great optimization expert is knowledgeable in the marketing field including specialized areas — social, search, email, etc. — as well as any relevant details on their products, markets, and consumers. Your work is intertwined with the other components of the brand, and staying aware of all facets of the consumer experience may help avoid problems in the future.
Aim to be comfortable discussing any aspect of the business and stay familiar with the bigger picture of all parties involved. Your goal is not to replace your team of experts but to understand each of their roles and how their projects mesh. This includes the ability to understand and analyze any reports or findings from other team members, which brings us to our final, but nonetheless important, point...
3. Be more than data literate. Be a fluent speaker.
While no optimization team is complete without a strong data analyst, it’s crucial you also know your way around the numbers. From the KPIs to the traffic patterns to the conversion rates, your expertise shines brighter when you aren’t dependent on others to explain the results for you. Think of it like a restaurant: a great back-of-house team includes culinary experts specialized in different areas, but the head chef is versed in each dish. An experienced optimization expert should be able to view any part of an optimization program, including a relevant dataset, and sense when something’s good, bad, or changing.
Practice makes perfect when it comes to learning your way around the numbers so be aware this won’t be an overnight fix. You’ll need to learn to QA your own work, develop ways to double check your results, and maintain bulletproof spreadsheets. Your end goal should be beyond the basic understanding level and more focused on the bigger picture.
In the end, being a champion optimization expert is all about trust and these traits improve the trust your team and your clients have in your abilities. When you earn trust, people don’t just listen to you — they come to you. And that’s the true victory of any successful digital marketer.