And remember, the Econsultancy jobs board has plenty of opportunities if you’re looking for a new role yourself.

Econsultancy: Please describe your job: What do you do?

Eddie Tomalin: I’m VP of Marketing at Wirewax, one of the leading interactive technology companies. My role is to develop both short-term and long-term marketing strategies to help the business achieve their goals. 

E: What kind of skills do you need to be effective in your role?

Eddie Tomalin: Multi-tasking and prioritisation, strong communications skills, and energy, lots of it. The ability to communicate is naturally the most integral. No matter how good your idea, if you can’t share it effectively it’s lost. Within a start up it’s imperative to be able to juggle lots of tasks but at a higher level, it’s knowing what to prioritise in order to have the most impact. The-to-do list will always seem huge, so knowing what needs tackling head-on is a must. 

Start-ups have the advantage of being agile, but in that, things move far quicker than in larger businesses where operational barriers often slow down the entire marketing machine. 

E: Tell us about a typical working day… 

Eddie Tomalin: There is no typical day and that’s one of the best things about jobs in startups. They’re so varied and therefore you’re always kept on your toes. 

My day does have some formality but that’s more to do with how I operate. I get a clear run at the day for the first few hours, which works nicely for me as I often find my first three (and last few oddly) are the most productive. I take this opportunity to get my head down and work independently through strategy and planning materials before our offices in the US wake up and we spend a lot of time working as a team on cross-market initiatives.

eddie tomalin 

E: What do you love about your job? What sucks?

Eddie Tomalin: Having access to so much data really helps you see how ideas develop and ultimately deliver. We’re in a very fortunate time where we have huge access to data on all points of the marketing spectrum. No longer is gut the only early decision indicator. You can split test an email subject or blog article headline and get immediate data to inform which one you should land on before you start pushing it’s message wide and far. It’s a super exciting time to be in a digital role. 

What sucks? Well, things can move quickly in digital industries. In order to be across it, you need to read, constantly. Whether it’s Google changing their search algorithms overnight or a new industry development springing up, there’s always something to keep you on your toes. It’s a challenging landscape to keep a breast of. 

E: What kind of goals do you have? What are the most useful metrics and KPIs for measuring success? 

Eddie Tomalin: Measuring success is essential, without it, you’ve got no chance of making a material impact. How can you possibly justify the investment on your next event or campaign if you’ve no clear measure of how well it performed or what you set out to achieve?

Here at Wirewax, we help our users make interactive masterpieces. I’ve got lots of goals which ultimately point back to me, but growing our user base and retention of users are two key goals. The SAAS landscape can be challenging, as you have to consider more than just the initial purchase. It’s not like you’re selling an ad campaign where it can be a one-time thing, our customers use the platform regularly, so we have to focus on customer satisfaction, ensuring they’re having an amazing experience on an ongoing basis. 

E: What are your favourite tools to help you to get the job done?

Eddie Tomalin: There are so many I could list here. I’m a bit of a Product Hunt nerd so I’ll often spend time trialling the latest and greatest offerings. At the moment, I’m really into Station, an app that acts as a single place for all your web applications. It’s slick and helps keep you from tab overload, a common issue for the busy marketer. 

Next up it’s all about a good note keeping app. I go through phases of jumping allegiance but currently, Google’s Keep helps me manage my digital scribbles. It works everywhere and it’s easily accessible. In a fast-paced business, you need a smart way to keep track of all the nuggets of information that come your way throughout a busy day.

E: Which brands are doing great things in video?

Eddie Tomalin: Brands are getting braver, and it’s about time too. Long gone are the days that brands can get away with taking their TV ad and throwing it up online. Traditional video, and the wilting obsession with the view count vanity metric has all but had its day. The best brands online are doing more than storytelling, they’re inviting consumers along for the ride and stimulating them with interactive components. 

Marmite and McDonalds Cafe. Two brands you might not expect to see on a list but both have done a great job of recent. Marmite’s Gene Project, for it’s acceptable appeal to even those who openly hate the product. There’s even an interactive test should you need confirmation of which side you’re on.

McDonald’s Cafe, and it’s cracking coffee ad takes a punt at answering coffee’s hardest question. What is a flat white? Likely shot almost in its entirety in and around Shoreditch this commercial offering reminds those looking to sample the latest in coffee-to-milk ratio technology, McDonalds now has you covered too.

E: Do you have any advice for people who want to get into your part of the industry?

Eddie Tomalin: Firstly, utilise the internet. It’s loaded with online courses, how-to videos and hundreds of hours of reading from some of the biggest and best marketers around. 

Secondly, networking. Whilst awkward to begin with when you don’t know anyone you’ll soon get in the swing. Take a deep breath, be brave and break down the barriers. Strong marketers have developed networks that they can call on to help execute on their creative ambitions.