Welcome back to #WeAreGreenKey, where we shine a spotlight on our exceptional corporate team.
This week we caught up with Olivia Martinez, Director of Marketing on our Corporate Marketing team.
In just two and a half years, Olivia has built an impressive marketing career, starting as a Marketing Coordinator and quickly rising through the ranks at her previous employer before joining Green Key as Director of Marketing. Her ability to drive strategy, foster brand growth, and adapt to an ever-changing industry has set her apart. Now, she’s bringing her expertise and fresh perspective to Green Key, leading the marketing team into its next phase of innovation. In this feature, we explore her journey, leadership approach, and vision for the future.
Can you share your journey to becoming the Director of Marketing and the key experiences that have shaped your approach?
I began my marketing career right out of college in 2022. At my previous company, I was the first and only member of the marketing team, which presented both a challenging and rewarding opportunity. I had to be innovative and create many initiatives from scratch. This experience was instrumental in setting me up for success in my current role as the Director of Marketing at Green Key. It taught me the importance of creativity, resilience, and the ability to adapt quickly to new situations.
What innovative strategies are you currently implementing to keep the marketing team ahead of industry trends?
I believe that competitor and industry research is crucial, not to copy others, but to draw inspiration and stay competitive. Marketing, especially in the recruiting industry, is dynamic and constantly evolving – It’s so important to continuously put time aside to brainstorm ways to elevate myself, my team, and Green Key as a whole.
What emerging trends in digital marketing do you find most compelling, and how are they influencing your strategic plans?
One of the most compelling emerging trends in digital marketing is the popularity of short-form video content on platforms like TikTok, Instagram Reels, and YouTube Shorts. These shorter videos are highly engaging and effective at capturing attention quickly, especially among younger audiences.
This trend has encouraged us to start thinking about how we can incorporate more videos into our future marketing strategy that resonates with our target audience and showcase our brand’s personality in a more dynamic way.
How would you describe your leadership style, and how does it contribute to fostering creativity and collaboration within your team?
Leading by example is, in my opinion, the best approach to leadership; demonstrating capability and knowledge can inspire a team or colleagues to trust you and work harder when they see you are also putting in the effort. I always welcome questions and feedback from my team, and I always aim to foster a community of encouragement and support within any team I am a part of.
What key performance indicators do you consider most important when evaluating the success of your marketing efforts?
I focus on several KPIs to evaluate the success of our marketing efforts. Email campaign metrics are crucial, as they help us understand what we should and should not be doing when we are doing our outreach. Website traffic is also very important since we house all our job listings on our site, and we want to ensure we are getting significant visibility.
Looking ahead, how do you envision the future of marketing, and what steps are you taking to prepare for upcoming changes?
I believe that marketing is often seen as an old-school discipline by those outside the field, but AI is becoming increasingly prominent in the industry. Embracing this change rather than fearing it is crucial, there is a lot of power in leveraging technology to make our jobs easier and free up time for more impactful tasks. To prepare for upcoming changes, we are prioritizing technology at Green Key and integrating AI tools into our marketing processes and continuously exploring new technologies that can enhance our efforts.
What advice would you offer to marketing professionals who aspire to drive innovation and build impactful strategies in their organizations?
My advice to marketing professionals is not to be afraid to fail! Especially when starting out, failure is inevitable, and that’s okay. Not every campaign will be successful, and not every initiative will drive the desired results. However, it’s important to pay attention to what went wrong so you can grow and learn from those mistakes instead of beating yourself up over it. I have learned so much from real life experience and trying different strategies I have picked up from other marketing professionals and marketing classes/seminars I have attended. Real-world experience is invaluable, so pay attention to any tips & tricks given to you and prioritize experimenting and learning.