In this episode of Ignite, Michael Waitze sits down with Mark McDowell, the Managing Director of Primal Digital Marketing Agency. They discussed how Mark got started in digital marketing, Primals processes, and the agency’s future plans. 

From Bangkok to Melbourne

“I got my first job selling barbeques in Bangkok,” Mark laughed as he told Michael how he became a digital marketer. Although it was a junior position, this grill job sparked his interest and passion for digital marketing. 

When Mark moved to Australia, he landed a job in a digital marketing agency. Before coming back to Bangkok, he managed to convince the agency’s owner to invest in building a digital marketing agency in Thailand. 

Although the pitch deck Mark presented was “terrible,” this seemingly risky venture paid off tremendously. 

Setting the right objectives 

The two then discussed Primal’s initial process of crafting a digital marketing strategy for their clients. 

“We begin by looking at their current situation,” Mark said. By looking at their client’s competitors, their target customers, as well as doing research on industry trends, Primal is able to identify areas of opportunities for their clients. 

This process is all about how Primal can form a strategy that allows their clients to achieve their objectives, whether this is through Google pay-per-click ads (PPC), social media, or search engine optimisation (SEO). 

Working with early-stage startups vs bigger brands 

The approach to helping companies grow their revenue from online channels can be vastly different, Mark said. 

Customer acquisition is extremely important for early-stage startups, even if it is not profitable for them. This is because these new companies need to show proof of concept and start gaining some market share as soon as possible. 

On the other hand, bigger brands are more concerned about investing in marketing in an efficient way that generates profits.

Building your personal brand

Finally, the two talked about building a personal brand and how it can help grow your business. For Mark, the idea of building a personal brand came along when Primal hired a PR agency. 

As a result of his efforts, Mark was recently listed in Forbes’s 30 Under 30 list of individuals in the media, marketing and advertising fields. 

Despite becoming the face of the company, Mark credits a lot of his success to his team.“I’m here now because I’ve had an amazing team behind me that enabled me to reach these heights. That’s extremely important,” he said. 

To learn more about Mark McDowell and Primal Digital Marketing Agency, listen to this episode of Ignite today.