In the sprawling landscape of digital advertising and brand building, the perception often leans towards large departments, but the small marketing teams, like ours, tend to defy expectations. In this month’s Company Spotlight, we’re highlighting DiRAD’s Marketing/Sales Department, an agile team making a big impact! We’re going behind the scenes with the multi-talented marketing squad to learn a little more about what they do and what they’re interested in.
How long have you worked at DiRAD?
John M: 31 years in March.
Kathy C: I’ve worked at DiRAD for 12 ½ years.
Brooke S: 5 years in September.
Madison J: Coming up on year 4!
In short, what do you do?
JM: As an owner, I handle large sales, RFP responses, contracts, and finance.
KC: I work on RFPs, various company reports, WBE certifications, maintenance, quotes/work orders.
BS: I do market research, branding, and optimization for DiRAD with the help of our marketing team!
MJ: I run all of DiRAD’s social media accounts, don’t forget to follow 😉 @diradtechnologies
How has your job changed over your employment with DiRAD?
JM: I started as a system engineer, then went to sales (it was harder than I thought it would be), followed by director of operations and finally general manager before we bought the company.
KC: I’ve been lucky to have been involved in so many opportunities from events/event planning to facilities, to managing a call center.
BS: When I started I worked on a whole brand refresh for DiRAD, then moved into a management role with the addition of our awesome Social Media Specialist, Madison, and now, I not only manage our marketing channels, but work on internal event planning as well.
MJ: Creating our Instagram account has been a lot of fun! I have enjoyed the different types of content we create on each platform.
How much interaction does Marketing/Sales have with other departments at DiRAD?
JM: There is a regular schedule of interaction. Sometimes it’s hard to convey what we do in an understandable way, so marketing is the bridge to our technology. It is important that marketing is in the loop with our technical innovations and our latest projects. So our marketing people attend our operations meetings, and technical people attend our marketing meetings!
KC: I’ve worked with every single department within DiRAD – many on a daily basis.
BS: We always need to be on top of anything our tech team is working on, so we’re always listening for updates and things we want to promote. Marketing is also in charge of branding in general, so any time other departments need DiRAD branded documents or updates to our website, they come to us. So pretty often!
MJ: I am always listening in on interdepartmental meetings and trying to take any tidbit I can to promote the great work our other departments are doing! My inbox is always open to ideas, and I reach out across our departments for feedback. When it comes to after hours events like company parties and #TeamDiRAD’s volunteering initiative’s it is always great to be in the mix with other departments.
What advice would you give someone seeking a similar career path? Do you have any recommendations for professional networks or resources you found helpful?
JM: I always say the most successful people in this role have a solid technical base before they go into a sales-oriented career. One doesn’t need to be an expert, but there needs to be a clear understanding of how technology helps organizations. Also, if you’re afraid to pick up the phone and talk to people, this isn’t the job for you. As an introvert, I had to overcome this challenge. I literally faked it.
KC: Take the initiative, ask for the opportunity, be curious, always do your absolute best. I don’t have a specific resource that comes to mind – just be curious and open – you can usually learn something from just about anything.
BS: There are hundreds of creators on YouTube who post tutorials for anything you might need on the creative side – Adobe Suite, Canva, etc. Then, a lot of marketing is keeping your ear to the ground. Participating in the channels you’re serving content in and looking for trends that are relevant to your industry. Look for webinars from leaders like Hootsuite, Adobe, or Hubspot to stay up to date as well.
MJ: Find the personality you want for your company. When I started, I created #TeamDiRAD’s voice, and I continue to evolve and grow it to suit our needs. Continue to take training on the tools you use. Canva Create constantly offers training and webinars, which I regularly attend to sharpen my skills.
What would happen if Marketing/Sales ceased to exist?
JM: If our marketing and social media suddenly stopped, in a matter of days it would start to get stale. A virtual post apocalypse if you will. From a sales perspective, that’s our cash register so if that didn’t exist, we wouldn’t!
KC: It would be a much smaller ‘DiRAD universe’. The team keeps the DiRAD name/brand front and center while also working with customers and potential customers to propose solutions that tackle their pain points and future needs.
BS: Sales and growth would be entirely dependent on word of mouth, anything put forth by the company internally or externally would eventually be stale, and ultimately, trust with the public would be broken. (Would you purchase from a company that had no website and their social pages hadn’t been updated in months? I know I wouldn’t.)
MJ: Growth would stall! Word of mouth can only get you so far. We spread all the exciting things DiRAD is doing to audiences nationwide on a daily basis.
What is something you’ve created/worked on/assisted on for DiRAD that you’re proud of?
JM: Buying the company in 2014 and increasing the revenue 6x mainly by taking great care of our customers.
BS: There’s quite a few projects that come to mind, like designing the website from the ground up, but recently we’ve put a lot of effort into giving back to the community we work in. I’m proud to work somewhere that enables us to do so in a meaningful way. You can learn more here. :)
MJ: Establishing #TeamDiRAD’s volunteer efforts. Every year, different members of the team find ways to give back to the communities we live and work in.
What are some things you love about working for DiRAD?
JM: Everyone gets along. There’s no toxicity. And people here are very smart.
KC: The people!
BS: 10000% the people and the flexibility.
MJ: The people! It cannot be understated how wonderful of a team we have here on #TeamDiRAD. The remote culture has worked great for my family, and I am very grateful.
How is DiRAD different from other places you’ve worked?
JM: There’s no drama! We’re customer-focused vs. revenue driven. It reflects our belief that long-term client trust and happiness matters more than short-term revenue.
KC: They way the team works together for the customer. DiRAD is TRULY customer focused. The family atmosphere.
BS: No big egos here! Everyone is open to ideas that could better our offerings, whether that’s to improve our products or improve how we work, nothing is off limits.
MJ: I have been blessed to start at DiRAD right out of college, and I wouldn’t trade it for the world!
Tell us one thing you’re loving right now. (Music, books, snacks, TV shows, hobbies, anything!)
JM: I was never into novels until my son gave me a book (Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes). Now I’m constantly reading something. Right now, I’m reading Project Hail Mary.
KC: Cowboy action shooting.
BS: I love to read! My TBR is too tall to count, but my favorite book lately is Alchemised by Senlinyu.
MJ: I am reading the bible cover to cover this year!