Q&A with Catherine Sullivan
In our latest instalment of the Q+A blog series, we spoke to our Digital Marketing Co-ordinator, Catherine Sullivan to find out more about her role and how data plays a part in engaging customers.
What’s your job role at InterSystems and what does it involve?
I’m the Digital Marketing Co-ordinator, which is a varied role. I do a lot of behind-the-scenes work to support our various marketing campaigns, whether that’s with a landing page, marketing automation or Google Ads, among other things. I’ve worked for InterSystems for about seven and a half years now, and I had a pretty eclectic career journey prior to starting – including a stint as an academic librarian!
What’s a project you’re proud of having worked on?
I’m proud of our content hub and how it gives us a showcase for the UK and Ireland business. It’s packed full of insights and regularly updated, so it’s great to see it used and recognised both within the business and externally.
What attracted you to InterSystems?
What I like about InterSystems is the ever-present opportunities to develop and grow intellectually – we have so many great minds here and there is the opportunity to always be learning. Equally, I’m motivated by the satisfaction of a job well done, especially if it’s work that makes life better, which is definitely the case for many of the projects InterSystems is involved in.
How has this year and the COVID-19 pandemic altered the way that marketing strategies are executed?
With no physical events, digital has really come to the forefront as the primary way we’re engaging with people. Whether that’s via the smaller more frequent touch points such as our social media channels and email send outs, or through large scale virtual events, the pivot to digital has been both challenging and brought with it a lot of opportunities to rethink the way we do things.
How is data important to you in your role?
Data really is important in every aspect of a business, and that is the same for us in the marketing team. Data is how we track engagement with marketing activity, know who to contact, and when, and whether something is working or not. Data helps us make the right decisions.
How do you think the adoption of AI digital marketing will transform the landscape?
AI will help us be more targeted and personalised with our digital marketing, ensuring we deliver the right message, to the right person at the right moment. It’ll become less of a broad brush and more about the details and nuance.
What stands out to you as a key digital marketing trend for 2021?
We’ve seen this year the importance of a personal touch, and I think next year we’ll see a growing importance placed on putting people at the centre of web experience. Additionally, there will need be fresh consideration for SEO strategies, as search engines adapt to answering questions instead of keywords.
