Meet Caitlin our new digital marketing hire

Wait, you guys are growing?

Brett, Eli and myself have been incredibly fortunate these past few years. Having worked in marketing agencies, we saw firsthand how growth can be a tricky thing to manage. Our goal when we launched Digital Wax Works was to remain very small and very focused on all things digital. This growth strategy was painful at times (very long days as we bootstrapped the business) but it has afforded us the opportunity to move and pursue areas at our own pace with the right kind of clients.

We held off hiring, as we were really picky about having the right kind of cultural fit.

Fast forward to spring of 2011 and I was approached by the College of Business at Montana State University to create a junior/senior level course on digital marketing - I jumped at the chance. The students were great and time in and out of the classroom was always the highlight of my week.

Caitlin Sundborg impressed me out of the gate on our first take-home exam in the course. She had the analytical skills to pull data, synthesize it and draw creative conclusions for executing a strategy. She also wasn't afraid to speak up in class and question things. Most importantly she had a real curiosity to explore digital marketing. From learning to code to analytics to user experience (UX) research - Caitlin showed an eagerness to learn it all.

So, we agreed to do a trail-run starting in May - see if she liked working with us and vice versa.

Well, I'm very pleased to announce Caitlin will be joining us full-time after a very successful summer internship. 

Below is a little interview we posted up so everyone can get to know Caitlin a bit better. You'll likely be seeing her hopping in on calls and projects as we're finally able to get more of her time here at the HQ in Bozeman.

Welcome aboard Caitlin! You're doing kick ass work and we're super stoked you've decided to join us on the adventure.

Why Digital Marketing?

I’ve always enjoyed being artsy and creative although most of my finished products would never end up in a gallery. At the same time, I have been a complete perfectionist since I can remember – I am still scarred from an unfortunate 6^th grade incident when I forgot to do my homework and began to cry in class out of pure shame.

Entering university I decided to pursue marketing, as I liked that it combined my two personalities – I could have fun and develop new ideas, without completely coloring outside of the lines. In my final year of school I took a digital marketing class and loved how different it was from traditional tactics (e.g. make a pretty sign or pass out pens with your name on it). Digital marketing allows you to create an experience and measure how effective it is. Hooray! My perfectionist side was finally fulfilled.

Why Bozeman?

Living in Montana since I was six, I was honestly a little scared to move to a large, unfamiliar city. Plus, after 12 years of walking out my back door to mountains, lakes, and forests, skyscrapers, subways, and hoards of people really didn’t seem that appealing. Living in Bozeman now for five years, I constantly pat myself on the back for making the right decision – I love the beauty, the community, and the endless outdoor entertainment!

What did you enjoy learning this summer?

In class I feel like I really nailed down the basics – I understand what digital marketing is trying to achieve and why it is so beneficial to companies in this day and age. However, this summer, I really enjoyed diving into the “hows”.  How do you craft effective content strategies for specific audiences? How do you test these strategies to ensure you’re providing consumers with the utmost value? How do you know and how do you show clients that your efforts are valuable to their business? 

What's next on your reading-list?

Looking through the bookshelves at Digital Wax Works, I think my reading list will be full for the next 10 months! After browsing, my top picks are:

• The Lean Start-Up by Eric Ries – because as a perfectionist, I like learning how NOT to fail.
• Don’t Make Me Think by Steve Krug - because apparently an 8^th grade reading level is standard for the web.
• Creating Web Pages for Dummies by Bud Smith and Arthur Bebak – because I am a total dummy when it comes to coding.
• All Marketers are Liars by Seth Godin – mostly because I like the title, but also because this happens to be the viewpoint of many individuals today (including some of my friends).
• Zag by Marty Neumeier – because sometimes it’s fun (and vital) to think outside the box.

Brown-nosing aside, I really appreciate this opportunity and I look forward to developing my skills and experience in Digital Marketing. I am excited to take learned theories and apply them to real situations while helping both local and national companies.