BackCreative Talk with Andrew Hou of AdVisible
Creative Talk this month is with Andrew Hou, Client Service Director and Co-Founder of AdVisible. Their tagline is “We help your business get more online Leads and Sales”. We talk with Andrew Hou, Client Service Founder and Co-Founder of AdVisible, on how they achieve this for their clients and some tricks and tips for you to use.
Can you define your client offering for us.
We help SMBs and multinational brands drive more leads and sales to their website through multiple online platforms such as paid advertising, SEO and social media.
How do you find the market in Australia v’s Global?
Australia is definitely up there when it comes to digital adoption and the quality of our digital marketing. The local market is very diverse and savvy, which allows us to experiment with different digital marketing strategies and think more creatively.
Some international clients who we’ve worked with in the past have been more traditional and not as open to implementing new digital technology. Though, at the end of the day, it’s been about remaining open, educating the client, and ensuring all actions are in the best interests of their business.
How do you stand out from the crowd?
Our team is energetic, fun and dynamic. We’ve received positive feedback from clients and potential applicants about our great company culture and team bonding. An awesome culture creates high morale, which is reflected in the work we output for our clients.
You quote on your website “We help your business get more online Leads and Sales”. How do you deliver results?
First and foremost, we seek to understand where the client’s at, and where they want to be.
Initially we perform a discovery meeting with the client to find out everything about their product / service offering, strengths and weakness, marketing goals, and competitors. Once we have all this information, we can start planning a strategy and recommending the best online platforms that will help drive the most leads and sales to their business. The key is in deeply understanding the client and creating a tailored strategy that will fit best for them. We don’t use a cookie-cutter approach, which is what allows our clients to stand out and excel in their industry.
What’s your perfect type of client project?
It’s important for a client and agency to be the right fit for each other as this will determine the course of the business relationship. They need to share the same expectations and have the time to work efficiently together. The perfect client is one that understands business should always be win-win.
What’s a typical day at Advisible?
There are 2 things that are most important to us. First it’s the success of our clients, and second is the happiness of our team members. Therefore a typical day at AdVisible comprises of client meetings, regular strategy sessions, development workshops and laughs with the team.
What are the main technologies you work with and why do you prefer them?
We love Trello and use that for our project management and onboarding. The Salesforce platform has also helped us grow our business faster over the years and strengthen our relationship with our clients. Our company wouldn't be where it is today without these platforms as they help companies grow at scale and are fully customisable to our processes.
If a reader is looking to increase their site traffic, what tips and tricks can you share with us?
Have a rock solid foundation for your business online, this starts with your website! I’ve seen so many clients get good amounts of traffic, however, are let down by their website.
Focus on the user and deliver an amazing user experience. Make sure your website is device responsive, loads fast, informative, and user / search engine friendly. These factors will determine how poor or awesome your conversion rates are.
Are there any new / emerging web technologies that have you excited?
I’m intrigued about Augmented Reality as I believe it will drastically change the online advertising industry. It has the potential to make advertising interactive and create new ways for businesses to reach their target audience.
Online advertising is a booming industry, and for so long it’s been about text, image and banner ads. The average consumer is getting smarter and AR advertising will help businesses create a stronger emotional connection with their target audience. Ads will be interactive which naturally creates an emotional connection, encouraging them to make purchases.
It’s definitely not a common form of advertising yet, however, I’m confident it will mature and become widespread.
There’s a massive opportunity for early adopters. For example IKEA is using this to their advantage by creating it’s own iOS app allowing users to scan their catalog and see the virtual furniture. This allows the shopper to imagine how a certain piece of furniture would suit their real environment.
When hiring, you obviously want the best – what’s your top interview question?
We want like-minded people who have an entrepreneurial and motivated mindset. That’s why my favourite question to ask someone is “If you had a choice to start something for yourself, what would it be? And what’s stopping you from pursuing this?”.
I get some really interesting responses and this question helps me gauge how ambitious a person is.
How would you describe the culture at Advisble?
Culture has always been in the top 3 priorities for us. Finding the right people who buy into the same values and ethics is key to building an amazing company culture. Honestly, I could not be happier with the culture that we currently have. The team is young, vibrant and get along like one big happy family. Our work days don’t even feel like work because we’re constantly surrounded by a positive and fun environment.
To be honest, this did not come easy and it took us a while. There was lots of trial and error, but it was worth it!
What advice would you give to graduates looking to venture into the digital, media, social arena?
Ensure you find a company that promotes growth and learning. It’s important to surround yourself with better people as you’re the average of the five people you spend the most time with - Jim Rohn.
How’s 2019 looking for you?
2019 is looking very positive for us and I can’t wait to rip in. We have experienced strong client growth in 2018 so far and planning to double the AdVisible family from now until the end of 2019.