AB’s Head of Digital Sarah Gill will lead us through the wonders of Voice Search, its potential and potential pitfalls…
Name: Sarah Gill
Job role: Head of Digital Marketing & Strategy for AB…
Social handles: @sarahgillux | LinkedIn
What motivates you to do what you do?
Getting to take a challenge that a client is facing, taking it through a strategic process to a tactical solution that really works. I find it so rewarding!
How do you start your mornings?
When it’s cold, with a certain amount of reluctance! But it always involves breakfast, the best meal of the day. Porridge with blueberries is my current favourite. I generally try and use my best energy for the biggest tasks and not dive into emails straight away.
What does a ‘typical’ day at work look like?
Not sure what one of those is, agency life means there’s rarely anything typical about it. But that’s what keeps it exciting. I can be on an early train to London for a pitch or starting the day with coffee and team catch up on our current projects.
Who do you lunch with?
Anyone who has good conversational skills. I love listening to others, finding out what interests them and hearing new points of view.
When are you most productive?
After the first cup of tea in the morning, or late in the evening but the two rarely work well together.
What one thing do you try to do every day?
Meditate. It clears and focusses the mind and I find it so essential in this busy, frantic world to maintain a balance.
What was your talk about?
Voice search has been widely
What is the best resource for people who want to dive in deeper?
I’ve written a series of pieces on voice search and whether it’s the future or a fad. A collection of these pieces can be found here: https://www.ab-uk.com/curiosity/blog/voice-search-future-or-fad/. Or invite me out for a coffee and we can geek out together on it.
What is the one app/website/blog/newsletter that you wish was your idea?
Moz Whiteboard Friday – I still credit that content series as one of the most engaging things I’ve ever seen. I used to have new releases diarised to make sure I didn’t miss it.
What is the biggest challenge in the [field/topic/industry] at the moment?
Creating a robust strategy and sticking to it. My view is that we’re overwhelmed with tactical options, and just as each channel has the potential to work it also has the potential to fail. Without a strategy behind a marketing activity, the latter is the likely outcome (unless you’re really lucky).
Thank you for taking the time to chat, Sarah! If you want to find out more about AB…, check out their website or take a look at their social media!
