Alain Tanguay has spent the last 15 years in the digital marketing world. With his years of experience in IT MetSpacer’s Spotlight spoke with him about his digital marketing company Nord Marketing. “When I was coming out of school IT was just exploding. IBM had just launched their personal computer, their first PC and later on Mac was introduced. That’s where I thrive, I love the challenge of new technology. When there is a fast evolution of technology that’s where I want to be”.
The IT world is always advancing and changing. One must be able to advance with it and get to know the people behind innovative technologies. This is no different for the digital marketing space. When it comes to his work “…it’s important to know your applications and your software. If you work with google ads you know who Perry Marshall is. If you’re not familiar with his work then you don’t truly know google ads. You have to keep up or you become irrelevant in a couple of years. After 15 years you know who the experts are in every field whether it’s copywriting to WordPress.
“Early in my career I realized I had to learn fast. The digital marketing world is very different today than it was 20 years ago. You didn’t have the same access to information. Now you have an influx of different resources you can use. The focus today is not only finding the source material but which information is the most consistent and reliable so you don’t get distracted and lost in the noise.”
When we asked Alain, what was his best job decision he ever made he simply stated “…when I left IT 15 years ago”. Through his long career in IT he had worked his way from a computer operator to systems manager. During his last position he stated “I felt stagnant for the last 5 years in that position. I needed a challenge and change. I was in this cycle where I thought there would be something different and I kept pulling for that but nothing happened. That’s when I decided to leave. It was a scary time for me. I had a young son and my wife was pregnant with our daughter. Digital marketing was just getting started and I knew this was the future. This was the time to jump into that world because at my old company I didn’t feel like I was going to get anywhere. I was always on call 24/7 where I sometimes had to wake up at 2 in the morning and go downtown because the system wasn’t remotely accessible”.
During his career Tanguay said his best skill he acquired was listening to his clients. “After meeting them and listening to what they want for their business you get to find what problems they’re facing. An important skill for digital marketing is pinpointing the source of the problem. You need to define your marketing message, is it resonating with the people you think it resonates with? Have you defined a client avatar? These are important questions I ask my clients in order to establish what direction they want to take their business.” In Nord Marketing Tanguay says he requires honesty in order to work with his clients. “People want results quickly and sometimes I have to tell people it will take a little longer than what they originally planned. When they hear that sometimes they’re not the happiest but to do my job correctly I’m transparent and honest with them just like how I expect them to be with me.”
When it comes to working in the MetSpace lounge Tanguay says “The space is well laid out. It’s modern, bright and it feels more like home than an office space. The staff are great and available if you have any problems or questions. Other offices I visited were dark, small and confined spaces. Here it’s more open and it’s easy to find a spot where I can work quietly and take my phone calls in private. It’s a home away from home”.