How long have you been working in PPC?
I’ve been working in PPC since 2015. Time flies! I got my start at a digital marketing agency.
How did you get started in PPC?
I got my start at a digital marketing agency where they trained me from the ground up. I had no prior experience with PPC (didn’t even know what a keyword was!); however, I had a strong analytical background, which I think helped. That agency trained me from the ground up.
If you went to college or university, what did you study? If not college, do you have any other degrees or certifications?
I got my Bachelor of Science in Health Sciences and my Master’s in Healthcare Informatics. The data-driven side of PPC really spoke to me, but it took a bit for me to wrap my head around the more creative aspects of marketing.
What was your first job that involved PPC?
PPC analyst (I think we called ourselves Internet Marketing Analysts at the time, which seems like such an antiquated title!). I managed clients’ Google Ads and Microsoft Ads accounts and even had to deal with Yahoo Gemini when that was a thing.
What is your current position and how long have you been in it?
I’m currently the Director of Strategy at Saltbox Solutions, a B2B-focused demand gen agency. I oversee the overall agency strategy and develop the team, although I still have some client accounts that I manage directly to keep me sharp.
I’ve been in this role for 5 months now, although I previously worked at Saltbox Solutions from 2019 to 2022 in a senior PPC analyst capacity.
What kinds of things do you currently handle or manage in PPC?
The entire client relationship and PPC strategy, as well as hands-on implementation of those strategies for the accounts that I still manage.
I mostly work in Google Ads, Microsoft Ads, and LinkedIn Ads since we serve a lot of B2B clients. I take the overall goals that the client is looking to accomplish for the business as a whole, as well as their marketing strategies, and translate them into campaign plans that we can execute to reach those goals. I also help create landing pages and set up conversion tracking.
Has your career path had any hiccups or nontraditional aspects that you’d like to share?
Oh, for sure! I took an in-house marketing manager role at the beginning of 2022. Up until that point, my only marketing experience was agency-side. I wanted to get more experience outside of my PPC bubble.
I learned quite a bit, but ultimately was laid off in November of 2022. From there, I took on a Director of Marketing position at a small company. On paper, it seemed like the perfect opportunity, but the reality was very different. Let’s just say the company culture left a lot to be desired in terms of professionalism. I stuck it out for a year before going out on my own.
For all of 2024, I was a PPC freelancer, and it was great! I think that ultimately put me back on Saltbox’s radar, and they reached out in early 2025 asking if I would come back in a leadership capacity. After taking a while to consider it, I ultimately took the job and am loving it! It’s nice to be part of a team again and in an organization that supports my personal brand and me as a whole.
What are you most proud of in your PPC career?
I’m very proud of my 2024 freelance era. I’m very risk-averse, so it took me a while to get comfortable with the idea and make a plan for freelancing that wouldn’t leave me in a precarious financial situation. I used basically all of 2023 to boost my savings, so I didn’t feel pressured to have a full book of business the second I started freelancing.
I learned so much about myself, sales, marketing, and personal branding during that time. I feel like that experience made me a better marketer and leader. It was also a really cool time for me to do some of the things I always had a hunch would work in terms of marketing, but never got to actually do in my full-time roles.
What, if anything, do you wish you could “do over” in your PPC career?
Going in-house from 2022 to 2024 was kind of a pivotal timeframe in terms of PPC. Since I stepped outside the realm of PPC during that time, I feel like I almost missed the boat with PMax and other newer campaign types. I wish I had stayed closer to the industry during that time, but I ended up catching up eventually!
If you could give advice to someone either considering or just starting out in PPC, what would that be?
Be curious, ask a lot of questions, and try to find a mentor (or at least seek out knowledge from a reputable source like Jyll Saskin Gales). I was lucky that I learned PPC in a structured environment led by internal experts. For that reason, I would suggest joining an agency if you don’t have any experience and are looking to build a career in the industry.
Another piece of advice is that PPC is very different from when I started in 2015, but a lot of the general concepts are the same – you want to grow profitable revenue from your advertising. So don’t get too wrapped up in the details and complexities of an account.
Are you interested in speaking opportunities? If so, what topics are your jam?
Yes! I really enjoy talking about B2B demand gen strategies, copywriting, agency leadership/client retention, decision-making frameworks, and more tactically LinkedIn Ads. I’ve also been advising clients on their content strategy for organic LinkedIn posts with the goal of using those posts as LinkedIn thought leader ads. I’ve had very positive feedback about those conversations.
Anything else you’d like to share?
That’s pretty much it! I love meeting people and chatting, so feel free to reach out!
Where can people find you to connect (Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook, etc.)? Please provide handle or URL for your profile.
I’m on LinkedIn and Substack. My Substack is a free, weekly-ish newsletter where I talk about PPC and B2B marketing in general. It’s a good time! Links are below
LinkedIn – https://www.linkedin.com/in/emilylwood/
Substack – https://emilywoodmarketing.substack.com/