Mantas Mereckis is a prime example of what can potentially come about when a laser-focus is compiled with passion for bettering an industry. His field of marketing has seen no shortage of innovative side-steps and supplementary pathways to being the indefinable concept it is to this day.
While the simple summation of getting the right eyes in front of the right products is an obvious one, there are many ingredients that go into the equation that are often overlooked by competitors and those with a severe lack of hindsight and awareness.
Mantas Mereckis breaks the mold so to speak by asking the right questions to the right people, recognizes the importance of data, and through his extensive experience in his short career – learned that not every company is ready for a full-scale campaign. He took the time to answer a few questions about his origins, his adaptation to the COVID-19 pandemic, and the 3 most important factors in a successful marketing agency.
Hi Mantas, can you begin by introducing yourself?
Hi. I am a digital advertising specialist and a performance advertising team lead at Media House with more than four years of experience in the field of digital marketing. I’m currently 24 years old, but I’ve been running and testing out advertising campaigns since I was 16. That’s when I created my first pages on Facebook and ran ads using the money I had saved up from part-time jobs, birthday parties, etc.
When did you become interested in advertising?
I became interested in advertising when I was very young. I’d say around 15. Back then I believed that I’d either be a musical artist or own my own recording studio because I was so in love with music and the music business. The more I learned about the business, the more I realized that advertising was a huge part of getting your name out there. That’s when I first started looking into advertising and it snowballed from there.
Where do you operate and with what industries?
I’m currently based in Lithuania. This is where I freelance and work full-time at an agency called Media House. Media House is part of Wavemaker which is the second largest media agency network in the world. We work with many different types of brands and businesses. From local companies to brands known around the world such as Toyota, Lidl and others.
When a new client comes to you in need of digital marketing help, what’s the first step you take to get things started on the right foot?
The very first thing we attempt to understand is where the client is at in their business journey, where they think they are and where they want to be. From there, we can piece together a strategy that works for them.
What are the most common mistakes made by customers looking for advertising campaigns help?
Most of the customers that we turn down are companies that are either unsure of where they’re at or are trying to move too fast. Moving too fast means that they are eager to jump straight into generating sales, but don’t want to take the time to really understand the market or their target audience. This can often lead to overspending, distrust in the fundamentals of marketing and of course – lack of sales.
In your opinion, how important is data in the world of digital marketing? Is there anything more critical than it these days?
Saying that data is extremely valuable would be an understatement. Some of the biggest headaches among digital marketers are caused by issues related to data. This includes website visitor tracking issues, marketing data collection and much more. Data is a vital part of making digital marketing work. It allows for better results for marketers and a better consumer experience for their target audience.
How has your business been combatting the COVID-19 pandemic, and how will you help your customers?
The breakout of Covid-19 was, without a doubt, a tough period for many agencies around the world. We were no exception. In the beginning, we saw a sudden drop in advertising budgets and campaigns. Fortunately, many of our customers were quick to jump into the digital space with ecommerce stores and did the best they could to continue providing their loyal customers with the products and services they needed. As an agency, our job was to make sure that we maintained effective communication between our clients and their customers. To this day, we continue offering new and innovative ways for our clients to make the best out of the digital space.
In your view, what are the three most important things every marketing company needs to be successful?
That’s easy: extraordinarily driven teams, open-minded clients and a mutual love for marketing.
Mantas, thank you for your time!
You can follow up with Mantas Mereckis at Twitter @MantasMereckis or Instagram @mantasmer and connect via LinkedIn here.
