In addition to playing a key role in recruitment, Natasha is also somewhat surprisingly the only female gamer based in our Sydney office. Known among her colleagues and clients for having a great memory and being a real go-getter, Natasha recently joined the Sales team for a new adventure.

In this edition of Meet an Alchemist, Natasha tells us more about what makes her world go round.

First things first, what led you to Digital Alchemy (DA)?

Like most people who are looking for a job, I started by submitting my resume to various companies that were hiring and kept my fingers crossed that I would land something. Fortunately, I got very lucky. DA is exactly the kind of challenge I was looking for: they have clients in a variety of industries, and focus on creating customer-oriented marketing solutions, all of which means the work is always intriguing. I just felt that DA offered a great opportunity to push myself.

If you would need to define your job in one word, what would it be?

Resourceful. Yes, definitely resourceful. I think I’m very good at using whatever tools are available to get the best results.

Now that you mention resourceful, has your perception about data-driven marketing changed since working for DA and what does data-driven marketing mean to you?

Simply put, before I joined DA, my understanding of data-driven marketing was that it involved using data to make smarter decisions. Since joining DA, I have found that being resourceful is a big part of this. DA is all about helping clients find solutions to their marketing problems. You can’t just pick a solution “off the shelf”. You need to be resourceful to make sure you create the best solution for each client.

From what I see and hear when I talk to people in the industry, I would say that being data-driven is a goal that all marketers aim for. As marketers, we might try to connect with customers in ‘real time’, send the right offer at the right moment, or just wanting to have a single view of our consumers, but to me, these are all just different stages on the journey towards being “data-driven”. I have found that understanding this complexity well enough to create a simple solution is a journey on which you have to be resourceful.

What’s exciting you about the industry right now?

The amount of data and technology available can be overwhelming. But you can react in two ways: you can let it paralyse you or you can get excited about all the possibilities it offers. Personally, it excites me.

The challenge is not just about finding insights from available data or using the right tool. There is the expectation that you need to be proficient at everything from content writing and email marketing, all the way to using data and technology to be operationally efficient and deliver meaningful communications at scale. The constant struggle to keep up is becoming increasingly difficult, but it’s a challenge that really excites me.

Where do you turn for inspiration?

Inspiration can come from anywhere, if you keep your mind open to new ideas and concepts. For me, I can find inspiration from the smallest of things, like scrolling through LinkedIn articles.

What do you enjoy most when you’re not working?

When I’m not working, you can find me spending endless hours playing all kinds of computer games, ranging from FPS and RPG to time simulation management games. That doesn’t mean I’m not an outdoors person though. I also love fishing or taking my dog out for long walks. Other than that, you’ll find me hanging out with my friends and family.

And finally, what are the secrets to your success in making positive connections with customers?

I’d say being a great listener and actually caring make a difference. When you take the time to learn about your customer, their interests and what they care about, you’ve won half the battle already.