Welcome to the latest edition of our ‘Under the Hood’ blog series, where we meet the people who make New Zealand’s amazing IT industry tick. For this blog we caught up with Kristina Trood, the General Manager for Results First, an SEO and Online Marketing company based in Australia and New Zealand.
Read and watch on to find out more about Kristina, her career progression to this point, her advice and opinions for those looking to start out in this exciting industry, as well as her interesting (and slightly controversial!) insight into what the future of the industry could hold.
Meeting Kristina
Kristina began her career in traditional print marketing, but quickly discovered that businesses were finding more value online. Kristina’s career is a lesson to us all in the importance of foresight, and shows us how seizing an opportunity in an emerging industry can pay off in a big way.
Watch the below video to discover more about Kristina’s career so far, and what her day-to-day life is like managing a young and dynamic office.
Advice to New Starters
Much has been said about the importance of knowledge and experience over qualifications, and Kristina’s advice is along the same lines. Just a degree won’t guarantee you a job straight out of University, but keeping up with trends and news will be of great help.
In the video below, Kristina goes over some of the forums and self-learning programmes you can use to your advantage when preparing yourself for the industry.
A Controversial Future
With SEO and Online Marketing still being relatively new fields, there are many directions that their futures can take. Kristina believes that the future of SEO and Online Marketing is tied to finding ways to add value while still remaining as transparent as possible, and believes that developments like automation present some exciting opportunities in relation to this.
Although a lot can happen in five years, Kristina thinks the online marketing landscape is due a huge shift. Watch the video below detailing what she thinks the future of Online Marketing looks like, including the possibility of a world free from Google.
Thanks
A huge thanks to Kristina for taking part in the series by sharing her experiences, insights and advice.
Keep an eye out for the next ‘Under the Hood’ blog, and get in touch if you think your role or career would provide valuable insight for others in the industry.