Industry rising star Mary Maidiotis, Marketing Executive, Somfy Oceania

Mary was initially brought on board at Somfy to spearhead digital marketing, a role that allowed her to leverage her experience to date. “I was excited by the opportunity to build an online presence from scratch. While Somfy Oceania had a Facebook and LinkedIn page, neither of them was being utilised or getting any traction. We not only needed to be present on digital, but we needed to be active and become a leader in our industry. Since then, my role has expanded to include more than just digital marketing and so early last year I moved into the Marketing Executive role which has been more challenging yet very exciting.”

In terms of training and professional development, the rapid pace of change in the sphere in which she works has required continual evolution. “Digital marketing is different to most roles in that any training you undertake will be out of date faster than you can say ‘Instagram’. The landscape is always evolving so it can be tough to stay on top of training and keep up with the changes to platforms and how to use algorithms to your advantage. I love attending expos and hearing keynotes from people in similar roles who can share their success stories and wealth of knowledge. Success is also a lot about setting aside time to read and research trends and best practices from other industries, and there are so many great resources available online such as Google’s Digital Garage and Facebook Blueprint. I’m also very lucky that Somfy has such a great network worldwide and we are constantly sharing knowledge and best practices within the group. Last year, Somfy held digital training in Singapore and it was great to learn new things but also to share tips and tricks with our international colleagues.”

In a role that requires Mary to “wear a lot of hats” no one day looks quite like the other. “While some of my peers in similar marketing roles focus on one specialty, my role can consist of anything from developing content for social, managing our five websites, sending out email communication to our customers, updating brochures and creating new marketing material, or even planning Somfy events! I thrive in a busy environment and the vast range of responsibilities in my role ensures I’m never bored.”

The creativity of her role is one of its key attractions, she says, but ironically it’s also an ongoing test. “It can be difficult coming up with new content each week, especially on social. We are active on Facebook (both for Somfy and Somfy Electrical Services), LinkedIn, Instagram, Pinterest and YouTube. Coming up with different content each week can sometimes be a challenge, it does start to feel monotonous and then you come up with a great idea and it gets you motivated all over again.”

“Having said that, without a doubt, the breadth of creativity I’m allowed is incredible. As I mentioned, a lot of the stuff I am doing, particularly on social, is new for the Somfy world and I have a certain degree of freedom in my content creation. I’m able to experiment and test new ways to engage with our audience and I certainly enjoy being able to own our Somfy platforms.”

“Another key challenge is supporting our customers in terms of digital. We have such a wide range of customers that it can be difficult to find the right mix of advising and supporting. When I spoke on digital marketing at SuperExpo last year, it was tricky finding the right balance on what to present on. Some of our Experts are quite advanced in their digital marketing and I still wanted them to get something beneficial out of it. That’s why I like to take time and speak to our customers individually when they’re looking to update their website or work on their content, as a personalised approach really does work best.”

Outside of digital marketing, the events aspect of her role offers different challenges and perspectives. “It’s not just about throwing a party and ordering Somfy-branded macarons and cupcakes! I like creating an experience for our customers that will stick in their mind and the thrill of the lead-up to the event when you’re so busy you can’t wait for it to be over. After the event, I look back at how well it came together and how exciting it was and then I can’t wait to do it all over again!”

Looking ahead, Mary has clearly defined ambitions both for the business and for herself. 

“For Somfy, I’d really love to continue growing digitally and become a leader in this field. I want our business to be one that not only our international colleagues look to when it comes to digital, but our customers too.”

“Personally, there is no limit to my ambitions. The window furnishings industry is much like the world of digital – it is changing and evolving at a rapid rate and I love being a part of it. I am always trying to come up with new ideas and projects to boost our relationship with our customers and improve the experience of end users. I am excited to see what challenges the future holds.”.

In the immediate short term, the current Covid-19 crisis has given this rising star plenty to think about. 

“Although this has been a truly devastating time for so many people, I have been trying to make the most out of a bad situation,” she says. “When I am in the office, I’m always busy completing urgent tasks and I think it’s important that we take time to work on improving what we are currently doing, whether that be through new training or just setting time aside to brainstorm new ideas.”

“Working from home over the last few months, while I have still been relatively busy in my role with day-to-day communication, we’ve unfortunately had to cancel the customer events we had planned, so I have a bit of spare time on my hands to think of new ways we can improve our marketing, engagement with end-users and better support our customers. It’s been good to slow down and improve on what we already have, including things like our website and working on our strategy and customer communication.”