Catalyst Employee Spotlight: Amie DeCosta

You can have the best data and most sophisticated tools, but it doesn’t mean anything without great people. Fortunately, at Catalyst, we have no shortage of great people. From Search Associates to Search Directors, and from Project Managers to Managing Partners, each member of the Catalyst team is committed to maximizing client business results and making Catalyst a world-class agency. Read our Employee Spotlight series to meet some of the team members responsible for making Catalyst an all-star agency partner and a great place to work.

Meet Amie

Name: Amie DeCosta

Title: Project Director, Partner

How long have you worked at Catalyst?

I have been part of the Catalyst team for 10 years.

How long have you worked in digital l and what type of clients have you worked on? 

I’ve worked in digital in some capacity for over 17 years, supporting clients in virtually every industry and vertical: from CPG to non-profit, high-tech to agriculture and everything in between.

How did you get your start in digital?

Years ago, when I was working in PR, a client asked me if a press release I’d written included search terms. The question kind of caught me off guard. I had included all the key details and context for the offering they were announcing. What more was there to do? I started reading about SEO and educating myself about how search engines work. It really changed the way I thought about promotional writing. Later, when the opportunity arose to join the Catalyst team, I was excited about the chance to dig in more.

What do you like most about working at Catalyst?

The people. Everyone is so collaborative and everyone’s ideas matter. I love working with them to bring new ideas to the table and help solve our clients’ challenges (even when not directly related to search). It’s great to be part of such a driven and innovative team. We truly learn from each other every day.

What has been your greatest achievement or success in digital?

Each of our clients has their own way of working, knowledge of search, goals and unique set of challenges. As a project director, my greatest achievement has been collaborating with them to successfully implement integrated processes that leverage search’s full potential. I enjoy helping our clients understand where our team needs to be incorporated, why, and working hand-in-hand with them to figure out how. When we’re able to partner closely and provide guidance at every stage of a project, those experiences are the most fulfilling for me because they drive the greatest results.

In your opinion, what is the most important digital trend or change for 2019?

There are so many changes reshaping the industry right now (voice search, privacy regulations, mobile-first), but one that’s top of mind on a daily basis is the increase of featured snippets, a.k.a. the “answer box” on the search results page. Secure one, and you gain key visibility for your site and brand. Don’t, and your position 1 ranking can suddenly be located halfway down the page. That said, we’ve actually seen some instances where traffic declined because users are getting the answers they need right there in the snippet. No clicks required. The ultimate challenge is to earn a featured snippet that still entices users to visit your site.

If you had to give one recommendation to an advertiser who wants to use search or social marketing to achieve business results, what would it be?

Incorporate search throughout your projects, not at the end of them. There’s so much more to search than meta data or ads pointing to existing content. Search data offers unique insight into how people are thinking about your product (is it a “power toothbrush” or an “electric toothbrush”?), the features they are interested in, the questions they have that you aren’t answering. To fully maximize the value of search, leverage your search team at every step of the development process and work with them to shape your site, content and even your offerings.

Share a fun fact about yourself

Once upon a time…I performed at Disney World when I was captain of my high school dance squad.

Why Amie Makes Us Proud

“A thought leader and master of operations, Amie not only creates a strategic project framework for our clients, but also drives her team to executional excellence. Her ability to create best-in-class solutions and transform them at a global scale, while managing the details with such precision, are just a few of the reasons we love Amie and are so happy she is part of the Catalyst family!” – Jennie Raleigh, Sr. Director of Project Management, Catalyst