Catalyst Employee Spotlight: Andra Richardson

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.

Andra Richardson, Manager, Digital Commerce, CatalystMeet Andra

Name: Andra Richardson

Title: Manager, Digital Commerce

How long have you worked at Catalyst?

I have been at Catalyst for three months. 

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

I have worked in digital for about eight years. Since I’ve always been an entrepreneur in addition to working full-time at different companies, I’ve worked with everyone from small business clients to retailers like CVS, Bed Bath & Beyond, Buy Buy Baby, Office Depot, and a host of national brands.

How did you get your start in digital?

I started off freelancing during undergrad, working on social for a small business fashion client. Later, I started my own fashion and lifestyle blog where I taught myself SEO. A few years into my corporate career, I transitioned from merchandising to the copywriting team at Ashley Furniture where I had the opportunity to further my SEO knowledge. After that, I moved from client-side to agency life at Triad where I continued to work on SEO and eventually entered the world of paid search.

What do you like most about working at Catalyst?

I love the people and really appreciate the connections I’ve made in just a few months. Everyone has been super supportive and collaborative, and I’ve already grown so much.

What has been your greatest achievement or success in digital?

My greatest success has been leading the day-to-day sponsored products ads (SPA) campaign efforts at Triad. I was able to adapt and learn quickly at Triad, which led to achieving a ROAS amount 281% above benchmark for the campaigns I was managing at the time. Along the way, I also began managing an additional team to help with SPA campaign management, and it was one of the most valuable experiences.

In your opinion, what is the most important digital trend or change for 2021?

I’d have to say page experience. No matter if we’re talking about a company website or a brand’s PDP on a retailer website, it’s important to make sure you’re providing the best experience for users, whether that be through mobile-friendliness, page speed, content, accessibility, or otherwise.

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?

There’s no better time than now to integrate search into your digital strategy. I would just advise that advertisers make sure their content is relevant, accurate, and engaging before investing in paid campaigns. Things like not having enticing and clear images, not fully explaining the benefits of an item, lacking customer reviews, and failing to optimize other PDP elements can negatively affect the performance of sponsored product campaigns, especially if it’s a new brand or product.

Remember — a paid campaign will bring a shopper to you, but it’s the content that will keep them there and convert them.

Share a fun fact about yourself

I love writing haiku poetry. Before COVID, I would go take a walk around the lake by the office almost every day and find a spot to sit and just write. I hope to publish a book of my poems next year.

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