“Never Discourage Creativity and Excitement,” says Senné Marketing Manager

Throughout my life I have been fortunate to meet many people from all walks of life and have been told by many of my friends and family that I was always the connector among us. The Carey Connector is a way of bringing new connections together each month through interviews with local service providers and my team members at Senné.

This month the Carey Connector features Dana Gooley, Marketing Manager at Senné.

Carey Connector Team Member Interview May 2019

Dana Gooley, Marketing Manager at Senné

1. How did you get into your current profession?

I graduated from American University with a degree in broadcast journalism and immediately started working the overnight shift at a 24-hour news radio station in Washington, D.C. After a year of living nocturnally, I had enough. I spent another year volunteering through AmeriCorps and got a lot of excellent hands-on marketing training. I found Senné after my service year was over, and I've been here ever since.  

2. What do you like most about being in your profession?

I like that each day is different. On Monday I might be working on marketing materials for a multi-million dollar development and by Wednesday I'm planning a recruiting event for leasing associates and Friday I'm thinking about UX and web design. My skills are varied so it's nice to work for a company that encourages me to use all of them.

3. What don’t you like about your profession?

The work is never, ever done! Especially in my current role, as myself and my team of two are responsible for all marketing efforts for the entire company. Once I finish one project there are already ten more piled up on the desk waiting for me. While it's exciting and rewarding, it can be overwhelming trying to make every great idea happen. I also wish I had more time to work on associate-specific marketing and get everyone on the Senné team set up with the same great promotional tools!

4. What’s the greatest challenge you see right now in this profession?

From my perspective, I believe the greatest challenge is that marketing is very tied to trends, more than people realize. Similar to how designers have to keep on top of what’s in and out of style, marketers have to be up to date on just about everything within the spheres of social media, advertising, and even technology and human behavior. For example, if I’m going to create a marketing campaign for one of our properties, I need to take all of those things into consideration. I need to know how much text and which hashtags to post, what tone of voice to strike and which keywords to use in order to reach the type of buyer we’re looking for and which photos to use based on what the trending interior styles are at the moment so I can get more likes and put the post in front of a larger audience. I also need to know what the majority of our followers are using to look at our campaigns, computer or mobile, which lets me know what time I need to post in order to catch the largest number of people using their devices to look at social media. All that for one post! It’s a lot of work but it’s very interesting, and the more you do it the more you learn. 

5. What are your plans to overcome this challenge?

I work very hard at keeping my finger on the pulse of effective marketing strategies by consuming as much information about it as I can, whether that's through blogs, social media accounts, podcasts and videos or by talking to other people in the industry. I also trust my own experiences and use my best judgement. If the trend of the moment doesn’t feel true to the core Senné brand, I don’t go for it. I err on the side of traditional, tried and true strategies, but it doesn’t mean I don’t know what’s new and exciting!

6. If I was going to ask a colleague or client what makes you good at your profession, what would they say?

I think my colleagues would say that I am open to any idea and I will do my best to make it happen. While I’m strict about brand standards, I never discourage creativity and excitement. This is how I make sure each Senné associate has their own distinct personal brand that they can be proud of, while still staying within the bounds of the company’s identity. I believe in the power of personality and I always encourage colleagues to let their charisma and character color their marketing efforts. I think that’s what makes our marketing materials as interesting and varied as they are. 

7. What are your passions outside of your profession?

I am really interested in local history and pretty much any minor historical fact can send me into an hours-long fact-finding mission to learn everything I can about it. My topic of choice is the Boston mob wars in the 60s and 70s, but I’ve yet to find a bar trivia night for that.

8. What charitable organization(s) are you involved with?

I volunteer with two organizations that mean a lot to me. Through Citizen Schools, I am a mentor and writing coach for two wonderful eighth grade students named James and Destiny, who are set to graduate middle school in June. I’m so, so proud of them. I also tutor and play soccer with a big group of students in my neighborhood in East Boston through Soccer Without Borders. Both organizations are making huge differences in the lives of the students that they serve and I’m really honored to be a part of both of them. 

9. What book title or author are you reading these days?

I am slowly working my way through two enormous books -  The Goldfinch by Donna Tartt and 2666 by Roberto Bolaño. I’ve read 2666 before but I think I could read it 10 times and still find something new in it.

10. What are you currently listening to on your music app or podcast?

I’ve been in a great mood lately, now that the sun is finally out for good. My go-to right now is a playlist from NPR Music called “Roséwave: Your Summer Soundtrack."

10. What is some good advice you can give to people new to your profession?

My best advice is to consume, consume, consume. Fill your mind with as many examples of good and bad marketing as you can, so you can refine your understanding of what works and what doesn’t. Also, don’t forget to crunch those numbers! Data is the key to understanding whether your creative efforts are paying off or not. 

Dana has been an incredible addition to the team at Senné by helping to take our marketing to the next level as the real estate services we provide have expanded and accelerated.

To learn more about the incredible charitable organizations that Dana is involved with please follow the links to their websites referenced above.

To learn more about how the marketing team at Senné can help deliver cutting edge content and processes for your property portfolio contact me at 781-964-6236 or reach out directly to marketing@sennere.com to schedule a meeting and evaluate available options.