A six year veteran of Seer, Francis was promoted to Director of PPC in April 2016. Starting in our Philly office, Francis moved out to our San Diego office last year to help grow the team and enjoy the weather. He’s probably too modest to share this, but Francis has an incredible eye for strategy and has been helping to grow our PPC division since his first day.
We recently caught up with Francis to learn more about him and his vision for Seer’s PPC division. Continue reading to find out which beer is currently serving as Francis’ go to brew, the # 1 concert on his bucket list, and what it’s like to progress in your career at Seer.
- Name: Francis Shovlin
- Title: Director of PPC
- Location: San Diego, CA
- Education: Bloomsburg University, BS in Mathematics
- Fun Fact: Driven across the country 3 times, the last being my move to San Diego in Sept. 2015
Who’s Francis Shovlin?
Tell us a little about who you are
Outside of paid search, I love attending concerts regularly. I also enjoy playing guitar, running/working out, and enjoying some fine beers.
What’s your go-to beer at the moment? Any good recommendations?
Go-to beer at the moment is anything Modern Times, more specifically the Fortunate Islands. When in Philly, I’m always on the lookout for a few breweries: Tired Hands, Dogfish Head, Neshaminy Creek, and Weyerbacher.
What is the one concert that is #1 on your bucket list?
More so looking to attend certain venues. Red Rocks and the Gorge are definitely on the top of that list.
What interested you most about PPC?
With my background and natural curiosity in math, all the data that is provided on an hourly and daily basis was incredibly eye-opening. Being able to see how users behaved on a website and make data-driven decisions based on that information is what has kept me in the game for so long...along with all the killer people I’ve worked with throughout the years.
Where were you before you came to Seer? (If applicable)
Worked at an agency based in Wilkes-Barre, PA. They were bought out by GSI Commerce prior to my departure, and eventually eBay. They recently broke away and revived their previous name, Pepperjam.
When and what brought you to Seer?
I joined the Seer team in Dec 2010 to conquer more challenges and learn new skills as a PPC Account Manager.
What gets you most excited to come to work every day?
The people and the challenge. I hate when I’m not learning something new and when things become routine. At Seer, there is always something to crack, whether it be for a client or a new internal process. Also, seeing how dedicated everyone is to helping solve issues provides the energy for me to consistently strive to be the best I can be.
What’s the biggest career achievement you’ve had and why?
Without a doubt, jumping into my most recent role at Seer as Director of PPC. My focus has always been to provide a great service for my clients and collaborate with team members to help each other learn & grow. Now I can bring that same influence to all of our clients and team while finding new ways we can continue to improve as a company.
Leading Seer’s PPC Division
What are your goals for your division?
Continue to provide exceptional service, grow our clients because we’re exceeding their goals, and attract the talent that can live up to those expectations.
What is your ultimate vision for Seer’s PPC teams?
Expand our paid services beyond our focus of search. We’ve been playing in the paid social market for many years now and I expect us to continue building that offering. But there is also great opportunity within display, outside of what’s available in the Google Display Network, and native advertising that we’ve just started to graze.
Describe the collaborative environment between you and your team
We encourage all team members to level each other up. Some of Seer’s values tie directly to that (“Share what you learn”, “kaizen”, “grant the gift of failure”, etc.).
What are a few of the biggest learning experiences you’ve had at Seer?
One of the biggest learning experiences I’ve had was “grant the gift of failure”. If you’re not failing periodically, you’re likely not trying hard enough. Or as Michael Scott once said, “‘You miss 100% of the shots you don’t take’ - Wayne Gretzky”.
What is the most important piece of advice you could give in regards to PPC?
Learn how to translate what you’re doing in a way any marketer can understand. You may be producing great results, but if you can’t explain the value of that to someone who doesn’t grasp digital, you’re missing out. As Einstein once said, “If you can't explain it simply, you don't understand it well enough.” More tactically, always triple check your changes. One decimal place change can equate to a big mistake.
Life at Seer
What’s it like to work at Seer?
Fast-paced, always evolving.
What’s your career progression been like at Seer & what opportunities have helped you grow here?
I’ve gone through a few positions since my time started at Seer in December 2010. I came in as a PPC Account Manager, working closely with Associates on a handful of projects to develop and execute strategies to hit our clients’ goals. Over the past three years, I was operating as a Team Lead overseeing a team ranging at times from 6-12 people. As Team Lead, I worked closely with Account Managers and Associates to ensure we were delivering on our promises, educating and mentoring folks to progress professionally, and developing long-lasting relationship with our clients. Most recently, I assumed the Director of PPC position.
You’ve been at Seer for awhile now, what’s been the biggest change you’ve seen since you’ve started?
The biggest change has been the increase of emails. Kidding aside, the biggest changes have been our service offerings, and the opening of our San Diego office and new Philly offices.
When I started in the Philly office, we were in the same building we are in today but only ½ of a floor. Now we occupy 5 floors and have an office of 20+ in SD.
For offerings, we focused on only PPC and SEO. Those are still our bread & butter, but we have expanded to Analytics, Paid Social, Design/Creative, Content, Content Acceleration (Native Advertising)... with many more to come!
What are some of the things you’ve struggled with during your time at Seer?
Time management. You are trusted to run with a lot, empowered more than any other place I’ve seen, and are given plenty of opportunities. Learning how to manage your time wisely, and understanding when you should or shouldn’t say ‘no’ was key for my own development, and others who may have felt the impact if I over-promised.
Any fun vacation plans this year using Seer’s unlimited PTO?
Being a recent SD transplant, I’ll be using my time to go back home to visit family and celebrate me and my wife’s impromptu Vegas wedding with friends & family.
