Interview with the Head of the Payop Marketing team

Marketing trends, customer loyalty and more: Interview with the Head of the Payop Marketing team

We continue to introduce you to the key players of the Payop team. This time, we talked with Maksym Sokur, the Head of our Marketing team, about his journey in marketing, customer loyalty, industry trends, and forecasts.

 → Can you please tell about the beginning of your journey in marketing?

Maksym Sokur: I started as a content editor at a small marketing agency and stayed there long enough to try different roles and learn a lot about marketing. I was lucky to have such an opportunity, and am grateful for that experience.

 → In your experience, what are the most effective channels for marketing businesses online?

M.S.: In the past years we’ve seen Ads become more accurate, more personalised, and trickier to spot in some cases. This ongoing trend will only pick up as new technology advances.

But some basic principles still hold: you need to run PPC Ads, you need good SEO optimisation, active social media presence, video Ads, and, of course, good old email marketing. These are the pillars that basically any online business should consider.

 → How do you assess various international markets’ cultural differences and preferences when developing marketing strategies? How important is localisation in general?

M.S.: When working with international markets, it is extremely important to consider local culture, traditions, as well as current events. Even a well-designed campaign launched at the wrong time can do more damage than good.

The same goes for localisation. Simply translating your ads is not enough because they might be perceived as strange and foreign at best. So, getting a local marketing expert might be a good idea.

 → What role do customer reviews and testimonials play in generating leads?

M.S.: Overall, even with the rise of fake reviews in recent years, customer feedback remains one of the key factors when making a purchase decision. This is true both for a small Amazon seller and a premium B2B service company.

 → What are some effective ways for companies to build brand loyalty and foster long-term customer relationships?

M.S.: I believe any relationship should be built on trust. That’s why at Payop, we have a pre-check procedure where we assess the possibility of our partnership before moving forward. It’s better to spend some extra time at the beginning than to be left disappointed later if it turns out that we don’t match.

Also, I think it’s important to be transparent. We want to work and grow together, so let’s be open about our failures and successes. These are pretty simple rules, but they have certainly stood the test of time.

 → Looking ahead, what emerging trends or technologies do you believe will shape the digital marketing landscape?

M.S.: We can see how AI is already changing every aspect of our lives. Generated content, paired with AR or VR and deep personalisation, will open the door to creating some unbelievable experiences we could only dream of a few years ago.

Learn how Payop builds partnerships with the merchant in the interview with the Account Manager Team Lead.