Michelle Symonds, founder of Ditto Digital. (Credit: Courtesy of Ditto Digital)
She’ll Overhaul Your SEO Strategy
Michelle Symonds tapped into her years of experience in a variety of industries to launch her own long-lasting marketing business.
Michelle Symonds has a diverse resume: A career as a geophysicist working in the oil industry, then IT at a Fortune 500 company. But when Symonds became a mother, her priorities shifted, and she wanted to center her children. But she knew she wouldn’t have freedom or control over her own schedule as long as she continued working in a corporate world. So, in 2009, she launched Ditto Digital, a digital marketing and SEO strategies agency. Over the last 14 years, Symonds has developed a unique, data-led perspective on business outreach and consumer engagement that attracts and retains clients – and lets her maintain the schedule she desires.
Here’s our lightly edited Q&A, from The Story Exchange 1,000+ Stories Project.
How is your business different from others in your industry?
We approach digital marketing from a logical, evidence-based perspective.
Tell us about your biggest success so far.
For one of our earliest clients (who remains a client to this day, 10 years on), I increased site traffic by 320% in two years’ time through a comprehensive SEO campaign. This enabled the small company to successfully compete in organic searches with more high-profile brands.
What is your top challenge and how have you addressed it?
Scaling up. My approach is to build a team that I can trust, who share my values of doing what is right for our clients, instead of what is easy for us.
What is your biggest tip for other startup entrepreneurs?
The best time to start a business is today (to paraphrase a Chinese proverb), so don’t worry about not being quite ready. Businesses have to adapt and evolve to remain successful, so don’t waste time and energy trying to make your business perfect at launch. That’s something I learnt from my software engineering days – that it’s better to launch a product ahead of the competition, than launch a perfect product after them.
When you accept that the business won’t be perfect initially (if ever), it gives you the freedom to change your mind, and to change the way the business works. You can even change focus, or change the people. These shifts will likely be necessary along the way, so view them as a normal part of running a business.
How do you find inspiration on your darkest days?
I live and work within walking distance of open countryside and woodlands, so a stroll in nature is always my best source of inspiration. It provides physical exercise – especially as it is very hilly where I live – and enables me to think clearly, which helps me put problems into perspective.
What is your go-to song to get motivated on tough days?
“Bittersweet Symphony” by The Verve.
Who is your most important role model?
Martha Lane Fox. She’s not only a great example of a female entrepreneur –she co-founded lastminute.com, and is on the board of various TV channels and brands such as Marks & Spencer – but she is also a human rights, women’s rights and social justice advocate.
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