Kyrsten Ilejay

As an Associate Director of Paid Search at GroupM, I led the strategic direction and execution of paid search campaigns across various platforms for a diverse portfolio of clients. My role focused on optimizing campaign performance, driving client satisfaction, and leading a team of digital marketing professionals.

Key Responsibilities:

• Strategy & Leadership: Developed and executed paid search strategies across Google Ads, Bing, and other platforms, aligning with client objectives.
• Client Management: Acted as primary point of contact, delivering data-driven insights and fostering strong, long-term client relationships.
• Team Leadership: Managed and mentored a team, providing training and ensuring high performance in campaign execution.
• Campaign Optimization: Led optimization efforts for keywords, bids, ad copy, and landing pages to improve CTR, CPA, and ROAS.
• Budget & Forecasting: Managed multi-million dollar budgets, optimizing spend and forecasting future campaign needs.
• Cross-Functional Collaboration: Partnered with internal teams to integrate search strategies with broader digital marketing efforts.
• Reporting & Insights: Delivered performance reports using Google Analytics and Search Ads 360, providing actionable recommendations.
• Innovation: Stayed current with trends and leveraged new tools to continuously evolve campaign strategies.
• Process Improvement: Implemented best practices for campaign management to improve efficiency and scalability.
• Risk Management: Proactively addressed underperforming campaigns, making adjustments to meet KPIs.

As a Paid Search Manager at GroupM, I was responsible for executing and optimizing paid search campaigns to meet clients' performance goals. I collaborated closely with internal teams and clients to drive measurable results, providing hands-on management of campaigns across various platforms, including Google Ads and Bing Ads.

Key Responsibilities:

• Campaign Management: Lead and optimize paid search campaigns (Google Ads, Bing) to drive client goals, including traffic, conversions, and revenue.
• Budget Oversight: Manage campaign budgets, ensuring efficient spend and maximum ROI while tracking performance.
• Keyword & Competitive Analysis: Conduct keyword research and competitor analysis to identify high-impact terms for targeted campaigns.
• Ad Copy & Creative Optimization: Collaborate with creative teams to develop and optimize ad copy for better CTR and conversion rates.
• Performance Reporting: Track key metrics (CPC, CTR, CPA, ROAS) and provide actionable insights and recommendations to improve results.
• Cross-Functional Collaboration: Align with internal teams (account managers, analysts) to shape and execute strategy.
• A/B Testing: Lead A/B testing for ads, landing pages, and bids to enhance campaign performance.
• Client Communication: Maintain client relationships, delivering performance updates and data-driven recommendations.
• Industry Trends: Stay current with trends, platform updates, and best practices to drive innovative strategies.
• Team Mentorship: Mentor junior team members, providing training and guidance on paid search best practices.

• Supported 15,000+ different designer fashion brands and managed $80M in ad spend per year across Google & Bing SEM platforms
• Lead strategy, created and optimized over 70,000 text ad campaigns with over 1M ads
• Collaborate cross-functionally to support all ongoing efforts and initiatives