Dylan Stone is a man who wears many hats. You might consider this a bit uncommon for someone with such fabulous hair, but we mean it in the proverbial sense of the phrase. And even this is rare because he’s quite comfortable wearing them all.
Okay, let’s dive in a bit deeper. Dylan is our Digital Account Manager. He just celebrated his one-year anniversary with Willow, but his multi-talented impact makes it feel like he’s been on the team for much longer. You see, he contributes much more than your typical account manager. Hence, the “many hats” reference. Dylan excels in all of the areas that are essential to effective account management but then takes it to another level with his expertise in digital strategy. He has a passion for data and geeks out on what those numbers reveal for our clients. His Google Analytics certification allows him to create meaningful custom dashboards to track key metrics. That means our team’s creative work not only gets immediate results but we can monitor progress to ensure continued success.
Sound a bit confusing? It certainly can be, and that’s why it’s so important to have someone like Dylan in this role. Because all of those complex analytics don’t mean much unless someone can thoughtfully articulate what they mean and then make creative suggestions for how to capitalize on the opportunities the information reveals. For Dylan, it all begins with excellent communication.
“First and foremost, everyone needs to understand the WHY,” explains Dylan. “We begin by determining what our clients are currently doing, then listen to what they actually want to do. After studying the metrics, we can bridge that gap and find a solution that achieves those goals. The data tells us the why, then we come up with the how.”
Not everyone can do all of that, but Dylan’s rare combination of right- and left-brained skills uniquely qualify him for the critical tasks of listening, analyzing, creating, and evaluating, all while keeping the conversation alive and engaged. As a photographer with a background in design, Dylan is just as effective in a brainstorming session as he is sifting through numbers. He’s also just a genuinely nice guy with a remarkable knack for connecting with everyone. All of these qualities give him a high level of credibility amongst everyone with whom he collaborates–from our creative team to the digital developers to our clients. And with that comes trust, which is the most important value of all.
“Whether it’s web design or a traditional print promotion, we never stop with simply providing the marketing product we all set out to create. The process continues as we measure the results and ensure it is working the way it should to achieve what we know it can. One of the most rewarding parts of my job is sharing those results with our clients so they can see the difference for themselves. It’s all about being the best partner we can be,” explains Dylan.
Dylan’s superior communication skills bring real value to his account management responsibilities, and not just because he’s adept at backing up amazing ideas with hard data and then explaining it in a way we can all understand. It also has practical benefits, like minimizing billable hours. “I make sure everyone is involved and informed throughout the project, and always stay on top of who’s doing what. It makes everything incredibly efficient because I can get immediate action from the graphic design or digital production team. Rather than tracking someone down, scheduling a meeting, and spending time bringing them up to speed, I can confidently accomplish that in a five-minute e-chat because everyone’s always on the same page.”
So, it makes perfect sense why all of these many hats fit so comfortably, right? It might be the great hair, but it probably has a lot more to do with the fact that he’s using his entire brain below it (from wide-open creativity to detailed analytics) to achieve that snug and comfortable fit.
