Boosting Marketing ROI With Client-Centric Strategies | Emma Nowakoski from Modifly

Ernesto Quezada: Pathmonk is the intelligent tool for website lead generation. With increasing online competition, over 98% of website visitors don’t convert. The ability to successfully show your value proposition and support visitors in their buying journey separates you from the competition online. Pathmonk qualifies and converts leads on your website by figuring out where they are in the buying journey and influencing them in key decision moments with relevant micro-experiences like case studies, intro videos, and much more. Stay relevant to your visitors and increase conversions by 50%. Add Pathmonk to your website in seconds, let the AI do all the work, and gain access to 50% more qualified leads while you keep doing marketing and sales as usual. Check us out on pathmonk.com. Welcome to today’s episode! Let’s talk about today’s guest. We have Emma from Modifly, senior strategist for paid media there with them. How are you doing today, Emma?

Emma Nowakoski: I’m great. How are you?

Ernesto: I’m doing great, thank you so much for asking. I’m sure our listeners are tuning in wondering what Modifly is all about. So, let’s get into that. In your own words, can you tell us a little bit more?

Emma: Yeah, we are a digital marketing performance agency, kind of full-suite omnichannel marketing. We have a lot of B2C and B2B retail media clients. We’re located in San Diego, California. We’re a pretty small, fast-growing startup here, and yeah, we do everything from Google Ads management, meta retail management, strategy, and reporting for our clients. It’s really a custom-fit solution. We try to be very different from some of the larger agencies where everything is customized. We get to know our clients well, and really, performance is our main goal. Everything is data-driven; we’re trying to reach their goals.

Ernesto: Definitely important. So, for our listeners to understand Modifly better, what would you say is the key problem you help solve for your clients?

Emma: Yeah, I think we really come in as that custom fit. Like I’m saying, a lot of people aren’t happy with their current agency. They don’t feel like they’re getting the love or attention they need, and they don’t want to hire internally. That’s where they turn to us for creative ideas on how to revolutionize their business and take it to the next level. We keep up with trends, conduct testing, track optimizations, and share data. Many clients come to us not knowing how their marketing department is performing or if they’re hitting their goals. We are transparent, share ideas, track everything, and make frequent optimizations. We go deep into the weeds of marketing, ensuring it fits into a full-blown strategy. We present monthly and quarterly strategies for our clients and follow up on how results are doing.

Ernesto: Awesome, great to hear that. Is there a particular vertical or ideal ICP for Modifly?

Emma: Not really. We’re pretty industry-agnostic. We do have some B2B clients, but we also dive deep into CPG products. We work with many growth clients and enterprises, so it’s a wide mix. While we’re a small team, we’re expanding more into the CPG space, especially with food and beverage brands. But we’re pretty open—definitely industry-agnostic.

Ernesto: Perfect, awesome. So, if I were in the CPG business, how would I usually find out about Modifly? Is there a top client acquisition channel for you?

Emma: Not currently. Most of it is relationships we’ve built throughout the industry, just knowing different key players and building client relationships. Our client relationship strategy is strong because we try to get to know clients well. Often, it’s based on referrals. We are going through a rebrand and a new website design, so I’m sure that will impact client acquisition, but mostly it’s been inbound.

Ernesto: Great to hear that. So our listeners can find you at wemodifly.com. What role does the website play in client acquisition?

Emma: I think it plays an important role, especially since we see this with our clients. A website is key for optimization; we’re constantly auditing landing pages and making recommendations. For our business, it’s a good source for case studies so potential clients can see the work we’re doing. It’s also a trend to make websites more conversational, integrating AI, chat, and pop-ups to increase engagement and optimize for acquisition or purchases.

Ernesto: Awesome to hear that. So, Emma, are there any tools or tips you’d recommend for website lead generation?

Emma: Yes, keeping it simple in terms of design, layout, and messaging is key. Having one clear call to action—whether it’s a form fill or contact us—is something we always recommend. On the technical side, meta keywords and SEO should be kept simple to prevent slowing down the site. A fast load time and a clear customer journey are essential. Targeted landing pages and answering potential questions directly on the page can also drive conversions.

Ernesto: Perfect, awesome advice. So let’s switch gears and talk about you as a leader. What are some key tasks you focus on in your day-to-day work?

Emma: A lot of my day-to-day focuses on client management and strategy. Prepping strategy, executing it, and planning for the next phase. We’re coming up to June, so it’s a lot of management, not only with clients but also internally. Managing people is what I enjoy most, whether they’re internal team members or external clients. Marketing is all about relationships and growing clients. I also enjoy developing channel plans and seeing strategies through from idea to results. So, most of my day is a mix of management, strategy, and direct platform work.

Ernesto: Great. How do you stay up-to-date with marketing trends, strategies, and news?

Emma: I subscribe to a lot of industry blogs and articles like Marketing Dive, Social Media Today, Search Engine Land, and similar sources. LinkedIn is also a big one for community and thought leadership. As a team, we review industry trends weekly and bring them up in strategy presentations for our clients. So, it’s a mix of individual research and team discussions.

Ernesto: Perfect! Well, let’s jump into our rapid-fire questions. Are you ready?

Emma: Sure.

Ernesto: First up, what’s the last book you read?

Emma: The last book I read is 101 Essays That Will Change the Way You Think. It was an audiobook of short-form essays that offer new perspectives on work, personal life, and more. It’s short and impactful, which is perfect for me since I have a little ADD. I highly recommend it.

Ernesto: Awesome! If there were no boundaries in technology, what would you fix as a marketer?

Emma: 100% attribution. It’s challenging to track whether an ad on one channel ultimately leads to a purchase or a lead. With privacy policies and first-party data restrictions, mapping the entire customer journey is increasingly difficult. Any end-to-end attribution model that could map out the journey across touchpoints would be incredibly helpful.

Ernesto: Definitely. Next, if you could automate a repetitive task, what would it be?

Emma: Reporting and launching campaigns across different platforms. Connecting platform data directly to a presentation would be helpful. Also, launching ads on various platforms from one place would save time.

Ernesto: Great ideas. What’s one piece of advice you’d give yourself if you were restarting as a marketer?

Emma: Marketing changes constantly, so I’d remind myself to embrace change, recognize when things go stale, and stay hungry for new platforms and innovations. Recognizing that things change quickly and being open to learning is key.

Ernesto: Great advice for our listeners, too. Before we wrap up, if someone forgets everything else, what’s the one thing they should remember about Modifly?

Emma: Solution-driven strategy. At Modifly, we aim to understand who you are and what your business does to offer a unique solution rather than a one-size-fits-all approach.

Ernesto: You heard it here! Check them out at wemodifly.com. Emma, thank you so much for being on with us today, and thank you to our listeners. Looking forward to the next episode of Pathmonk Presents. Thanks, Emma!

Emma: Thank you.