E-Commerce Performance Marketing Insights | Mike Mardis from Finch

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 get access to 50% more qualified leads while you keep doing marketing and sales as usual. Check us on pathmonk.com. Welcome to today’s episode. Let’s talk about today’s guest. We have Mike from Finch, director of marketing, with them. How are you doing today, Mike?

Mike Mardis: I’m fantastic. Happy Juneteenth, Ernesto. I don’t know if this is when the episode is going to drop—probably not—but we are recording here in the United States on Juneteenth. So happy Juneteenth to all those celebrating and getting the day off. Congratulations.

Ernesto: Right? I would say so. Great accomplishments. So definitely a happy Juneteenth to everybody out there. And, well, I’m glad to have you, Mike, on here. And, well, I’m sure our listeners are tuning in, wondering what Finch is all about. So, let’s kick it off with that. Mike, in your own words, can you tell us a little bit more?

Mike: Yeah, so, Finch is a performance marketing agency. We work specifically—not exclusively; we have a few clients outside of this—but we do B2C marketing, performance marketing for e-commerce brands. People who sell products through their website, some on marketplaces like Amazon or Walmart. What we do is connect all of the disparate data. Data is a huge problem for most brands right now. You have data being reported in Google if you’re running Google Ads or doing Pmax, meta reporting somewhere else, Amazon data somewhere else, your cart data through Shopify or WooCommerce, and your website traffic data. All these are in different systems. We bring all that together so we can get a full picture of your performance ecosystem. This really helps us understand which moving parts affect the others.

We have some automations and AI built into our system that allow us to detect when certain data points get wonky. If you get a spike or a dip below what we expect out of a data point, we can flag and action them quickly. So really, it’s about speed and confidence in this fast-moving market—catching things, making the correct adjustments—that’s how long-term growth really happens. That’s what we’re focused on: helping brands grow sustainably and profitably over time. We see lots of performance agencies using flashy programs for big spikes, but it’s not sustainable. We’re all about sustainable growth with our client base.

Ernesto: Definitely. Okay, awesome. Great to hear that. So, that way, our listeners get a good understanding of Finch. Then, what would you say is that key problem you guys like to solve for clients?

Mike: Yeah, so data transparency and communication are two really big things. Right now, what we’re learning in our sales process, going to events, talking to people in the market—almost everyone has agency fatigue. Everyone’s got a bad breakup with a performance agency where they felt they were hiding data, not communicating properly, and every few weeks, they’d get a call with bad news, which is too late to fix. So the problems we solve revolve around those things. Yes, great performance advertising is the base level—any performance agency should be good at that. But we elevate by being a true business partner. We talk about things that performance agencies typically don’t. We ask about COGS, shipping costs, profitability optimization, and more.

Another key thing we do is CRO—conversion rate optimization. Think about this, Ernesto. I can push as much traffic as I want to your website, but if your site can’t convert well, it’s not going to move the needle much. Improving conversion rates by even half a percent can move the needle significantly if you’re getting enough traffic. We also focus on creative operations and creative direction, ensuring constant, fresh creative for display ads, helping our clients stand out and feed the algorithms to elevate the game.

Ernesto: Definitely important. Okay, awesome. And I don’t want to assume here, but is your vertical e-commerce, or are there other types of vertical segments you go after?

Mike: Yeah, our deep experience is e-commerce, so we’re looking at brands, from smaller SMB-type e-commerce companies up to larger, well-known brands. The key is selling proprietary products on your website, not reselling. We also need clients to spend enough monthly, around $10K at a minimum, to get enough data for testing and informed decision-making. We go all the way up to clients spending in the hundreds of thousands per month, where we can gather data quickly.

Ernesto: Okay, awesome. Great to hear that. So, if I was in the e-commerce business, how would I usually find out about Finch? Is there a top client acquisition channel for you guys?

Mike: Really, our acquisition is around events where we can have those one-on-one conversations. When we can sit down and explain how we work, the technology we’ve built to serve our clients best—that makes a difference. We have a solid outbound email motion; it’s old school but works if done correctly. We also do some paid search, although it’s challenging because keywords are very expensive in our space. And yes, we have our own podcast, where we share insights and warm up leads. Our CEO, Lee Roque—shout out, Lee—always says, “We’re about people helping people.” Even if someone doesn’t become our client, we want to help them. It’s our ethos and our brand.

Ernesto: Awesome, great to hear that. So that way, then, our listeners can check you out at finch.com. What role does the website play for client acquisition?

Mike: Yeah, the website is the first filter. It’s the welcome mat, where we explain who we are and what we do. We want to speak the language our target audience wants to hear, and it’s not just about conversion hooks. We aim for value in all our marketing, knowing not all form fills are created equal.

Ernesto: Totally agree. So, let’s switch gears a bit. Mike, let’s talk about you as a leader. As the director of marketing at Finch, what are some key tasks you focus on in your day-to-day work?

Mike: It’s hard to narrow down, especially when you’re in a lean team environment. A lot of my time is spent in our CRM, making sure MQls and SQLs are assigned correctly, being thoughtful about when to reach out to prospects, and finding ways to provide value. My days are quite varied, sometimes putting out fires, sometimes focusing on longer-term projects, and often working on our content ecosystem. I’m always thinking about how to help us grow by bringing in the best quality leads.

Ernesto: I totally agree with that. Well, let’s jump into our next section then, Mike, which is our rapid-fire questions. Are you ready?

Mike: Sure, let’s do it.

Ernesto: Alright then. First up, what’s the last book that you read?

Mike: The last book I read is The Speed of Trust by Stephen M.R. Covey. It’s about how embracing trust in your organization can accelerate growth. We read it together as an organization, and it’s been a great experience.

Ernesto: Great read. Next up, if there were no boundaries in technology, what’s the one thing you’d want fixed in your role as a marketer?

Mike: Attribution.

Ernesto: I think everyone’s looking to know where their money is going!

Mike: Exactly. And while AI is improving things, we’re still in a phase where we need to verify. Trusting all AI outputs isn’t there yet, but it’s exciting to see where it’s heading.

Ernesto: Definitely. Now, you have a lot of experience in the marketing world, but what’s one piece of advice you’d give yourself if you were to restart your journey as a marketer today?

Mike: Learn how businesses work early on. I was very focused on being a great marketer without fully understanding how revenue is generated. I’d tell myself to ask more questions about the bigger picture, as it helps in becoming more impactful and advancing faster in your career.

Ernesto: Great advice. Well, Mike, we’re coming to the end of our show, but before we end, I want to give you the last word. If someone forgets everything from today, what’s the one thing they should remember about Finch?

Mike: People helping people. Authenticity and empathy stand out more in a world full of automation. Showing genuine empathy for our clients’ problems is our cornerstone.

Ernesto: Absolutely. Well, to our listeners, check them out at finch.com. If you’re in e-commerce, they’re the growth experts you can trust. Mike, thank you for being on with us today, and to our listeners, thank you for tuning in. Looking forward to our next episode at Pathmonk Presents. Thanks a lot, Mike.

Mike: Thanks, Ernesto.