DIGITAL MARKETING MANAGER
ONLINE RESUME
​
​
I'm an overachieving lifelong learner with a bachelors degree in branding & marketing, raised in the Metaverse & innovated by the internet.
The master of digital advertising and all things online - from Google, Microsoft, Bing & YouTube to Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn & TikTok.
I've excelled at marketing a variety of brands (in AU, USA, UK, UAE, Africa, Canada & Ireland) offering products & services, both B2C & B2B.​
​
Brief Summary Of Sam Bell
EXPERIENCE
DIGITAL MARKETER
For 8 Years - Since 2018
CONTENT CREATOR
For 7 Years - Since 2019
MARKETING MANAGER
For 6 Years - Since 2020
SENIOR MARKETING MANAGER
Online Marketing Gurus
Oct 2023 - Sept 2025
I create & optimise paid search & social ads for over 30 brands around the world (USA, Australia, UK, Canada and United Arab Emirates). In the first 12 months I strategically spent over $1m on Google, Microsoft and Meta (FB & IG) and achieved over $14m worth of revenue for my clients.
As the senior leader of the international marketing team for Australia’s leading digital marketing agency, I also manage & mentor paid media consultants and supervise all the other ad accounts run by my team.
​​
Roles & Responsibilities
​
Plan, craft & develop paid search and social campaigns & ads that drive sales, leads, revenue, traffic & awareness.
​
Audit ad accounts, analyse assets, research market trends, generate custom reports & utilise insights to boost ROI.
Grow, manage & lead OMG's international marketing team (4+ paid ad specialists based in Africa & the UAE).
Master Google, Meta & Microsoft’s advanced ad tools, new campaign types, AI opportunities and beta features.
​
Enlighten & evolve OMG's global marketing department to become the best agency & marketers in the world.
​
Optimise clients' paid performance daily by implementing end-to-end ad strategies & cutting edge techniques.
​
Ensure excellent results by putting in the time, effort & energy: I’ve achieved an average ROAS of 1,400% for my clients and produced $30k+ for the agency in monthly retainer fees. My secret is logging more billable hours than any other employee at OMG (±11 hours/day).
​
DIGITAL MARKETING & GROWTH MANAGER
Platinum Seed Agency
Aug 2022 - Oct 2023
I started off as the Digital Account Manager where my focus was on the clients and managing my own team & our marketing projects. My ability to create proposals, ads & content on a variety of platforms proved more profitable and my passion for growing clients online became my core strength. After 4 months, I was promoted to Digital Marketing & Growth Manager, a position that was crafted for my diverse strategic skillset & creative capabilities.
​
It was an honour to be part of one of the most innovative award-winning ad agencies in South Africa, collaborating with clients from Africa, USA, Europe & all over the world. For over a year, I pitched iconic proposals, managed a collection of clients, created content plans & optimised ads on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn & Google Ads for 17 brands from a variety of industries from alcoholic beverages to sustainable fashion.
​​
Roles & Responsibilities
​
Managed diverse teams of designers, developers & marketers, ensuring deadlines & goals were always met.
​
Set up SEO, SEM, PPC ads, analytics, tags, Google Merchant accounts, product feeds & conversion tracking.
Crafted copy and sourced (or directed & shot) content for paid ads, social media pages & boosted posts.
Executed innovative digital marketing & social media content plans that lead to high ROIs for unique brands.
Optimised paid ad performance consistently to ensure monthly results met clients' highest hopes & expectations.
Collaborated with clients & teams to produce custom fit strategies that fulfilled all core objectives & key goals.
Developed proposals & custom reports that defined results, trends, accomplishments & opportunities.
​
DIGITAL MARKETING
MANAGER
B Online Agency
June 2020 - July 2022
For over two years I successfully designed, developed & directed various marketing efforts on behalf of my agency for over 30 clients, with industry leading businesses dominating each of their unique fields.
​
Roles & Responsibilities
​
Managed our clients' digital channels and exponentially increased traffic, leads, sales & conversions by innovating marketing campaigns, ads & strategies across Google, Facebook, Instagram, Twitter & TikTok.
Set up all Google and social media analytics & ad accounts; Facebook & Instagram shops; ecommerce catalogs; GMC product feeds; remarketing audiences; conversion goals; search engine optimisation & marketing.
Created customised marketing proposals, strategy documents & ad reports that highlighted key achievements, turning weaknesses into strengths and threats into opportunities to catalyse results .
​
Optimised online marketing efforts & ad performance consistently to ensure that all my clients' monthly reports proved their custom company goals were always met & often exceeded.
​
DIGITAL MARKETER
& CONTENT CREATOR
B Online Agency
April 2020 - June 2020
Collaborated symbiotically with clients, peers & teams to develop marketing strategies that custom fit each brand's vision & fulfilled every objective across social media platforms, Google Ads & Analytics.
​
Roles & Responsibilities
​
Crafted eloquent copy and elevated visual content for various websites, social media pages & ad accounts.
Produced perfect posts, advanced ads, high quality extensions, new age newsletters, viral blogs & articles.
​
Organised locations, influencers & equipment for professional photoshoots & branded video productions.
Directed and captures lifestyle & product-centric image & video content using my Canon EOS 5D camera.
​
In just 3 months I proved my advertising capabilities & earned a promotion to digital marketing manager.
JUNIOR MARKETING
MANAGER
Anvil Bay Lodge
Jan 2018 - April 2020
In my final year of studying my BBA, I worked with Anvil Bay's head of marketing to create marketing strategy and creative content for their website, FB & IG pages, blogs, newsletters, magazines, brochures, print & radio ads.
​
Roles & Responsibilities
​
I was the go-to ad strategist, marketing consultant, content creator & brand ambassador.
​
Created strategies, content and videos for digital marketing, PR, trade shows & events.
​
Collected research to offer informed strategies for sales & marketing purposes.
Designed a variety of documents & resources that were used in marketing and on-site operations.​
​
Marketed to travel agencies & tour operators selling to our prospective clients as well as directly to guests.
​
Produced & confidently pitched presentations to travel agents at trade shows & networking events
including ITB (Berlin, Germany), WTM (Cape Town, South Africa) & Indaba (Durban, South Africa).
EDUCATION
BBA IN MARKETING
Bachelor Of Business Administration
In Brand Building & Management
I studied my Bachelor of Business Administration in Brand Building & Management at
the Loeries award winning Vega School in Cape Town and was awarded distinctions for:
​
1. Business Communications & Digital Media 4. Finance in Brand Building
2. Critical Thinking & Media Studies 5. Critical Thinking
3. Economics in Brand Building 6. Economics
​
Additional courses studied:
​
7. Financial Management 8. Brand Strategy
9. Organisational Studies 10. Brand & Marketing
11. Sustainable Business Practice 12. Channel Planning
13. Innovation & Business Management 14. Creative Development
​
The highlight was the annual Brand Challenge where teams collaborated with major brands as clients
on custom marketing briefs & created marketing campaigns which, if chosen, were seen in the real world.
I had the pleasure of working with SAN Parks in 2017 and leading my own team for Col’Cacchio in 2018,
experiencing overwhelming success being awarded best multimedia design and a top position each year.
​​
​
​
​
Vega School, Cape Town
2016 - 2018
CERTIFICATIONS
Search, Shopping, Display
& Analytics Certificates
Google, Microsoft & More
2020 - 2024
In 2020 I started expanding & testing my knowledge of digital marketing by completing certificates like:
​
1. Google Ads Search Certification
​
2. Google Ads Display Certification
​
3. Google Ads Video Certification
​
4. Microsoft Advertising Search Certification
​​
5. AI-Powered Shopping Ads Certification - Google
​​
6. Fundamentals Of Digital Marketing - Grow With Google
​​​
In addition to the certificates, I've completed Meta Blueprint courses to refine my Facebook & Instagram strategies.​
NSC MATRIC
National Senior Certificate
With Bachelor's Degree Pass
St John's DSG, KZN
2015
I matriculated in 2015 with a bachelors degree pass IEB National Senior Certificate, at St John's DSG.
I was the head of the tech club & theatre production team, all while achieving meritorious distinctions for:
​
1. Business Studies 3. Visual Arts
2. English (Home Language) 4. Life Orientation
Additional subjects studied:
​
5. Mathematics Core 8. Physical Sciences
6. Afrikaans (First Additional Language) 9. AP Mathematics
7. French (First Additional Language) 10. AP English
​
EXPERTISE
Adobe (+11 years) Blogging (+10 years) Copywriting (+17 years) Digital Marketing (+8 years)
E-commerce (+6 years) Facebook (+19 years) Google (+20 years) Instagram (+17 years)
LinkedIn (+10 years) Microsoft (+19 years) Newsletters (+7 years) Online Learning (+11 years)
Photography (+18 years) Qualified Brander (+10 years) Research & Reports (+10 years) Social Media Ads (+8 years)
Twitter (+16 years) Viral Videos (+5 years) Web Design (+10 years) YouTube (+17 years)
​
​
ADOBE
PhotoShop, Premiere Pro
Illustrator, InDesign & Audition
Over 11 Years of Experience
I began learning the foundational elements of Adobe in 2015, starting with Photoshop to enhance, edit and manipulate photos, then I moved onto Illustrator to create my own graphic designs, logos and elements.
Naturally I went on to master InDesign to showcase my creations in a variety of aesthetic layouts.
​
In 2016, college courses refined my skillset and expanded my expertise into Audition & Premiere Pro.
With guidance from experts at Vega's Digital Media I learnt how to create professional content and proved my abilities by getting distinctions. In my agencies, I've used these skills to create an assortment of content & ads.
BLOGGING
WordPress, Wix & Shopify
Articles, Blogs & Content Marketing
Over 10 Years of Experience
My experience blogging began in 2016 at Vega, where I learnt to create aesthetic WordPress blogs.
I then started exploring Wix blogs soon after, mastering both styles while creating my various projects.
While working for my agencies I created over 50 blogs based on a variety of brands, products & services.
​
After writing each blog I would use a SEO plugins like Yoast to add effective SEO. I researched keywords, using all the best SEO practices and relentlessly optimising SEO until all my blogs were featured in the first page of relevant search queries on Google. A highlight was writing about fashion and empowering women in Europe.
COPYWRITING
Copy For Ads, Posts, Content, Videos
Websites, Blogs, Articles & Newsletters
Over 17 Years of Experience
I've been attracted to copywriting since childhood, I was always obsessed with words and their meaning.
As a kid I wrote stories, poems & songs, even studied the Oxford English Dictionary & a Cambridge Thesaurus which gave me a wholesome & advanced understanding of the language's intricacies.
​
In school I excelled at creative essays & presentations, winning awards & commendations for written content. During the course of my career I've become a prolific professional poet by writing copy for hundreds of ads, posts, videos, websites, blogs, MailChimp newsletters & assorted brand content.
DIGITAL MARKETING
PPC, Paid Ads on Google, FB & IG,
Social Media Marketing, SEO & SEM
Over 8 Years of Experience
Working with various brands & two marketing agencies, I have demonstrated dedication to learning the dynamic elements of the digital disciplines. From content marketing & social media ads to PPC, SEO & SEM.
I've become a perfectionist performing the best online practices & producing brilliant results.
​
I didn't just base success off of increasing traffic & followers, but also on earning enquiries, securing sales & retaining loyal paying customers. My goal wasn't simply boosting CTRs & online revenue, but also maximising
the ROAS, while minimising CPC & conversion cost, paying way less to achieve much more.
E-COMMERCE
WooCommerce, Google (Ads & Merchant),
FB & IG (Ads Manager & Commerce Manager)
Over 6 Years of Experience
One of my top fields of expertise is e-commerce. With Luxity & N3YH, I exponentially increased online revenue by strategically setting up, innovating, revitalising and optimising organic & paid content on Google, Facebook & Instagram. Using shopping campaigns, sales catalogs, digital collections, product feeds & social media stores.
​
I created dynamic WooCommerce & Shopify product feeds and linked these to Google (Ads & Merchant) and Meta (Ads Manager & Commerce Manager). Then made & managed shopping campaigns, collections, catalog ads & social media stores, until my clients went from making millions each year, to making millions monthly.
FACEBOOK
Pages, Posts, Creator Studio, Ads Manager, Commerce Manager, Business Suite & Shops
Over 19 Years of Experience
In 2007 I signed up & created my first Facebook Profile & immediately started exploring & publishing posts.
Early in 2014, I made a Facebook Business Page, for my first successful entrepreneurship (high school start up).
From 2018 to 2023, I studied, investigated & mastered Facebook's Creator Studio & Meta Business Suite.
​
In 2019, I strategically optimised ads on Meta Ads Manager for Anvil Bay. By 2020, I began working at agencies and started creating product catalogs & collections, later curating aesthetic & user-friendly Facebook Shops using Commerce Manager. This led to substantially increased revenue for all my e-commerce clients.
GOOGLE
Ads, Analytics, Merchant Center, Business Profile, Tag Manager, Search, Docs, Sheets, Slides & Meet
Over 20 Years of Experience
Back in '06 I signed up to Google, connected over Gmail, used Google Search, sourcing facts & content.
In school & college I used Google Drive, Docs, Sheets, Slides & Meet to collab & create team projects.
From '18 to '23 I've used online courses to master Google Ads, Analytics, Trends & Business Profiles.
​
By early 2020 I expanded my skillset at two agencies & also became an expert at Google Merchant Center &
Tag Manager. For 6 years I custom-crafted & managed Google ad/analytics accounts & profiles for multiple clients, innovated display, search, sales & shopping campaigns and ads to create millions in Google Ads sales.
INSTAGRAM
Accounts, Posts, Stories, Reels, Creator Studio,
Business Suite, Ads Manager, Shops & Catalogs
Over 17 Years of Experience
In 09' I signed up & created my first Instagram Account, soon after I began showcasing posts & sharing stories.
Early in 2015, I crafted an Instagram Professional Account, for my early high school entrepreneurship.
Starting in 2018 I studied, explored & utilised Meta's Creator Studio & Business Suite.
​
In 2019, I strategically created & optimised Instagram ads on Meta Ads Manager, for Anvil Bay. Early in 2020,
I started using Commerce Manager to create product feeds, e-commerce catalogs, collections, carousel shopping ads & Instagram Shops. In 2022, I fell for Reels and have thoroughly enjoyed making them for clients.
LINKEDIN
Profile, Posts, Followers, Connections,
Company Profiles & Ads
Over 10 Years of Experience
In the first year of college, I created my first LinkedIn profile. I filled out features, added my personal
& professional accomplishments, followed brands I supported and created posts that inspired both me
and my followers. Using it to build a network of 250+ connections with my peers, co-workers & clients.
​
Then in 2020, I started managing LinkedIn company profiles & ads, creating authentic brand-centric posts
and strategic marketing campaigns for brands. As the FB of the business world, LinkedIn opens online channels, bringing brands credibility, instant communication and provides a platform to promote B2B brands.
MICROSOFT
Word, Excel, Powerpoint
Teams, Outlook & Office
Over 19 Years of Experience
Microsoft came easy to me early on. Since 2007, I have explored Word & Excel, mastered font & format as an
art form. Starting at the age of 10 presentations have always been presented with PowerPoint, from junior
school through to college, and even today in board rooms & on shared laptop screens with Teams.
​
Then came Microsoft Ads (formerly Bing Ads) in 2023, where I translated my experience with Google Ads and crafted a variety of campaigns, from Search & Shopping to Audience & Multimedia. With a growing demand for marketing with Microsoft, it's a form of PPC I've enjoy exploring, finding opportunities for unique demographics.
NEWSLETTERS
Gmail, MailChimp,
& SendGrid Newsletters
Over 7 Years of Experience
In 2019, while working for Anvil Bay, I made & managed their quarterly newsletters for travel agencies.
These Gmail & MailChimp-based newsletters showcased the beauty of the sea & safari paradise with visuals
that were accompanied by mesmerising descriptions of the experience, as well as rates & specials.
​
In 2020, while working for B Online, I created copy for multiple clients' weekly & monthly newsletters.
These MailChimp & SendGrid newsletters featured content that ranged from promoting newly released
products to showcasing services & seasonal specials, as well as everything in between, B2C & B2B.
ONLINE LEARNING
YouTube, Lynda, Masterclass, Google Scholar,
Digital Skills, Skillshop & Facebook Blueprint,
Over 11 Years of Experience
In 2015 I used tutorials on YouTube, to help me understand Adobe. Then in 2016, during my first year at Vega,
I fell in love with e-learning & thanks to the online courses on Lynda, I mastered the full range of Adobe apps.
In 2017, I learnt from icons on Masterclass, innovating my copywriting, marketing & branding skillsets.
​
I started using Google Digital Skills in 2018, to gain certification for digital marketing fundamentals.
At the start of 2020 I began studying Facebook Blueprint, becoming an expert at Facebook & Instagram Ads
Later in 2020 and 2023, I completed courses on Google Skillshop, mastering advanced Google Ads & Analytics.
PHOTOGRAPHY
Content Creator (visual & video), Professional Photographer & Creative Director
Over 18 Years of Experience
At the age of 10 I got my first camera and started exploring photography, guided by my father, an expert with half a century of experience behind the lens. I explored exposure, aperture & ISO, and in 2020 I began capturing high quality content for global & local businesses, mastering every aspect of the artform from DSLRs to drones.
​
When it comes to planning & producing ads for major industry leading brands, I am a proud second generation photographer, working to become one of the greatest content creators my generation ever lives to experience.
I look forward to collaborating with other creative directors, curating ageless, artistic ads.
QUALIFIED BRANDING
Mastering Branding For 8 Years With Business Bachelor's in Marketing & Management
Over 10 Years of Experience
With my BBA degree & years of experience in branding, digital marketing & content creation, I've managed a variety of unique brands helping them break records & reach viral social statuses. Traffic, clicks & followers are great, but my top priorities are transactions, consistent conversions & super-fans who support by spending.
​
I've already achieved the "impossible" at a young age, by making many of my clients multi-millionaires,
simply through successful online advertising that secured serious sales consistently and at the best cost.
My goal was to always beat my best & in doing this, over time I mastered performing marketing miracles.
RESEARCH & REPORT
HubSpot, Google Docs, Sheets, Slides, Trends,
Keyword Planner, Analytics & Looker Studio
Over 10 Years of Experience
Starting in 2016, I began using Google Docs, Sheets & Slides to innovatively report research & record insights.
Early in 2017, I began exploring Google Trends, incorporating local & global online market data into projects.
Additionally, I've optimised campaigns & reported on performance monthly for multiple clients at 3 agencies.
​
Using Google Ads Performance & Keyword Planners, as well as HubSpot & Google Analytics to research, record, & expand efforts towards the most effective elements, incorporating insights into strategies. Using Google Looker Studio & Sheets I reported on results in comparison to other sources & time frames.
SOCIAL MEDIA ADS
Meta, Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, TikTok
& YouTube Ads, Boosted Content & Influencers
Over 8 Years of Experience
In the beginning of 2018, I started using Facebook Ads (now Meta Ads), to create ads & boosted posts for Anvil Bay. A few months later I setup their Instagram & Twitter Ad accounts & began posting, boosting & advertising.
Then in early 2020, at an agency for 30+ brands, I added TikTok, to my social media ads expertise,
​
I soon started posting content on YouTube, so Google Ads could use branded videos in dynamic ads.
In a few months Luxity gained over 20k followers and we began collaborating with celebrity influencers,
trading shareable content for designer collectables, by 2021 we grew to over 30k loyal followers.
TWITTER & TIKTOK
Profiles, Hashtags, Influencer Marketing,
Viral Content, Branded Collabs & Ads
Over 16 Years of Experience
In 2010, I signed up for Twitter to engage with likeminded individuals. I soon learnt to use hashtags & keep copy short and simple. In college & early in my career, I became friends with influencers like @mihlali_n, @maxhurrell @snimhlongo and @theboys, who showed me how to make "click-bait" content that can go viral overnight.
​
A decade later in 2020, I started using TikTok & Twitter Ads, on behalf of agencies where I organised influencer marketing for brands. Creating viral content, promoted posts & branded collabs, it was especially useful in showcasing new stock, seasonal promotions, VIP influencer content & exclusive brand PR events.
VIRAL VIDEOS
Facebook, Instagram & TikTok
Viral Posts, Stories
Over 5 Years of Experience
In 2020, with my agencies, I created multiple posts that went viral on Facebook, Instagram & TikTok,
The first viral video was with Surecheck, it was a song that influencers loved & soon had teens flooding TikTok with covers, then a video I shot of my friend during lockdown got millions of views worldwide on FB & IG.
​
With Luxity, we were able to gain a following of 60 000 fashionable Facebook users & 30 000 of SA's most stylish Instagram individuals. Organically stories & videos were viewed thousands of times, our boosted posts were even more popular & perpetually profitable, while our social media competitions broke the Metaverse.
WEB DESIGN
Website Development, Design & SEO
Wordpress, Wix, Shopify, & More
Over 10 Years of Experience
I started designing website in 2016 alongside blogging. I learnt to create aesthetic WordPress websites first,
then a month later I started exploring Wix websites, ensuring I excelled at both web development platforms while creating my various Vega projects throughout the three years for 14 different courses.
​
While working for agencies I've collaborated with designers & developers to create dozens of WordPress, Shopify and Hubspot websites, while developing my personal projects with Wix & SquareSpace to balance out my skills. In addition to all the websites I've designed & developed, I've also optimised SEO for all those & for many more.
YOUTUBE
Accounts, Videos, Uploads,
YouTube Studio, Google Video Ads
Over 17 Years of Experience
At 10 years old, I created a YouTube account & began educating myself with tutorials on photography & design. With YouTube videos, I learnt, liked & subscribed to artists & experts. In 2016, a college assignment led
me to start uploading & adding features to my YouTube channel & videos, using YouTube Studio.
​
In 2018, for Anvil Bay, we published videos featuring our sea & safari paradise, that were shot with drones and underwater cameras. By 2020, I was making & managing videos on behalf of multiple brands. These were then promoted through Google Ads, and seen by millions of people globally on YouTube & Google's network.