Her Story
About Annie
I've been in digital marketing for over 20 years, though I was in marketing prior to that. My career pivot into this field was unexpected and happened because of an opportunity that came up through somebody I knew. I help law firms develop digital marketing plans that help them reach their desired business goals, whether it's targeting very specific types of cases, a geography, or something that allows them to make more money by getting the kind of cases that they want to practice. Most of my time is spent meeting with my clients, learning and drilling down on what they are struggling with on a daily basis, and trying to alleviate those pain points. I work primarily with solo or small firms that don't have the resources to have internal staff for business development. It's really tough to grow a law practice when they don't have the infrastructure to grow, so I focus on understanding their business desires within their limitations. What I'm most proud of is that I have developed relationships with clients who've actually stayed with me through multiple companies that I've worked for. The field is constantly changing - I remember when Google came on the scene and they were the juggernaut, and in a matter of 2-3 years, ChatGPT and these other large language models have taken core of what used to be Google's business. We estimate 30% or more. When I first started, websites were still downloading one line at a time, one row at a time, and it was complex when people had 3 pages of a website. Now even the smallest attorney will have websites that have 2, 3, 400 pages of content on their sites.
Her Interview
Ten minutes with Annie
01What do you attribute your success to?
For a great portion of my career, it was always literally fighting against the notion that I can't, that you can't do it. My father's saying that you're not valuable, you're not worth it, you're not worthy, you're not capable. I had to fight against the stereotype that girls are not valuable. I'm from a very typical Asian immigrant family, and one of the things that is very characteristic of old-school, traditional Asian families is they do not value the women or the girls. So much of my success has been about proving that wrong and pushing through those barriers.
02What’s the best career advice you’ve ever received?
My parents are immigrants, and they always said if you work hard, you will succeed. That's just what they grew up with, because they lived through war. In their experience, just working hard did work - work hard, get the best education, and you will succeed. But what I learned early on is that it's about connection. Your success is not wholly and utterly just about your own work product. It's about the connections that you make along the way that help you succeed in your career, and those are just as important to define your professional role. And those connections could be everyone in your sphere, in your network, not just your boss or the people you work for.
03What advice would you give to young women entering your industry?
I'd tell them, don't be afraid. Don't be afraid to mess up, to fail. It's okay. You just need to learn the skill of picking yourself back up and moving forward. I think the fear of failure motivates, or is a part of so many women - you know, what will other people think? The fear of not being, the people pleasing. You've got to get over that people-pleasing, because you've got to do what's right for yourself.
04What are the biggest challenges or opportunities in your field right now?
The biggest challenge and opportunity right now is the massive disruption caused by AI and large language models like ChatGPT. I remember when Google came on the scene and they were the juggernaut - no one could touch them. And in a matter of 2-3 years, ChatGPT and these other large language models have taken core of what used to be Google's business. We estimate 30% or more. Google now shows their AI, Gemini, answer above everything else on the page, not their advertisements which used to be the way they made their money. It has really disrupted the apple cart considerably. I believe that all the other global thought leaders on this, or digital marketing thought leaders on this, will agree that this is just the tip of the tidal wave that is coming. The field is constantly changing - there is no educational degree you can do to get into this because no one out there is teaching people how Google behaves, or how an AI behaves, or how users behave. It's all research that is done on the fly, or done by poll. There is very little formalized education or training that you can get.
05What values are most important to you in your work and personal life?
I believe that we all work, and we all have selfish motives to work - we don't work for free, usually. We work for money so that the money funds our lifestyle. That's a very self-centered motive. But I believe that if you can also remember others, to give to others as much as you can when you can, both personally and professionally, that brings greater return. It may not be in the sense that you're thinking, but it's to remember to be generous and remember others.
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