Senior Direct Marketing Specialist

Job title : Senior Direct Marketing Specialist

Reporting to : CRM Lead

Location : Cape Town

ALL STAFF APPOINTMENTS WILL BE MADE WITH DUE CONSIDERATION OF THE COMPANY'S EE TARGETS

WHAT WE DO

Lula is an innovative and human-focused FinTech company on a mission to help small businesses optimise their cash flow. Our purpose is to help SMEs manage their businesses better, faster, and more simply, so they can spend more time doing what they love.

If you're looking for a new place to call 'home' that believes in the potential of the broader SME landscape in South Africa and a place where you'll work with awesome people - then Lula's the place for you

OUR VALUES

Collaborative - we're a clan and work together as a team, always towards a common goal

Committed - we're accountable and follow through no matter the challenge

Curious - we look for better ways to do things and make a positive difference

Connected - we stay close to, learn from and look to understand each other and our customers

Compassionate - we go out of our way to care about our colleagues, our customers and our community

OVERALL PURPOSE

We are looking for a skilled and highly motivated Direct Marketing Specialist who will be responsible for the day-to-day execution and optimisation of Lula's direct marketing campaigns across various channels. Reporting to the CRM Lead, you will work closely with other growth team members to ensure the successful delivery of direct marketing activities that align with our broader marketing objectives.

As a Direct Marketing Specialist, you will focus on executing and optimising direct marketing campaigns that drive growth and retention for our first-of-its-kind, all-in-one, business banking and financing platform. You will support the planning and delivery of campaigns that encourage SME business owners to open an account and become active users of our platform. Your role will involve managing end-to-end campaign processes, from audience segmentation and content creation to deployment, testing, tracking, and reporting.

Your approach will be data-led and customer-centric. You will leverage data to guide audience segmentation, create robust briefs that guide content and creative requirements, and choose the appropriate channels and media mix to achieve optimal engagement and conversion rates. You will actively participate in A/B and multivariate testing to continuously improve campaign performance and operational efficiency. You will also contribute to regular performance reporting, providing insights and recommendations to the CRM Lead and other key stakeholders across the business. The reporting and recommendations will play a key role in forecasting the expected performance of the function.

This role requires an advanced, technical understanding of CRM and direct marketing best practices, attention to detail, and the ability to operate effectively in a fast-paced, dynamic environment. Understanding Lula customers and the various segments will be critical. Your strong communication and interpersonal skills, combined with your ability to manage multiple tasks simultaneously, will help you succeed in this role.

As the Senior Direct Marketing Specialist at Lula, your role will involve :

• Collaborate with the CRM Lead and other key stakeholders within the Growth teams (Product, Sales, CX, Customer Insights etc.) to support the development and execution of direct marketing campaigns that drive qualified lead generation and customer retention.
• Develop and implement customer segmentation strategies to personalise communication and improve customer engagement.
• Execute direct marketing campaigns across channels (email, SMS, WhatsApp, etc.) according to the marketing plan, ensuring timely delivery and alignment with overall marketing objectives.
• Implement best industry and security practices across direct marketing channels and customer databases to ensure high-quality, accurate customer data sources.
• Manage audience segmentation, database management, and customer journey automation to optimise campaign performance.
• Support the development and implementation of A/B or multivariate testing to improve channel engagement and campaign performance.
• Monitor and analyse campaign performance using our data analytics platforms, and identify opportunities for optimisation.
• Analyse customer data to identify trends and insights, providing actionable recommendations to improve marketing strategies and customer engagement.
• Contribute to process optimisation within the direct marketing function, including campaign briefing, deployment, tracking, and reporting.
• Identify and implement improvements to CRM processes, including automation of workflows to enhance operational efficiency and customer satisfaction.
• Work closely with internal teams to compile and submit briefs, ensuring all necessary content is available for timely campaign execution.

THE SKILLS AND EXPERIENCE WE'RE LOOKING FOR

• Grade 12 achieved
• Degree / Diploma or related qualification in Digital / Marketing.
• 8+ years' experience in a direct marketing campaign manager role.
• Proven experience in using advanced CRM / direct marketing platforms including their coding language (e.g. Braze, Iterable, or HubSpot) and analytics tools (e.g., Mixpanel, Segment, or Google Analytics).
• Proficiency in CRM software management, including user permissions, custom objects, workflows, and data analysis.
• Proven experience in creating and updating HTML emails and optimising these for different clients or devices.
• Proven experience in executing multi-product, multi-channel (email, WhatsApp, push, etc.) direct marketing strategies that span acquisition, retention and monetisation.
• Solid understanding of direct marketing best practices and industry and security standards.
• Advanced reporting and analysis skills, with the ability to track campaigns and glean insights from data gathered.
• Proficiency in MS Excel / Google Sheets, including the use of pivot tables.
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills.
• Experience in the Financial Services / Fintech industry and B2B experience (advantageous).

THE COMPETENCIES WE'RE AFTER

• Curious and eager to learn.
• Comfortable working with and across diverse teams.
• Proactive and solution-oriented; comfortable interpreting data to identify opportunities.
• Empathetic with a strong customer-first mentality, capable of understanding and addressing customer needs effectively.
• Ability to take initiative and ownership of tasks.
• Results-oriented and self-motivated.
• Strong attention to detail.
• Strong analytical skills with experience in data interpretation and report generation to support strategic business decisions.
• Experience with marketing automation tools and the ability to streamline CRM workflows to support business objectives.
• Proficiency in CRM platforms such as Braze, Iterable, HubSpot, Klaviyo or similar, and experience with data analytics tools like Google Analytics or Mixpanel.
• Process-driven with strong planning and organisational skills.
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills, with the ability to convey complex ideas clearly and effectively.
• Strong problem-solving abilities.
• Ability to multitask and work well under pressure in a fast-paced environment.
• Adaptable to change and comfortable working with ambiguity, with a commitment to continuous learning and professional development.
• Tech-savvy with a quick grasp of new technologies, such as CRM / email marketing and marketing automation tools.