Introduction
In today’s staff feature, meet Melvin Fam, OOm’s SEO Team Lead. It has been a pleasure having someone like Melvin on our team. His positive outlook and contagious energy make him a delight to work with, as he spreads good vibes throughout the day!
Describe your role in OOm as an SEO Team Lead.
I am responsible for placing our clients at the forefront of Google for searchers. Personally, I believe that this role places a lot of emphasis on building good relationships. Although it is essential to know what the latest SEO trends are, it is equally as crucial to study the client’s industry and their customers’ needs and search habits. This knowledge enables us to offer the right course of action to clients and to accurately steer them towards the right people.
I am also responsible for leading my SEO team in the right direction. Besides keeping in touch with my clients, part of my daily duties include guiding my team members with their own accounts, as well as overseeing the projects they are undertaking to ensure everyone is on the same page and all our clients’ needs are properly met.
Tell me about one memorable incident / experience you had while working in OOm.
One of the most memorable things that happened to me at OOm was being given the opportunity to work on a Funeral Director account on my first day. I’m not trying to be pantang (superstitious in Malay) but it does leave a pretty memorable start to my entire SEO career!
Who inspired/inspires you to pursue the career you have today?
It was my mentor whom I had the pleasure to work with on my very first job. A few years back, I began my marketing career at a local dance studio named Studio Wu, and I must say it was a wonderful experience for me as I was given creative freedom while promoting the dance studio to corporate clients and professional dancers.
While I was working there, I explored different marketing platforms to execute the campaigns, which led me to look beyond a typical sales role and dive into helping clients market to their end-users. This is how I came to manage SEO accounts – from my 7-year sales career.
What is the most embarrassing thing that has ever happened to you? / What’s the craziest thing you’ve ever done?
I fell into the drain two days in a row while I was in primary school. I just ended school and I was walking past the back of the canteen where there was a huge drainage area. While I was chatting away with my friends, I failed to notice the drain was uncovered and fell right into it. The next day, I chose a different route home, but I still managed to fall into a different drain because once again, I was too occupied chatting with my friends to pay attention to my surroundings. This incident will always be etched in my mind since it left a huge scar on my leg to this day!
I did not manage to find an image of me during my primary school uniform so here is an image of me when I was around that age. *Time travel back to the past*
What do you do during your free time?
During my free time, I enjoy playing computer games. However, I do my best to stay active by engaging in at least four hours of exercise every week, so that I can keep being the glutton I am. Cooking is one of my favourite activities, and I like learning new recipes from YouTube – it’s how I de-stress.
If you could bring an animal on an adventure, what type of animal would it be?
In a virtual world, I’d have to say Pikachu. In reality, probably a hedgehog!
What’s your favourite food?
I love anything grilled – charcoal-grilled steak is my ultimate favourite! I am a sucker for the Japanese BBQ restaurant, Gyu-Kaku!
Music Genre / Playlist to share?
My taste in music differs depending on the mood I am in! For instance, putting on a Pop Remix playlist helps me work well. Trap Nation playlist does the trick for me when I’m in the mood for some upbeat music, and Acoustic Favourites playlist is perfect for when it’s time to wind down. Finally, I recently discovered a Korean singer, Henry, on YouTube. His song, Radio, has become my current favourite and I listen to it on loop!
