Mailjet Monday: Julien Tartarin

1) What do you do for Mailjet?

At a very high level, I tackle email pain points on a daily basis, looking for ways Mailjet can make email as simple as possible. I spend a lot of time developing email security and compliance, fighting against spam.

I solve as many problems as possible and transfer as much knowledge as I can. How and why things are designed in a particular way. Basically, I have live documentation role and I oversee technical operations, deliverability, security, compliance.

2) What does a typical day look like for you?

I live my days in real time. No two days are the same in email and we’re always working on something new at Mailjet. I have my ears open to all sorts of feedback, whether it’s what’s happening in production, what customers are saying in support and even what newest tricks spammers and phishers are practicing.

I balance short term and long term vision, making sure the product is running smoothly today but is also structured well to scale and develop over the next few years.

My role has evolved a lot since I first started Mailjet five years ago. We’ve grown to a team of over 50 employees across Europe and the U.S. I continue to recruit team members who bring different skillsets to the table that complement my own. The key is to hire people that are better than you in certain areas so that you can properly delegate tasks and focus where your expertise lies.

3) Favorite Mailjet moment?

There are just too many favorite moments to choose from. Mailjet has grown in some ways I would never imagine when I first started the company. I can break it down into two kinds of favorite moments. The first kind is everything team related, coming in daily and being surrounded by a group of such smart and passionate people is encouraging and motivating. We all have quite a quirky sense of humor, so there’s no shortage of funny moments in HQ and GIF-filled Skype conversations between the offices.

The second type of moment is when we roll out a new update or product that addresses another email pain point. Whether big or small, it’s always rewarding to know that we’ve helped make sending easier. Last year, we rolled out Campaign Comparison, a tool that allows senders to compare their past campaign performance to quickly see at a high level what content drives highest engagement. While comparing past campaign data is not a new concept, our tool made it easier for users to quickly access that data and compare with no additional work on their end.

4) Mailjet recently became a member of M3AAWG. What does this mean and why is this important?

We’re very excited to be an official member of M3AAWG. Fighting against spam is a part of the Mailjet DNA, something that we’ve been doing on our own since Day 1. Being a part of M3AAWG puts an official seal on this mission. M3AAWG is an international organization that brings technology experts and public policy officials together to work towards eradicating messaging abuse.

Being a part of this group will give us the resources to continue fighting spam, keeping us up to date on latest trends, technology, and legislation.

5) Where do you see email marketing going in the next few years?

Email marketing will become more targeted. As big data grows, senders are going to become smarter in what they send and how they communicate. I also see subject line becoming increasingly more important with the rise of third and fourth screens coming into play, like the smart watch. Due to the smaller size of these screens, the subject line will be truncated at times, so senders should start to familiarize themselves with the new formats.

Most importantly, I also foresee a decline of spam over the next few years. As senders and consumers become more educated on best practices, the bar for good content will be set higher and spammers will no longer be able to threaten the inbox experience.