My name is Chloe Dickenson and I’ve been working on Ecommerce projects at Agency51 as a digital marketing apprentice since February 2017. My official role at the business is ‘digital marketing coordinator’ and I essentially do the same work as other members of staff, but I will be gaining a qualification in digital marketing alongside the 9-5 work. Today, I wanted to share my ‘journey’ so far and provide a little bit more insight into what it’s like working for an agency as an apprentice.
What propels you out of bed in the morning?
Unlike most people my age, the answer isn’t simply just ‘my alarm’. Instead, my motivation to get out of bed in the morning comes from my determination to succeed in life. I’ve always be a driven and hard-working individual but since landing my job at Agency51, I’ve been especially motivated to work hard for the things that I want in life.
What excites you most about your career?
The thing that excites me the most is that the possibilities are endless. With the digital world advancing at such an impressive speed, there is always something new to learn and that’s what I love about it; the fact that I’m always gaining new skills and knowledge. One of my main roles in the business is content marketing, which is an aspect of my job that I absolutely love. I’m a passionate writer so I’d definitely say that the opportunities to write content every day is very exciting for me.
What tool(s) could you not do your job without and why?
One of the key elements of my job is using Google AdWords and Google Analytics so they’re definitely something that I couldn’t do my job without. I use Google AdWords to write ads for clients and to monitor negative keywords, and Google Analytics is used to measure clients’ monthly progress in the form of monthly reports.
What is the biggest challenge of your role?
The biggest challenge of my role is probably learning pretty much everything from scratch. Even though I did business studies at GCSE and A Level, there wasn’t a whole lot of digital marketing elements to it. However, despite the learning curves, I also find this the most interesting aspect of my job as I’m constantly learning new things and different ways to complete tasks.
What three things do you do most days in your current role?
As previously mentioned, one of my biggest tasks is to write content for clients’ websites. This often comes in the form of blog posts, but it also includes proofreading clients’ sites to ensure that there are no spelling or grammar errors. Another task that I carry out on an (almost) daily basis is producing mailers for clients’. This usually involves creating a mock-up design of an email featuring products from the clients’ website and then sending it over to our web designer who makes it look professional. I also perform webpage redirects for clients’ websites if any of the original URLs no longer work/exist.
If you could work with anyone past or present who would it be and why?
In terms of business, I’d love to work with Karren Brady. I’ve been fortunate enough to meet her and even go to her house for dinner, but I would love to actually work with her. I think her work ethic is excellent and I think she’s one of the most inspirational businesswomen in the industry.
What’s your best piece of advice for anyone starting out in digital marketing today?
To become an expert in marketing, I think it’s a good idea to do some research before you start your job. I’d advise that you look at the various platforms that are involved in digital marketing, (AdWords, Analytics etc) and I’d also do some research with regards to the key aspects of digital marketing. Having a basic understanding of things like SEO, PPC and content marketing will impress any future employers.