Like a lot of the people that I speak to who also work within the digital marketing arena, this career path was never really on the cards. I went to university to study English. I loved reading and writing and had no idea what I wanted to do with my life, just that I had a passion that I wanted to explore whilst I figured out my long-term ambitions.
It was then that I started to blog; bringing my passion for writing to the forefront. I didn't blog about anything exciting, just general musings. What I liked, as well as reviews of restaurants, TV shows, movies and books. It was really at this point that I started to learn about how to take a blog to market; how to drive visitors and how to engage my audience.
I'll be honest with you - if I knew then what I know now, the process would have been totally different. I would have honed in on a niche. I was trying to talk to too many people - Buffy the Vampire fans, Big Brother fans, Panic at the Disco fans, as well as those who might be interested in the latest fashion. I could have achieved much greater engagement by being focused. But it's important to remember that I didn't enter the blogging game for that purpose; I did it to jot down my thoughts.
Over the course of about three years, I was averaging about 1,000 unique organic search visitors per month. Which, I thought was pretty good. I then started to monetize it through the likes of Google Adsense. Don't get me wrong, I wasn't creaming it in, but I did make about £10 a month. It had potential. But then I graduated, got a full-time marketing role as a marketing executive in a local marketing agency and my focus shifted to my career.
I often wonder how it would be performing if Id have continued it, but here we are. Five years further down the line, I'm happy in my digital marketing career. I'm learning every day and I progressed throughout the ranks of agency life. About 12 months ago, I was approached by a client of ours to work directly for them as a digital marketing manager. I wasn't sure if it was the right thing for me, but I took it on and the rest is history as they say. I love it. I'm able to implement all of the things I learnt through working in a fast-paced digital marketing agency. I'm creating strategies that talk to specific personas and we're seeing quality leads off the back of the activity I'm leading and executing.
I often reflect on my time at university, comparing my journey to others that I studied with, many of whom are still going through the motions trying to figure out what it is that they want to do with their lives. I'm absolutely grateful for the opportunities I've had over the past five years, and I'm so pleased with myself that I took the initiative to set up that blog (even if it was rubbish!) many years ago. It taught me a level of marketing foundations that gave me unpaid real-life experience. Something that prepared me for the working world, and something I was able to talk about confidently at interview back in 2016.
If you're considering getting into marketing, I would recommend following the same process. It doesn't have to be a website though; use social media if that is more your thing. Write a blog, create content, video, whatever that becomes. Employers want to see experience, and if that isn't paid experience for you, then show them something else that showcases the skills you have. At the end of the day, I would sooner rather see and hire somebody who has built their own blog or social presence over somebody who has some written experience on their CV. It's easier to see your own blog or social media success. Written experience is, in some ways, a greater risk. The person interviewing could have been one of many people who achieved the results they're classing off as their own, whereas my blog was all me, and it's easier to evidence that.
Are you considering a career in digital marketing? Check out our recent post on how to become a digital marketer for additional tips.