CPD
Ongoing training and development, both within client establishments and within advertising agencies, has kept my skillset up to date and enabled me to run integrated marketing campaigns.
Digital Marketing Bootcamp provided by The Skills Network
I have been undergoing Digital Marketing training to gain a better appreciation of how to promote brands using digital platforms. This Digital Marketing Skills Bootcamp (Level 3) will develop my skills in project managing and producing online and social media, making my offering as a marketer and producer, fully-rounded across the media mix.
Week 1
Week one of our Digital Marketing bootcamp and our tutor Andrew McCauley got us all engaged and interacting, so by the end of the live session we knew each other’s motivations for enrolling on the course. It was encouraging to see the diversity of students, most of whom had no marketing or digital expertise and came from a wide range of career backgrounds. So, there was a degree of trepidation but excitement in starting the bootcamp journey but learning together as a class and sharing each other’s outputs gave us the opportunity to learn from each other and push ourselves to achieve high standards of work.
We started our practical learning exercises by producing a website in wix which went on to act as a repository for all the work we’d go on to produce during the course.
Week 2
In Week 2 we were introduced to CapCut, software for reel production. We set up our own YouTube channels to broadcast our reels and share them. Being given a marketing brief and grappling with this video editing software, gave us increased confidence and I enjoyed drawing on my creativity in creating content to produce a reel for Mossley Hill Tennis Club to welcome new members.
Week 3
This week we were introduced to using design software Canva and were tasked with writing a marketing strategy and designing a presentation on Anti-Vaping, using the Government Communication Service (GCS) OASIS framework. We started by doing some research and looking at existing AV campaigns and medical findings on which to base our strategies.
Week 7
In Week 7 we peer reviewed the charity reels, providing feedback on each other’s work. This gave us the opportunity to assess and modify our own work.
We returned to our portfolios and added a new page on ‘Knowledge’. For this we used Vodafone’s V-Hub resource content and credited this on our sites. Inclusion of selected articles about digital marketing acted as backlinks, an SEO tool to optimise our websites.
Our assignment this week was to create an email for Foundation Furniture.
Week 8
In Week 8 we produced a reel of our motivations for joining the Digital Marketing Bootcamp and feedback on the key highlights on the course. I began to plan the content and write a script. Our tutor suggested filming ourselves for this reel and shared a few examples of different approaches to production by way of inspiration, so that we could determine our preferred style of video presentation.
We also looked at digital marketing campaign measurement tools and specifically, Google Analytics.
Week 9
In Week 9 our assignment was to produce two pieces of content for Foundation Furniture - a reel and a poster showcasing a new range of library furniture.
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Week 11
In Week 11 we were given a job description and tasked with writing a tailored cover letter to apply for a Digital Marketing Executive job with Mad Squirrel Brewery. The cover letter contained references, so we learned how to insert notes at the end of the letter to credit our sources. I wrote the body of the letter myself using the key criteria listed in the job description and person specification, but then used Chat GPT AI tool to finesse it, editing to create the final version.
Week 10
We reviewed Pennylane website, inspired for use by the local Penny Lane community, critiquing it and suggesting improvements that were applied and demonstrated during live class. We could learn from this exercise and apply these actions to our own portfolios. We added a Comments page to our websites, ensuring comments could be tracked and moderated. We did a review for our fellow learners’ sites, useful to gauge our progress and incorporate ideas for design and layout into our own sites.
Week 12
In Week 12 we were given an ‘Industry Challenge’ brief from the Chartered Institute of Marketing (CIM) to “select an organisation that plays a pivotal role in promoting sustainability”. method seemed a natural fit for this brief. The research phase was fun, they are a disruptive brand that boasts extensive eco credentials, but veers away from ‘brown’ stereotype packaging solutions to promote perception of environmentally friendly products. The method ranges not only provide a pop of colour on the supermarket shelf, they embody ethical, eco-conscious philosophy and manufacturing practice.
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Week 12 homework was to write a marketing strategy for Foundation Furniture, the case study for strategic and design tasks in our weekly assessments. This Canva presentation was a perfect way for us to demonstrate our marketing knowledge, creative and design skills, all in one presentation document.
Part 2 Digital Marketing Bootcamp Reel
We were asked to produce a f/u reel to our Week 8 progress video, which I recorded using mmnmm and imported into CapCut to edit.
Week 13
Our penultimate live class took a ‘Dragon’s Den’ style format, where we had the opportunity to share the presentation on our chosen brands with our classmates and tutor, and then take questions afterwards. First to present, I introduced method and its product ranges, as for many fellow students they were new to this brand. I outlined method’s main competitors in the UK, its mission statement, eco credentials, customer base and target audiences. I looked at the marketing mix and marketing objectives, devising a strategy for these audiences. I created the presentation in Canva and used the voiceover function to read through each slide. I decided to switch between presenting slides live and using the VO for slides like the mission statement, background and timeline of the organisation.
Week 14
The final week of the bootcamp was dedicated to finessing our portfolios and uploading all content that we’d produced during the course to the site in order to fully showcase our breadth of skills.
Week 4
In Week 4 we looked at the importance of SEO in digital marketing to improve search engine results page ranking in organic search. We covered various SEO strategies such as keywords and the outsourcing of these specialist skills using companies like Semrush, to monitor and improve rankings on a regular basis.
Week 5
In Week 5 we were tasked with creating a social post for Facebook, to support our Anti-Vape presentation. We also designed a logo to use in our A-V campaign. We also learnt about copywriting techniques and styles to suit different types of communication.
Week 6
In Week 6 we produced a reel for a charity of our choice, in my case, Dogs Trust. We started by collating resources in a dedicated folder - logos, imagery and content. I created a reel highlighting the key services that Dogs Trust provides and utilising images from the website to support the key messaging and including calls to action and relevant contact information. I added a playful soundtrack that aligned with the brand and faded it out towards the end of the reel.
MA in Marketing (Distinction) Kingston Business School
Early in my career, as part of my objectives, I was sponsored by an advertising agency to study for a Masters degree in Marketing at Kingston Business School, supporting undergraduate and postgraduate qualifications in Social Sciences. With only work experience in marketing, I was proud to achieve a Distinction.
My dissertation explored the complexity of measuring integrated marketing campaigns, for which I interviewed key players in the advertising world.
Technical and Administrative Training​
Project Management; Managing People; Time Management; Stakeholder Management; Influencing Skills; Printing & Finishing (PIRA); Print Buying (PIRA); Adobe Photoshop (privately organised); Association of Financial Mutuals.