Life Of A Marketing Girl Archives

How to become a savvy marketer?

May 27, 2019

Hi Ladies, yes it has been a while since we last posted here sorry! We have been focusing on creating experiences and events for you guys to give more insightful marketing information for you to digest. But it is time we get back to the essence of sharing tips and tricks to help you develop as a keen marketer.

Savvy marketer? What do we mean by that?… Well in 2019 things are moving quickly like never before, the internet is becoming a beast of its own and data is becoming more measurable than sales. So it can be hard as a marketer to measure the market and decide whats next for your customer. So here are a few tips to consider for your business or marketing platform.

Do Not Be Scared Of Change aka. Live For Rapid Change

As we all know social media is at the forefront of rapid change. whilst some marketing analyst still may overlook social media as a key competency. A small business owner or for someone who is trying to get into marketing, it is imperative to be up to date with key social channels and the natural trends of each social channels. Get equipped on being a natural trend watcher, follow social guru’s to pick up tips and build a strategy that works for your audience.

Influence With Authority

This applies to you if you want to get involved in content marketing, using social media to communicate or just be of influence with your marketing. Using your influence with authority is all about communicating with intention. E.g. if you are using your Instagram to promote healthy skin, it is imperative to use your actions to delve into detail about your imagery/products your showing. So that your audience can be informed and over time build trust and value which in turns gives you authority over your expertise and increase consistency in engagement.

If you work in a company as a marketer, you can also do this internally by influence with the department in sales, design and communications. Finding new ways to deliver information, sharing new insights and being close to the customer to share a different perspective for other departments to consider.

Read and analyse your data results

This may seem like the most boring task but it’s becoming one of the most important skillsets to acquire in this day in age. Everyone and everything is becoming more digital, which means we are understanding customer behaviour in a new way due to how people receive information, are influenced and even shop. So use your business Instagram account and read view numbers & what post worked best to understand what your audience engage with most. Look at your website and see page views understand when customer or readers tend to search for you. Use SEO to increase search to your page. All these insights will tend to become more exciting and beneficial when you start to use it for your business in the right way. Don’t be scared of numbers!!!

In the Life Of A Marketing Girl Community, we are excited by change and want to ensure you guys are savvy marketers and ‘ahead of the curve’ to dominate within the marketing industry.

Life Of A Marketing Girl

5 Tips To Improve Your Marketing CV To Recruiters/Hiring Managers

October 21, 2018

5 Tips To Improve Your Marketing CV To Recruiters/Hiring Managers

Life Of A Marketing Girl is embarking on November Mentorship with our community girls. We think it is important to not wait for the new year to get our mindset right to achieve our goals. We can start now.

So with only limited spaces to see so many people in November, we want to ensure we are sticking to our mission. Which is to; encourage, inspire and educate young girls who desire to get into marketing and share tips to help you achieve your careers goals. Starting with your CV.

CV – Should my CV look creative?

Through emails and DM’s via our Instagram page, this has been a very popular question. The answer is simple. There is no perfect CV but we encourage CV’s for creative marketing jobs in, fashion, music and entertainment to have a creative look and feel to their CV. This could be from a distinctive colourful border, to a whole theme of a resume. What’s most important is that you are confident of what your CV represents in terms of experience and it looks how you would like to represent you.

This could be through various small improvements such as:

Using CV template this is a really great way to stand out and helps you create a bespoke theme that no one else would have. It is a cool and creative change that can improve how you show off your skills. Have a look at this link to see examples.
Simple and easy to read – Creative does not have to mean complex, remember it is quality over quantity. Ensure you write short simple sentences and is clear to read. Think job responsibility back up by an example of this.
Infographics – Sometimes sentences can’t always explain the depth of knowledge or what you have achieved. we advise using infographics, which is a unique way to show off your skills and results in a creative yet professional approach.
Create A Personal Brand – If you’re sending a portfolio, resume, and cover letter to apply for your dream creative role think about how you can make all the elements of your application look more unified and professional. Treating your job application as an exercise in branding is a great way to both elevate your application to the next level and prove to your future employer that you can be creative while working within a set of brand rules.

Highlight Key Achievements/Accomplishments

In reality, it would be great for HR managers to read through every CV that comes through their inbox, but unfortunately not all hiring managers do their Du-diligence. So we have to make it easier for them to see yours. You can do this by highlighting your key achievements within each job role previously. Whether it is a success you are proud of in university or even charity work. Use your CV to show off what you have achieved, so they have no choice but to look at your CV.

Including transferable skills

Another question we get asked quite often is about transferring from one industry into marketing and what their CV should look like to show they are eligible to be considered. All skills are transferable, as a business no matter what industry needs professionals equipped to do the job. If your background is finance, that’s great when dealing with marketing budgets that is a skill that is still relevant. If you are a strong writer then that is also a transferable skill as writing briefs and presentations is also required in marketing which is needed and useful. The key traits are the most transferrable skills you currently have that work best with the desired role you are looking at, that you can relate it too. In marketing, you have to be adaptable more than anything so giving examples of that is what will really stands out.

Should my CV be different if I am applying to marketing jobs in different industries?

You should have a standard CV which outlines all your skills. But when you are applying for a specific job or in a specific industry, use this template but adapt it so that it is accurate to align with the job role you are applying for.

Spelling and Grammer

Last but not least spelling and grammar are so important. We are all human and not perfect, but your CV is your first impression and it is imperative you show your best self. This will be the first chance a hiring manager will basically see you and your work history. Ensure it is easy to read, simple to comprehend from beginning to end and lastly shows off your skills and talents which will be of value to the role you are applying for.

If you have any questions you would like us to answer, please DM us via our Instagram page and we will do an article on it.

Life Of A Marketing Girl Xx

Life Of A Marketing Girl

What Is The Difference Between Marketing and PR?

September 19, 2018

Life Of A Marketing Girl – What Is The Difference Between Marketing and PR?

One of the most common question within the communications industry from graduates and keen PR and marketing Enthusiast. Recently I did an article on Pepper Your Talk about the key difference between Marketing and Pr. I thought it is only right that I share this to the Life Of A Marketing Girl Community that continues to push for information and insight to further their careers. Check it out and I hope it helps you!

What is PR?

The correct term for PR is Public Relations, which is all about reputation – the result of what you do, say and what others say about you. Simply put, PR is about managing a reputation.

A fundamental element of PR is brand representation in the media. For example, a brand will host a press day for a new collection with a few desired objectives in mind. Top-tier journalists will be invited with the hopes of them writing a review or story about the pieces. Stylists will be invited in the hopes of them featuring the items in upcoming shoots. Bloggers will be invited, to either select the items they’ll be gifted or to create content from the day and share it with their audience.

In doing so, they are maximising the reach of the brand by building relationships with the right people. Overall, all PR activities should maintain or raise the reputation of the brand to potential customers, which in turn translates into sales.

What is Marketing?

According to Kotler and Armstrong (Principles of Marketing, 2013) Marketing is ‘the process by which companies create value for customers and build strong customer relationships in order to capture value from customers in return.’ As a marketer myself, I believe this speaks to what marketing truly is. Not only does a customer buy into the item but they buy into the brand; whether that be the style of the products or the lifestyle promoted around the clothes.

A marketer’s job is to come up with creative activations to promote the brand, item, collection or a special project/collaboration. The use of market research and strategy is a big factor in this because it is only when a business truly understands its customer can it then understand how best to create an impact in that customer’s life.

What is the difference?

The key difference between PR and Marketing is the audience:

PR = Industry relationships

Marketing = Customers

PR is to building favourable relationships with the media, press and influencers (these are the people that drive influence and communicate the brand perceptions to customers). Occasionally, this also extends to investors and suppliers. Whilst marketing is about promoting a brand or product through various creative approaches (advertising, digital marketing, social media etc.) to the customer.

The processes and strategies used to achieve these objectives are very different. Both areas run campaigns whether it’s by using influencers to promote a new fashion collection or traditionally using models and running a campaign shoot that we end up seeing in our favourite magazines. Marketing success is measured by campaign sales and ROI (return on investment). Whereas a successful PR campaign is measured by securing and maintaining successful relationships with key stakeholders in the industry that can then share great press coverage of your brand, product or collection.

What are some roles within a PR team?

Depending on the scale of the business (small or large) the team with have:

– PR Assistant

– PR Coordinator

– PR Manager

– Influencer Manager

– Head of PR

– PR Director (who reports into the Chief Marketing Officer or Executive Leadership Team/Senior Leadership Team)

In an agency environment, the roles are as follows (depending on the scale of the business small or large):

– Account Assistant

– Account Executive

– Senior Account Executive

– Account Manager

– Senior Account Manager

– Account Director

What are some roles within a marketing team?

Depending on the scale of the business (small or large) the team with have:

– Marketing Assistant

– Marketing Executive

– Marketing Manager

Social is a big part of Marketing and PR and either social media manager or executive roles can sit in either of the teams depending on the size of the team or business. There is also a strategic side to marketing which consists of creating the campaign angles, the thinking and initiative behind a campaign and why. (These roles vary, are often only on senior levels and can be within these remits:

– Strategic Manager

– Brand Manager

– Campaign Manager

Are PR skills transferable to Marketing roles (vice versa)?

Yes, yes, yes! It is so important to have transferable skills. Marketing and PR work hand in hand so having both contribute to the value you can bring to your potential employer.

Which campaigns do you currently love or are personal favourites of yours?

My favourite campaign currently is:

Jigsaw Immigration campaign – Jigsaw launched a campaign in 2017 about celebrating immigration as part of their promotion for its autumn/winter collection. Read more about it here.

Nike Middle East sportswear campaign – Nike launched a culturally rich, empowering campaign that pays homage to Middle Eastern athletes and explores the challenges young Arab women aspiring to a professional sporting career may face. Read more about it here.

Campaigns mean more when there is an authentic reflection of people, life and culture involved.

Where do you see the future of Marketing and PR going?

I think the future is in digital innovation and with fashion companies being more reactive to customers real needs and not want the company wants it to be. Brands will have have to stay close to their loyal consumers as well as potential new customers and study what their aspirations are, as well as lifestyle escapism habits.

Olivia Gold x

Life Of A Marketing Girl

How Did Olivia Gold Get Started In Marketing? Part One…

July 15, 2018

The Beginning

Launching Life Of A Marketing was a personal desire as well as a professional need. It all started with my experience of wanting to get into marketing and facing many obstacles along the way. The community and platform has received amazing feedback which has been so overwhelming and unexpected. I think it’s only right to share my journey to give insight and understanding on how I got to where I am ( I still have a long way to go) and be an example that perseverance is key!

I started my career firstly through education. I went to the University of East London studying Marketing and Media Communications. I always knew I wanted to get into marketing, specializing in fashion in-particularly since secondary school. It started when I was in my business studies class and really enjoyed learning about the 4 P’s marketing mix which is, product, price, promotion place. I was so intrigued that this was the basic strategy of developing a product and service. With a love for fashion, I started to research if fashion marketing was a career option and when I discovered I could I was sold, I knew that my passion had a career trajectory.

Whilst I was in my second year of University I started to look for internships to take during reading week or during the summer holidays. I didn’t see much marketing internship at all, this was back in 2011 – 2012. I did see quite a lot of PR internships and thought this could be a good avenue to get my foot in the door.

Work Experience

I got my first work experience opportunity at Flipside PR doing one day a week for 3 months. Later on, in the same year, I got a one week experience at Hello Magazine in the marketing department for a week during the run-up to Christmas. I also worked at New Look part time whilst I was at University and asked the PR team if I could intern during the summer, I got a two-week internship during the summer. By the end of University, I had completed all three internships getting my feet wet.

The Interview Struggle

I was under the impression that having these three internships would help me secure a job once I graduated. That was not the case. I went on endless interviews and I was not getting anywhere. For a year and a half, it was constant rejection even with all the internship experience I had gained. I have been in the reception and the potential employer walked straight passed me, assuming I was not an ‘Olivia’. I have been in an interview room and been questioned about my experienced as if it was not believable. You name it, I have experienced it.

That was a very tough time, trying and receiving constant rejection. But after a long stint of perseverance and various more interviews I finally got my first job in marketing working for a small beauty company. I was so grateful that I even got a yes, after 20+ interviews (which were with some of the biggest names in fashion and media).

I think the beginning of sharing my journey is SO IMPORTANT because I speak to a lot of budding young women who want to get into marketing but are struggling. I can truly understand because that was me. I did not have a ‘connect’ a ‘bring in’. I didn’t know anyone, all I had was my CV and the skills I have picked up along the way and was just persistent to get an opportunity.

Stay focused. Persistent and most importantly DO NOT GIVE UP

Part Two Pending…..

Life Of A Marketing Girl

Life Of A Marketing Girl – First Live Series

May 8, 2018

We did it! Life Of A Marketing Girl – First Live Series!!!

Since launching Life Of A Marketing Girl, at the beginning of 2017. My initial intention was to share, educate and give back what I didn’t get when I realised I wanted to get into marketing. It is an isolated industry and it does seem hard to get into and just break through. I wanted to try and change that.

From my personal and professional journey, I saw that there was no other community talking to specifically entry level marketers. The industry today is expanding especially with the breakthrough of social media, so I know that it can feel daunting to find your way and progress with your marketing career.

I used 2017 to establish the Life Of A Marketing Girl community, content, marketing reviews and analysis, as well as interviews. With such amazing feedback and so many messages and DM’s via Instagram about getting into marketing, I knew that I had to do more than post on the blog. I wanted to meet you all and bring this community to life.

The Event

Life Of A Marketing Girl Live Series – How To Ace Your Marketing Interview (Navigating Through The Process)

Our first event, we did it! It was really important to use this moment and discuss marketing and the key steps it takes to bag the job. Not in an idealistic way, but the fundamental steps you need to prepare yourself to step into your marketing career. We were blessed with amazing panellists from fashion, music, entertainment and media which gave a diverse insight into marketing in the various creative industries.

Frederica Boetang – Fashion Marketing Lecturer and founder of Fashion Education Business

Jessica Roe – Director, Level Theory

Jackie Eyewe – Senior Marketing Manager, Atlantic Records

Louise Thomas – Director, Break Communications

Topics

1. Career path – Knowing what you want

2. Interview processes – Self-development

3. Future in Marketing – knowing or not knowing your end goal

Key Take Outs From The Evening:

With marketing it is an industry where you have to deal with people, so bring your best authentic self, along with your skills. Your personable approach will drive your success, from the interview to the boardroom.
ALWAYS ask for feedback post an interview. Whether you get the job or not use every interview to refine any improvement areas for yourself!
Research and what we mean by that is, not just the company you are going to interview for, but the industry in general. What campaign as of recent do you like? Or not like? Keep up to date but with marketing work that fits your personal interest. That alone shows a unique sense of your point of view for a recruiter to see.
Networking – Yes it is daunting at first, but once you try the first time. after that, it will become apart of you, as you build friendships within the industry along with the perseverance and tenacity to build and connect. And most importantly market yourself!

Thank you to Soho House for sponsoring us!

Thank you for all the feedback and as requested the next one is on its way 🙂

Olivia Gold x

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Life Of A Marketing Girl

The New Age Store Experience – Zara launch an augmented reality app for in-store shoppers

March 19, 2018

The New Age Store Experience – Zara launch an augmented reality app for in-store shoppers

Coming to a Zara store near you, From April 2018, the Spanish fashion empire Inditex (Zara) will be introducing augmented reality app for in-store shoppers. What does this mean? The new innovative, the function will show models wearing selected Zara looks from its ranges when a mobile phone is held up to a sensor within the store or designated shop windows and customers can click through to buy the clothes. The Business Of Fashion reference states, that the mega fashion house is set to introduce the future thinking experience specifically targeted for younger Zara customers who are in their 20’s and 30’s.

Zara is already renowned for their fast work rate to bring couture and catwalk fashion trends in a matter of days to the high street! I personally could speak for a wide majority of my generation to say that Zara is the go-to for designer-led styles at a high street price point.

This is a great innovative development within the fashion industry. As some retail houses are currently struggling to monitor consumers spending power due to financial, social and economic constraints which tighten up the retail market. For Inditex they seem to be nowhere near red and are focusing on following their consumer’s behaviour. Tapping into mindset strategy and using that as a key marketing toolkit and development a new store experience strategy to lure in new and existing customers.

With digital being the future for GenZ and Millennials forefront, Zara is investing in their younger consumers through their new reality display!

To me, this is a win-win concept. When it comes to brand disruption and not only through an online journey but through in-store experience. Merging two strongest elements within a customers shopping experience. It has been issued that H&M are preparing launch a similar augmented system. But for now, expect to see 120 Zara stores worldwide who will have this within their stores for customers to interact when they visit the store.

It is exciting when brands continue to test new services, it shows the potential that comes with agile and flexible ways of working as a business. Reacting to mindset milestones and implementing activity to engage new consumers. As an avid shopper, it is something to be excited about, as it conquers a lot of practical queries you may come across when shopping. It actually will solve a few when shopping for example; personal shopping, styling and showing you further diverse options. This is because the system will also enable models to pop up on packages of online purchases delivered to customers, showing alternative outfits.

Innovation is the key, and Inditex is using key mindset insights to tackle and conquer new height which is an exciting concept I the retail fashion industry.

A thumbs up from the Life Of A Marketing Girl team!

Life Of A Marketing Girl

Imagine a brand is your BFF and designs products especially for you – Welcome to BFF Marketing!

January 22, 2018

Imagine a brand is your BFF and designs products especially for you? – Welcome to BFF Marketing!

Imagine your favourite fashion brand is your best friend, thinks you’re so special and design products especially for you! Well, in a nutshell, this is the core narrative behind the rise of some of the most successful direct-to-consumer womenswear and beauty brands in the marketplace right now.

When you’re talking with your girlfriends about what you’re going to wear for a night out and you say ‘trousers and a nice top’ we usually get the memo right? When you receive a text or a message from one of your girls saying ‘its going to be lit’ you already know that you and the girls are in for a good night?

This is exactly what you get from your favourite brands in today’s millennial consumer market. To add content to the above, Missguided has now introduced a “Jeans and ice top” division on their website. Brands such as Nasty Gal and Boohoo directly contact their consumer via e-newsletters with BFF messaging such as “time for the weekend, it’s going to be lit” Engaging in slang lingo to their BFF customer.

Its informal, intimate and makes you feel like they get you and understand your lifestyle. What more compelling relationship could you ask for from a brand?

To give further insight, Business Of Fashion also gives a great example with Yael Aflalo, the co-founder of Reformation a direct to a consumer brand also shared that;“hyper-growth” was also kick-started with a pithy newsletter in March 2013, says the company’s founder. “We wrote about Coachella and the caption was: ‘It’s not that important but it kinda is.’ All my friends rung me to say how cute it was.” It wasn’t just cute; it was instantly profitable. Sales jumped from $18,000 in February (pre-newsletter) to $175,000 in March.

This emphasises the pulling power & inclusiveness that brands introduce on such a relatable level. It actually gives the customer the power by decreasing any forced sale messaging and introduces a conversation based on how the brand has researched, segmented and understood their consumer.

Another aspect of BFF Marketing is the girl club community that direct to consumer brands have started to build using hashtags.

Nasty Gal – #Nastgalsdoitbetter

Miss Guided – #BabesOfMissguided

Asos – #Asseenonme

Creating a club-like environment for your ‘girl’ and allowing them to influence your product is a vital part of BFF marketing. It’s not only for bloggers but for all girls who love the product and want to share how they wore it.

BFF marketing is not as easy as it sounds, you have to bear in mind that you still need to scale the brand financially. A ‘cutesy tone of voice and a good colour palette’ will introduce you to your customer on a personal level, however, a core strategy will need to be behind this tone of voice to sustain the relationship and nature their shopping habit, which will result in increased sales.

To conclude we love the concept and strategic route of BFF Marketing!

Olivia Gold x

Older Posts

Life Of A Marketing Girl

5 Tips To Improve Your Marketing CV To Recruiters/Hiring Managers

Life Of A Marketing Girl Xx

Life Of A Marketing Girl – What Is The Difference Between Marketing and PR?

The Beginning

Work Experience

The Interview Struggle

We did it! Life Of A Marketing Girl – First Live Series!!!

The Event

Key Take Outs From The Evening:

Thank you to Soho House for sponsoring us!

Thank you for all the feedback and as requested the next one is on its way 🙂

The New Age Store Experience – Zara launch an augmented reality app for in-store shoppers

With digital being the future for GenZ and Millennials forefront, Zara is investing in their younger consumers through their new reality display!

A thumbs up from the Life Of A Marketing Girl team!

Imagine a brand is your BFF and designs products especially for you? – Welcome to BFF Marketing!

Imagine your favourite fashion brand is your best friend, thinks you’re so special and design products especially for you! Well, in a nutshell, this is the core narrative behind the rise of some of the most successful direct-to-consumer womenswear and beauty brands in the marketplace right now.

Nasty Gal – #Nastgalsdoitbetter

Miss Guided – #BabesOfMissguided

Asos – #Asseenonme

To conclude we love the concept and strategic route of BFF Marketing!

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