September 14, 2018, by Carla

The Future is Digital: Finding My Graduate Career

By Beth Angella, BA English

Mid-way through my final autumn semester, I attended the Digital Marketing Academy: Get Inspired event. It was an eye-opening insight into the many opportunities in the digital marketing sector. I was intrigued by the creativity, the possibility for tangible results and the sheer scale of the projects on offer.

At the event, I networked with many industry experts, including Tom, the founder of one of Nottingham’s leading digital marketing agencies, Impression Digital. They have recently won the Best Large SEO Agency at the European Search Awards 2018! By the end of the evening, I decided to sign up for the Digital Marketing Academy itself, which offers you the chance to learn from, and be inspired by, industry professionals.

Learning how search engines work

I learned about all sorts of web marketing techniques, from Google Analytics to how to optimise website design. It was incredible to find a career path that my English degree had perfectly prepared me for. Although my coding knowledge is still essentially non-existent, my strong analytical and writing skills mean I already had many of the essential qualities needed to create successful digital marketing campaigns.

Getting Google qualified

The academy also gave me the motivation to complete Google qualifications in online marketing and Google Analytics. Completing these qualifications made me feel more confident in interviews and at digital marketing tasks. They have also shown me how innovative and exciting a career in digital can be. The continually changing nature of client work means you might be creating a campaign that has the potential to be seen by millions across the world; averting a PR crisis about to flood Facebook, or giving a local business a publicity boost they never thought possible.

Landing a 10-week placement

After finishing the academy, I successfully applied for 10-week placement at Impression Digital. This was an invaluable introduction to the digital marketing industry. I was given the opportunity to work on real client projects, including:

• writing search engine results page copy
• learning different metrics to measure ad campaigns in Google AdWords
• analysing audience statistics
• writing search-optimised blogs
• researching keywords to inform client product development
• …I even started to understand the basics of a few coding languages

It was exciting and satisfying to see how in-depth analysis and creativity could work together to produce measurable results for clients.

#TheFutureIsDigital

Taking part in the Digital Marketing Academy has given me the push to learn about a rapidly developing industry, where I can practically apply the skills I’ve developed during my degree. My experiences encouraged me to finally launch my own website, Beth’s Cleft. I’ve also secured my dream graduate internship – working in fundraising for the children’s charity, Smile Train.

If you’re considering developing skills beyond your degree my advice is to do it! You’ll learn a lot, it will look amazing on your CV and it may even help you find your ideal job. If you’re going to sign up for the Digital Marketing Academy, my advice is to make the most out of it. The Google courses, for example, are very flexible and don’t take long to finish. I completed mine in a matter of afternoons and they can really help you to stand out.

The Digital Marketing Academy is running again this year – find out how to get involved.

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