Have you ever considered working in digital marketing? Looking to find out what it’s like or an apprenticeship in general? Let me tell you about my experience in my first month as a digital marketing apprentice. There is so much of a drive now going into hiring apprentices and they can be useful to any business.
Tasks and Feelings
When I first started, I had the nerve-wracking feeling that everyone does when going into a new job or change in life. I held off for months because I was never really informed about the potential of apprenticeships. I knew I had an interest in digital marketing but didn’t really know where to start.
When I saw the possibility of an apprenticeship, I knew that it could be a way to get my foot in the door and learn the ways of digital. I had already done previous online courses regarding digital marketing and wrote content for my personal ventures, but I was eager and ready to learn something new.
My first day consisted of activities such as just creating accounts, logging into accounts, and having a look around the different software that is used in digital marketing. It can be quite overwhelming seeing the number of different tools a digital marketer uses for the different elements of marketing.
Throughout the month, I worked mostly internally, as opposed to with clients. Because I work for a digital marketing agency, my day-to-day activities consisted of running SEO audits, beginning keyword research, working on updating the website, creating content for the website as well as blog posts, creating social media posts, and giving any ideas I thought could contribute to our own digital marketing strategy.
This was a huge learning curve for me and completely different from what I was used to, but I felt motivated to learn more and put my work into action. Being able to express my opinion freely and give ideas were new to me, and I didn’t consider myself a creative person, so I figured I would struggle. To my surprise, I found creativity in the activities I did that I didn’t realize I had.
Any apprentice, especially digital marketing, who hasn’t done work in the industry will find the first day or two overwhelming. The important thing to note is that you aren’t expected to be an expert or be able to do everything right away. This is within all apprenticeships, you’re an apprentice to learn!
Start vs End of the Month
I feel like in one month, I have learned so much through being on the job and being able to put theory into action. To start with, I was hesitant when doing any tasks, especially what involved social media. I didn’t want to mess anything up, but as the month went along, I feel as though I grew in confidence because I understood how our social media platforms work for the industry we’re in.
Looking back to when I started, I had no idea what CRO, SEO, or PPC entailed. I now have so much more knowledge on them, and I’m still learning but able to do more and work my way around the tools of digital marketing.
I started with what I already knew which was social media and as the month progressed, I was introduced to new tasks such as metadata, site audits, backlinking, contributions, and so much more. I even managed to acquire my Google Analytics and Analytics Advanced certifications!
It may feel like you won’t understand it and you may be filled with doubt, but the experience is so important. The more experience you get and the more effort you put into the work; you’ll see better results.
Advice for Others Considering a Digital Marketing Apprenticeship
Before you consider looking for a digital marketing apprenticeship, I highly recommend you research digital marketing. Take a few online free courses. Coursera is a website that offers free courses, and Google Digital Garage offers a really good course that is quite long and in-depth.
Digital Marketing isn’t just social media. It’s so much more than that, and if you head into it with that mindset, then you’ll be surprised and shocked when you find you can’t just scroll through socials all day.
Even so, the social media element of digital marketing is a lot more complex than people think. You have to be strategic with your posts, know who to target, and understand the way each platform works. Anyone can say they know how to use social media, but whether you know how to take advantage of it from a marketing perspective is a whole new story.
When you decide you want to start looking for digital marketing apprenticeships, they are available to find on the official Government Apprenticeship website if you’re in the U.K., which is where I discovered mine.
You don’t just want to pick anyone or the first one that pops up, do your research and that doesn’t mean just read the description. Go on the company’s website, view their social channels and the work they’ve done.
Even look at reviews of their company, and you’ll get more of an idea of whether this company is suited to you. Being able to fit in and be welcomed into a company is so important, and this is for any job you enter in life. It makes the process of work easier.
Another important thing to look for is whether the company is hiring for their own marketing team or they’re an agency. Now, this is all preference as to whether you would prefer to work with one company or many clients.
My opinion on this was that an agency would benefit me more. It would give me the experience of working internally but also externally with a wide range of clients within different industries and even internationally. I knew this would challenge me more and wanted to throw myself in the deep end to push myself. This is something you should think about when looking into this industry.
This was my experience in my first month of a digital marketing apprenticeship. Other individuals will have a completely different experience, but I’m hoping I inspire more people to be open to the possibility of digital marketing and apprenticeships in the current job situation we’re in.
The pandemic has taken away a lot of jobs that people may have only ever worked in. Apprenticeships give you the chance to retrain at any age and regardless of circumstances. It’s never too late in life to change or take a different route. I believe that digital marketing is very much the future of marketing, with more businesses online and high-street markets struggling with huge losses.
About the Author
Hannah Barden is a digital marketing apprentice at Bite Digital.
