A day in the life of a Marketing Director

Have you every wondered what it might be like to be a marketing director or, if you are one, how your job compares to others?  Here in the first of our job profiles relating to ABE subject areas, our marketing director, Kate Winter, describes what her typical day might comprise of...

How I started
I started in marketing after working in an administration department for an events company. Marketing looked so much fun – the team were rushing off to exciting events, creating new collateral and organising press trips. When an opportunity came up for an assistant role, I applied and was put through a thorough assessment to see if I was the best candidate. One of the tests was reading through a research report and writing an article in three different styles. This was something I loved doing and still do to this day.

How it is now
From here I built on my marketing qualifications at the same time as working to build my career.  Now I head up my own team and I have the same passion for marketing that I had when I first started. I enjoy the variety, the pressure, and the creative aspects of the role. I really enjoy discussing opportunities and ideas with my team, and their dedication and enthusiasm brings great results as well as a lot of laughs on the way.

Here is my typical day:-

The start of the day
Mornings are taken up with emails from our partners, issues raised overnight on social media – for example students who want to know their exam results or who have forgotten their membership numbers – and urgent matters raised by my team or the business. We may have to change something on our website or provide a centre (college) with lots of collateral (flyers and branded giveaways) for an event. Every day is different.

Daily meetings
We have an informal team meeting once a week where we discuss what we are doing that week, where our dependencies are and any issues we have. As the head of the department it is my job to help resolve those issues where I can. For example one of my team might be going to an event and needs a laptop or phone so they can keep up with their emails or post messages on social media.

Right now we are going through a re-brand so that involves everyone on the team. We will look at a new piece of collateral that one of our designers has been working on, discuss what we like about it and what we want to change. That could be anything from colours used, to fonts, to application of our logo, right through to formatting, styles and where the piece we are working on will be used. We often eat breakfast together and the meeting will usually overrun by around an hour so that everyone can share their views.

Some days are full of meetings so I might be called into a Leadership Team meeting or into an interview.  I have one to ones with my team members every other week and I also have my own one to one with our CEO. I need to be super prepared for that meeting, so I note down all my team’s achievements for the week, and get my list of requests or queries ready.

There are often external meetings to attend – the last one was at the House of Commons in London.  Next month I will be heading off to Africa to meet our area managers and our centres. We also attend industry events so we can network and keep up to date with the latest trends.

IT & social media
Marketing is responsible for websites so we have a lot of interaction with IT.  Fortunately I have had responsibility for websites prior to my current role so I am used to technical terminology and function. I think this is absolutely necessary for today’s marketer – the tools and techniques for web and social sharing are just as important as the content.

If the day is lighter on meetings that is good but it will mean phone calls. I receive lots of calls from people wanting us to buy advertising.  Mostly I say no to these because we are focusing on digital initiatives.  Facebook is our most popular channel. We get great results using it – just recently we asked for alumni to share their stories with us. We received around 300 responses.

International communication
We are an international organisation so we have colleagues working all over the world and we have international partners including colleges and universities. Colleges often need promotional materials so we keep a stock of items that we think students will like. We also create posters for them which we make available in printed format as well as digitally.  There is lots of interaction with people from all over the world and we try to be as responsive as we can.  We use  skype, Google hangouts and go to meeting as well as tools like Whatsapp to keep in touch.

Projects
One of the things I like about marketing is that there are always new projects and initiatives.  At present we are working on a new website so there is a lot of interaction with the web development agency. They will come to us to present their ideas on the structure and style of our new site. I like to consult with my team and other areas of the business about what will work best.  When I have a clear idea in my own mind I will give them a call, note down all my thoughts and share with them.

Writing

Almost every day will encompass some copy writing in one form or another. It could be a press release, an announcement for LinkedIn, a new brochure, website copy, advertising or social media posts.  I usually need it to be quiet to write, which is hard in a busy open plan office. Lunchtimes or later in the day are good times to get that done.

Home Time!
At the end of the day if I am in the office I will change into my cycling gear and ride four miles home. I need that bit of time to think about the priorities for tomorrow. Then it’s dinner and early to bed before the whole thing starts again.

If you fancy building a career in marketing an ABE Marketing Management qualification is a great starting point.  Find out more.

Alumni profile: Dennis Oriaku, Nigeria

Dennis has completed the ABE Level 6 Diploma and has found it has supports his successful career as an HR supervisor.  He has also found he feels well-equipped to develop further academically and become a business leader.

My name is Dennis Oriaku. I am a level 6 graduate of the ABE Business Management. Since 2012 I have been working with Provast Limited, Nigeria, as the Human Resource Supervisor. I enjoy every bit of my working life which has been filled with achievements; I have won the best staff award consecutively since 2012.

                                                                                                                                 

I chose to study for an ABE qualification because of its worldwide acceptability and the depth of knowledge the programme offered. Also, its seamless progression into degrees and Masters programmes in various countries around the world.

I started out with International Study Centre at Ikeja in Nigeria and later opted for self-study. It was not easy studying on my own and I had to devote time to research on the internet, studying my textbooks and the study packs provided by ABE to advance my knowledge.

ABE qualifications are still in a growth stage in Nigeria. At first some employers didn’t see the need to hire an ABE graduate but that has changed as ABE students have proved by achieving excellence on the job. All my friends who started this great path are working with their ABE qualifications and succeeding in their various jobs.

I wish to continue to a BBA and MBA at Northwood University in the United States of America this year (fall 2015).

ABE helped me to be equipped for the workplace. It was easy for me to fit into the  working environment and it also made me a top performer! ABE studies have also contributed to my professional and career progression and I’m happy to have joined this great organisation.

Through ABE I have been able to understand business and the impact of the environment on businesses. I have also been able to manage my private businesses and I am working on diversifying and partnering for expansion purposes.

                                                                                         

Part of my plan is to become a business mogul and shape the world of business. I see a great Africa economy rising and I want to be a part of this future. I also operate two businesses and am planning on diversifying into other areas as soon as possible.

It’s been a worthwhile journey and I tell you all (members and intending members), “The ABE journey continues……”

Where is your business idea taking you?

If you are thinking of starting a new business, could it be the next disruptive force in the marketplace? Read this article by ABE’s digital marketing manager, Maria Koukou, for some great examples of how new business ideas can disrupt the established marketplace.

Business models are subject to rapid displacement, disruption, and, in extreme cases, outright destruction according to McKinsey Global Institute. Since 2000, more than half of the companies in the Fortune 500 have either gone bankrupt, been acquired or ceased to exist due to disruption.

But what is disruption? Clayton Christensen, Professor of Business Administration at the Harvard Business School, first introduced the Theory of Disruptive Innovation to describe companies which shake up industries by discovering new segments of end users until the established competitors are displaced.

And how do companies thrive in the age of disruption?

A key response to disruption is to constantly innovate business models.

Professor Serguei Netessine from Singapore, revealed that only 5% of companies practice business model innovation and those that do not focus enough on their business models are more likely faced with disruption. For example, companies should be more aware about their customers’ behaviours and needs, otherwise someone else is going to directly address pain points matching the gap between customers’ wishes and what is being delivered to them.

Spotify offers the value of on-demand and interest based music that disrupts radio and Amazon wouldn’t have launched the Amazon Web Services if it didn’t believe that companies did not want to own their infrastructure. Airbnb uses the shared economy model finding a home for everyone around the world while on holiday, reframing the idea around accommodation; it took Airbnb four years to build an inventory of 900,000 rooms when Hilton Hotels after 93 years has reached 600,000 rooms globally.

Now.. how disruptive can your business idea be?

Suggested resources:

Capgemini Consulting

McKinsey Global Institute

Clayton Christensen

Gartner

ABE’s Business Start-up and Entrepreneurship qualifications can give you the know how to turn your innovative flare into business success. Click here to find out more.

Why I love being an ABE area manager

Kereesa (far right) with Pride Sinkala ABE Zambia and
Lyndon Jones ABE Founder.

Hi there,

I am Kereesa Carrington-Nunez and I hale from Trinidad and Tobago. ABE has made an invaluable contribution to my success. I opted to pursue the ABE programme after I found that enrolling directly onto a degree programme was both costly and challenging. ABE was the stark opposite of that. It proved to be a quality professional programme at a comparatively low cost with unconventional flexibility. It was perfect for juggling family commitments and a budding professional life.

The rewards

Opting to study ABE had far reaching ripple effects on my life. Following completion of ABE I became an ABE Lecturer, the skills and knowledge that I amassed put me in high demand to deliver university level programmes on an international scale. 

In July 2015 I was awarded Educator Par Excellence by the Tobago Cultural Committee and voted one of the top 10 Young Achievers of Tobago.

The successes of ABE further evolved as I became an ABE Ambassador in my country. As the Country Manager my networks mushroomed as I represented the awarding body to perspective students, alumni, colleges, accreditation agencies and numerous other stakeholders. The position awakened a deep passion in me of wanting to pass the education I had to others and it brought me closer to self actualisation. Not only did it carry intrinsic rewards but it was a paid position.

The team

Being able to work with a competent team of professionals from a global perspective with the support of  ABE's Founder Lyndon Jones made the journey even more fulfilling. The staff in the UK - Kabilan, Emma, Gill, Vanda, Stephen, Kenneth and Kerry - have been at ABE as long as I can remember.  They are most amiable, competent and above all patient and willing to share and receive ideas. What would seem the arduous task of conceptualising and implementing a globally coordinated strategy would become a learning experience that yielded immeasurable successes in Trinidad.

I am now the Regional Manager to the Caribbean for ABE, still an ABE Ambassador and even more privileged! Today I operate under the auspices of a poised visionary in our CEO Gareth Robinson and an expanding team with a contemporary flare  including Sue, Kate, Linda, Lisa and Mark among others. The collective experiences of ABE Head Office staff coupled with localised perspectives of the Area Managers makes ABE a relevant, dynamic education provider whose qualifications are adaptable to any context.

Could this be your story?

So if you think you have the drive and passion to be an ABE Area Manager what are you waiting for? Come join us! You shape your destiny, you choose your starting point - a student or an ambassador; the bottom line - exponential learning and earning potential!
To find out about becoming an ABE Area Manager click here for more information.