What is your job / what field are you in?
I am an accounts manager in the digital advertising department for the Eastern Cape’s biggest newspaper. Yes, this means I sell advertising for a living.
Do you need a qualification for it? If yes, what and how long does it take?
Not really but you do need a lot of drive and you kinda need to know a bit about digital and how it works.
How did you get into it?
Well my boss heard about our ECMeetUp blogger meet up and approached me, after chatting with Ella (of JustEllaBella) who also happens to work for the same company.
How long have you been doing this?
It will be 2 years in September… so I’m still a baby in the advertising industry but I’ve been blogging for about 4 years now.
Do you remember when you first started? Tell us a bit about that
Well, coming from a corporate environment where I had to wear heels every day and push papers until I felt like a human paper mill, it was quite a big change. I remember immediately noticing the super charged, but very relaxed, atmosphere. The office is open plan (my previous office was… well, I had my own office) so that was a big change for me. I can’t sing at the top of my voice anymore. Unless I want to have a stapler thrown at my head.
What’s an average day like for you at work?
Get to work, sit in the car for a few minutes and enjoy the silence, once I’m in the office coffee is my first priority. I then check mails (hopefully from keen advertisers) and put together pitches and proposals. I sometimes do client visits.
What has been the most memorable moment for you in your career?
This current career? Well, to be crass, my most memorable moment was when I found out I was pregnant like, 3 weeks after my contract started. Thrilled. But I’ve also enjoyed sitting in on marketing workshops and I love seeing how the blogging world and the advertising world kinda overlap each other.
What moment would you like to forget?
Hmmm… the time I fell down the stairs? But other than that, it’s been a great ride thus far!
If you could live your life over, would you still do this?
No, if I could live my life over, I would marry rich and never work a day in my life. I do love this field though and I believe that with the rise of social media and digital, there will be more scope for those of us who enjoy living our lives “online”. I wouldn’t mind a job in digital marketing… and hey, maybe I’m headed that way…
What are some of the biggest challenges about this field?
Well, of corse, selling advertising is always about the numbers and the sales. I hate feeling like a loser when I don’t meet budget. Some advertisers are old school and they don’t “get” online advertising… but that’s another story for another day.
Do you have any advice for someone wanting to get into this field?
If you’re looking to get into advertising or sales, I would say just have a passion for it. It’s all about building and maintaining relationships. So work on your communication skills and your time management (it’s easy to get sucked into Facebook when you should be finding new clients). If you’re looking for a career in digital advertising do a couple of online courses. Learn about SEO and impression based adverts and click-through rates. You should constantly be checking out what’s new in the digital advertising space and figure out how to make that work for your clients.
Luchae Williams is the wife and mommy behind parenting blog My Spreadsheet Brain.
She is a co-founder of the annual Eastern Cape bloggers convention, #ECMeetUp and is a content writer for online newspaper, Gateway News.
[bctt tweet=”Ever wondered what an account manager does? Read what Luchae has to say about her job! #careerseries” username=”tyrannyofpink”]
Interesting job Luchae. Thank you for giving us insight into your world.