‘What brings me probably the most pleasure is working with an unbelievable crew of proficient professionals.’

The world of digital advertising and marketing could be complicated, however what makes digital advertising and marketing at Napier so distinctive?

I not too long ago spoke with Napier’s Head of Digital Advertising and marketing, Helen Greenhead, to debate her journey to her present function and the way she retains a degree head amongst the fixed modifications inside the world of digital advertising and marketing.

So what does Helen should say concerning the trade?

Inform me a bit about your time at Napier.

I labored for a corporation referred to as Armitage Communications for 27 years after which it was acquired by Napier a number of years in the past, and I’ve been with Napier ever since.

Upon beginning your company profession, what’s one piece of recommendation that has caught with you?

To not stress over conditions you’ll be able to’t change. There’s no level stressing when you’ll be able to’t change one thing, and that has caught in my head ever since.

What has led you to turn out to be an professional in digital advertising and marketing?

Effectively, I really began out as a Database Developer, creating and taking care of a lot of databases for numerous purchasers.  I suppose this led to the beginning of my journey into digital advertising and marketing. I first received concerned with the web and emails in 1993. We began with one e mail account for the corporate, and it was my job to verify it daily and ensure emails have been handled.  It was a sport changer – to have the ability to ship a consumer an e mail was like sending a letter electronically with out counting on the postal system.  Positive, we had a fax machine, however it didn’t present the extent of privateness or readability that you might obtain with an e mail. I received an actual style for the web and located it fascinating how you might have this facility to lookup absolutely anything and it was there – a complete world other than Teletext!  I knew then that this was the sphere for me.  I began to coach on something digital I might discover.

My first digital platform was an internet web page creator. Working in databases,  I already had an excellent data of SQL, so when confronted with HTML coding, it wasn’t that onerous to get my head round. The brand new platforms simply stored on coming and I couldn’t get my palms on them fast sufficient. Google Adwords – now generally known as Google Adverts – was one other sport changer, a technique to seize an viewers by providing them collateral primarily based on what they have been trying to find.  Additionally they supplied a fairly good coaching programme, which I took benefit of.

Social platforms like Twitter – now referred to as X- began to emerge and have been one more technique to construct and attain our viewers. Over time we began to see a shift in the best way that folks requested info.  The same old ‘kind fills’, or bingo playing cards as we referred to as them, discovered behind journals have been slowing down – as a substitute, we’d place kind hyperlinks on net pages and push them out by way of each journal and social channels, for individuals to finish on-line. The phone line requesting literature didn’t ring as typically both as individuals discovered a faster technique to get their palms on what they wished, with out having to attend for the submit.  Advertising and marketing automation began to evolve, and I enrolled in coaching for certification in Oracle Eloqua. This was one other sport changer – now we might generate types that may feed info straight into the database and enrol potential clients in nurture flows. Mapping out the shopper journey from begin to finish, not solely ensured prospects obtained the best info on the proper time however gave us insights into the place individuals have been within the shopping for journey.  And so, the true digital was born.

Digital advertising and marketing has developed a lot from once I received my first style and has led to heaps of coaching. I now have numerous certificates in numerous social platforms, website positioning software program and advertising and marketing automation. The coaching and certification are a should, however it’s additionally the expertise and talent to have the ability to present our purchasers with the very best recommendation and insights for his or her campaigns, that basically issues to me.

What’s your day-to-day?

My days are busy! I at all times begin the morning with a cup of tea – I can’t perform with out one. My subsequent job is to verify my inbox and reply to any emails which have are available in in a single day.  There are normally a lot of emails to undergo as we’ve a world consumer base. More often than not the emails require motion, so both I cope with that straight or go it to a crew member, relying on the request.  Often, I’ve conferences booked in – on a typical day there may very well be 3 or 4 to attend.  I oversee campaigns my crew is engaged on and I’m readily available for any queries they could have, together with coaching on new platforms.  I work on proposals with our account administration crew and supply the technique for the digital campaigns.

Typical actions in a day might embody mapping the shopper journey for a marketing campaign, managing the digital crew, working studies, writing advertisements for paid media, and choosing aside marketing campaign outcomes in order that we will make data-driven choices.

What’s a mission you’re most pleased with and why?

I had to consider this one as a result of I’m really pleased with all of the initiatives that come via the digital crew however for various causes. So, some make me proud due to the success of the marketing campaign and a few for the sheer quantity of labor that’s taken place.

We did a marketing campaign for ABB electrification, and we did it in 27 completely different languages. I’m pleased with that one as a result of it was such a mammoth job that so many individuals have been concerned in, and I really feel all of us got here collectively. We created native language touchdown pages, emails, types, and social posts.

As a crew, we collaborated and got here collectively, and we pulled it off and delivered a multi-language marketing campaign. That makes me fairly proud once I look again on the pages, I feel wow, we did good there. It was a mammoth job, and we pulled it off.

What do you are feeling your highest quality is?

I feel anybody in Napier would let you know that I’m a peaceful individual. In the event you’re asking anybody that may be what they’d say. I attempt to not stress over conditions or tight deadlines as a result of it’s simply a lot simpler to work with it and get on with it and do it. So, once I’m on the cellphone with different members of employees and we’ve received a giant marketing campaign going and so they’re stressing, I at all times say don’t stress, it’s okay. That’s in all probability my strongest high quality.

The place do you see the digital division within the subsequent 10 years?

I wish to see extra development within the digital crew inside the subsequent 10 years. We all know that digital goes from energy to energy and is barely going to get larger because it turns into extra widespread. I wish to proceed coaching crew members in specialised fields in order that we will proceed to supply the perfect when it comes to data and outcomes for our consumer’s campaigns.

What’s one piece of recommendation you’d give to new starters?

It was given to me and that’s not to emphasize over one thing you’ve received no management over as a result of in case you can’t change it, there’s no level stressing about it.

Typically conditions come up and also you suppose, it may be worrying. However in case you can’t change it and you may’t make any distinction, why let it trigger you stress?

What’s one thing you may have discovered to be distinctive to Napier and why?

I feel Napier affords a superb in-house coaching programme for each new starters and people who need to brush up on present abilities. I feel that’s distinctive as a result of not many corporations try this. Not many corporations of our measurement will do. However I feel that having that coaching in place for those who need it, I feel is sensible.

What makes the digital division at Napier so thrilling?

We’re at all times on the lookout for the following huge factor to occur within the digital world as a result of it strikes so shortly. We at all times prefer to search for new instruments that we will play with and work with that can improve our digital campaigns. All of the campaigns that we run are completely different, and one thing thrilling about that’s seeing the alternatives that they carry to our purchasers.

What do you get pleasure from probably the most about your job?

Effectively, that is going to sound actually cliché, however I really like all the pieces about my job. However what brings me probably the most pleasure is working with an unbelievable crew of proficient professionals and serving to new starters to develop of their data and experience inside the digital world. That’s what I really like most about my job.

In the event you had a vast finances for a marketing campaign, what’s one exercise you’d need to attempt?

In all probability content material syndication. We have now used it as soon as, and it’s fairly budget-hungry, however I feel in case you use it in the best context, it may very well be fairly good. It doesn’t work for each marketing campaign, so it could rely upon the marketing campaign targets. If I had a vast finances I might additionally look to develop throughout Meta, as a result of in the mean time we are inclined to do LinkedIn, Google, YouTube or the standard platforms. If we have been, for instance, working a branding marketing campaign or some type of recruiting marketing campaign, I feel Fb can be good for that. However principally, content material syndication can be the place I might in all probability need to mess around a little bit bit extra.

What’s content material syndication?

Content material syndication is the apply of sharing content material in a number of locations utilizing platforms like Outrun. It’s going to serve on numerous journal websites relying on the curiosity of the reader. So, you’ll have your advertisements, and also you’ll have your journal website after which relying on what the reader’s concerned about it’ll determine whether or not your advert will present or not, however your advertisements will seem down the underside of the positioning, not on all journal websites, however on normal websites that enable advertisements. So, it’s only a manner of getting a much bigger attain; you’ll be able to goal sure journals as properly, which is why you would wish a giant finances as a result of the journal is price concentrating on.

What abilities do you suppose are important for future success in digital advertising and marketing?

As a result of the digital world is dynamic and strikes at a quick tempo, an important talent to have is the power to vary and adapt to the various things which are occurring. In the event you’re the kind of one that is caught in your methods and might’t change, then digital will not be for you. However having the ability to transfer with the tempo, transfer with the instances and adapt to the various things which are happening is probably the most important.