Five pressures and positives of working in digital marketing
Obviously, we love digital marketing. It’s in our blood. There are so many great perks of working in an industry that is ever-changing. Having said that, we’re not blind to the stresses and difficulties that come from being in such a fast-paced digital space. That’s why we’re sharing five of the stresses we face and the silver linings we’ve found…
1. Things are always changing
As we've already said, digital is FAST-PACED. Instagram has an app update almost every day, new digital platforms launch regularly, Google changes its algorithm within the blink of an eye, ad-hoc requests are not uncommon and urgent campaign changes sometimes show up.
These changes can be minor, e.g. Facebook introduce a new posting feature – great. They can also be major, e.g. Facebook remove third-party targeting options – not so great.
But it’s not all bad news. Constant evolution means that there’s never a dull day in digital marketing. We’re always learning new things, testing new features, and adapting to new regulations.
We’re kept on our toes, which we kind of love.
2. Digital marketing never sleeps (but we try to)
Hospitality digital marketing never sleeps. It’s on 24 hours a day, 1,440 minutes a day, 86,400 seconds a day. You get the idea. Customers have queries, clients have changes, and campaigns may be needed at any time. That’s why you’ll often hear us saying that ‘there aren’t enough hours in the day’.
As short as the working day can sometimes feel when you have a lot on, you also have to be realistic. You won’t always be able to fit everything into that day, so the key is to prioritise and delegate where you can – don’t take everything on your own shoulders.
3. Keeping clients happy
Hear us out… Clients are one of the positives of the job. Without them, we wouldn’t work with some of the amazing brands that we do, and you can really build a strong relationship with a great client. However, someone may not know what they want, may have an ‘unachievable’ goal, or simply have a 180-degree change on something they previously liked.
Keeping up with this adds pressure. How can we suggest an effective solution? How can we manage their expectations? There are a lot of questions…
What is life without challenge, though? Digital marketing is what we do. A few curveballs here and there won’t throw us off our game for long. A problem is just a chance to be creative, and if we know the brand and their objectives, we’ll find a way to reach their goals. Plus, we can’t lie… Last-minute campaigns or changes can be quite the adrenaline rush.
4. Mistakes will happen
There are times when an offer doesn’t work, a typo is missed, an email is delayed, etc. We’re human; mistakes happen. Digital marketing is a time-precious job, and sometimes we’re in a rush and we might skim reed.
Oops, you see?
The main thing is that we can learn from these mistakes. Even if it might sometimes feel like it’s life and death, it’s not. Of course, mistakes have consequences, but there’s always a chance to reflect on mistakes and find a resolution, making you and your team more effective going forward.
5. Budgets are being cut
Marketing budgets are being slashed, and we’re sure you’ve all heard things like, “how will this drive conversions?” and “what’s the return-on-investment?”. The less budget you have, the more it can feel like these conversions are harder to drive, and sadly marketing is often one of the first areas to be cut to reduce costs.
Plus, as anyone in marketing knows, sales aren’t everything. Brand awareness, reputation, and loyalty are also crucial and something that marketing plays a big part in. So, even with less budget to play with, there are different goals to reach and creative ways to get there. It’s just an extra challenge, which we’re ready for.
Seeing the silver linings a little better now? Digital marketing isn’t the most relaxing industry in the world, but it is highly rewarding, always changing, and keeps us learning every day. There’s also lots of tea and coffee.
Matt Bowell
Matt has been in marketing for 25 years, clocking up many years for institutions like the NHS, the BBC, Comic Relief, Goodyear Dunlop, and Lonely Planet in the UK and abroad. Matt leads the client service team as one of Brew’s directors.
