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As our in-house marketer, Pagan focusses on helping us share our vision and values. Her passion and belief in Pitch combined with her background in recruitment, means she is able to help us redefine standards and ensure we stay true to who we are.
over 1 year ago
University can be a wonderful place for students. It’s probably most teenagers’ first real feel of leading a near-autonomous lifestyle. It’s certainly a life experience like no over and that’s not just down to the sheer expense of it. I was certainly sold the university dream. I was under the illusion at the start that a degree entitled you to a job but I soon learnt that it wasn’t the case. In 2018, a record 27.9% of the 18-year-old population in England had been accepted into a university, with a total of 411,860 students being placed on an undergraduate course. With those kind of statistics, it’s easy to see why my assumption of finding work easily would be incorrect, especially in the popular sector that I wanted to work in. I found it so hard to cut through the noise, as do many other graduates when searching for that elusive first graduate job. I decided to further my education and complete an MSc in a bid to strengthen my hand in being recruited but it wasn’t a masters degree that landed me my first job. It was working experience. It’s paramount that whilst you’re at university you must go beyond your studies and gain experience whilst you’re still learning. Most, if not all universities offer placements where you can gain invaluable experience in the working world. I’d even suggest doing a placement year (usually in your third year). It allows you to earn whilst you learn, strengthens your position as a job seeker when you finally graduate and it’s fairly common for the employer to take you on permanently at the end of your studies, should you impress. The break between the last semester and the first of the next university year is usually fairly lengthy so that period is a great chance to approach companies/businesses close to home to offer your service in form of a placement. I wholeheartedly disagree with unpaid placements and I feel that minimum wage should be a requirement as they are benefiting from your service but quite a lot of businesses still won’t pay for undergraduate placements but in the long term, it will benefit you. I know some students aren’t in the financial position to facilitate this but if you can do this then I’d highly recommend it. Why not get yourself on LinkedIn too? From what I’ve experienced from my time at university, students start to become active towards the end of their tenure. Get a head start on the rest of your peers by being active on LinkedIn from the get-go. You could be building relationships and connections - plus you can publish some of the work you’ve carried out at university straight onto LinkedIn. Use it as a shop window. Speak to a recruiter too. If you haven’t already, you can register with Pitch and submit your CV meaning that you’ll be considered for jobs that are relevant to your degree/experience.
over 1 year ago
As digital consumers, we are subjected to video content everywhere we look. Surely I can’t be the only who scrolls aimlessly through Facebook, watching videos that have no relevance to me, yet still end up falling into a video wormhole? Tech giants, HubSpot have conducted an investigation into the pulling power of video content and the results are staggering. The term ‘video’ in the subject line of an email increased open rates by 19% 90% of customers admitted that video influenced their buying decision and 80% of all web traffic will be dedicated to video by the end of this year. If you’re a serious marketer, these stats simply can’t be ignored. If customer buying patterns are influenced by video then why not utilise this? Show your product/ service in action to your customers to try and boost conversion rates. Customers want guarantees and as you should be promoting products/services you are proud of, go ahead and show off that bit more. Hosting engaging video on your website will keep users on your site for longer which in turn increases the chances of a conversion… whatever your end goal may be. The massive increase in video content also means it is now even easier to produce commercial standard film. If you’re one of the many millions who own an iPhone X, you’ll be able to capture video in crisp 4K quality. Whilst I appreciate that the iPhone X is pricey, at least this means we can say goodbye to having to splash out on clunky, shoulder-mounted cameras. As a consumer, I’m getting lazier (or smarter) in the way I digest content. On my daily commute, I find myself watching videos rather than long-form copy articles because I prefer being told the story rather than having to read an article. Conveying your brand’s story and message is much easier to interpret in the form of audio and moving imagery in comparison to copy. In terms of boosting your employability brand, clients and potential employees want to hear the stories from the horse's mouth. Written testimonials are a thing of the past and lack the trustworthy nature that a video testimonial does. A virtual tour of your business premises gives potential employees a real feel of your workplace culture which is something you should be showcasing at every opportunity. So, at a loss where to begin? Here at Pitch, we are now offering an employability branding service to compliment our recruitment service. From Talent and Acquisition audits to complete video packages designed to showcase what you are best at, if you would like to discuss further, drop me an e-mail and I will be more than happy to help.
almost 2 years ago
If you’re not quite sure what influencer marketing is but you’re an avid user of social media, you’ve almost definitely been subject to examples of influencer marketing - whether it’s been disclosed or not. Does someone you follow tweet or post about an amazing teeth whitening kit they’ve been using or a protein shake that guarantees weight loss? It should now start to sound a little more familiar to you. The two most common types of influencer marketing is paid and earned. Paid is more often than not a sponsorship or an advertisement. For example, a brand would send a social media influencer such as Zoella a dress for X amount of money in return for her posting that dress on her social media platforms X amount of times. Earned is a little more innocent and not so financially driven. For example, an influencer will promote a brand for free because they love their product so much or due to a longstanding relationship and loyalty. It’s now also compulsory for influencers to state that if they are being paid to promote a product, punishable by law, however, this isn’t always adhered too. One of the most famous earlier cases of brands using influencers was the paid partnership between Airbnb and Mariah Carey, where the accommodation giants paid Mariah an (albeit hefty) fee to stay in their various luxury properties across the globe in exchange for the ‘All I Want For Christmas’ singer to share her experiences with her fans on social media. Seems pretty cushty, doesn’t it? Paying the most famous social media influencers to promote a brand was the done thing but it seems that marketers are now turning their attention towards smaller, more engaged influencers. Brands are now turning towards less well-known individuals who have a more trustworthy and engaging relationship between their followers. An unholy amount of followers is no longer deemed sufficient enough to land an influencer marketing contract with a brand. Brands are now more likely to pick an influencer with 10,000 followers who get 1000 likes per post than someone with 500,000 followers who gets 5000 likes on a post. That engagement per follower rate is paramount. It also weeds out those pesky influencers who buy followers to create the illusion they’re a lot more popular than they are. It would be a tiny little bit suspicious if Pitch Consultants had 100,000 followers on Instagram for a recruitment agency in Birmingham but only received 30 likes per post, wouldn’t it? It can be a little problematic to monitor a return on investment with influencer marketing if you’re not tracking direct sales through an influencers unique discount code for example. If not, brands would need to calculate what each impression on the social post is worth and calculate their return that way. Each impression is worth around £0.0094 but this can fluctuate depending on the platform and user. Using that formulae, the above tweet would be worth £153.05. However, what about if consumers have been influenced by what an influencer has posted but hasn’t clicked through on their link and has visited your site on their own accord? Adding a conversion pixel to your website to account for traffic that hasn’t come directly from the influencers link is a great way to track what effect an influencer is having on your brand. Influencers are definitely changing how we market with 37% of marketers having a dedicated budget for influencers alone. There can be an incredible amount of value in influencer marketing - just try not to get scammed. Manchester-based social media agency Social Chain have developed a revolutionary tool to seek out those influencers who are simply conning marketers. Their tool reveals an influencer’s true engagement rate and how many of their engaging followers are real people and not just bots. It seems that buying followers and becoming an influencer could be a thing of the past - and rightly so. It sure feels like this tool could make marketing jobs a lot easier but I wouldn’t hold my breath on some tech-centred individual not finding a loophole for the benefit of fake influencers. It’s certainly a marketing trend that doesn’t look like it’s going to go away anytime soon with such a high public interest in celebrity influencers but I can certainly predict some of the larger influencers slowly falling by the wayside as nano influencers start to take the marketing reigns. Matt's our Digital Marketing guy here at Pitch you can get in touch with him here, or follow him on Twitter.
about 2 years ago
If you’ve recently graduated then you’ll all be familiar with that dreaded feeling of your time at university coming to a close with the reality of employment looming large. For some, it may excite you as you cannot wait to relish the chance to finally start earning and to put the skills you learnt in higher education into practice. However, for others it may be something that worries you at just the thought of a first stage interview. It can be quite a difficult task to cut through the noise and be a standout candidate as I found out whilst completing a Masters degree. I was applying for jobs in both Manchester and Birmingham as I was at university up north and even between two cities, the opportunities were often scarce. Luckily, Pitch offered me a role in marketing and I've not looked back since so I thought I'd put together my top tips to make yourself successful in finding work within the marketing sector. 1.Experience As you may be familiar with already, some employers may not see a degree (or equivalent) qualification as enough of a basis to hire you on. That’s why, as more and more people are completing university that you go out and get some experience within the marketing sector. There will be plenty of opportunities, especially if you’re located close to a city to intern with somebody in a marketing role. The role, more often than not won’t be a paid one but the experience you’ll gain will be invaluable and it could make you stand out more as a candidate in comparison to those with just a degree. It’ll also help you when it comes to nailing down your first full-time role as you’ll already have working experience of the marketing mix. 2. Networking Near enough everybody is on some form of social media in this digital age but if you’re looking to be successful in landing a job within marketing then LinkedIn is the platform you should be performing most prolific on. Whichever sector you wish to work in, it’s important that as a candidate you have a presence on LinkedIn - and even more important that you come across in a professional manner. Using LinkedIn is a great tool to network with potential employers and to really get your name out there. Engage with people and you never know what could arise. Most, if not all recruitment agencies use LinkedIn to scope potential candidates so if you’re not on there then you could be missing out on employment opportunities. 3. Don’t apply for *every* single job You’ve come out of university and the frantic panic of unemployment has set in. You may think that applying for every job under the sun is the best way of getting your foot in the door. Don’t. Only apply for jobs you have a genuine interest in taking and you feel that you could excel in. There are different levels of seniority in the marketing sector, from digital marketing executives all the way through to directors. Unless you have an incredible wealth of experience behind you, it’s wise to apply for the jobs that seem more suited for graduates. It’s also important not to apply for every marketing role in your location as there’s nothing worse than picking up the phone from a potential employer regarding an interview for you to reply with: “Which job is this again?” It’s unprofessional and it already puts you on the back-foot. 4. Interview experience Baring point three in mind, if you do get the offer of an interview then we’d advise to go along and give it your best shot. Gaining interview experience is vital as no two interviewers are the same. If you’re being interviewed by a big corporate company then the atmosphere may be very hostile where if you’re being interviewed by an agency, it may seem a lot more relaxed and friendly. Experiencing different interview environments will only hold you in better stead for the future. When applying for jobs in the marketing sector, it’s common that potential employers will get you to complete a relevant task. This could be anything from writing a blog post to creating a small content plan for a social media campaign. Why not practice something similar at home? It’ll only take 30 minutes out of your day and could be the difference between getting the job. 5. Do your homework Impress your potential employers. From the first stage of contact, it’s impressive if you have prior knowledge of the company who could be paying your wages. This doesn’t have to be encyclopaedic knowledge but basic knowledge, specifically in the role you’ve applied for goes a long way. Employers will want somebody who lives and breathes their company so if you show signs of that from the off, it will improve your chances of employment. It’s even better if you can provide examples of where you think the company is going wrong and where you think you could help them. For example, scour through their social network pages and suggest what content could work better. Remember, they’re hiring YOU for YOUR expertise. Job searching can become frustrating quite quickly but hang on in there, it will all become worth it. Pitch specialise in recruitment for the marketing sector so if you haven't already, get in contact with us!
