I had the tremendous opportunity of traveling the country over the past few weeks, moderating a speaking tour at top universities put on by innovative music and ideas festival, Recess and presented by L’Oréal Paris.
L’Oréal Paris brought together their incredibly talented team of Marketing and Communications executives with two prominent Social Influencers to talk about what it takes to build a career in digital marketing. The panel illustrated two sides of the digital marketing world - working within a brand and working with a brand.
Recess’ “Office Hours” is not about lectures and note-taking, it's about ideas and inspiration. True innovators today aren't following the rules, they're writing them and this is where they share stories and stretch imaginations. Students leave empowered to blaze their own trails and inspired to define their own destinies. Our discussions delivered tremendously valuable tips to guide anyone interested in a career in digital.
So without further ado, for those of you who couldn’t join us live, I’ve curated my favorite pieces of insight from the talented executives and entrepreneurs I had the honor of speaking with throughout the tour.
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“Follow your heart. Your passion from an early age will guide you.” – Leah Bradley, Brand Communications Manager, L’Oréal Paris
Leah
was obsessed with fragrances beginning at the age of 10. Her father
would choke the minute she walked out of her bedroom door after
(practically) showering in Davidoff’s Cool Water (I see that smile, I
know you used to wear Davidoff too!). Leah went on to major in Cosmetics
and Fragrance Marketing at FIT and is one of the most knowledgeable
marketing executives I’ve ever worked with when it comes to the science
of the products she’s promoting.“Build relationships to open doors for opportunities.” – Aislinn Murray, Assistant Marketing Manager, L’Oréal Paris
A native Californian and impressively only three years out of college, Aislinn is now managing campaigns for all new launches under L’Oréal Paris’ biggest haircare business, Advanced Haircare. Aislinn was a part of the University of California, Berkeley’s ImagiCal, a prestigious student-run advertising agency that develops multi-million dollar campaigns for leading brands in the National Student Advertising Competition. It was through her involvement in this organization that she met someone at L’Oréal and ultimately got her foot in the door as an intern.
Everyone you meet has the ability to open doors you never knew existed. Cultivate your relationships. They are the gatekeepers to your future.
“Understand the value and benefits of every social platform.” – Callan Green, Director of Social Media, L’Oréal Paris
One
of PRWeek’s 50 Rising Stars of Digital Communications, Callan has had
an extensive career in and around the strategy of social media. Having
recently joined L’Oréal, Callan used her deep knowledge and
understanding of social platforms to help architect the launch of
L’Oréal’s Snapchat channel.Anyone in digital will tell you that you have to use the right platform for the right campaign. Having a thorough understanding of all existing social tools won’t so much give you an advantage anymore, but rather an opportunity. To put it lightly, don’t expect to work in digital if you don’t have knowledge of the best platforms with which to execute a campaign.
“Learn how to use numbers to tell a story.” – Thomas Ahn, Senior Manager Digital Marketing at L’Oréal Paris
Equally
as important as understanding today’s social platforms, is having the
interest and know-how to evaluate the performance of a campaign. Right
out of college, Thomas started working in analytics and research. His
first boss made a tremendous impact on his career with the advice to
“stop asking questions and start getting more answers.” This led Thomas
to take a look at the results of campaigns to find out what worked and
what didn’t… entirely based on numbers.Telling a story via images is the name of the game today. But, behind the scenes, it’s all about data. You have to be able to speak to KPIs, ROIs (look these up if you don’t know them) and a slew of other critical metrics needed to evaluate your success (or failures) and make key decisions post-campaign.
“Approach problems by breaking them down to their basic elements. There's clarity in simplicity.” – Chris Chesebro, Assistant Vice President of Digital Marketing, L’Oréal Paris
They say that working in digital won’t always be a walk in park. Okay, forget that. They never say it will ever be a walk in the park. With technology constantly changing and the introduction of new social tools and platforms on the regular, marketers are faced with new challenges by the minute.
But with new challenges, come new opportunities. To solve the problem of how to more efficiently allow consumers to test L’Oréal products, Chris co-led the team that launched Makeup Genius, the first-ever virtual makeup tester. This was an out-of-the-box solution to a very basic problem – before purchase, how can consumers easily try out cosmetics?
When a problem arises, don’t get overwhelmed. Break it down to the basics and you’ll find a solution. Many people crumble when a mountain stands in their way, but one step at a time will allow you to easily climb over it.
“Be someone whom others need because of your skillset and want to be around because of who you are.” – Stefanie Mohr, Assistant Vice President, Brand Communications
As
you can see from the advice thus far, your skill set is critical in
driving your success in digital. But, even more so is your personal
ethos and collaborative energy. Stefanie began her career in the
performing arts, majoring in both music theatre and business at Baldwin
Wallace University. It was here that she learned the true art of
storytelling and connecting with others both on the stage and off.
Stefanie now works hand-in-hand cross-functionally with all of the
talented executives whom I’ve introduced above, overseeing brand,
product, and campaign communications across multiple channels.
Stefanie’s mantra is to maintain integrity in everything she does and
show kindness and respect to everyone she works alongside.Is that something you do? Ask yourself that each and everyday. The way you treat others goes a profoundly long way.
“When building a personal or professional brand on social media, be consistent to best connect with your audience.” – Claudia Sulewski, YouTube Influencer
Claudia built an extensive online following through a hobby she began in the 7th grade. She never set out to build a “brand” around herself, but rather to create videos to tell others about the beauty and lifestyle products she loved. That was 5+ years ago and she’s essentially still doing the same thing today (on a much higher level, of course). Being consistent is truly the best way to become an expert.
“Authenticity is everything.” – Katy Bellotte, YouTube Influencer, Founder HelloKaty
Katy
too started making YouTube videos when she was 14. So while the rest of
us were playing with our friends at recess, these young stars were
launching massive media channels.Katy has made over 800 videos and has built a following (which has now literally become a marketing engine) on the premise of being exactly who she is. She’s the definition of authentic and as a result she now has the opportunity to work with the brands she loves creating content about why she loves them.
Whether you're a macro or micro influencer (we're all influencers in our own way, don't forget that), it's crucial to stay true to yourself and be exactly who you are. Whether your posting an image on Instagram or speaking about your aspirations in a job interview. Be you.
One of my deepest passions is spending time with successful individuals to hear their stories and pinpoint what it is that sets them apart. How did they get their dream job? What did they have that others didn't? With almost all of the leading executives or entrepreneurs I've had the opportunity to meet, there’s an obvious commonality… which leads me to my final piece of advice...
This one is from me…
"To launch a career in anything, you must be more knowledgeable, respectful and passionate than those around you. Remember that each and everyday and you’re on your way."
