In this blog, tutor and digital marketer Mafalda Araújo tells us what got her interested in digital marketing, why she enjoys passing her knowledge and passion to her students, and shares her professional advice.
Tell us a little about your career/education or progression within the industry.
My story is interesting because it involves a radical career change. I have a BA in microbiology and a PhD in biomedical sciences, and I spent several years of my life doing academic laboratory research. However, the uncertain nature of the researcher’s life led me to rethink my career options and start looking at alternatives.
Marketing is a field that has always fascinated me. In addition, the ability to track the performance of campaigns using digital marketing kept my researcher spirit very interested. So, in the beginning, digital marketing started as a hobby for me, and I started by using free online learning tools produced by tech giants such as Google.
I had my first corporate marketing experience within a company providing healthcare products and services. I then moved to a digital creative agency where I had the opportunity to gain hands-on experience in several digital marketing areas in different business sectors.
Image source: Pexels
What were you doing before you started tutoring at the Academy?
I was working in a digital creative agency where I have worked in many digital marketing areas, from web design and development to social media marketing (SMM), search engine optimization (SEO), and content marketing.
What got you interested in digital marketing?
My research background makes me an avid seeker of evidence, and the ability to track consumer behaviour with analytics tools and make informed marketing and business decisions has fascinated me.
Image source: Pexels
What do you enjoy most about working in this field/teaching digital marketing?
The constant innovative nature of the field and the impact it has on our daily lives makes digital marketing an ever-interesting field for me.
Teaching is a very rewarding experience. I love to be able to help my students progress in their careers or make a career shift like I did.
Describe a digital marketing campaign you’ve worked on. How did you approach the task? How were you successful?
This was a content marketing campaign for a travel agency. The company was providing us with weekly travel destination promotions, and we had to do the research for keywords and create travel guides and blog posts with informative and entertaining content. The content was published on the client’s website and shared on Facebook.
The high-quality visuals combined with our tailored copy allowed a massive increase in the number of social media followers and a boost in traffic to the company website.
Image source: Pexels
Do you think there are must-have skills in digital marketing? If so, which do you believe are relevant for the industry?
There are skills that will help in being successful in the field, such as being a good writer in case you are interested in a content marketing position. Being able to analyze data and obtain insights is a valuable skill to be able to carry out data-driven decisions on campaigns.
Basic knowledge of search engine optimization is also an essential skill for any digital marketing professional. Another valuable skill is being an avid consumer of information and digital marketing content in order to be always up to date and relevant.
Do you have any funny or peculiar experiences or projects you would like to share? And what did you learn from that?
I once worked on a population census. This was an unexpectedly rewarding experience. I had to go house to house to be able to deliver the questionnaires and help those who were unable to fill out the forms. I learned that people with the most difficulties were the ones genuinely concerned about helping me achieve the tasks I was given.
Could you give us an example of a brand/product/company that you think is killing it with their digital marketing strategy?
Tesla is rocking with its digital marketing strategy. The company relies essentially on being authentic in everything they do. Even when failures happen, they embrace them. Also, Elon Musk, with his sometimes-controversial presence on social media, contributes to this authenticity and to a great exposure of the brand that is highly associated with him.
The modern consumer likes to know the people behind companies and is more prone to do business with the ones that they perceive as authentic.
Image source: Robert Hanashiro, Reuters
If you could spend a day with anyone related to the industry, dead or alive, who would that be and why?
I would probably choose Neil Patel. He was one of the marketing gurus who inspired me to carry on with my digital marketing career shift.
Image source: Pexels, Neil Patel
What advice would you give to someone who is looking to start their own digital marketing career?
I would advise them on getting good basic knowledge of all major digital marketing areas and then expand and credit their knowledge by taking a certified qualification. Here at our Digital Marketing Academy, we help people from several different backgrounds get solid knowledge and start a career in digital marketing on a daily basis.
Mafalda is a freelance digital marketeer helping businesses make the transition to the digital space and promoting their services and products online. She has experience helping businesses from different sectors and operating in B2C and B2B business models. She is passionate about digital marketing and helping students leverage digital tools and tactics to upskill their careers.
To find out how you can become a professional digital marketer, visit our courses page.