What Exactly Do I Do?
When seeing people for the first time in a bit, the same conversations usually occur: How have you been? What’s new? How is work? That last question is usually followed by: What do you do at your job?
It’s an understandable question. Those who know me know that I am an artistic person and I do something with design, but the title “Marketing Coordinator” seems to throw them off. Yes, design is part of my job, but my position allows me to wear many hats, and here, I’ll explain the tasks that make up my day-to-day life at Heart.
Copywriter/Blogger
I write three blogs per week for our company blog. Topics range anything from IT services, cybersecurity, the latest in gadgets, technology news, gift ideas, company outings and functions, campaign promotion, and more.
In addition, I create copy for all of our advertisements, brochures, press releases, local outreach, landing pages, email blasts, and all other promotional items.
Social Media Strategist
I have complete control over all of our social media accounts. I personally find the articles and posts to share with our 500+ followers. I analyze the data collected on our Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, LinkedIn, and Google Plus accounts. Then, I chose content to post, when to post it, and what medium is best for that message.
Graphic Designer/Artist
I do all the design and visuals for the company. Online, I create and optimize images for company website, social media accounts, blog, and email marketing materials. In print, I design invitations, notecards, postcards, envelopes, folders, business cards, flyers, trade show booths, retractable signs, posters, stickers, outdoor banners, and car decals.
I’m not afraid to get off the computer and get my hands dirty, either. This on-site artist also translates into physical creations as well. In my time so far, I’ve created centerpieces, decorative table toppers, cutouts for themed trade shows, and gift card holders.
Market Researcher
Marketing takes a lot of research. Who is your audience? Where are they? What are they doing? What message speaks to them? When this is determined, you still have to sell your idea to the decision maker. In order to convince him or her that the cost is worth it, you have to have numbers to back up your idea.
This is where the market research comes in. I analyze who we are looking for and find out where they are at. This ranges from where are our Apple users, which can be college kids or higher-income adults, to where are our business owners in Peoria, Decatur, and Springfield areas. I then have to find out where they are looking, what they are doing, and how we can incorporate our carefully crafted message into their lives.
This all needs to be backed up by data. Yes, putting an advertisement in that journal sounds good, but where is the proof that this is a worthwhile investment? How much of our target audience reads that journal? Is this the proper solution to be promoting in this region of central Illinois? Where are our competitors at? All of this research and data analytics is included in my daily job tasks.
Web Designer/Developer
Although I will not claim to be an expert, I have greatly upped my web development and design game on the job. I’ve created landing pages for several Heart events, coded for email marketing blasts, and started working in WordPress to make website edits, adjustments, and improvements.
For me, this has been challenging, but also very rewarding once the solution is found. I’ve taught myself how to monitor SEO and how to best optimize webpages. I’ve learned how to redirect different URLs so that we can advertise with more concise web addresses. I’ve even done a small Java code to send users straight to a form when they clicked a button. These pieces, though they may seem small, have proven to be huge advancements in my learning of web design and development, and I look forward to continuing to build upon this skill.
Videographer/Presentation Designer
In spring of 2014, we relaunched the company website with a completely new design. This was much needed, but did mess with our SEO and rankings of being found on Google. Since YouTube and Google share a partnership, posting videos on YouTube can therefore increase your rankings on Google. Because of this information and that people are drawn to visual components online, we began creating videos for our Great HEART Give competitions and company services offered.
These videos were shot, compiled, edited, and exported by me. Having a very little knowledge of how to create videos did put me at a disadvantage, but like web design, I began finding it to be a fun challenge. I even started exporting audio into Adobe Audition to adjust volumes and background noises before pairing the audio with the visual components in Premiere. I taught myself to add effects, incorporate smooth transitions, and layer files to create imagery that excites the audience and brings what we do to life.
Branding Expert
I am the go-to person when it comes to our branding. When going through the rebranding process, I recreated the logo from scratch, then wrote a branding guidelines book for the company. This book states what colors can and cannot be used, proper usage of our logo, proper variations of our logo, how much negative space around the logo is needed, and more.
Because I have so much knowledge of our branding, I am who people go to with anything regarding our logo. If it needs to be a certain filetype, they come to me. Any document or promotional item needed is usually completed by me to ensure our brand integrity is met. Anything else that may incorporate our logo or our brand is verified with the guidebook standards set.
Wearing this many hats can be exhausting, but there aren’t many people out there that can say they received this type of work experience right out of college. I am truly thankful for the opportunities and experiences I have been given through my position, and I look forward to seeing what happens next.