1. Before we dive into your role at Sparro, what has your career journey looked like so far?
1) Starting in media
Varied! I studied Journalism at the University of Technology, Sydney and completed a few internships along the way spanning online editorial, TV news production and radio.
I got my first full-time job as a video production assistant and quickly fell in love with the medium. I progressed to a producer role, managing my own clients and projects and was fortunate to travel all over Australia and even internationally interviewing subjects in the health, medical and government space.
2) Moving into communications and digital marketing
I then moved into a communication consulting role at Deloitte Australia and learnt a lot about stakeholder engagement and communications strategy that drives behavioural change.
And finally I transitioned into digital marketing at Sparro as a content specialist. So, I’ve been working in content marketing for 6 years and the one consistent factor is the steep learning curve!
2. Transitioning into work, what the heck does a Senior Content Specialist @ Sparro do?
What is Sparro?
Sparro is Australia’s largest independent digital marketing agency (by Google ad spend). I like to think of it as the “largest, smallest digi agency” because although our spend is huge, it has a tight-knit team and its culture feels like a smaller agency.
Our offering spans:
- Creative content (where I sit) to
- Organic SEO
- Paid search
- Paid social
- Native
- Digital OOH
- Advanced TV
- Audio and more.
Sparro’s philosophy of ‘Expect More’ means we are always looking ahead at new trends and platform features, experimenting and learning to ensure our clients maintain competitive advantage.
What does your role entail?
My role serves to connect the paid teams with the creative side of performance.
I help clients better communicate their brand story on digital channels, connect with their customers and achieve their marketing objectives through content.
3. What’s a campaign you previously worked on in your current role and how did you help bring it to life?
Client: VOLY
Year: 2021/2022
Target Audience: Anyone that buys groceries
Purpose: VOLY is a groceries app that delivers in 15 minute or less. It offers general groceries as well as pharmaceuticals, alcohol and other specialty items like flowers for Valentine’s Day.
What was your role?
I previously supported VOLY with their content strategy, production and performance mainly for paid social.
It was a unique challenge not only growing brand awareness but category awareness, seeing as ‘instant groceries’ was a new offering in Australia entirely.
I looked at paid social creative performance regularly to analyse results, present findings and insights, and feed those back into future iterations of creative content.
4. What do the entry level pathways into digital marketing consulting look like?
What are the entry level roles at Sparro?
At Sparro, we hire entry level roles primarily based on attitude; the person needs to have the drive to learn and push themselves out of their comfort zone.
Our entry levels roles vary from digital marketers, content marketers, data analysts and creatives.
Candidates do not need to have a marketing degree or background – my friend and colleague used to be a flight attendant before Sparro!
How about the rest of the industry?
Take any learning opportunity that comes your way, such as internships or volunteer work even if it’s one day a week. Not only will this teach you valuable knowledge about marketing, but it demonstrates to future employers your willingness to learn.
If you do choose to go to university, any marketing, communications, media, pr or advertising degree are great options.
5. What’s one thing you recommend someone who wants to work in digital marketing consulting do right now?
Consume content! The best way to build your content marketing skills is to read, listen, play and watch. Consciously take note about why you enjoyed a piece of content – was it the copy? The soundtrack? The imagery? Brownie points if you bookmark these for future reference.
Plus check out the endless array of free resources online to start your marketing journey. It’s only one Google or Youtube search away.
Don’t shy away from reaching out to people in the industry on LinkedIn too. Marketers are generally a friendly bunch and would be happy to meet for coffee and offer guidance.
