What I love most about my role is its sheer diversity.
Honestly, automotive wasn’t on my radar at all initially. I had been immersed in e-commerce for about seven years, handling various tasks primarily centred around PR, marketing, and customer experience. When my role suddenly expanded to include customer service management during lockdown, I realised it was time for a change. I stumbled upon this role which felt like a natural transition from my previous work, just in a different setting – an independent garage instead of a retail environment. It’s been four years since I joined, and I’ve thoroughly enjoyed every moment of it.
What I love most about my role is its sheer diversity. Like many marketing positions, every day brings new challenges and projects. While some might perceive marketing as solely social media or email campaigns, it encompasses so much more. It demands a blend of psychology, relationship building with customers, strategic planning, creativity, and of course, a fair share of Excel spreadsheets. Being the sole marketer in the company allows me the freedom to chart my own course, with the trust and support of my leaders. Winning the IGA Digital Engagement Award last year was a particularly gratifying moment for me, highlighting the impact of my efforts. We’ve just this week been announced as finalists for Content Creator of the Year at the IAAF Awards which is really exciting. Even if we don’t win, making it to the final is a fantastic achievement that I am proud of.
Marketing principles remain consistent across industries, making my skills from previous roles easily transferrable. Whether it’s SEO, PPC, CX, content creation, email marketing, or social media management, the techniques and strategies remain applicable – it’s just a matter of adapting them to the specific context.
I think the thing that I’ve been drastically proved wrong about was the company goals at my workplace. My initial thoughts were it’s a small garage group, it can’t have much drive or desire to be bigger and better. But I was wrong. Not just here, but at many independent garages across the country that we’ve interacted with at industry events. There’s a strong aspiration to be better and change perceptions.
I was also under the impression that this role would be a steppingstone in my career but I feel I’ve found my place here and look forward to what opportunities arise in the future. The leaders have always been incredibly accommodating of my aspirations and where I want to go with the company. Plus, investment in training isn’t just limited to the technicians, I’ve been on multiple courses and have more coming up soon.
Because of the shake-up caused by COVID-19 and lockdowns, garages across the country suddenly realised that their marketing was not up to scratch for the modern world. This provides a huge opportunity for marketers to move over and make a big difference.
If you’re a digital expert, this is a great industry to get involved in, especially when looking at smaller enterprises like independent garages/motor factors. They understand the importance of the digital landscape but perhaps don’t have the skills or experience that you have to make the most of this. The marketing skills you’ve developed over the years are invaluable here.
I’ve worked across numerous roles in e-commerce and marketing agencies throughout my career and I can honestly say I’ve had the most fun and job satisfaction working in automotive. I’ve found the camaraderie among our team and those I’ve met at events incredibly rewarding and welcoming. In the independent garage world, we’re all trying to support each other to raise the standard. Please don’t think that because you do marketing in one sector, that’s all you’ll ever do. I still don’t have much technical knowledge of cars, but you learn a lot on the job – every day’s a school day.
