A day in the life – Marketing & Communications Coordinator

Megan McConnell joined Highland Residential in July 2018, having previously worked for a law firm in Edinburgh. She graduated from Glasgow Caledonian University with a BA (hons) in Marketing and has 5 years’ experience.

Megan tells us about a typical day in her role as Marketing & Communications Coordinator at Highland Residential.

 

Question 1:
What does an average day in your role look like?

I start my day by checking my emails and add any “to-dos” to my list. I will then have a look at our social media channels to see what content has had the most engagement and will also review our competitiors’ channels to see what they’re up to.

After I’ve done this, it depends what I have on that day. I could be planning our social media activity for the next three months, analysing data from our website or writing blogs that our audience might be interested in reading. I also spend a lot of my time putting together adverts to promote our services as well as any upcoming properties that we have. Our main purpose is to provide help and advice to our customers and I do this by educating our target market on what we do and what we can offer them.

Question 2:
What is the biggest challenge you face in your role?

Managing all Marketing activity for Highland Residential. There’s a lot to cover and it can be challenging at times. It’s about managing your workload effectively and knowing what to prioritise, especially if you’re responsible for maintaining one area of the business.

Question 3:
What do you like most about working at Highland Residential?

The team are friendly, laid back and don’t take themselves too seriously. There’s always good banter in the office!

I also like the social purpose of Highland Residential and that we’re not all about making money. We care about the community and want to help people own a home in the Highlands. We want our customers to know we have their best interests at heart.

Question 4:
What skills do you think are important to have to carry out the tasks in your role?

Communication and time-management are very important within my role. As I support all the departments, it’s essential that I communicate with them as well as manage my workload effectively to ensure all marketing activity is being carried out.

Being IT savvy is also important – in Marketing you will always have to put together reports or gather data about customers.

Question 5:
What advice would you give someone looking to start a career in Marketing?

I would recommend studying Marketing or a business subject at college or university. If that’s not something you’re interested in or you’re looking for a change of career, there’s the Chartered Institute of Marketing (CIM) > https://www.cim.co.uk/. CIM provides training courses and can help you become qualified in Marketing. It’s a very impressive qualification to have on your CV!

If you’re currently studying, get hands on experience by doing a placement. This is one of my biggest regrets not doing at University. Marketing is very competitive to get into, so having a qualification and experience will make you stand apart from other applicants applying for the same role.

Question 6:
Outside of work, how do you spend your free time?

I spend most of my free time running or taking my collie, Poppy, out on walks. I live in Burghead and it’s beautiful so there’s never an excuse not to go out to the beach!