Zoe studied BA (Hons) Media and English at Leeds Beckett, graduating in 2020. Here she shares what she enjoyed about her combined course, her flourishing career in digital marketing and how her course helped her get to where she is now.

Course: BA (Hons) Media and English

Tell us a bit about yourself and what you've been doing since you graduated?

I completed my degree during the first COVID-19 lockdown in 2020, which was a really strange time. The economy in 2020 meant that there werent enough jobs to go around. Experience was giving people the edge in employment, so I needed to get that.

I did some research into hiring industries and a recruiter recommended digital marketing. After being introduced to the idea on my degree, I thought this could be worth a shot.

I searched Google for digital marketing agencies in Leeds and contacted each of them, suggesting that if they let me volunteer, they get the assistance they need for free and I get the experience.

I got a variety of responses - some CEOs offered advice, some agencies didn't know if or how they could support work experience, but one took me on as a placement student.

I worked as hard as I could, going above and beyond, and this was recognised: they hired me. I'd definitely recommend doing some volunteer work while at uni to get your foot in the door.

I moved up the career ladder going from Junior Marketing Executive to Senior Marketing Executive, then Content Strategist in the space of three years.

I worked on a variety of marketing projects, including social media, emails, PR and websites. By dabbling in a variety of marketing, I realised that I really enjoyed longform content and that SEO fascinated me. I moved to Boutique and specialised in SEO - my passion.

What have been the highlights of your career so far?

There have been many highlights, but there are some successes that stand out in particular.

Getting my current role at Boutique was a dream come true. It's really refreshing to be doing something I love every day, then seeing the results of my work come through.

The agency's marketing team runs frequent events, which is how I found out about them. When I was watching the team on a stage, I never imagined I would be joining them.

I was shortlisted for Young Agency Marketer of the Year at the Hotel Marketing Awards in 2022. This was for my work as Account Lead on a quirky new hotel in Scarborough.

I ran a campaign called 'Marbs or Scarbs' where people took a quiz, having to guess the location between pictures of Marbella and Scarborough. Almost 50% of people couldn't tell the difference between the two places, and the campaign even got a mention in Forbes.

I went to London for the ceremony, which was at the swanky St Pancras Renaissance Hotel. I'd never been to London before, so this was an incredible introduction to what is now one of my favourite cities.

Another career highlight was being invited back to Leeds Beckett to sit on a Q&A panel at their Humanities and Social Science Careers Day.

As an alumna, it was such a full-circle moment being at the front of the lecture theatre that I had so many lessons in.

Seeing students nodding at me and writing down my advice in their notebooks as I was talking will really stay with me. I hope I've helped to support them in some way.

Tell us about your job, what do you do and did studying at Leeds Beckett help you get there?

I'm a Senior SEO Account Executive. If you type in a word like 'Adidas trainers' into Google, you're probably not going to go through 30 pages of results to find the trainers you want - you'll likely click the first few websites.

My job is to give brands the best chance of ranking on the first page. There’s loads of secrets and sorcery that goes into SEO like writing quality content, website accessibility and even working with PR. I pull the strings and come up with strategies to support brands.

For my job I have to use both sides of my brain: technical and creative. In my degree I nurtured both of these aspects.

The critical thinking skills that I gained whilst studying allow me to understand why results are the way they are. Creatively, I was taught to think differently and outside the box which I need to be able to have original ideas.

Ultimately, the thing that makes a good marketer is people that understand people. In my area, I need to be able to foresee what a brand's ideal customers would type into Google to find the brand.

My degree was all about analysing human behaviour, means produced by people, and representation, giving me a toolkit to be able to market effectively.

How has your experience studying at Leeds Beckett influenced you and your career?

One of the standout experiences I had was a PR workshop with an industry professional. We had to write articles to create a magazine all about Leeds.

I received some really positive individual feedback and coaching every week. I've always loved writing, but this was the moment where I remember thinking: "wow maybe I'm actually good at this".

I recollect hearing all about digital marketing in this workshop and thinking that this could be for me.

What attracted you to study your course at Leeds Beckett University?

I'd heard so many great things about Leeds Beckett from friends, which influenced me to want to study there too. I had the university in my head for years before applying, which was why it was my first choice.

I chose to study a combined English and Media degree because they were both subjects that I loved.

When I saw that Leeds Beckett were offering the niche combined degree that I was looking for and the course content looked exciting, I took this as my sign to apply.

What did you enjoy about your course and what advice would you give someone thinking about studying this course?

The English side of my course reignited my love of reading, visiting works from Shakespeare and Dickens to Margaret Atwood and Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie. I particularly loved analysing the texts in relation to the context of society at the time of writing, which was so eye-opening.

In the media-specific modules, I studied films, articles, television programmes, social media and more. I learnt about why things are portrayed the way they are, the biggest issues, and what can be done about them.

I enjoyed the variety of assessments, ranging from tasks to pitches and presentations.

Some of the classes combined English and media together, where I learnt about aspects such as the art of adaptation.

The skills I gathered in my studies led me to write my dissertation on the representation of gender, class and race in Disney films.

You might consider a certain degree because of the future salary and prospects. This should be considered, but ultimately you should choose a degree that you really enjoy to get stuck into your modules and enhance your whole university experience.

Don't be afraid to think about a combined degree too. I couldn't choose between two subjects, so I chose both.

I found that English and media both complement each other really well, finding I'd often crossover theories I learnt in one subject with the other. If you're thinking about applying for this course, do it.

What's next for you?

I'm still not entirely sure, but that's always okay. I just know that I have the drive to carry on moving up the career ladder, working towards the next thing. It's hard to stand still.