5 tips to become a successful marketing professional

Vasvi Agnihotri completed her post-graduate diploma in Marketing and Advertising Communications in 2019 at Apeejay Institute of Mass Communication (AIMC). Since then, the alumna has gathered marketing experience across mainline and digital platforms in multiple companies. She tells us about her journey and key learning in an interview.

Excerpts:

How did you begin your professional journey?

I began with an internship at Contract Advertising, which I got while studying at AIMC. My first job was at Ogilvy. Later, I moved to Quora, followed by HealthKart. I will soon be joining as marketing manager- social media, at Good Glamm Group.

As someone who has gained quite a bit of experience having worked with many brands in such a short time span, can you tell us about some of your key takeaways?

I began my career with mainline advertising where I worked as a trainee for the client servicing department. What I learnt was managing multiple tasks in a given timeline. That stretched my bandwidth and my ability to take ownership and fulfill responsibilities.

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When I moved to digital advertising, I learnt how to manage a brand all by myself, and how interactions influence your personality and bring out the best in you. At Quora, I learnt the art of leadership where I had to train my juniors and work in collaboration with them to get work done. All I learnt from these stints was what I applied while working at HealthKart, where I headed brand communications.

How did you decide to pursue a course in Marketing and Advertising at AIMC?

I was always inclined towards Marketing. I wanted to pursue an MBA initially though it did not work out. Upon researching good colleges, I came across AIMC and was impressed with its curriculum and placement success stories. I took a chance and enrolled myself. And it was a lovely experience.

Can you tell us more about your time at AIMC?

The college gave us exposure to a number of professionals from the industry, which is the best thing about AIMC. The curriculum offered a good blend of theoretical and practical knowledge which definitely worked in our favour. We got a chance to work on marketing plans and design advertising structures, which was quite fun and interactive and gave us an idea of how the industry works.

What are some of the skills you need to be a good marketing professional?

1. You should know how to crack a brand insight — understand brand tonality and how to position a company uniquely in the market

2. Learn time management — you should be able to complete a set of tasks skillfully within a given time

3. Learn to take responsibility and choose your battles carefully — at times, you have to say ‘no’ to some tasks that you have not been assigned originally.

4. Be a good mentor rather than a leader. Train your subordinates well so that they can also excel in their respective professional journeys.

5. Be open to every challenge as well as every opportunity that comes your way.

Can you take us through some of the latest developments in digital marketing or any future trends?

Digital marketing picked up rapidly, especially after COVID-19. Earlier, brands were more sales-focused but now they are investing more in community management. They want to empathise with customers to become more relatable. There are new tools and facilities available in the ecosystem that brands are trying to leverage now. For example, Instagram has emerged as a very good platform for community building. Again, influencer marketing is also picking up and becoming important for every brand. In fact, influencers are also going big on LinkedIn.