RGU Alumna Swetha Akshita has completed two masters’ degrees and gained experience with the Marketing team at RGU. Upon graduating, she moved down to Shrewsbury, England where she is working as a Digital Marketer. In this blog, she shares how her time at RGU helped her have a successful start in her career trajectory.

Can you tell us more about yourself and what you studied at RGU?

I am originally from Bangalore, India and I moved to Aberdeen to study the MSc Journalism course at RGU in 2018. I chose RGU because of their top graduate employment record and their scholarship opportunities for international students. Moreover, I was able to secure the Scotland Saltire Scholarship, which was not only a financial aid, but also a great opportunity to network with my fellow scholarship recipients and some of the greatest minds in Scotland.

During my Journalism course, I had the opportunity to work with the Evening Express newspaper in Aberdeen, and the Scottish Field magazine in Edinburgh. But what became a turning point in my career was the opportunity to work as a part-time marketing student ambassador with the RGU Marketing department. Initially, this job was a means of income for me. But soon, I realised that as much as I loved journalism, marketing allowed me to be more creative. For 10 months, I curated content and managed the RGU’s social media pages. I also revamped the RGU Student Blog. This gave me quite a bit of practical marketing experience, but I wanted to support that with a formal degree. Therefore, I chose to do a second master’s degree in International Marketing at RGU. 

Can you tell us more about your current role as a Digital Marketer?

I currently work as a Digital Marketer for a company called Inovar Communications Ltd. Inovar is based in Shrewsbury, England and is a specialist publisher of business-to-business magazines for advanced manufacturing industries. These include Metal Additive Manufacturing / 3D Printing, Powder Metallurgy and Metal Injection Moulding / Ceramic Injection Moulding. The company’s focus is on delivering, through print and online platforms, the highest quality long-form technical journalism alongside relevant and timely industry news and analysis.

As a Digital Marketer, I create, execute and lead the overall marketing strategy of our three magazines: Metal Additive Manufacturing, Powder Metallurgy Review and PIM International.

What is a typical day like working in your role?

In the life of a marketer, two days are never the same. So a typical work day for me is unpredictable, exciting, and full of challenges. Aside from that, my responsibilities include:

• The complete management of the magazines’ social media accounts.
• Work closely with the news team and editorial team to understand the content published and market it to the relevant audience through social media.
• Devise paid advertising campaigns to improve readership and reach of our brands.
• Create organic marketing campaigns that promote our services.
• Create SEO strategies.
• Work on data dashboards like Google Analytics, StatCounter and Hotjar to create weekly data reports.

What has been the highlight of your role so far?

There are a number of highlights in my new role. One is the fact that I feel like this role was tailor-made for me. To be working as a Digital Marketer at a magazine publishing company has led me to utilise skills from both my Journalism and International Marketing degrees.

The second highlight is how much data I deal with on a daily basis. Before this role, I thought that I was only interested in the creative side of marketing. I was aware that there was a massive data and numbers aspect to it, but I never saw myself venturing into that side. However, since starting this role, I realised that there is no line between the two. They are two sides to the same coin. Creative campaigns lead to increase in reach/numbers, but it’s also important to analyse the results, understand the successes and short-comings to make future marketing decisions.

Another highlight in the job is the fact that there is scope for travelling to attend industry events. In 2021, I had the opportunity to attend two major Additive Manufacturing/3D printing trade shows in Birmingham and Frankfurt and it was the experience of a lifetime.

How did your course(s) at RGU help prepare you for the role you are doing now?

Skills obtained from both my degrees at RGU have helped me immensely to land this job and also carry out my day-to-day responsibilities at work. To name a few courses in particular, Marketing Strategy, Strategic Digital Communications and Methods, Metrics And Analytics modules have been of great help to me.

But above all this, the biggest way that RGU helped me was to get work experience to build a great resume even before graduation. Although beginning this role at Inovar was my first full time job, over the course of 2.5 years at RGU, I had already managed to do 3-4 journalism and marketing part-time jobs. All of which I got through my lecturers at RGU or through my other contacts at the university.

Studying at RGU is not about just getting a degree. RGU offers so much more than that. From networking events, to placements and industrial visits, RGU prepares its students for the job market right when they start the course.

What advice would you give to students considering a career within digital marketing?

Just be curious and never be afraid to step out of your comfort zone! Marketing is like an ocean and there’s always something new to learn. Try to acquire as many skills as you can through the opportunities given to you at RGU. And network as much as possible and make sure your name and skills are known. You never know when you will be remembered for an opportunity that can change your life.

Swetha Akshita

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