Meet Jenny and find out about her life as a digital marketing exec at Knowsley Safari Park. Part of our Bitesize world of work series.
Jenny Middleton - Digital marketing executive
My job entails everything digital for Knowsley Safari - so creating content for social media keeping the website up to date and keeping the public up to date with what's going on at Knowsley Safari.
A typical day for me could be anything from being out the safari, getting photos and video, or sitting at my desk editing that video ready to go on social media. So it's really varied.
While I was in uni; I entered a competition that was all to do with creativity and advertising which I won, which enabled me to go to all these different companies around Birmingham and have paid placements in them and learn from the people in the jobs I wanted to be in so that led me on to getting my next role, having that experience, which had led me to here.
If you're trying to get into this industry, I would say speak to as many people in the industry, try and get placements, work experience, Just get as much experience as you can, just sort of do what you love, go into different areas, try different things. And then you'll build a load of skill that will help you in your later life for this sort of role.
Communication is a key skill for my job. So I need to be able to communicate with the keepers, to find out what’s going in the safari, what’s happening with the animals, go to the education team to see what’s happening with different school groups. And communications with the public via social media and emails.
I need a good eye for things really, you need to be able to capture the right moments on the safari and be in the right place at the right time. So sometimes I can be sat for hours just waiting for that moment when the giraffe sticks his tongue out, or the rhino rolls in the mud. That also means having some technical skills with the camera, being able to take that content into the office, and edit it using photo editing software and video editing software.
If I’m doing my job well, we’ll have lot and lot of visitors coming through the door, they’ll have the best day out on safari, spotting things on social media that they haven’t seen before and coming back time and time again.
If I’m doing my job well, we’ll have lots of visitors coming through the door, having the best day out on safari.
- Jenny is responsible for everything digital for Knowsley Safari Park. She creates content for social media, updates the website and keeps the public up-to-date with what's going on there
- A typical day for Jenny could be anything from being out on the safari, getting photos and video of the animals, or sitting at her desk editing a video ready to go on social media
- Jenny says getting lots of work placements, talking to people in the industry and trying different things are great ways to build the skills for this kind of career. At university, Jenny won a competition related to creativity and advertising, which helped her gain the relevant kind of work experience for her current role
- Communication is a key skill for Jenny’s job. You also need to have a good eye for things – to capture that perfect photo, for example. Some technical skills, like operating a camera and being able to use photo and video editing software, are also useful.
What to expect if you want to be a marketing executive
- Marketing executive average salary: £20,000 to £50,000 per year
- Marketing executive typical working hours: 37 to 39 hours per week
What qualifications do you need to be a marketing executive?
You could get into this role via a university course, a college course (such as a Level 2 Certificate, a Level 3 Certificate or a T-level in Digital Production, Design and Development), an apprenticeship, working towards this role, applying directly or specialist courses run by private training organisations.
Sources: LMI for All, National Careers Service, GOV.UK
This information is a guide and is constantly changing. Please check the National Careers Service website for the latest information and all the qualifications needed and the GOV.UK website for more on T-levels.
For careers advice in all parts of the UK visit: National Careers Service (England), nidirect (Northern Ireland), My World of Work (Scotland) and Careers Wales (Wales).
Work experience in your area
Find work experience placements with Workfinder.
Tips and advice
Help with interviews, writing a CV and all things work experience related.
Melissa: digital marketer and social media entrepreneur
She works as a digital marketer and social media entrepreneur.
Careers A to Z: Find your perfect job
From actor to zoologist, find the right fit for you.
Jack: digital marketing assistant. video
Jack works at the famous Abbey Road Studios in London.
