Based in Pudsey in Yorkshire, Laura Holyer is a digital marketer with over a decade of industry experience.
She launched her agency LMc Digital in 2017, which was since undergone a major rebrand to become One-Two Digital, following a period of growth.
With experience in delivering PPC and affiliate marketing strategies for leading brands including Halfords and RBS, the agency now has a new strategic direction, aiming to help as many ambitious SME’s as possible to grow their online presence,
Here, she shares her career journey, tips and advice.
How did you first get into your industry?
I stumbled into marketing really, like a lot of people do. Whilst I was at uni and looking for a job for my placement year. I had about 20 interviews that I got turned down for as I had zero confidence. I was convinced I wanted to work in logistics in a FMCG company.
Then I came across an internship at uni which was way down the list of jobs I wanted but went for it anyway. It turned out to be my dream job and I progressed through a career in digital marketing from there.
What do you love about your job?
It sounds really cheesy but I absolutely love what I do and take so much joy from seeing clients’ results. I’ve seen businesses go from virtually £0 sales a month to 6 figures from the digital marketing we run and seen others go from £1m a year to £5m+ in the time we’ve worked together, and I’ll never get bored of seeing just how much these results impact SME businesses. I’m probably a little too obsessed with looking at data and checking Google Analytics on my phone at all hours!
Digital marketing can see some incredible results and I get to work on a huge range of clients on a daily basis. I love it and couldn’t imagine doing anything else.
Who – or what – has inspired you in your career?
My managers in previous roles were a massive inspiration in my career. I had two managers; Honor and Nayani (Hi, if you’re reading – I’m grown up now!) at my internship and I was inspired by them from the moment I met them at the interview. The previous intern that I was taking over from was highly respected and had done an amazing job so I always remember thinking ‘I have to at least be as good and memorable as she was’. Everyone from that company has gone on to do amazing things and I always took inspiration from there.
What are the biggest challenges about your job?
The digital marketing world is constantly evolving and keeping on top of everything is certainly a challenge. Blocking out time to learn about and test new features is the way to combat this and not being afraid of change! Hiring is probably the biggest challenge in the industry right now for everyone.
What skills have been the most crucial to you succeeding in your career so far?
Learning to say no. It’s a hard thing to do, especially when you’re starting out but saying no frees up time to work on things you really enjoy and excel at so this has been important to me, once I finally learnt how to say no.
Time management and being able to set expectations are really important too. They sound like a given but when you’re working on multiple things it’s a really important skill.
What was your first salary and what could someone getting into the industry expect to earn nowadays?
£200 a month! I hope pay has increased… though this was an internship and I got a house to live in (the intern party house was lots of fun). When I got taken on full time, I think the salary was £17k. A starting salary in digital marketing now depends on the experience and discipline going into but it’s usually £18k+ – £22,000 with a decent bit of experience.
What education or training would be most useful for someone looking to follow your career path?
I really favour hands-on experience over education or courses. Having a side project related to the job you want would set you leaps and bounds above someone who has a degree in the area. Education and training in the field can be great but if it can be combined with some work experience, even if that’s just playing around with a website or creating a social following, then this is even better.
What advice would you have for someone looking to follow your path?
Put yourself out there! I didn’t do enough ‘networking’ when I was starting out but knowing people who are better than you in different areas will really help you in your career. Connect with people, learn from them and make friends is my biggest bit of advice.
