Remember Tumblr? Bloglovin’? And the thousands of bloggers (for those under 20, this is what we now refer to as “influencers”) that competed for your attention on those sites? If not, allow me to explain: These sites were popular in the mid 2000s and were a place where bloggers could promote themselves and their websites. It is also where I spent a lot of hours of my young life — and, as it turns out, how I got into influencer marketing and project management.
Fast forward half a decade — I was three years out of college, unhappy at my job and seeking something new. I grabbed coffee with a friend in the Cincinnati business scene.
This is when I learned about ✨influencer marketing✨ and the job opportunities that can be attached to it. Influencer marketing helps brands/companies market their products through people who have some sort of influence on their social media followers. Simply put, brands pay social media users to showcase their products on their social feed.
As my friend told me about her new role working and managing influencer campaigns with big companies like Mars and General Mills, it felt like my eyes were being opened for the first time since I graduated. It blew my mind that I might actually be able to find a job that combined my passion for blogging/social media with my yearning for clear deadlines and direct feedback (it’s every project manager’s love language).
I politely thanked her and looked into the companies she rejected in lieu of her new role as options for myself. She was certainly surprised to see me a few weeks later waltzing in for an interview at her workplace. (Pro tip: Always take advantage of a mutual friend at a company you’re trying to work for, and don’t be weird and evasive about it like I was.)
Yes — and I can thank influencer marketing for teaching me everything I know about project management.
I got the job in influencer marketing where I managed projects for both my internal team and influencers we contracted. I finally had hit my stride in the professional world and loved creating and holding people to various deadlines and completion of projects.
At my “career path” or whatever. Pursuing an opportunity in something I was passionate about (abstractly, of course; I wasn’t getting paid to surf the web and read blog posts...most of the time) led to me finding a job I was relatively good at yet could still learn more about through education and experience.
Project management within the influencer marketing world kickstarted my career in this space and I am forever grateful that I was able to figure it out so young. There is so much to be learned and so many places that I can take project management that I know I’ll never be bored or trapped in a singular industry for all my life.
If you’re still unclear about why I find joy in chasing clients down to do what they said they’d do three weeks ago, here are a few reasons why I’m happy to be a PM:
Not so fast! I just got my footing here at Ample and am so excited for the opportunities that arise day by day. Ample allowed me to dive into the developmental world (you can catch me doing some very light coding on any given week), work efficiently with our nimble team, and learn a whole lot about fleets, chicken wings, and restaurant franchises.
Are you ready to take the next step in your career? Don’t wait — check out our careers at Ample.
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