Finding my place in Digital Marketing
Learning, Creating & Growing with You Empower Tomorrow
If you had asked me a few years ago if I saw myself working in digital marketing, I definitely would have laughed and said “no way”. I’ve never wanted to work in “business”, as I’ve always worked in non-profit programs, and my tech skills mostly consisted of posting pictures of my kids on Instagram. My path here hasn't exactly been a straight line.
A Little Career Plot Twist
Somewhere along the way, I found myself at one of those fork-in-the-road moments in life. I had to figure out what I wanted the next chapter to look like….and apparently my answer was to go back to school and learn an entirely new career!
I chose Digital Media Marketing, but not because I had dreams of becoming an advertising executive, chasing sales targets or climbing the corporate ladder.
What interested me was the people behind the marketing.
I love figuring out what someone is trying to say, why it matters and how we can turn that into something that connects with the right audience. The strategy interests me. The creativity interests me. But mostly, the connection interests me. Because behind every business, Instagram post, website or marketing campaign is a person trying to connect with another person.
Turns out, changing careers hasn't felt quite as much like starting over as I thought it would. I'm just learning a new way to use a lot of the skills and experiences I already had.
Hi, I’m Alison; let me introduce myself
I'm a mom, an advocate, a storyteller, a podcast creator, and now a digital marketer too.
Being a mom and an advocate taught me how important it is to listen. To ask questions and to understand someone's perspective. I have a passion for helping people and through my own self discovery and healing journey I have an understanding of what it’s like to be vulnerable and to take the huge risk of starting your own business.
Turns out, those skills translate pretty well into marketing.
That's the part of marketing I love.
When My Story Became Something More
During my Digital Media Marketing program, I've learned about everything from social media and SEO to analytics, audience development and campaign strategy. But some of my biggest lessons didn't happen in the classroom.
Life happens to all of us, and through my own experiences, I realized I wanted to create a space where parents could feel safe, heard and understood; most importantly, feel a sense of community.
I wanted to create something that I had been searching for myself.
There were so many days when I felt alone, overwhelmed, anxious and confused. At times, I felt invisible.
That idea and vision eventually became something very personal to me: Invisibly Visible.
What started as a project for my Content Media course turned into my own voice and a completely new way of connecting with others. One blog post became the hub of my content, which grew into social media content, ultimately leading to me recording my first Podcast episode.
And there has definitely been some trial and error along the way.
But that's also where I've discovered what I enjoy most.
I don't want to create something just because “we need a post this week.”
I want to know why we're creating it.
Who are we talking to? What matters to them? What does this business actually want to say? And how can we turn that into content that feels genuine while still supporting a bigger goal?
That's the kind of marketer I'm hoping to become.
So, Why You Empower Tomorrow?
I'm excited to be completing my Digital Media Marketing co-op with You Empower Tomorrow.
You Empower Tomorrow brings together so many areas I'm interested in. Wellness, entrepreneurship, community, marketing and strategic planning.
I'm looking forward to seeing what marketing looks like from the other side: not just building my own brand, but listening to another entrepreneur or business owner and figuring out how I can help bring their ideas to life.
Because small business owners are often amazing at what they do.
But being great at what you do and knowing how to market it are two completely different things.
Sometimes you know exactly what you want your business to represent…. you just don't know how to turn that into a content plan, social media strategy or message that connects with the right people.
That's where I'd love to be able to help.
My Biggest Goal? Confidence.
There are plenty of marketing skills I want to continue developing during this co-op.
I want more experience with content strategy, storytelling, analytics, social media and working directly with entrepreneurs.
But if I had to choose one goal for this experience, it would be confidence.
I want to reach the end of my co-op and feel confident saying:
“Yes, I can do this.”
I want to be able to sit down with a business owner, listen to their ideas and goals, and know how to help turn them into a strategy; and then into content that actually supports what they're trying to accomplish.
I want to hear about their businesses, learn how they got started, understand what's working for them (and what isn't), and make connections with people I might continue working with long after my co-op is finished.
Your network doesn't grow from collecting names. It grows from conversations and relationships.
And I'm excited to start having more of those conversations and that’s the feeling I want to walk away with.
One thing I've quickly learned about digital marketing is that there is always something else to learn.
A new platform.
A new trend.
A new tool.
A new algorithm.
And probably another Canva feature I didn't know existed.
But that's also what makes this field exciting to me.
I'm coming into this co-op with skills I've already worked hard to develop, a brand I've built from the ground up, lots of ideas with plenty left to learn.
I'm okay with that.
Let's See Where This Goes
~ Alison Smith
Curious what "figuring out your marketing" could actually look like for your business? See How We Can Help →
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