Learning all about Alex.
What makes up the mind of a Senior Marketing Coordinator? One of our copywriters sat down with Alex to find out about her approach, what she wanted to be when she grew up, and more. Find out what we talked about to see what makes her who she is.
Expertise and approach.
Interviewer: Did you always want to work in marketing? How did it come about?
Alex: Growing up, I wanted to be a sheepdog. It seemed like it’d be a nice life. My degree is in animal science, and my first job out of uni was training dogs. This is obviously wildly different from what I do now; here’s how that evolution happened.
I started off training dogs at the Waltham Petcare Science Institute for involvement in scientific studies – like taking teeth photos to show the efficacy of Pedigree Dentastix, for example. Later, I began giving tours to people at the centre, demonstrating how the dogs were being trained in a way that keeps animal welfare at heart. When COVID hit, we weren't allowed any visitors on site, so I suddenly found myself with a lot of free time. To fill it in, I started supporting the Mars Global Affairs team for Petcare, helping them with socials and a lot more.
I became the site Event Coordinator for Waltham, then transitioned to the Site Digital Content creator. As part of the promotions, I stopped doing tours and was only doing the digital side, before suddenly being made redundant. And here’s my Ketchup hire story:
When I’d attended Badminton Horse Trials to work on the Mars Petcare, Mars had given us these great gilets. So during my last few days working at Mars, I was at a dog agility competition and I’d reluctantly worn the gilet. I was having difficult feelings about leaving the company, so I almost didn’t wear it… but it had these really good pockets that I could put dog treats in. It ended up sparking a conversation with someone, who, when I’d explained I was made redundant, said she knew someone with a marketing company who needed a Marketing Coordinator.
She gave me their email, and that email was Michelle’s. The rest is history.
That one tiny decision took me in such a different direction.
Interviewer: Love a good hire story! Next question is, what do clients usually come to you for when something isn’t working – and what are they actually asking for without realising it?
Alex: Quite often, clients come to us for specific marketing activities they want. One client recently came to us for SEO, but once we dug in, we saw that they really needed support with their whole customer journey.
Another recent client wanted support with paid ads and social media. When I went in and did a mini audit, I found that it was everything surrounding those areas which they really needed help with. There’s no point driving people to your website if they can’t use it. Often, companies don’t realise they need help with the bigger picture.
Interviewer: What’s a mistake you see brands making over and over with their marketing efforts?
Alex: Not proofing things properly, and making silly mistakes with their copy. Or, links and QR codes not actually working – things that could’ve been caught with a better QA process. It’s especially surprising with big brands. I recently got a piece of marketing from Gusto, that had a fun little quiz you could take – but it had the wrong answers printed. They made no sense. It’s a shame, I could’ve found out if I was a spaghetti bolognese or a burger, and now I’ll never know.
Interviewer: And for your approach as a marketing coordinator: if you had to describe it in one word, what would it be (and what does that actually look like in practice)?
Alex: Organised. A sh*t-load of spread sheets; sometimes people flatter me by saying I’m a spreadsheet wizard (I wouldn’t call myself that). It’s really about being methodical, planning ahead, and making finding things really easy, so no one has to dig.
It’s putting notes like ‘sent to client’ and including relevant links; making sure good notes are left in various places, and ensuring all the information isn’t just sat with one person. Basically, I’m always trying to make life easier for everyone on the team.
Interviewer: Where do you think the best ideas really come from when you’re working – structure, chaos, collaboration, or solitude?
Alex: Probably both – it’s good to chat it through, then go away to work on it… then come back and share my thoughts with someone else, which then helps to build up the idea.
Point of view and taste.
Interview: Moving on to trends and POV: what trends in marketing are you quietly ignoring right now, and why?
Alex: Trying to be on all the different platforms. You can spread yourself so thinly by trying to be on every single one. Pick a few – wherever your audience is.
Interview: What’s something you have a strong opinion about in your field that others might disagree with?
Alex: Some people are so obsessed with social media marketing, but aren’t executing properly. Creating Instagram reels or TikToks won’t work if you’re not being strategic, thinking of a hook, or even just the reason you’re on this platform to start with.
Interview: Have you worked with social media marketing a lot?
Alex: Yes. I first started taking social media more seriously during the COVID lockdowns. I started building up my personal account followings across a few platforms.
Fun fact: I actually paid for my wedding cake with money earned from socials!
Now I support clients with their socials, I put all my learnings towards their success; I love experimenting with things like trial reels.
Interviewer: In addition to great timing, what is the recipe for success on socials, in your opinion?
Sometimes the best videos are the ones you didn't spend much time on. Sometimes, when you spend lots of time on them, they can do terribly. Often, a video will do well on one platform and flop on another. It’s all about learning what works best for your different audiences.
A great question to ask is, “will this catch someone's attention in the first second?” If not, rework it, whether that be through visuals, audio, or caption edits. Also consider what your social scheduling platform says is the best time to post.
Interviewer: What’s something you’re proud of that you’ve worked on recently?
Alex: I’m really pleased with how things are going with Starrett. We're trialling different approaches for their socials, and some of our latest reels have had a 25% increase in reach on Instagram, a 56% increase in unique page impressions on Facebook, and a 36% increase in impressions on LinkedIn.
Interviewer: Something to shout about for sure! What excites you most about working with brands today, and what bores you?
Alex: I like seeing the results. I also enjoy doing the research and making plans for our clients.
Not all marketing is sexy. Like, admin isn’t always fun, but it’s one of those necessary things.
Collaboration and Ketchup perspective.
Interviewer: Now, moving into Ketchup-specifics: how does being part of a multidisciplinary team at Ketchup shape your work?
Alex: It's great having experts in each area to lean on. Getting those specialist inputs instead just lots of people who dabble in a little of everything. I have access to people who can give great insights and do even better work.
Interviewer: And what’s something clients might not realise they get access to by working with Ketchup?
Alex: The strategic side. They come for delivery, i.e. a leaflet or an ad. But they can have a whole marketing strategy backing what they want to deliver, which can create a system for success.
Personality and human side.
Interviewer: Now for the personality stuff: what does your brain do when you’re not working?
Alex: I’m probably planning my next dog agility competition, or training… for (surprise) my next dog agility competition.
I also like competing for the top Sudoku spot on the company wellness app. Lucy has usually done it by the time I have, so it puts the pressure on to try and beat her time.
Interviewer: You two are often toe-to-toe! What is it about dog training that draws you in?
Alex: My dogs love it, I love it… and it’s fun seeing the progression as we go. Plus, I’ve got a nice group of friends from doing it.
Interviewer: Let’s also talk about a habit or ritual that helps you reset mentally. Do you ever stop?
Alex: I sometimes stop, but it’s probably when I’m crashing. Lately, I've been playing around with Instagram trial reels and seeing how that impacts my reach. I’ll test out things I wouldn't normally post. You won't be surprised to know it's my dogs’ instagram that I'm making content for.
Or, I'll play little games on my phone. If there’s nice weather, like over the summer, I'll listen to a podcast, like “The Casual Criminalist’ or audiobooks while I’m doing some gardening – I quite like doing that. I don't sit still for those things, as I’m very much an on-the-go person.
I’m usually quite visual, but when it’s something mindless I’m not trying to retain it, so I’ll just listen so I can shut my brain off.
Interviewer: And finally, if you weren’t doing this, what would you be doing instead?
Alex: I would’ve won the lottery, and would be living in a big house with loads of dogs, and I would just train my dogs all day.
With that lovely visual in mind, we wrapped our interview. Alex did not become a sheepdog in the end, but she does herd the Crew by keeping tasks in line and on-time. To learn more about Alex or any other team members, visit our Team page. We’ve got plenty of content from videos to interviews like this one.