Today, we are sharing the story of Jack Suddaby, a 26-year-old, starting a career in social media and general marketing. He is currently working as a Junior Marketing Coordinator at IE Hub, a FinTech company that helps people in debt. Jack’s journey to his current role is a rollercoaster of ups, downs, and everything in between – so grab your coffee, and enjoy!
Jack’s Path to Starting A Career in Social Media and Marketing
So, let’s rewind and understand how Jack found himself wanting a career in social media marketing. Less than a year ago, Jack was working in biomedical science, spending his days in the lab as a Biomedical Scientist. But after six years of pipettes and petri dishes, he was feeling a bit… well, uninspired.
Feeling the itch for something new, Jack started exploring his options. He’d always been fascinated by social media and the way it could connect people from all walks of life. So, when a friend at IE Hub showed him what a day in the life of someone working in marketing, Jack was intrigued.
With a little encouragement from his friend, Jack managed to bag himself an internship at IE Hub. Fast forward to today, and Jack’s “living his best life” as a full-time paid employee, thriving in general marketing and social media management.
Jack’s Current Role
Jack is thankful that he has been able to work from the comfort of his own home. Like many in marketing, he is living the remote work dream, and he’s loving every minute of it.
At IE Hub, he’s part of a small marketing team- the Marketing Director, the Senior Marketing Coordinator, and Jack, the Junior Marketing Coordinator.
Social media is a component of Jack’s broader generalist marketing role. With him being so early in his career, he’s enjoying getting experience in a bit of everything.
Jack’s days are filled with content creation, copywriting, and scheduling social media posts across Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, LinkedIn, and YouTube. IE Hub is a B2B and B2C organisation, but Jack mostly works on B2C social media at the moment.
When it comes to scheduling posts, he enjoys the usability of Meta Business Suite. He enjoys how easy it is to queue up posts, track performance, and keep tabs on everything from one convenient dashboard. For content creation, his favourite tool to use is Canva. It is very user-friendly for beginners.
Most of the work he has completed in social media management has been organic content. However, he is looking forward to learning more about paid advertising and getting involved in that side of social media.
Challenges When Starting A Career in Social Media
Let’s talk about the challenges and key lessons Jack has faced along the way.
When Jack first started working in social media, his biggest hurdle was tapping into his creative side. Coming up with fresh ideas day in and day out? Not as easy as it sounds. Especially coming from such a rigid, methodical industry like BioMedical Science. But he believes that practice makes perfect and he is seeing growth as he continues to experiment and learn new things.
He also found it challenging to balance social media management with other marketing tasks. But, he eventually learned how to prioritise, structure his tasks and make every minute count.
The key lesson from Jack is to work smarter, not harder. Whether it’s finding shortcuts in your workflow or using tools to lighten the load, efficiency is key. He also suggests not to be afraid to take inspiration from others until you find your own ways of doing things. Mentors are there for a reason.
And as for handling the demands of social media while still learning the ropes? Jack admits he is no stranger to a little trial and error. He’s currently in the stage where he can experiment, play around, and see what works and what doesn’t. Because at the end of the day, it’s not about being perfect – it’s about being willing to put yourself out there, make mistakes, and come out stronger on the other side.
Successes and Highlights So Far
Firstly, Jack was involved in the launch of IE Hub’s Pocket Perspectives Podcast. Since its launch, the snippets shared on social media have been very successful. He is enjoying being creative with short-form video content and seeing how well it performs.
Speaking of creativity, that’s what Jack loves most about his role. And when he sees his content performing well on social media, it is so rewarding.
In fact, social media has quickly become one of Jack’s favourite parts of his marketing job. And he’s just getting started. Jack is excited to continue to improve his skills and learn more about social media management.
Advice to Those Starting A Career in Social Media
If you’re an aspiring social media manager, Jack has shared some great advice. If you already spend your free time scrolling through social media feeds, you’re halfway there. You’ll be surprised what you pick up skill-wise that applies to a social media manager role.
As for Jack’s hopes for the future? He wants to understand how to measure the data, figure out the best times to post, and learn more about the logistical side of social media. Jack is looking forward to gaining even more knowledge with some courses on general social media management.
Don’t be afraid to lean on your nearest and dearest for help. That friend who hooked him up with the IE Hub gig? Lifesaver. Sometimes, all it takes is a little nudge from someone who knows you best to set you on the right path.
Predictions for the future of Threads
When asked about his predictions for the future of Threads, Jack believes that if people are not enjoying the direction that X is heading in, Threads has the potential to become the new go-to platform for that type of content.
Do you agree? Let us know!
