Students on the Blog: Q&A with a Digital Marketing Manager Alum

By Bin Feng, MS Accounting ‘18

For people outside of the marketing field, it’s easy to think that marketing merely means poster designs, advertisements or event promotion. Few of us, however, understand the digital side. In an era of globalization and new technologies, digital marketing professionals make use of data analysis to understand customer preferences and create targeted promotional materials. Last week, I interviewed Li Yang (MS Marketing ’16), a Baruch College alumnus of the MS Marketing Program, to talk about what it is like working as a Digital Marketing Manager.

Q: Hey Yang, first thing first, thanks for your time for this interview. Shall we start by you sharing your role in your company?

A: Hi Bin, you are welcome! I’m the Digital Marketing Manager in our company. My role is mainly comprised of four parts: one, budget planning for marketing campaigns and public-relation events; two, predicting and planning monthly orders based on our sales on e-commerce platforms; three, supervising expenditure and performance of digital marketing promotions, and; four, choosing media companies and key opinion leaders to build up our long-term promotional partnerships. Sounds interesting?

Q: It does, sounds more interesting than I thought. So in your position, I am curious, what kind of professional skills and personality traits are required?

Li Yang (MS Marketing ’16)

A: Photoshop, I would say, is the most basic skill nowadays that anyone working in the marketing or advertising field must possess. Because my job is more related to digital marketing, I also need to use Google Analytics and Google AdWords Manager, which give you timely feedback on your promotions on Google. Other common skills like Excel, PowerPoint and website management (content management systems) are also important. In terms of personalities, it’s important to be patient and detail-oriented. When there are fashion events, for example, we can have several different roles and be responsible for many things at the same time. So we need to keep our mind focused and make sure everything is on track. If somebody is easily rattled, I doubt they could deal with the working pressure. Being creative would also be helpful. Creativity is the blood of marketing.

Q: Do you think your studies at Baruch equipped you with those skills effectively?

A: Baruch gave me a lot. I remember I learned how to supervise digital marketing campaigns, and practice social media and search engine marketing when I was at Baruch. Now these things have become my job. I also joined a student society where I practiced how to manage and promote websites. That experience prepared me to manage our company’s website, which is an important part of our brand image and shares the latest information about our products and events with customers.

Q: I agree. Studying at Baruch has been one of the best experience in my life. Would you share some suggestions about how to find a satisfying job?

A: Well, I think your own personal interests is one of the most important factors that you have to consider when applying for a job. If you work on something that you are not interested in, you will probably lack motivation and give up easily when facing obstacles. It’s also important to do significant research about the industry you want to enter. For example, what skills and traits are needed, what’s the career path and what is the future of that particular industry? Another suggestion that could be helpful is to try to develop relationships with alumni. Most of them are very friendly and willing to share insights with you.

Q: Those are very helpful and practical suggestions. Thanks for sharing! I’m also curious, have you seen any changes or new trends happening in your industry, in terms of technology and business models?

A: Yes. My company is a fashion company so there are new trends every day. With regards to technology, personally I think data analysis and analytics, such as the relationship between consumer disposable income and preferences, will be completed by AI more and more. Humans are not able to collect and process huge amounts of data, and they can oftentimes be subjective. Materials for our clothes are also changing fast. We already invented and produced glowing dresses that are absolutely eco-friendly. Last but not least, fashion is turning more and more to wearable devices－ you see Apple is putting huge recourses on the R&D of Apple Watch. In the future, we might also see Apple earrings or Apple necklaces.

In terms of business models, I think all famous brands are putting more and more resources into the Chinese market, which places millions of orders every year. So we are trying to assimilate some Chinese cultural elements into our products. And I think that’s why my role in our company is important. Part of my digital marketing work focuses on Chinese customers so that our designers know their preferences clearly.

Q: That’s true, fashion is indeed a fast-changing industry. I think you must face intensive pressure from time to time. Could you please share what are the most difficult aspects of your work? And what are the most rewarding ones?

A: Sure. As I mentioned before, we have lots of events every year and New York Fashion Week is the most important one. During Fashion Week, I’m super busy and the pressure is intense. I have to not only control our budget and make sure our show is great, but I also make sure we communicate with online and traditional media efficiently so that our design concepts are fully and clearly expressed. In addition to that, we also need to help our VIP guests arrive on time while trying to avoid any emergencies. If something does happen, we have to solve it immediately and calmly. But at the end of events, I always feel a great sense of achievement when our work is valued by experts. I am really lucky to be on a team with great colleagues.