My Interview on South African Online Creatives

The folks at South African Online Creatives got in touch with me via the magic of Twitter and we got chatting. They have featured lil’ ol’ me in an interview on their blog. We spoke digital marketing, travel blogging and more.  I’m chuffed to share it here:

Digital Marketing Guru | Kelly Robertson Share’s Her Journey

Name: Kelly Robertson.
Company: WildWeb.
Position: Head Digital Marketing Strategist.
Area: South Africa, Durban.

Kelly Robertson is not only a Digital Marketing Strategist, she’s also a travel Blogger/Writer at Bush Baby Blog in her personal capacity.

“My first love is the content creation and writing side of the creative media”–says, Kelly Robertson.

What’s skills should one have to be successful in the Digital Marketing Industry? Kelly is certainly the ideal person to answer this question. Kelly’s first job out of varsity-University of the Witwatersrand after completing a BA degree with Honours in English Literature, a 4 year degree, was at a small Johannesburg Creative Company, The Content Bar, where she worked as a content producer, social media manager and writer for their three online blog sites-JHB Live, Durban Live and Cape Town Live. Find out how she ended up landing the Head Digital Marketing Strategist position in our Q&A below:

How did you get into the Online Creative Industry?
After a short while at The Content Bar I quickly moved into Managing Editor position there and gained experience in managing the online platforms well with a team, reaching interested readers and creating good, share-able content.

Then in 2012, we moved to Durban and I started as the Digital Marketing Strategist at WildWeb. The majority of our clients are within the African travel and safari industry which is right up my alley. African travel is my passion (which would explain my love for travel writing and the creation of my new personal blog about African travel and the likes). Writing about travel and working to market clients in that field of my interest is the ideal match for me. I apply this love and interest to my marketing work for our clients.

Content is a big part of our strategies used to promote the lodges and businesses to their ideal target markets and potential guests. I manage all the Online marketing campaigns for our clients along with my small team. I have always been drawn to the more creative arena, especially when it comes to expression through words and story telling. My first love is the content creation and writing side of the creative media. I have always enjoyed that and place huge value on the power of good content in the online sphere.

• You’re rather a hands on woman as you also run your personal blogs, How do you balance everything?
I suppose I just try to balance life in general and make time for the enjoyment of it too. I work hard and enjoy it but also make sure to fulfill myself by pursuing personal passions too like my personal blogging. I always make time for relaxing, travelling and spending quality time with my loved ones too. Else what’s the point to this life at all? I’ve also contributed to Getaway blog, Africa Geographic blog, iafrica travel and others.

• How does your job influence your lifestyle?
Work takes up the majority our days but luckily for me, I get to work on content that I absolutely love and that I am passionate about. That is African travel-focused content. It is different and interesting and alluring, everyday. I also find myself constantly aware of the methods we can use to market clients on the digital stage and considering different ways to promote them to their ideal markets through leisure mediums and others like social media and review sites and partnerships. I often find myself coming across a site or app or channel and immediately thinking, “Ah, we could use that to promote so and so to that group!”

My job fuels my love for African travel and the wilderness. It feeds my travel dreams too and my travel wish list grows every time I’m introduced to a new region or property or travel client we’re marketing. Our clients are also awesome to work with and every now and then I manage to plan a visit to their wild locations to see them for myself and experience them first hand.

• What’s the best advise you’d give to people who also want to get into the industry?
Do it! Digital marketing and the digital sphere in general is a growing industry and every sector of society is getting on board and realising they need to be active and interactive on the internet. You can be involved in that and it is exciting and new.

•Any tips to become successful in the industry.
1. Follow blogs, newsletters and sites that feature interesting features and share content on the digital marketing game. It’s changing all the time and new ideas and methods pop up constantly.

2. Do online tutorials and read up on things and tools you don’t know about yet. Digital media is new and often the tools available haven’t been taught to us in traditional courses and studying. You just have to learn them and try them out, see if they are effective for you. The beauty of the online world is that there is a big community willing to help us all learn to be better and to use the available methods well. Ask them for help.

3.Try to constantly try new marketing methods and platforms, gain experience about what works for your specific client’s needs.

4. Engage with the communities you are reaching through digital marketing and make them want to interact with your client or brand. Give them reason to.

5. Most importantly, create good, interesting, well written and engaging content that you would like to read if you came across it online.

Complete the sentence:
• Social Media is… powerful for brand building and engagement with communities.
• Writing is… the basis of good content.
• Blogging is… effective and fun.

Choose one between the two:
• Facebook or Twitter
Facebook for personal social media networking, Twitter for travel industry sharing and networking, and both for digital marketing.
• Games or Apps – Apps
• Gadgets or Books – Books, books and more books 🙂

This interview was originally posted on the South African online Creatives blog.