Jasmine Gordon has created 2000 social media success stories, as a UK-based social media marketing manager, has over ten years of experience working with prestigious clients like the Glastonbury Festival and restaurant brands. With a CIM certification and digital marketing degree, she has a coaching technique that emphasizes individual 12-week plans, guiding students from social media newbies to agency owners. Her analytical outlook ensures effective plans, staying current with social media trends and algorithms. Jasmine’s career has evolved into a well-rounded one, supporting students from various socioeconomic backgrounds. One of her high points in her career is working with the Glastonbury Festival, where she met many fascinating people and had the opportunity to work with international clients. She was promoted to social media marketing manager at the age of 20 and was one of the youngest employees in her agency.
A seasoned social media marketing manager located in the UK named Jasmine Gordon has more than ten years of experience working with illustrious clients including the Glastonbury Festival and prestigious restaurant brands. Jasmine’s expertise is the outcome of practical learning rather than formal schooling, despite the fact that she has a CIM certification and a degree in digital marketing.
Her coaching technique, which has helped over 2,000 students, places a strong emphasis on an individual 12-week plan. Students are steered from social media newbies to agency owners, with an emphasis on niche discovery, branding, content development, and client acquisition.
Jasmine’s analytical outlook ensures that plans remain effective by ensuring that she stays current with shifting social media trends and algorithms. She focuses on the importance of matching audience needs and client objectives, as well as adjusting to the changing environment.
Jasmine’s journey has turned into a well-rounded career in which she now supports pupils from various socioeconomic backgrounds.
By putting an emphasis on practical learning above formal qualifications, Jasmine’s coaching dispels myths. Her advice gives prospective marketers self-assurance and gives them transferable abilities that go beyond formal schooling.
Can you talk about some of the high points of your career as a social media marketing manager, in particular your work with well-known clients like the Glastonbury Festival and prestigious restaurant chains?
One of the professional high points of my social media marketing management career, in my opinion, has been working with the Glastonbury Festival. I couldn’t understand why they offered me a ticket and paid for me to attend Glastonbury if you’re from the UK when tickets are so hard to come by! It’s a demanding few days, and sleeping in a tent on the ground does not provide you the REM sleep you need to function at your best, but the work is so enjoyable. In addition, I’ve met a ton of fascinating people and famous people every year I’ve worked there.
Additionally, I’ve worked with international clients who were so significant that they flew me across the world to consult with their affiliates in various nations, which I still find amazing. Dubai was the first place I traveled to with a client; it was a place I never imagined seeing, much less being paid to do so. Consequently, it became plainly evident that I was doing appropriately!
Being promoted to social media marketing manager just two months after joining an agency at the age of 20 was another highlight of my early career. I was the agency’s youngest employee at the time and one of the few without a college degree or professional credentials.
I came to the conclusion that working for an agency wasn’t for me after a year. I was putting in 10 to 12 hours a day to build someone else’s dream when I knew that if I used that time to work on my own goals, my life would significantly improve. I initially saw the potential of social media marketing when I signed up my first high-ticket customer. I was already making more than my previous wage from only one client, and I had room for another 2-3.
I never expected to end up in Twitter’s London headquarters as a social media marketing manager from a little village in Somerset because to this customer. (Inside the HQ, they display printouts of some of their best tweets, which include bizarre stuff like students griping about their roommates stealing their chicken nuggets, which I found to be symbolic.)
What effect have your CIM certification and degree in digital marketing had on your understanding of and strategy for social media marketing management?
To be perfectly honest, none.
Having worked as a social media marketing manager both before and after receiving a degree and several other esteemed qualifications, I can also provide a very distinctive viewpoint on this subject. They set me back three to four years, I’ll tell you that much.
My qualifications have never been questioned by a customer, and nothing I learned while earning my degree was useful for working with clients in the actual world. Sure, some of the information I learned about marketing ideas was intriguing, but there wasn’t a single item I learned over the course of three years that helped me with running a business, getting customers, helping them with their social media efforts, or building an agency. Before earning my degree, I landed the majority of my highest-paying customers!
The majority of my information that has advanced my work has come from other pros in the field, the internet, or just getting my hands dirty and learning on the job.
You mentioned having taught more than 2,000 pupils. Could you outline your coaching approach and give some instances of students who went on to create prosperous social media marketing companies?
I now take a much more practical approach with my pupils as a result. For 12 weeks, my team and I will work one-on-one with each student to help them transition from being social media marketing newbies to business owners. We will concentrate on determining for them the most lucrative niche based on their expertise and interests in the first month, after which we will create their branding, social media postings, and website. Then, over the following eight weeks, we focus on building a clientele utilizing strategies that work best for the student.
By assigning tasks and giving them a success manager testimonial to share with potential clients, my staff and I even assist students in building a portfolio before they land their first client.
In order to become completely booked social media marketing managers and grow their businesses to £5k per month continuously, many students have left their employment. One of my students, Stephanie, who started working with me in January of this year, sent the most recent testimonial that really blew my mind. After only six months in the program, she was earning £8,000 a month!
How can you ensure that your social media initiatives are still successful in the quickly evolving social media world by staying up to speed with the latest trends and algorithm changes?
Maybe not the best response, but I think my excessive screen time contributed in some little way to my achievement.
As the director of social media marketing, you approach everything analytically. As a result, even when I’m just perusing my feed, I feel like I’m learning. You could even think, “This is good, I should try this with my clients,” or, “Wow, this page is terrible, I could do better,” while looking at a restaurant’s Instagram page.
It makes it practically difficult for me to turn off, but it also makes me a fantastic employee.
What, in your opinion, separates a very successful social media marketing campaign from a poor one, and how do you include these elements into your work?
The goals of the client’s brand and the customer must always come first for a social media marketing manager in all decisions. This covers all of your campaigns, posts, and strategy.
I ponder the following two questions each time I generate material for a client: 1. Does this material support the goal of the client’s brand? 2. Does the user find value in this content? If the customer receives success and a good return on investment as a consequence of your efforts, you can nearly assure it if both of the responses are yes.
When they have a new customer, many social media marketing managers wonder, “What should I post?” And if they do, I can tell they are not a seasoned manager of social media marketing. Your plan starts at the very bottom with what to post. Content ideas will come to you quite readily once you’ve thought about your clients’ brand objectives, made social media objectives, and then content pillars. The technique places what to post for a customer last—not first!
Additionally, social media marketing has advanced substantially in recent years, especially with the emergence of TikTok. Brands have always been able to be more relaxed when using social media for marketing, but it seems like in recent years there has been a race to see which company can be the most insane. Prestige brands are impacted by highly skilled TOVs. In reaction to a poor review of one of its advent calendars, Chanel, for instance, removed its TikTok after getting thousands of nasty comments. RyanAir, a low-cost airline based in the UK, makes fun of the fact that their landings are poor but that it doesn’t matter because the flight costs just £10 and their customers like it. Since customers now want a more real brand experience, it is crucial to maintain your client’s or company’s point of view while also acknowledging how social media marketing has changed.
How did you first become intrigued by social media marketing and decide to make a profession out of it?
After an apparel manufacturer approached me on Tumblr and requested me to handle their pages, I started working in social media marketing. This happened nearly ten years ago, way back before Instagram stories weren’t even a thing! Because I loved doing it so much, I did it for free and offered my skills to other nearby or friend-owned businesses. I never thought about doing it full-time even though it wasn’t a career at the time. A few years later, it started to become a more and more common way for companies to market themselves, and I started taking on paying customers.
I’m very grateful that I was able to make a pastime into a career that not only allows me to make money I never would have thought possible.
Working with customers and students from different backgrounds can be difficult. How can you alter your communication style to foster fruitful connections and social media success with varied people?
Understanding each person’s unique learning preferences. Some students will require me to be really hands-on, motivate them, and occasionally even make their to-do lists. Some students, on the other hand, merely want a quick poke in the rear and my brutally honest counsel!
In addition, I make sure that each student is matched with the best support manager on my team depending on their background and preferred methods of learning. I have one support manager I know will be really helpful if someone needs more encouragement and support. As an alternative, I know someone who will cut through the BS and tell you all you need to know to make £10k per month for 12 straight months!
What is the most satisfying thing about coaching others and seeing them succeed in the field of social media marketing?
If I look back at the talks I’ve had with students, I can usually see a big change in their perspective and self-assurance. I get messages on anything from what to publish on their social media pages to how much to charge in their first proposal, from words of joy when they find their first customer to messages when they achieve their first £5,000 in a given month. They often had what it took to succeed; all they required was someone to keep them responsible and address their problems.
In addition, the fact that they now have a skill set that will keep them in demand for a very long time makes me proud of them and makes me feel like I’m actually helping people.
And the thing that makes me the happiest is when I check in on one of my support groups and discover that students who started out with no experience are now looking to grow their business and bring on new employees!
What common myths or misconceptions regarding social media marketing have you run into, and how do you deal with them while guiding your students?
You need years of expertise, confidence, credentials, and degrees in order to get started. Actually, the most effective way to learn is through doing.
And to be really honest, I wouldn’t employ even one of the 200+ students in my program for a degree in digital marketing. I would rather interact with a person who lacks a degree but has gained knowledge via experience and platform use.
I think individuals get so caught up in the thought of “what if a client asks me what qualifications I have” that they won’t even allow themselves get to the stage of obtaining a client! However, having a specialization you’re enthusiastic about really all but removes a lot of problems since customers know you understand what they’re selling and to whom.
If I were to suggest making an investment, it would be in a mentor or coach who can guide you, prevent mistakes, and address your questions as they arise.
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