Hannah says she fell into marketing by accident, but has found it immensely rewarding. She is also a mental health and wellbeing champion at The Cumberland.
I help the residential side of the business acquire new customers, and retain current ones, by making sure we have good marketing campaigns that encourage first time buyers, home movers and people looking to remortgage to use The Cumberland. Recent interest rate changes have shifted the attention back on to savings so we are looking at savings campaigns too.
I have a team now which is a new development for me. They help look after social media, the website and make sure that we are attracting customers with interesting content and relevant adverts. We can target digital adverts to ensure we are reaching the right customers in a geographical area with relevant content and help them reach their goals.
I use a range of marketing skills to manage digital campaigns and other options such as outdoor and radio advertising. I’m very keen to create a lot more video in the coming year. We had a TV ad for the first time in a while last year which was one of a number of exciting projects. I like being able to dip into all the different areas.
I have been at The Cumberland for three years. I started in a social media position and now have the job of my manager at the time who has moved on to another part of the business. That was Tom Little, and he was very much a mentor for me. His guidance really allowed me to progress in my career.
I came into marketing by accident. I did a history degree at Liverpool Hope University because I was panicking at school about what I wanted to do, so I went down the academic route and picked a subject that I enjoyed. If I was choosing again, I might consider an apprenticeship.
I then got a job with Carlisle Brass in their customer care team and only by chance ended up helping with some of the marketing activities there. I loved it and then got my first proper marketing position at David Allen accountants where I got a good variety of experience.
I like the feeling of knowing you can have an impact on somebody’s decisions. If we have a target amount of leads we need to get and you go away and make a change to a campaign to achieve those goals it gives you a lot of satisfaction.
Our Kinder Banking launch saw our branding work come to life and there is nothing better than seeing the impact it has had on the local area.
The Cumberland’s Brighter Cumbria Day initiative broke the world record for the most random acts of kindness in one day. It was the first interactive event I had been involved in at The Cumberland and I absolutely loved it. I definitely knew from that day that I was at the right place, enjoyed being in a bigger marketing team and getting stuck into large campaigns.
I would suggest reaching out to businesses and asking for work experience opportunities. It could be contacting the Chartered Institute of Marketing too. Ask as many questions as you can and learn as much as you can.
It could be a good idea, too, to get involved in an initiative at school such as a mini campaign or organising an event. There are lots of different ways that would demonstrate your skills to potential employers such as showing initiative or working well in a team.
It feels like you are genuinely cared about by your colleagues. The team looks out for each other, and we have each other’s back. We all work together for the best outcome - it’s a very positive atmosphere to work in.