Kelsey Pilkington

Completed a successful probationary year and social media apprenticeship and was promoted to marketing manager. Key Achievements: 1. Marketing Strategy: Developed and implemented an overall marketing strategy to create an omnichannel experience for both in-store and online customers. The marketing strategy was devised in line with the overall business strategy to achieve overall goals. 2. EPOS System Implementation: Worked with a large-scale EPOS developer to create an EPOS system that would enable us to create a link between our in-store systems and e-commerce website. This also allowed me to implement a loyalty scheme. This implementation not only enabled us to retain our in-store customers but also facilitated the smooth transition of offline customers to online sales channels. 4. Project Lead on New Website Build: I actively planned and assisted in the development of a new website, ensuring it was optimised for user experience, mobile responsiveness, and search engine visibility. Played a pivotal role in the design, website content and customer journey. 5. Automated Workflows and CRM Improvements: Recognised the importance of efficient customer relationship management and created automated workflows and strategically improved the CRM system. This has led to streamlined processes, enhanced customer engagement, and better targeting of marketing campaigns. 6. Paid Advertising: Successfully planned, designed and executed paid advertising for both social media and Google. Resulted in a successful reduction of cost per conversion and a higher average basket. 7. Organic SEO Initiatives: Spearheaded organic search engine optimisation initiatives, focusing on enhancing the company's website ranking and online visibility. Through keyword research, content optimisation, and link building, we experienced a significant increase in organic traffic and improved search engine rankings.

I joined Valley Living as a Social Media apprentice with no initial experience, only an interest in the subject and an eagerness to learn. Throughout my apprenticeship, I worked independently to improve the company's online brand awareness through social media marketing, content creation, and customer engagement. Key Accomplishments: 1. Devised, implemented and managed a comprehensive content calendar, ensuring a consistent and engaging online presence across various social media platforms. 2. SEO Application: Learned about the basics and theory of SEO for product SEO and website content SEO. This was a successful period allowing me to implement learnings and boost the website’s SEO, improving visibility and reach. 3. Content Marketing: Created a weekly blog concept based on product releases, customer-centric content and other relevant updates to increase awareness and brand loyalty. The blog increased sales by upselling relevant products and I was able to convert readers to the minimum of an email subscription. 4. Newsletter Building: By utilising existing customer data and order information to build a basic yet effective newsletter, enabling the company to stay connected with its customers, share promotions, and drive repeat sales. 5. Content Creation and Photography: Content was key in our social media strategy and it was my responsibility to capture images as well as craft engaging and visually appealing posts for social media and other platforms. 6. B2C E-commerce Website Management: I played a crucial role in uploading and optimising products on the B2C e-commerce website, ensuring a seamless online shopping experience for customers. This role coincided with one day of release per week to college, so it was necessary to do 5 days’ work in 4 days, massively improving my time management and accountability. Upon completion of my social media apprenticeship, I was promoted to Marketing Manager.