Introduction
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Daniela: Okay. Are you a morning person or a night owl?
Alia: Night owl for sure.
Daniela: Coffee or tea?
Alia: Coffee.
Daniela: Beach vacation or mountain retreat?
Alia: That’s tough. I grew up in San Diego, so mountain retreats.
Daniela: Different books or movies?
Alia: Movies always.
Daniela: Cats or dogs?
Alia: Cats.
Daniela: If you could have dinner with any historical figure, who would it be?
Alia: Marie Antoinette.
Daniela: Go-to karaoke song?
Alia: Tainted Love.
Daniela: Oh, and if you could have a superpower, what would it be?
Alia: Time travel. I think it’d be really cool to be able to travel forward or backward in time, fix things, see what’s happening in the future. Our future’s very, you know, unknown these days, so that’d be a cool superhero power to have.
Daniela: What food could you eat every day for the rest of your life?
Alia: Pizza.
Daniela: What movie universe would you like to live in for a while?
Alia: Oh, that’s tough. I’m such a film buff, but I like independent films. Maybe the Batman universe.
Daniela: That’s interesting. That’s like a little bit dark.
Alia: Yeah, it is. I’m a big Batman fan, so I don’t know. I think Gotham obviously has its issues, but it’s taken care of. You know, Batman’s always got Gotham’s back, so I’m not worried being a Gotham citizen.
Daniela: It’s like New York with a superhero, I feel.
Alia: Yeah.
Guest Introduction
Daniela: Well, guys, you heard that is Alia. She is our guest today, and you guys know the drill. Welcome to Fully Managed. This is where we discuss marketing and business tips to help assist you in your business journeys, and I’m your host Daniela, Penji’s partnership coordinator.
Daniela: Alia, I’m so excited to have you today. I am so excited to have you as a guest. I’m looking forward to our episode.
Alia: Yeah, thanks for having me. I’m excited too. First podcast. So let’s see how I do.
Daniela: First podcast! So we’re going to try to make it good for you. Let’s give a good impression of podcasting. Alia, to get the ball rolling, can you tell me a little bit about yourself, who you are? Obviously, we learned some fun facts about you, but what do we need to know for all of those watching who are not familiar with you and your career? The floor is yours.
Alia’s Career and Background
Alia: Yeah, so I have about 15 years of career experience, and most of those years, it’s been about eight years of digital marketing experience. Copywriting, content management, social media, marketing, paid — basically everything in digital marketing. And I’m also a traveler, so I spend about half of the year in Egypt. From there, I like to go around and travel to different places. Egypt is huge, so there’s a lot within the country to travel to. But I definitely prioritize that in my life and career. I think it’s really important to travel and experience new things and different cultures. It’s definitely helped my career and understanding, and it has really boosted my creativity over the years since I started traveling a few years ago and doing this kind of remote-first lifestyle.
Daniela: That’s incredible. So you travel a lot. I’m curious how that is able to be balanced with work. I’ve traveled a lot in my life, but I always have done it in a vacation setting. I usually never work while I’m traveling. I feel like it’s so hard. Is it easy for you to balance that?
Alia: It is. I’m really grateful and lucky that I’ve been able to maintain an asynchronous work schedule. So they don’t necessarily need me on US hours while I’m abroad. But even so, Egypt is a big nightlife country, so I’m able to maintain working at night. Also, it’s kind of come alive at night. But I found that if you just stay organized and stay up to date with your deadlines, meet your deadlines, and have a very good working VPN — I use Express VPN, and that definitely helps me when I’m abroad, stay organized and get my work done efficiently.
Daniela: Very interesting. Yeah, no, and you’ve also had a career for quite a long time. Has it always been like that with remote work and traveling, or do you think it got bigger once COVID started? I feel like post-COVID, remote work has just become so much more popular.
Alia: Oh yeah, it was definitely since COVID. Up until then, I had been working exclusively onsite. I started in the hospitality industry, working at a hotel. And for seven years, I did that. It was just guest services, sales, reservations, that kind of thing. And then I pivoted to digital marketing for the hotel specifically. That was during peak COVID, so it was a big challenge working for hotel companies in San Diego during COVID marketing, trying to market that. So I started onsite and then pivoted to remote work and I really love it. I miss the office culture in some ways. Some of it’s not so great, but the majority of my coworkers I’ve had in office settings have always been really lovely. But I’ve been fortunate enough to work in companies where they prioritize that remote camaraderie.
Daniela: Yeah, it’s definitely different. I’ve done fully in-person work and now my job is fully remote. I feel the differences. And like you said, I definitely like working remote because it’s more comfortable for you as an individual, but I think the social aspect of it is kind of gone. But, yeah, it’s important when your workplace is able to foster that environment to get along with people. For me, I think the perfect job would probably be like half, half — work sometimes in the office, sometimes remote.
Alia: Yeah, I agree. Sometimes it’s nice to go to work and talk to the people you’re working with, but most of the time it’s more convenient to be at home. It gives you more of a work-life balance, saves you on the commute, but I understand wanting a hybrid situation. Human contact is important for all of us.
Daniela: Absolutely. It’s about finding that balance.
Digital Marketing Career Insights
Daniela: Alia, I wanted to ask you about your career in digital marketing. I think it’s so interesting that you pivoted to digital marketing in 2020 within the hotel industries. How did that even work? Were you promoting, like, “Here’s your hotel for quarantine?” I mean, you mentioned it was challenging, but I’m curious to hear more about that experience.
Alia: Actually, I started in digital marketing in 2017, so I didn’t dive right in during COVID, but as a junior digital marketer, it was a lot to take on. I was managing eight hotels plus ancillary outlets like FMB, concerts, lounge weddings, sales — all of it was kind of in my domain for social media marketing specifically, although I was doing digital marketing as a whole. But yeah, COVID definitely changed digital marketing. It really put an emphasis that you don’t have to market in person. Gone are the days of brochures and magazine ads. Who really buys magazines these days? A lot of marketing has gone exclusively online, and social media has really spearheaded that effort. Reels and social commerce are on the rise, and AI is huge right now. It’s been a really interesting journey. I’m really grateful I pivoted into hospitality digital marketing and got to market from a guest perspective.
Daniela: Marketing during COVID, especially in the hotel industry, sounds like a crazy challenge. What was the biggest challenge for you?
Alia: The biggest challenge was that things were changing from one day to the next. We would get news that everything’s open, you can slowly start opening things. I’d spend time on building graphics, copy, and strategy, then the next day everything changed, and we had to redo things. It was very difficult maintaining the right campaign information. But that experience helped me become a versatile marketer. I can pivot quickly and handle multiple requests, and it definitely helped me grow.
Daniela: That’s amazing, and I think you’re right that digital marketing has definitely become more important post-COVID. You can’t really fly under the radar anymore with the rise of AI and short-form content. Brands are really having to keep up with technology and trends to stay relevant.
Alia: Yeah, it’s been really interesting watching the rise of AI. It’s been really useful for marketers to streamline processes. You can pull information quickly and use it to create content, but I try to balance how much I rely on it. I don’t want to lose my brain power, but it’s definitely a useful resource.
Daniela: For sure. It’s all about balance. So, Alia, when it comes to digital marketing strategy, how do you approach growth at your company, Canberra Creative?
Alia: At Canberra, I’m focused on growth, brand marketing, and lead generation. I’m responsible for maintaining the brand story on social media, blogs, email marketing, and generating leads to hire us for building apps and websites. My focus is on how to grow the company and help meet KPIs.
Daniela: That’s incredible. What advice do you have for people just starting with marketing or business owners who don’t have a lot of knowledge or experience in marketing?
Alia: Understand who you are, what your brand is, and what your goals are. Once you know that, building a strategy becomes easier. Many companies don’t know who they’re marketing to, so they don’t put much thought into their strategy. Understanding your brand, tone of voice, and goals is crucial. Stay on top of the digital landscape and trends, sign up for newsletters, and attend webinars or conferences to keep learning.
Social Media Marketing
Daniela: Do you recommend every brand to get on social media, or are there any industries or companies that don’t need a presence?
Alia: Social media is king and queen. It’s really hard for brands to avoid it. People’s attention spans are so short now, so creating short-form video content is essential, and that’s all going to happen on social media. I recommend brands prioritize social media, but make sure it ties into your website initiatives and email marketing. Social media is just too important to avoid.
Daniela: I agree. Social media platforms like TikTok have a very different presence compared to Instagram or LinkedIn, especially with the younger generation. How do you approach this for brands?
Alia: Each platform has its own audience. On LinkedIn and Facebook, you’re targeting an older demographic. Instagram is more for millennials, and TikTok is geared towards Gen Z. You have to tailor your content to each platform and the audience on it. Understanding where your target market is and how they consume content is key to succeeding on social media.
Daniela: It’s a challenge, but it’s all about knowing your audience. I think the rise of influencers and transparency in marketing is also changing the landscape. What’s your take on that?
Alia: It’s really interesting how the younger generation is more tuned into marketing tactics. They know what affiliate codes are, and they expect brands to be transparent. I think the days of being able to fly under the radar are over. Brands have to be more open, and I think that’s actually a good thing because it allows for more authentic, unpolished content that resonates with people.
Daniela: I think you’re right. Brands like Ryan Air have embraced this, showing their flaws and being transparent. It’s more human, and people appreciate it.
Alia: Exactly. Being honest and showing that you’re aware of your shortcomings makes you more relatable. It’s refreshing, and I think that’s the future of marketing.
Closing Remarks
Daniela: Alia, this has been amazing. Thank you for being a part of the podcast today. Before we end, do you have anything you’d like to promote?
Alia: I don’t have much to plug, but I’ll say Canberra Creative is an excellent app agency. We’re in the middle of a brand shift right now with a new website coming soon. If you need an amazing app built, Canberra is the place to go.
Daniela: Thank you, Alia! I’ll be adding your company’s link and your LinkedIn to the description for anyone interested. It was awesome having you on today.
Alia: Thanks, Daniela. It was great to chat with you, and I hope your listeners enjoyed the episode. See you next time!
Daniela: Thanks, guys! Don’t forget to subscribe and share the podcast. See you next time!
Narrator: You’ve been listening to Fully Managed, brought to you by Pen G. Check out the show notes to learn more about today’s guest and to learn more about Pen G, the Human First creative subscription service. Head over to pji.co. If you’re still listening, it would mean the absolute world to us if you could share this podcast with a friend, and of course, subscribe!
