NAME: Richard Jobling

Job title: Digital Marketing Consultant

Employer: LOCALiQ

Age: 51

Where are you from, and where do you work now? Originally from North Northumberland, the small coastal village of Alnmouth, I have previously worked in London and Spain.

Currently, I work from home while also using our network of offices throughout the North East and Cumbria.

How long have you done the job? I have been involved with digital marketing, in various roles, over the past several years and commenced this particular role within the LOCALiQ business just over three months ago.

Take us through a typical day: No two days are the same, but the ultimate objective of the role is constant: to take our portfolio of digital marketing services to market, engaging with companies and offering insight into how our award-winning data and technology can support their business in an ever-changing digital marketing landscape.

Aspects of a working week might include industry and market research, networking, developing potential customer engagement and meeting clients to understand their challenges.

When a client decides to partner with LOCALiQ there will be administrative task such as account management via a CRM system as well as booking the campaign so that our fulfilment team can begin their job of liaising with the client to ensure everything goes live by the scheduled date.

What do you like most about your work? Talking with businesses, across many different sectors. It is interesting to get ‘under the bonnet’ of some of the challenges companies might be facing and to work with them to demonstrate how we can make a difference.

What do you like least? I suppose, like many commercial salespeople, admin can often be a laborious task. But it is the glue that holds everything together, so it’s a necessary evil, one might say!

Why did you want to do this job? I have always been involved with people and business, and enjoy the sales environment where your challenge might on the surface be to ‘hit a target’ but invariably the key component is to create long and mutually beneficial relationships with local businesses. And with LOCALiQ aiming to be the UK leader in local digital marketing services, it is a good journey to be on.

What jobs have you done previously? I have previously run my own publishing company in Spain, producing lifestyle magazines for the expatriate community. Before that I worked in London for several years for some of the world’s largest hotel companies, managing blue-chip accounts who block purchased annual hotel rooms to accommodate their staff in the UK and worldwide.

What qualifications or experience do you need in your position? A qualification in digital marketing would be helpful but certainly not required. I think, however, a passion for self-learning is key in a changing digital world. But, more importantly, experience of dealing with people and being eager to offer solutions to problems can go a very long way to helping you succeed.

What is a typical salary for your job? Salaries can be wide ranging, and often based on experience. Generally, £25,000 would be a minimum with anything up to £45,000 for the most senior and successful. And, of course, bonus and incentives would apply depending on the company.

Any advice for people wanting to get into your profession? Submerge yourself in all things digital, all the normal marketing channels such as social, search, content, display, video and mobile.

The future is very much digital and whether it is a digital agency or a large media company there will be increasing demand for people with the right set of skills.