How Did I Start with Digital Marketing?

Digital marketing is a field that has boomed over the past few years. When I wanted to kick-start my career, I was just an 18-year-old college student. There have been several ups and downs but I kept my thirst to learn alive. Let me tell you how did I start!

When I was 18 years old, I did my first online course ever. It was of Inbound Marketing from HubSpot Academy. This course opened the windows of my brain and explained what marketing actually means. Having theoretical knowledge prior to entering the practical world is always better, isn’t it? That’s what I thought!

By the time I turned 19, I got my first ever internship but I didn’t land my summer internship in marketing. It was Sales!

I was one of those people who feared talking to clients or anyone for that matter. Being this introverted and then convincing a client to avail my company services was a huge task. I was lucky enough to have supporting people around me. They helped and encouraged me to get over my fear. And I did it. As and when I got a lead, it boosted my confidence ever more. Those small achievements meant so much to me. Eventually, I left to return to college.

By the time I turned 20, I had gained a lot of confidence and has worked on my communication. I gave interviews for the field of Digital marketing.

Now, people always think that if you’re successful in a particular field or have a knack for something, you wouldn’t have faced any rejections. But that’s not true. At some point, we all have faced that and its part of life. You can’t give up after 1 failure or rejection. Instead, you must get back up and work harder.

When I was 20 and gave so many interviews, even I got rejected. The feedback given to me by my interviewer was, “You are surely hardworking and have theoretical knowledge. Even your communication is great but here, we don’t have the time to teach. We want someone who has sufficient or enough practical experience in the field. I’m really sorry.” Such rejections used to break my heart too but I tried not to give up. I still have interviews and that’s when I got it.

When I sat in my chair for my interview, nervous, they asked me to be a Sales executive but that wasn’t what I wanted. Having a sales background didn’t mean that I wanted to pursue my career in the field. I was adamant that either I’ll come in for digital marketing or I won’t. I had to go through 3-3.5 hours of the interview. Post that, I got selected.

Another myth which I’d like to clarify here is that people think that not getting paid in their first or second internship is not okay. But trust me, it is. If you have the will and thirst to learn, you’ll earn much more in the time to come through your knowledge and experience.

I backed my second internship as a Digital Marketing Intern which was an unpaid internship. I was okay because my priority was learning and I had a long-term plan which I couldn’t sabotage for short-term pleasure.

After being an intern for 2-2.5 months, I had to return to college but my work spoke for me. My seniors were happy with my work and wanted me to join as a part-time employee which was such a big deal for me. I was just 20!

I always feared that how will I juggle college and a job. It felt impossible but I couldn’t give up, remember? I gave it a shot and today, I’m glad I did! I got promoted as a Digital Marketing Trainee and worked for 1 year and 1 month. Before you wonder, of course it was paid but it wasn’t going to be an easy ride.

There were times when I felt like giving up. Managing studies, exams and then a job; it wasn’t that easy. Leaving home by 7:30 in the morning and coming back by 8 or 8:30 at night, it was exhausting. In the process, I lost a lot of friends from my life. This phase comes in people’s life when they are graduated but I was experiencing so many emotions together. Some of my friends used to tell me that what is the point of working right now. Enjoy your college life, party around, have a good time but I still couldn’t give up.

Instead, I took up a value-added digital marketing course arranged by my college in tie-up with the Delhi Institute of Digital Marketing (DIDM). I used to attend college in the morning, post that I used to attend my course class and then I used to go to work. But I managed to pull through. Became a graduate while I was working and I guess that was the biggest achievement for me.

Eventually, I became the Digital Marketing Executive for the firm. The day I got my offer letter with this designation, I had happy tears. I was jumping, laughing and crying out of happiness. I felt that I had earned it. My hard work was actually paying off. After a while, I had other plans so I had to resign. Even today, I do several online courses; or at least I try to.

Having facing so many struggles to learn digital marketing, I decided to start Social Anand. This is a personal brand that aims to empower passionate marketers to learn about digital marketing. I wish to help you grow either by teaching through my posts and socials or by doing digital marketing for you! Apart from digital marketing, I possess skills in content writing, graphic designing, animated video production and editing, logo designing and so much more…

Don’t forget to follow me on my Instagram Handle for all the digital marketing updates. I’ll be waiting!

This is my story of how I started off with Digital marketing. Nothing comes easy in life but if you’re determined and have confidence in yourself, no one can stop you from achieving your goals. Just don’t let anyone or anything distract your focus from the prize!

So, whenever you feel a little less motivated, remember why you started! If I could, even you can!