Marketing Happy Hour - BONUS! Ask MHH: Meet our Summer Intern, Lily Wittman!

Starting point is 00:00:00 Lily, we are so excited to have you on this show and to welcome you to the Marketing Happy Hour family officially this summer. But before we dive into today's conversation, can you just give us a clue into your favorite happy hour beverage or anything you're enjoying sipping on recently? Yeah, definitely. So right now I have just my water staying hydrated. But my go to is the new poppy flavor. I think it's like strawberry lemon. Love it so much. I'm a big poppy, olipop girl. Big debate between which one's better. So what are your guys' favorite poppy or olipop? Ooh, that is such a hard question. I, I feel like originally I was very much 100% olipop, but recently I've been more of a poppy girl. So it depends on what I'm in the mood for. I was literally going to say the opposite. I feel like in the beginning,

Starting point is 00:00:50 I was like poppy all the way. And now I'm more like Ollipop, but I also really don't drink that much like soda or anything like that. I'm really just like a water person or coffee, but yeah. Yeah. Totally opposite. That's funny. Yeah. They're all so good. Lily, like Cassie said, we're super excited for you to join us this summer as our intern, but we want to let our listeners hear a little bit more about you. So tell us about yourself, what college you go to, what you're hoping to pursue in your career and any kind of past experience you have in marketing. Yeah, definitely. Well, I'm so excited to be there this summer and joining the Marketing Happy Hour podcast. A little bit about

Starting point is 00:01:29 me. I'm entering my senior year of college at Ohio University up in Athens, Ohio, where I'm obtaining two bachelor's degrees, one in marketing and the other in sport management. So I have done work content creation wise for the SEC, the Big Ten and the MAC for football and basketball. Also done some work with our athletic department at Ohio University and our football team as a recruiting assistant. So really excited to step into the podcast realm this summer. Podcasts are so big in the industry right now, so I'm excited to work on it firsthand. My aspirations will graduate. I will actually be graduating early in December. So it's crazy to think I'll be looking for full time roles so soon.

Starting point is 00:02:08 I don't want to grow up yet, but that's really excited or exciting. I'm excited to be in that position where I am looking for a full time role so soon, but really looking for the agency realm. Definitely in the marketing industry. I've done all my work in sport management, but really looking to focus on that marketing industry post-graduation. And what I'm excited for this summer about the marketing happy hour podcast, there's so many things, but I think my favorite or top thing that I'm most looking forward to is working alongside such amazing women that are so talented. And I can already tell off the first call that they really want me to succeed. They want to help me and they want to see me grow. So I couldn't have picked two better people to work alongside with this summer. Oh my gosh. No, no. So likewise though, Lily, like seriously, we were very impressed with how you presented yourself and all of your experience, of course, too. So very, very excited

Starting point is 00:03:05 again on the other side to have you join us. And I want to also call out too. I love how you mentioned you're looking for agency experience. We were just talking to someone recently about how agency experience, especially early in your career is so important, especially when you're involved, like heavily in one industry, i.e. sports and stuff. Yeah. They give you kind of a diverse look on other opportunities out there, other types of work, other industries. It's such a great experience early on. So I love that that's kind of what you're looking to focus on first. And then you can, of course, kind of dive out into something else outside of that too. So. Yes So yes, I'm so excited for this. I'm

Starting point is 00:03:46 like, this is going to be the best summer ever. So we want to pass the mic over to you, which is going to be so fun. So I believe you have a list of questions that you want to go ahead and ask us. So we'll go ahead and let you take it away. Yes, I do. Okay. First question I have for both of you today is going to be, what are your top two tips for young professionals like myself looking to acquire a job in the marketing industry? as possible. Like you said, the agency route, great way to do that. It is hard work and long hours, but you do learn what you like to do, maybe where you kind of want to dive deeper in your career. So you can look for a more specialized role from there in that area. And then I would also say make as many connections as possible because connections are the biggest asset to your career. People you connect with can recommend you for jobs. They can be there for you as a sounding board,

Starting point is 00:04:47 you know, get some core friends that understand what you do and can offer some feedback and ideas when you're stuck. Cassie and one of our friends, Carly, have been those friends for me for the past like seven-ish years. So I would definitely recommend to, you know, if you're in college like you are,

Starting point is 00:05:06 look for those people around you that can kind of rally with you throughout the rest of your career. And that's a really great relationship to have. Yeah, I'll kind of piggyback off of what Erica said with the connections. I think it's huge to have friends as well and connections just even outside of your friend circle that are working in diverse industries other than what you're you're working in so the reason being I think we can learn a lot from the way different types of industries and different types of companies do things it kind of gives us new perspective and then you never know down the road if if you're looking for a job maybe in that specific industry you know you have a connection there so leverage LinkedIn

Starting point is 00:05:44 I know you're you're already using LinkedIn which is huge in that specific industry, you know, you have a connection there. So leverage LinkedIn. I know you're, you're already using LinkedIn, which is huge. So get on there, be active as possible and just reach out to people. Don't be afraid to connect with people that you admire, pick their brain, treat them to coffee, even if it's virtual. And then the other thing I would say too, is prioritize self-education. I think the thing with social media, with marketing in general, is the industry is changing constantly and we can only learn so much from our educators or from our bosses or whoever else that is in our circle.

Starting point is 00:06:17 So paying attention to what is going on in the marketing world, because it's a lot. And so following people who that's their thing, they're sharing news, they're sharing updates and things like that because it's a lot. And so following people who that's their thing, they're sharing news, they're sharing updates and things like that because it is rapidly changing. And if you're the top of your game and just being educated on what's going on, you can really serve your company better, but also just those around you and passing on that knowledge to everyone else. Yeah, definitely. That was seriously one of the first things we were taught at Ohio University my freshman year was how important your network is. So that's why I'm so heavily involved on LinkedIn because I realized so soon how important it was. So I love that you

Starting point is 00:06:55 both hit on that. So moving on to my second question for both of you, is there anything you wish you would have done early on more in your career? I think the biggest thing for me is just knowing that I should have spoken up more. I, uh, growing up was very quiet, so I didn't always love to make my opinions or ideas known. Uh, and so a lot of times being in brainstorm meetings or, uh, connections with, uh, clients or businesses that I'm working with, especially in an agency setting, having an idea, but kind of sitting on it because you're afraid what someone may think or say. A lot of times what would end up happening is someone else would share that idea. They would maybe have the same thought as me and they would get credit for it, but also it would be executed

Starting point is 00:07:42 on their terms. And so I'm not saying you need to take accountability and you need to have all of that success sitting on your shoulders, but I think not being afraid to share those ideas and opinions is so huge. And so always just speak up, always share, even if you feel like it's something that's not necessarily in your realm. I think it shows a lot when you are willing to do that and you never know what could happen from my, those ideas. And so don't be afraid to share your ideas. Yeah, no, that's excellent, Cassie. And I was the same way. I was always kind of a shy kid. And so that was something I had to step into as well. So as it relates to marketing though, I think there's kind of like

Starting point is 00:08:23 two sides to the industry, right? There's the roles that are focused heavily on like analytics, understanding had to kind of play catch up a little bit. I, in college, I majored like English and that's not what I'm in today, but it did help a little bit, obviously with like copywriting and things like that. But I wish I had a deeper understanding sooner and like took it upon myself to learn these things. So that, you know, I didn't have to play that catch up of like understanding, you know, paid ads and all of that, because my specialty has really lied in, you know, social influencer brand partnerships and things like that. So definitely investing in your growth in those areas early on is super helpful.

Starting point is 00:09:19 And that's what I wish I would have done. Okay. No, those are great tips, especially for young professionals like myself looking to acquire positions in a short couple of months. Jumping on to the third question, what has been your biggest challenge so far in both of your careers? Yeah, I can go first here.

Starting point is 00:09:42 I think the biggest challenge actually happened for me kind of recently in my career. I was in a role where I was kind of being asked to do just way too much without any support where some new like unvetted ideas were thrown out every single day and unrealistically expected to be brought to life on top of like the already crazy day-to-day demands of the job. And so I kind of had to learn from that. And it kind of unfortunately happens a lot, especially people will tell you in the role in the realm of like social media and things like that, because people don't have a big understanding of what it takes to do some, do a role like that. So they just think, oh, I have an idea. Let's, let's post it on social. Let's go. But it's just,

Starting point is 00:10:30 it can be wild. So I, even though it was hard, I actually like had to eventually leave that position after months of just kind of turmoil and my own soul and like not really being fulfilled by the job and just being worn out and burnout, things are going to be okay. Even if you find yourself in that position, um, I always encourage people that they can look past the moment that they're in right now into, you know, things are going to be fine. Yeah, no, mine is kind of along the same lines ish, but it's just a change, like, you know, different changes throughout your professional life and also personal life, really that affect your, your career, your mindset about one of my close friends that I've worked with leaving the company that I worked for and going through that change. And like, what is it going to be like not having that person in that support system there with you to big things like now running my own agency,

Starting point is 00:11:34 losing a client and like having to figure out financially what to do in a given month. So I think just being adaptable, uh, being resilient throughout that change. And kind of like Erica said, knowing that that's a temporary thing that you're going through and being open to making it work and figuring out how to make that a positive situation and not dwelling on the negative. Because I think a lot of times when we go through this change and it breaks us down, uh, that can sometimes trickle into all areas of our life. I mean, I've seen it affect personal relationships and just having a bad attitude about those things. It really impacts a lot.

Starting point is 00:12:11 And so just staying positive if you can. And like I said, just being adaptable because change will happen and it's gonna happen a lot, but being open to what can I learn through this change? Amazing, yeah. I try to look at things like or life as a glass half full instead of a glass half empty. So thank you both for that answer. To the next question, what has been something that you've been told that has stuck with you?

Starting point is 00:12:37 This can be personal life or career wise. Oh, yes. So one of the things that I have learned recently from one of my mentors is he said once to a group of people at an event I was at, and he said, don't justify, just do. So with that, I think a lot of times when making decisions or again, deciding whether or not we want to speak up and share an idea or deciding whether or not we want to speak up and share an idea or deciding whether or not we want to post the certain post. Uh, I think we sometimes overanalyze those things and try to over justify, um, the reason behind that, or should I do this or shouldn't I do this? Or what is this person going to think? Or, you know, what are they going to say about this thing? But I think just doing, um, just going for it. Uh, and this can go with creative ideas as well.

Starting point is 00:13:25 You know, a lot of times with working with brands, we overanalyze testing new ideas and trying new things. Um, but just going for it and analyzing, and it doesn't mean that we don't have, you know, we don't have to do that again. Um, so in analyzing our decisions, whether in our personal lives, but also in our professional lives and our creative ideas, um, go for it, try it and then analyze and see if it worked out. And if it didn't, it doesn't mean you have to do it again. Um, and most of the time when, when you decide to make a decision and go for something, most

Starting point is 00:13:57 people aren't paying attention to whether or not that flops or, uh, you don't perform well in that decision. And so, uh, not, not beating yourself up for those things either. And just moving forward and continuing to test and do new things. Yeah. I love that one. I've never heard the, that quote before. Yeah, that's super awesome. Thanks, Cass. I have like two, I guess. One, that's something that my dad has always said when it relates to business or career or whatever is become the person that the company just can't live without. So become indispensable.

Starting point is 00:14:34 That kind of means doing excellent work, obviously, but, you know, helping other people with their projects, offering up your ideas, like being that person to speak out and speak up, volunteering for like company projects, like team building activity planning and things like that. It's definitely kind of a delicate dance of like doing all of that and making sure you're avoiding that burnout that I was referring to earlier, but it can be done, especially if you are kind of like leaving your work at work or during those work hours and really investing in your life outside of work so you're fulfilled in both areas I think um that's just always something that's stuck with me and then um personally I always like to remember that like

Starting point is 00:15:16 people will remember how you make them feel and not necessarily what you did or didn't do and so um just making sure that you like move with empathy and compassion for others and everything that you do is something that I try to live by and something that's really been just beneficial for interpersonal relationships and things like that. So amazing. Those three were awesome. Something my dad's always told me is nothing changes unless something changes. So I've always tried to think about that too. But those three were awesome. But wrapping it up, this is my last question for both of you.

Starting point is 00:15:55 What has been your favorite memory so far with Marketing Happy Hour? Oh my gosh. I feel like there's so many. We really did not set out to do this podcast. We kind of were just like having conversations with people. And we started obviously on Clubhouse. Our listeners, I think, know this, but we were just having these conversations and wanted more people to be a part of them. And so it's every day has kind of just been like a cool memory or a cool thing that's happening. And we're just excited for the future. But I think the

Starting point is 00:16:22 best thing that Marketing Happy hour has kind of brought to my life is me meeting new friends through it. There's some people that we're now close with that we kind of only met because of the show. And so it's really cool and so great to surround ourselves with, you know, people who can kind of lift us up in these areas, especially when it comes to our career and just personally. And yeah. And then every like really nice email that we get, I'm always like tearing up because I'm like, what, how are we actually, you know, in my mind, maybe a few people listen to this, like my mom and like people that really like marketing, whatever, but there's a lot of really awesome listeners out there who will write into us and like tell us that

Starting point is 00:17:06 episodes have really impacted their career or they really learned something through things. And I think even if there's only one person out there who's learning something, I think that means we're succeeding. So, um, uh, that's probably my favorite. Yeah, no, absolutely. I would say the same things, uh said, but I think the first email we received really got me excited because podcasting is hard with anything. Building a business is hard, even moving forward in your career is hard. So those little moments that remind you why you're doing what you're doing and just keep you going is so huge. And that it also reminds me to the importance of giving people feedback and just appreciating and recognizing people, even if it's something small, like Lily,

Starting point is 00:17:50 I really loved that LinkedIn post you shared today. Like, thank you for your thoughts, like stuff like that. And so I think that's big, but another memory for me is, um, just all of the different brands we've gotten to experience and hear about the behind the scenes of, but also hiring our first intern and getting to bring you on board. And so it's going to be a really fun experience and just super excited for what's to come in the future too.

Starting point is 00:18:17 Amazing. Well, I'm seriously so excited for this summer, but those are all my questions for both of you today. It was a blast being on this podcast. This is my first first podcast I'm so happy it was with both of you oh my gosh you did great Lily thank you so much Lily let us know where people can follow along with you and your adventures this summer in Tampa perfect so um my LinkedIn is just my first and last name Lily Whitman w-i-t-t-M-A-N. Some people always throw the H

Starting point is 00:18:45 in there. It's just W-I. And then my Instagram, I'll be documenting a bunch of stuff as well. That is also just my first and last name with a little period between the two. And we'll link all of that in the show notes if you want to keep up with Lily. And thanks again for asking these questions. I feel like we never, you know, we've had these Ask Marketing Happy Hour sessions a couple of times, but we haven't actually answered like questions with somebody else on the call. So this is really cool. Oh my gosh. It was so fun. It was an honor being on the podcast and I'm seriously so excited for the next couple of months with you both.

Marketing Happy Hour - BONUS! Ask MHH: Meet our Summer Intern, Lily Wittman!

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