When you hear the phrase “marketing work experience,” you might picture a world full of corporate jargon, endless meetings, and people in suits making complicated deals. But stepping into the marketing world is a lot different — and much more interesting — than you’d expect. During my time working with The Marketing Optimist, I discovered a team full of passion, creativity, and genuine enthusiasm for what they do. Marketing isn’t just about selling things — it’s about storytelling, problem-solving, and adapting to whatever challenges come your way. From networking and SEO to editing videos and creating social media content, my marketing work experience opened my eyes to a side of business that’s dynamic, unpredictable, and surprisingly fun.
How does marketing works?
Networking:
One of the first things you’ll likely do during marketing work experience is network. You’ll get to know LinkedIn very quickly — my “business mogul” dad (self-appointed title) made sure of that. LinkedIn is a professional platform where people connect for jobs and business opportunities.
While it may seem like a platform dominated by a less exciting crowd, it’s actually a vital tool for career building and networking, and where many job offers originate.
Learning LinkedIn During Marketing Work Experience
Search Engine Optimization (SEO):
You’ll probably dive into the detailed world of SEO and keyword research, using tools like Moz. One of my dad’s fantastic employees walked me through the “backstage” of websites, showing me how SEO can either make a site thrive or flop — kind of like my dad’s cooking.
The trick is to find the trending search terms for your topic and sprinkle them naturally throughout your content. (Yes, the term “marketing work experience” is hidden all over this text — you didn’t notice, did you?)
SEO is a tough game — your page gets ranked based on how well you use your keywords compared to other websites. Strange little bots called “crawlers” scan and score your work. (Don’t ask me how.)
Blog Writing:
Once you have a basic grip on SEO, you’ll likely move on to blogging.
The real challenge? Keeping search engines happy by using keywords like “marketing work experience” and making your writing enjoyable for real readers. Balancing both is harder than it seems.
To create websites and blogs, I used a tool called Elementor. Honestly, despite the best efforts of my dad’s colleague, I barely understood it — it’s definitely made for people with real web design talent!
Working With Clients
Every client has their own vision. You quickly learn this firsthand — my dad and I drove around Leeds looking for a photoshoot spot for one client, then traveled to North Yorkshire to film interviews for another client named Multiply. In between, we spent hours glued to office chairs, typing away.
Marketing isn’t just one thing. One day you might be sprinting from shoot to shoot; another day you’re posting selfies at Leeds Corn Exchange for exposure on LinkedIn. It’s a limited word experience to describe just how varied and fast-paced the work can be.
Expect plenty of Zoom meetings too — often with people two or three times your age. Thanks to lockdown, most of us are already pretty used to this, so it shouldn’t feel too intimidating if you’ve got a laptop and a talent for acting interested.
Handling Social Media
Surprise — social media isn’t all fun and games. During your marketing work experience, you’ll likely learn how to create detailed reports analyzing client page performance, understand how algorithms work, and design graphics for posts.
I joke about it being boring, but honestly, seeing how small changes could impact post performance made it pretty fascinating.
Since clients prefer having their posts scheduled a month in advance, you’ll be creating a ton of content back-to-back, which can get repetitive — especially when you’re trying to come up with creative ways to describe something simple like a beanbag.
Weirdly, my brain finds tracking numbers and seeing what works super exciting. Hopefully someone out there feels the same!
Editing Basics
Marketing also involves a lot of promotional video work, which means a lot of editing. During your experience, expect to pick up at least basic editing skills. Luckily, I already had a decent understanding of video editing going in.
One big lesson: You can’t just edit however you like. In marketing, videos have to use royalty-free music and follow a clean, formal style — no flashy effects or silly fonts, no matter how fun that might be. (Though honestly, a little craziness would sometimes help with brand exposure!) Of course, editing style can vary based on the client’s brand and preferences.
Conclusion
Marketing work experience probably won’t be exactly what you expect. You’ll get exposed to a wide range of tasks — editing, filming, blogging, social media posting, Zoom meetings, SEO, and more.
Even though it was a lot to juggle, I actually had a great time. Whether it was thanks to my dad’s fantastic team or because I genuinely enjoyed the work, I’m still not sure.
But if you’re on the fence about trying marketing work experience, just know: it’s not just for boring old people. Give it a shot — it’s actually pretty fun.
