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Learning Operations and Marketing Tools:

Project Overview

 

While I continue to work at cultivating my skills as a professional, it is time to move forward from a mindset of reflection and begin working towards my professional goals. For the month of June, I developed a Portfolio Project in which I worked to establish proficiency in three different digital tools: Zapier, Hubspot CRM, and Mailchimp (the free/demo versions). I selected these programs because they cover a good variety of practical skills, and are in line with the goals I’ve set as a part of Praxis, the professional development program I am participating in.

Successful completion of this project reasonably validates my ability to learn a new skill and learn it well enough to feel comfortable in instructing others based off of my knowledge and experiences.

Follow my progress through the completion of the project:

Everything I completed this month:

 

What my workflow looked like on a weekly basis (e.g. Week 3)

*Project related tasks in orange.

Due to the nature of my project with respect to the weekly change in direction, each week ended up laying out fairly similarly. Early in the week, I spent time researching the new tool and getting familiar with the program’s interface and functions. I would then begin to produce the video and written content for the week weaved neatly between my sizable work schedule.

At times I found it harder to stay totally focused; however, breaking each week down into individual tasks and providing myself plenty of time to competently complete those tasks was fundamental to the project being finished thoroughly and timely.

Why I did this project: Top project takeaways

How to integrate many apps I use every day to save time

I’ve been a problem solver all of my life. If there’s an easier solution than the one that’s been presented to me, I may not always find that solution, but it’s never for a lack of effort. A task as simple as automatically saving an email attachment to drive in contrast to digging through emails to find a file can save a tremendous amount of time. Zapier wields the tools to help connect workflows together, but even beyond that, it helps instill the mindset of approaching a task with an organized plan of attack. 

How to create a Facebook Ad

Facebook ad creation is something that I recently have found myself incredibly interested in. In addition to creating the ad, I researched various audience-forming/targeting strategies, studied how to interpret and analyze the ad’s response, and workshopped approaches to optimizing those results.

How to create an email campaign through Mailchimp

Hidden between the promo codes, the spam, and the occasional facebook post (hello grandma), real and substantial marketing still occurs on a consistent basis in an average inbox. I made it a point of this project and was successful in shifting my focus towards learning how to create and publish meaningful content in a forum (email) that is becoming more and more commonly accepted as “junk”. 

How to showcase my understanding of newly learned tools and functions through videos and blogs

Each week I went through the process of writing a script for a video tutorial, recording the video, and do all the necessary editing or production required, accompanied by a relevant blog post.

Tracking my progress and learning in the form of producing educational videos was a new challenge for me, but after breaking through the initial barrier, I found the challenge galvanizing. If I wanted to produce content good enough that I could show it to someone and have them understand a new tool, I need to make sure I know what I’m talking about; accordingly, I took it upon myself to learn the intricacies of each Zapier, Hubspot CRM, and email creation in Mailchimp. I’ve always enjoyed writing and creating content and I’m motivated to continue to grow my communication skills. 

What I would have done differently

Develop a more methodical approach to the project

One criticism I have of my project is that it slightly lacks the desired level of cohesiveness I had in mind. I selected each program because it provides a window into a relevant skill, but had I centered week one towards a marketing and operations tool like the following two weeks there would have been a stronger theme. 

Reached out to a business with a package of zaps with a presentation plan and implementation plan

Going hand in hand with the previous change, if I were to stick with the same subject matter for week one, I would make an effort to package a handful of “zaps” together that I believe could benefit a local business’s operations. In general, I believe operating in practice > operating in theory. 

Problems I faced and how I addressed them

Time Management

In doing outsourced work for a local church, I found myself relying on information/feedback/approval from independent sources while waiting to continue working on the ad or the email for the week. I overcame any issues in this regard by being proactive and reaching out to those I needed to get in contact with fairly early in the week. 

One other time I found myself sitting and waiting was in week 2, waiting for the facebook ad approved. In preparation, I read that reviews can take anywhere from 5 minutes up to 24 hours. I originally planned to have the Facebook ad published on Monday evening of that week, but because of unforeseen time restrictions, I wasn’t able to go live with the ad until Tuesday afternoon. Fortunately, I had planned far enough ahead where my ad run time was still long enough for relevant analysis, and I was able to complete that task. 

Final thoughts

As I mentioned, this is one of my first instances of putting in a large amount of self-directed work towards an independent project. I’m still learning new ideas and new skills on a daily basis, but I am motivated by the prospect of expanding my portfolio and rounding out a clear workload that displays what I’m passionate about and what I can provide.