Amber Cowan

Digital Marketing Apprenticeship – Strategy Tips

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Digital Marketing Apprenticeship

If you’re looking to start a level 3 digital marketing apprenticeship, one of the main roles will involve working on strategies to help promote businesses and their content. There are a lot of things to think about, therefore this guide will help break down some of the key elements to be considered in your strategy.

Digital Marketing Apprenticeship
Image from StartupStockPhotos on Pixabay

1. Think of the Marketing Theme

What is the main aim of your digital marketing strategy? A theme can help to focus your ideas and make planning the strategy easier. Think of the main objective of your strategy and craft your content so it aligns with the main goal – is it to understand your audience more, increase engagement, boost traffic to a particular page or product or is it to raise awareness? On social media, reinforce the theme with the use of hashtags and consider a narrative arc for your posts.

2. All About the Audience

A very important aspect of your digital marketing strategy is understanding the audience you are targeting. You need to understand their needs to be able to provide the content, product, or services they are searching for. To define your target audience, categorise by their demographic data (age, location, profession, income, education), define their life stage and lifestyle – are they studying, new parents or retired for example? Think about the behaviour of the target audience such as how they purchase products, where they go online and what competitors do they interact with. This way you will be better equipped to know how to create your content for your audience.

3. Pick your Digital Marketing Platform

There are several different social media platforms for digital marketing, but they all have different benefits for different campaigns. It is paramount to pick the right place to post your content to make sure your chosen audience will see it and engage with it. Twitter is good for short term, real-life, fast-moving conversation with content that needs high interactivity. Instagram is a more visual platform that works well for story telling and connecting people with brands and ideas.  Whilst if you are looking to share viral short form content and connect with communities then Facebook is an effective platform.

4. Create your Digital Marketing Content Plan

For the digital marketing apprenticeship you will have to create content and the type of content will be determined in your strategy. Define what your content is aiming to achieve –try to use ideas that match your aims such as the following.

To entertain:

  • Run competitions
  • Quizzes
  • Create games
  • Share branded videos

To inspire:

  • Collaborate with influencers
  • Set up a community forum
  • Promote events

To convince:

  • Use data sheets and price guides
  • Create interactive demos
  • Share customer reviews

To educate:

  • Create infographics
  • Share demos
  • Produce guides

5. Specify Digital Marketing SEO

In your strategy it is not just about what content you will produce but how you will optimise it, make sure you list your ideas such as:

  • Using relevant keywords
  • Internal linking to relevant pages
  • Using clear structure and subheadings throughout written content
  • Tagging products
  • Using keywords in alt text for images
  • Adding keywords and hashtags to social posts

6. Measure the Marketing Metrics

During an apprenticeship it is important to reflect on your performance and identify what is going well and what could be improved. The same applies to your strategies. It is good to outline what you will use to track the results of your digital marketing strategies. Utilise the analytics tools in the chosen social media platforms you use, dashboards can give a clear overview and you should specify what Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) you want to check. It is recommended to track throughout campaigns, so refer to your strategy which should detail what you want to monitor. Regularly checking the metrics will allow you to amend the strategy, if necessary, based on the insights you review.

Conclusion

A level 3 digital marketing apprenticeship is a perfect way to get involved in the digital industry. During the apprenticeship you will learn all about creating digital and social media strategies, these are just some of the core elements to producing a strategy for success. Learn about more of the skills you can gain from a digital marketing apprenticeship here.

Hair Professional Apprenticeship (Level 2)

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Level 2 Hair Professional Apprenticeship

Wanting to learn a wide range of hair techniques that will have you cutting, styling, and creating a variety of looks? If this sounds your style of career, read more to learn how the level 2 hair professional apprenticeship will see you develop as a hairdresser or barber. Provide yourself with the communication, professionalism, and styling skills to care for all clients – also the eligibility for state registration with the Hair Council.

Entry Requirements and Qualifications of Level 2 Hair Professional Apprenticeship

The good news is there are no entry requirements to start your level 2 hair professional apprenticeship. If you do not have a level 1 English and maths qualification you will need to take these tests prior to your end point assessment. If your primary language is BSL then a British Sign Language qualification is an alternative to an English one. For apprentices with an education, health and care plan or a legacy statement, entry level 3 is the minimum requirement. Over the 24 months of the apprenticeship (not including end point assessment), you will complete the core skills and knowledge for hairdressing and barbering and will choose an occupational route. By the end of the apprenticeship, you will have a Level 2 Diploma for Hair Professionals (Hairdressing/Barbering).

Hair Professional Apprenticeship
Image by Engin_Akyurt on Pixabay

Part 1: Mandatory Core Skills and Knowledge

The knowledge and skills you will learn throughout the apprenticeship includes the professionalism and values which will enable you to demonstrate time and self-management, adhering to industry codes of practice and ethics, quality assurance systems and being able to complete tasks to a high standard. You will learn to meet the industry standards by greeting clients and communicating in the most appropriate way to maintain a rapport. Where necessary the hair professional apprentice will take on wider salon duties such as reception, taking payments and making appointments. The apprentice will understand the Sales of Goods and Services Act.

Also the role involves learning to maintain hygienic and safe working methods when using equipment, products, and when cleaning the workplace. The skills to assess the client’s requirements and identify hair characteristics and classification will be learnt. Subsequently the hair professional apprentice can advise clients on services or products and conduct any visual and necessary tests on the hair, skin, and scalp.

Part 2: Hair Professional Apprenticeship Occupational Routes

The apprentice will have the choice between the two following occupational routes: Hairdressing or Barbering

Route 1: Hairdressing

The apprentice will learn, understand, and be able to competently demonstrate the following skills:

  • Shampoo, condition and treat the hair and scalp
  • Cut hair using a range of techniques to create a variety of looks
  • Style and finish hair using a variety of techniques
  • Use a range of techniques to colour and lighten hair

Then choose one of the following

  • Perming hair
  • Hair relaxing treatments and techniques
  • Hair extension services

Route 2: Barbering

The apprentice will learn, understand, and be able to competently demonstrate the following skills:

  • Shampoo, condition and treat the hair and scalp
  • Create a variety of looks by cutting hair using barbering techniques
  • Style and finish men’s hair
  • Cut facial hair into shape
  • Learn shaving services

Conclusion

If this sounds like your dream job role or the perfect opportunity to develop your skillset, there is literally nothing stopping you from starting your level 2 hair professional apprentice. Cover all the core skills and knowledge to grow your career before choosing an occupational route which is your style. This is the perfect way to kickstart your career in the hair industry. The opportunity to learn something completely new that develops your organisation, creativity and customer care is yours.

If you are interested in learning about the progression opportunities in different sectors, please get in touch or read about the occupational maps for more information.