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Level 4 Sales Executive Apprenticeship

August 9, 2020August 9, 2020 by Kayleigh Dennis

A level 4 sales executive apprentice wearing headphones looking at a monitor.

Are you a strong relationship builder with a talent for building rapport? Are you a proactive individual, looking for a modern apprenticeship that allows you to demonstrate your negotiation skills? If this sounds like you, then read on and find out more about how a level 4 sales executive apprenticeship can help open the door on a multitude of careers spanning a wide range of industries.

Jobs and entry criteria for the level 4 sales executive apprenticeship

The sales executive apprenticeship provides plenty of opportunity for an apprentice to learn valuable skills desired by employers across the UK. These skills can help apprentices secure roles such as: Sales Consultant, Sales Representative, Business Development Executive and Customer Relationship Manager. If you are looking to become a part of a fast-paced, exciting trade with the possibility of highly lucrative rewards and plenty of career progression, then sales could be for you! The average salary in the UK for a sales professional ranges from £35k to £39k dependant on region and sector. Experienced sales managing directors, however, can earn upwards of £135k. There is also plenty of scope for crossovers within marketing and procurement down the line if you were looking to add variation to your career – sales is a highly flexible profession to be a part of!

To be eligible for the level 4 sales executive apprenticeship, you will typically need at least Level 2 English and Maths (C or above at GCSE). However, there is also the chance to pass this before the end-point assessment if needed. Any other entry requirements are usually set by the employer, and as such, can vary. Whether you are a new or experienced salesperson, companies are always looking for employees with varying levels of experience to join their workforce – as long as you are passionate and dedicated, there will be a suitable position out there for you!

Key responsibilities of a sales executive apprentice

The most crucial element of being a sales professional is being able to understand client demands and build successful business relationships. These are then nurtured through negotiating and then carried through to a successful closing deal. Whether in B2B or B2C sales, this process is always the same, as are the knowledge and skills needed to drive success! A proficient sales executive will know everything about the product/service their organisation is selling and will be able to create solutions tailormade for their customers’ requirements.

A level 4 sales executive apprentice pitching an idea to her colleagues.

Level 4 Sales Executive core competencies

Within your role as a sales executive apprentice, there will be key duties that will allow you to meet the competencies required for your qualification. Below are a few examples of this:

Communicating and interpreting customer information through engagement
Developing both new and existing customer relationships
Closing sales using ethical techniques
Setting targets using sales forecasts
Identifying both features and advantages of products/services that you sell
Working collaboratively alongside internal and external stakeholders
Using digital tools to conduct product research and target customers
Developing sales proposals and delivering them via presentation

To help you understand even more about the Level 4 Sales Executive Apprenticeship, it is recommended that you read the occupational standard and assessment plan. These two documents will give you an in depth look at what will be required when undertaking the qualification.

Sales Executive overview of assessment approach

The level 4 sales executive apprenticeship is typically split into two separate sections – the training phase and then the end-point assessment, the latter of which begins after the employer confirms you are ready to begin. Once you have completed your on and off the job learning and a portfolio of evidence, you will then move on to a work-based project, a presentation that includes a sales pitch and a professional discussion. Due to these combined methods of learning, you will be able to prove evidence that you can:

Keep calm under pressure, and understand why this is critical to a sales position
Be an ambassador for your employers’ brand and have an ethical approach to sales
Give examples of positive customer experiences and how those were delivered by you
Confidently discuss how your market is segmented/analysis of this
Be proactive in monitoring the customer experience

Once you have completed the apprenticeship, you will have a Level 4 Sales Certification with the Association of Professional Sales (APS).

Conclusion

If you are a driven individual looking to learn life-changing, career-enhancing skills and are interested in succeeding within sales, the level 4 sales executive apprenticeship is a strong starting point for you. If you are looking to further enhance your skillset and continue to earn and learn once you have passed level 4, there are plenty more courses to help you achieve this. For instance, you can move on to take a degree-level (level 6) Business to Business Sales Professional qualification to expand and strengthen your current B2B sales knowledge. Employers needs for competent, skilled salespeople is only growing and as such, the possibilities to cultivate a successful career within sales are endless!

To find out more details about the Business to Business Sales Professional qualification, make sure to read our previous blog post!

Level 3 Digital Marketer apprenticeship

August 6, 2020August 6, 2020 by Litany Kato

Level 3 Digital Marketer apprenticeship

What to expect in this apprenticeship

The primary role of a digital marketer is to define, design, build and implement digital campaigns across a variety of online and social media platforms to drive customers acquisition and retention and customer engagement.Typically, you will be working as part of a team, in which you’ll have responsibility for some of the straightforward elements of the overall marketing plan or campaign.

This apprenticeship will take be a great stepping stone into various job roles with salaries of £25,000 and higher:

Digital Marketing Assistant
Digital Marketing Executive
Digital Marketing Co-ordinator
Campaign Executive
Social Media Executive
Content Co-ordinator
Email Marketing Assistant
SEO Executive
Analytics Executive
Digital Marketing Technologist

Entry requirement

Individual employers will set the selection criteria, but this might include GCSEs, A levels, a level 2 apprenticeship or other relevant qualification.

I personally only have 3 A-levels split across 3 years rather than the normal 2, but, I believe not only did my GCSE grades help me but the way I carried myself in the interview. I came prepared e.g. bring a pen and paper; I spoke clearly and with confidence. I looked up information about the company before hand; I wore smart attire to the interview; I always always tried to smile (do not force anything as they will tell that you haven’t prepared yourself).

Technical Competencies

An apprenticeships is a ‘learn as you earn’ experience that looks amazing on a CV. There are competencies that you as an apprentice will successfully complete in order to pass the scheme. This also acts as a template for companies because it helps them plan what tasks you’ll complete which will allow you to progress to higher roles in your career path. The competencies include:

Written communication: applies a good level of written communication skills for a range of audiences and digital platforms and with regard to the sensitivity of communication
Research: analyses and contributes information on the digital environment to inform short and long term digital communications strategies and campaigns
Technologies: recommends and applies effective, secure and appropriate solutions using a wide variety of digital technologies and tools over a range of platforms and user interfaces to achieve marketing objectives
Data: reviews, monitors and analyses online activity and provides recommendations and insights to
others

Technical knowledge and understanding

Technical skills are the abilities and knowledge needed to perform specific tasks. In this digital marketing apprenticeship you’ll learn a lot whether it be through the day to day tasks or the online course you have to. The criteria includes the following:

Understands the principles of coding like MTA HTML 5
Understands and can apply basic marketing principles using Google Square
Understands and can apply the customer life cycle using Dot Native

This may look intimidating however once your working, this will be second nature to you!

I had to complete a Dot native course which took a month whilst working at BT as a digital marketing apprentice. This was a very useful course as I learnt a lot about SEO. Search engine optimisation is a section completed outside of my team for the pages I work on. This forced me to not only talk to people I wouldn’t normally interact with if I didn’t understand something in the course, but once I completed it, I came to meetings with a better understanding of what they’re discussing. I would highly it recommend it to other apprentices as they are all novices just like me in this field.

Success!

The apprenticeships typically takes 12-18 months to complete and a level 2 English and maths will need to be achieved, if not already, prior to taking the end point assessment. Once completed you are recognised for entry on to the Register of IT Technicians and eligible to apply for registration. Completion of the apprenticeship would also allow access to join as an Affiliate (Professional) member of the CIM (Chartered Institute of Marketing) and/or Associate membership of BCS.

Do’s and Dont’s

Do:
– ask silly but relevant questions, you are a beginner as leaving it too late will be even worse
– talk to as many people as possible so you know who to go to for help
– read up on things in your extra time as it could be really value
– look at competitor sites (anyone selling the same product as you) and take away ideas that you fell could be incorporated on your page while making it unique
– be punctual or even early as you are the beginner so a lot of eye will be on you

Don’t:
– give up as it took me two years to understand everything
– wear just anything to work, be professional

Level 4 Public relations and communication assistant in the UK

August 6, 2020August 5, 2020 by Litany Kato

Level 4 PUBLIC RELATIONS AND COMMUNICATIONS ASSISTANT ApprenticeTips.com

Are you organised and love talking; have a good understanding of excel and word; interested in current affairs and overall a great person? Yes, continue reading as the level 4 public and communication assistant apprenticeship may be you first step in a new career.

Jobs and entry criteria for the level 4 Public Relation and Communication Assistant apprenticeship

The public and communication assistant apprenticeship provides opportunities for an apprentice to learn the skills required to perform typical PR and assistant roles. These include jobs such as: Junior Account Executive, Junior Consultant, Junior Press Officer, Junior Publicist, Public Affairs Assistant, Campaign Assistant, PR Assistant & Communications Assistant. The Public Relation (PR) and communication apprenticeship provides an excellent opportunity for starting on a pathway that offers excellent career progression opportunities. A salary of £40k is achievable as a PR executive and many job opportunities are advertised higher than this. It’s not all about money though and PR is one of the big career growth areas. You can future proof your career by using the level 4 PR and communication apprenticeship as a starting point. You may even be able to use PR in the future to identify further progression opportunities!

If this all sounds too good to be true, it’s not! Sometimes, an employer may hire you regardless of your background if you are the right fit for their organisation. This gives everyone the chance to succeed on this apprenticeship! If you haven’t, however, got up to date English and Maths certificates, you will get the opportunity to complete these if needed. Typical duration is 12-18 months

Key responsibilities of a Public relations and communication assistant apprentice

The primary role of a PR and Communications concerns protecting and maintaining a positive reputation for brands, organisations and individuals. They also focus on the way brands, organisations and individuals communicate about themselves, their products or their services with the public, via different methods. This occupation is found in organisations that come from the public, private and voluntary sectors. Typically, PR & Communications Assistants either work in agencies or in-house for employers. They communicate with different people: the media, the public, internal colleagues or any number of different audiences to get their client’s or organisation’s message across and influence opinions and behaviour in the most effective way.

They are responsible for researching and understanding their clients’ / organisation’s goals, and then using their digital and communication expertise to support the day to day delivery of effective campaigns in order to deliver specific or organisational objectives. This could take various forms including supporting social media activity, blogs, press releases or planning events. This occupation requires using one’s own initiative while supporting those leading on campaigns and so involves working closely with colleagues in a team environment.

Level 4 Public Relations and Communications Assistant Competencies

As part of your job role, you will carry out duties that will satisfy a number of competencies. Some examples are:

Build effective relationships & interpersonal communications – including developing contacts within the media and presenting ideas to stakeholders, colleagues and other interested parties in formal and informal settings.
Support production of non-written content, e.g. film production management, producing short user generated style content, live video streaming, social image creation, info graphic production.
Finance processes related to PR campaigns – managing time sheets and basic suppliers, including (but not limited to) office supplies, print production, social media advertising and event venue costs.
Assist campaigns by carrying out many support tasks – including desk research, event co-ordination, database management and reporting in compliance with agreed service / performance levels.
Public Relations & Communications objectives – how tactical targets can be set for activity, based on insight and strategy, to help meet overall individual or organisation requirements.
Punctuality, reliability and personal responsibility
Creativity in the development of new ideas and in overcoming challenges which may be faced in delivery of the communications programme.

Conclusion

As you can see, the level 4 PR and communication assistant apprenticeship is an excellent starting point for anyone looking to pursue a career in PR. The core skills covered in the apprenticeship will open up a wide range of job opportunities. In addition, you will earn while you learn and excellent progression opportunities exist to advance your career. Some examples becoming an marketing coordinator and copywriter. Employers are keen to use apprenticeship to shape how their employees learn and progress. The type of job roles that will open up over the coming years could be endless for anyone that commits their future to a career in PR and communications.

For a more technical look at this apprenticeship, you should check out our PR and communication assistant assessment plan

Top 3 Tips For Creating A Paid Search Campaign

July 31, 2020July 31, 2020 by Max Jones

A paid search campaign can be a really daunting task, especially for those that haven’t had any experience with Google Ads before.

There are a number of really great tips that you can follow to make your life easier when creating your PPC campaigns:

1. Keyword Research

File:Purchase-funnel-diagram.svg - Wikimedia Commons

The first and frankly most important tip for creating campaigns is keyword selection. Your campaigns live and die based on how well you select the keywords your ads will show for and without carefully considering this, you may struggle.

Using Google’s Keyword Planner, you should be aiming to select keywords that have relatively high search volumes and ideally lower competition.

Higher search volume allows you to show your ads to a higher number of users, and lower competition means, your ads are more likely to show, instead of your competitors.

When selecting keywords, however, you also need to consider the intent behind the keyword.

For example, if I were advertising Nike trainers, the keyword [nike trainers] doesn’t necessarily mean those searching for this are going to immediately buy the shoes. Generally, the shorter the keyword, the lower the intent of the users, as they tend to be browsing the subject, rather than looking to purchase a specific product.

However, if instead, the keyword was [red nike air max 270] anyone searching for this keyword is far more likely to have already decided this is the specific product they want, and thus more likely to buy.

This means alongside volume and competition, you need to consider the intent too. If you can do this, you’re well on your way to a successful paid search campaign.

2. Optimising Ads

Another vital part of ensuring the success of your campaigns is creating your ads.

Search ads provide you with a variety of different headlines and descriptions to use, and here’s some guidance on how to optimise these.

Make use of calls to action (CTAs)
- It has been shown time and again that calls to action have a huge impact in the success of ads.
- From a simple ‘Click here’ to a ‘Sign up for free’, these can be the difference between someone clicking your ad, and someone scrolling past.
Use figures in your ad copy
- Another way of confirming more clicks and conversions is to include numbers in your ad text.
- Whether it be ‘20% off’ or ‘£34 Special Offer’, simply including numbers within your ad text has also shown to vastly improve ad performance.
Use all the headlines & descriptions available.
- Google does actually allow you to only use 2 headlines and 1 description. However, in doing so, you’re missing out on invaluable ad space which could be used to draw more users to click your ad
Ensure you use as many characters as possible within each headline & description
- You have 30 characters in headlines and 90 characters in descriptions, try to ensure you use almost all of these when creating ads.
- As you’re competing again others ads, you ideally want to take up as much ad space as possible – the more ad space you take up, the more likely the ad is to be clicked over competitors

The use of all of these techniques when creating your ads will help to ensure that users click your ads and not your competitors!

3. Negative Keywords

I’ve come across numerous ads accounts, that may have well-written ads, and relevantly chosen keywords, however the accounts themselves are spending vast amounts without converting profitably. The #1 reason for this in most cases, is lack of negative keywords.

Negative keywords work the opposite way to keywords; they provide a way of targeting searches that you don’t want to appear for.

For example, if I were to be selling only green Nike trainers, however, the keyword I was using was ‘nike air max running trainers’, I would still be receiving traffic for all the searches that are looking for colours other than green.

It is hugely important that you examine your search query data, and what search terms your keywords are showing up for. Anything irrelevant here, you want to add as a negative.

Without doing so, you’re literally throwing money away on searches that would never be interested in what you’re offering.

Conclusion

Creating a paid search campaign can feel very complicated and sometimes, you don’t know where you’re going wrong. Hopefully, the above tips will help you approach the topic with a better grasp of ensuring success.

If you have any questions, don’t hesitate to get in touch.

Advanced Butcher Apprenticeship Program

July 31, 2020July 31, 2020 by Max Jones

Summary

The advanced butcher apprenticeship program provides butchers with an opportunity to advance their skills, responsibilities and knowledge of their trade.

The course will cover a large variety of areas, from retail to processing, to management. This will enable apprentices to gain a wide knowledge base which would be applicable to a variety of different jobs.

If you’re in the butchery industry and wanting to progress your career, this is the right course for you!

Knowledge and skills required to complete apprenticeship:

Retail:

Sales performance – monitoring, customer behaviour, sales patterns, product placement
Meat procurement through retail
Principles of artisan butchery – cut and bone at least 4 species including poultry and game.
Sales methods & strategies for maximising income – loyalty schemes, promotions, additional product development
Product production – produce a range of products including joints, portions, cooked and hot products, sausages, burgers, pasties, curing, smoking, air drying & value-added products
Marketing techniques & social media for business exposure
Plan, coordinate & advise on cooking methods in a retail environment.
Successful recruiting, retaining & training of new employees
Implementation & management of stock control systems in a shop environment
Key business operations – Energy supply, insurance registrations, payroll systems, & basic bookkeeping.
Customer service – including order advise & complains

Processing Plant

Legislative & regulatory requirements for safe, healthy & clean processing environment
Knife skills & technical understanding of muscle & primary carcass management
Production line team management
Sales, procurement & selection process
Minimisation approaches to the management of meat
Plan & Manage production schedules
Coordinate despatch & transport
Preparation for audits & implementation of improvements

In Store

Management of sales targets
Product offers, pre-pack vs cabinet, merchandising & placement policies
Stock management & control systems
Staff scheduling
Audit, inventory & traceability processes

New opportunities

Once complete, advanced butchers have a variety of options, as they would be an asset to all meat & poultry businesses and would be able to specialise in an area of their choosing such as productions, retail management, butchery business ownership and more.

Butcher shop ownership
Advanced manufacturing & production roles
Production Management Roles (Sales, Quality Control, Training)
Large Supermarket Roles
Poultry Industry Roles (sales, training, production, retail management)

Qualifications Include:

Level 3 Award in Food Safety Supervision
Level 3 Award in HACCP for Food
Level 3 Award in Health and Safety in the Food Supply Chain Business
On successful completion, apprentices will be entitled to automatic registration to full membership of the Institute of Meat

You can find a variety of different apprenticeship information at our blog here.

If you have any questions or queries on the butcher apprenticeship program, don’t hesitate to get in touch by filling out our form below:

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Top 5 Latest Trends in Digital Marketing

July 23, 2020July 23, 2020 by Fabio Gomes

As we move on to the third quarter of 2020 (Q3), it is important to keep up to date with the latest trends in Digital Marketing. As a constantly evolving role, marketers need to constantly be on the lookout for the newest tips and tricks revolving around the digital world to thrive and be successful.

Are you someone who is looking for guidance and knowledge of ways to improve your digital marketing skills? Then, keep reading as we explore and talk about the top 5 latest trends in 2020 for Digital Marketing.

Artificial Intelligence

If you haven’t just acknowledged it, 2020 might be the year that many individuals wake up to the rising popularity of Artificial Intelligence (AI). AI will certainly be the core of worldwide business and industry in the future – but right now, it’s doing a great job in taking over numerous jobs.

AI can examine customer behaviour and can store and use data. Therefore, assisting companies with seeing how clients discover their products/services.

According to Techgrabyte:

“Artificial intelligence is the biggest commercial opportunity for companies, industries, and nations over the next few decades” and “will increase global GDP by up to 14% between now and 2030,” which means that “AI latecomers will find themselves at a serious competitive disadvantage within the next several years.”

AI Chatbots:

With AI proving to be a dominant component in 2020, it is key to understand how to implement it within your business. Understandably, there has been a rise in a digital sales assistant and simply the use of chatbots being used in company websites to help guide visitors and answer questions instantly.

Including an AI-powered chatbot within your site could drive your general customer service levels up. In other words, this is a key technical aspect you need to have as a digital marketer, and by using AI, you are making sure your business provides fast and efficient customer service.

Overall, AI is a flourishing element within digital marketing that is constantly evolving. Adding a chatbot software powered by AI within your business site will reduce employee costs, and provide great customer satisfaction. Also, their multipurpose structure allows customers to ask anything and receive an instant response of data it has stored from the whole site.

Email Marketing

Confronted with the growing use of social media, email despite everything presents amazing advantages that other media channels can’t compete with. According to Statista, in 2019, there were an estimated 3.9 billion worldwide email users, however, this is likely to grow to an astounding 4.48 billion users by 2024.

With an overwhelming number of emails and spam, it is easy for your email campaign to get lost in the inbox or irritate your customers. With this being said, email marketing requires a skillful amount of written communication and implementation (of campaign) skills which is, specifically, highly essential an excellent digital marketer.

MailChimp:

One of the best email marketing platforms any digital marketer should be using to produce professional campaigns is MailChimp. In fact, this all-in-one marketing platform gives users the ability to import mailing lists and create newsletters, campaigns fundamentally. Above all, MailChimp allows you to target specific subscribers (audiences), use or create your templates, and manage the performance of your campaigns.

When you send out your beautifully crafted and personalised email campaign, MailChimp offers performance analysis that lets you monitor and interpret performance data. Thus giving you a better understanding of what went well and what didn’t.

The types of analysis MailChimp offer include:

24-hour performance

Seeing who has opened the email (Open rates)

Who received the email

If they clicked any links (Click rate)

Successful deliveries/bounce-back rates

Plus more…

To conclude, email marketing covers many required aspects of a digital marketer, for instance being able to interpret data and analyse reports using the correct digital tools available. Moreover, email marketing is a specialist are in digital marketing, thus the use of technologies is prominent. Being able to understand how to work them effectively and implement a suitable strategy is vital.

Social Media

As the world of social networking becomes increasingly popular, digital marketing techniques are being applied to social media platforms to increase brand awareness, reach a bigger audience, receive more traffic and overall promote products/services successfully.

By having a social media account for your business, you can be sure to develop your audience and increase growth online and as a company. For that reason, there are a few methodical ways to assure you are making the most out of your social media channels and achieve a prosperous social campaign.

3 tips on how to improve social media strategy:

Paid ads (boosted posts)

A great way to make your posts on social media reach a more filtered audience (target) is boosting posts by using paid ads. By adding a budget, even as little as £1, you can boost any selected posts that you have published and analyse its performance analysis compared to the original organic reach. Once you have chosen a budget and how many days you want to run the campaign for, you can then choose and optimise the demographic you would want to reach (age, gender, location, and interests), suggesting a suitable investment option because you know that a big majority of your target audience will be attained.

Stories

Secondly, adding relevant content to stories on social media (for instance, Facebook and Instagram) can be a cost-effective method of gaining the attention of potential customers. As a digital marketer, you have to understand the elements of customer needs to adequately interact with the audience. Try and utilise stories for the content which is suited and be sure to include specific landing page URL’s when it seems fitting to allow potential customers to swipe up to a designated page. Understand your market and realise when it’s the appropriate way of communication to use.

Business Profile

Finally, a logical way to guarantee you are using a social media channel well is to convert your profile into a business page. This way, you will gain access to more analytical tools/insights about your performance and reach. In addition, business profiles tend to allow users to add a contact button for better business-to-customer interaction, and allow you to showcase your customer service skills to a high standard.

Smart Bidding on Google Ads

What are Google Ads you may be asking? Google Ads, is an advertising platform created to allow advertisers to pay/bid on specific keywords, in hope that their clickable ads appear in Google’s search engine results. This ultimately leads to an increase in clicks, therefore leads. A sufficient amount of research skills would be necessary for any digital marketer wondering whether if they should use Google Ads or not, for example, you need to find out what keywords work well with your business and bid on them.

Smart Bidding consists of automated bid methods in Google Ads that use machine learning to increase conversions (awesome, right?). Google analyses customer search behaviour and data to predict when there is a high chance of a conversion happening, then raises your bids when a conversion seems likely to occur.

Why use Smart Bidding?:

Increase Conversions
Maximised CPC (optimises your cost-per-click (CPC) to increase conversions)
Enhance traffic to your site

Interactive Content

The way to continue maximising your online strategy well might be interactive content. SubseBy incorporating a piece of interactive content on your site, you will find you can reach an audience via any devices (e.g. mobiles or laptops) and provide a great user experience. A creative mind-set is required for this because ideas for content need to be original, enjoyable, and have an eye-catching design.

Types of interactive content you could start implementing:

Quiz
Polls/Surveys
Competitions
Images or videos

Content being interactive ensures visitors keep returning to your site and help them make a decision (e.g. what product they should buy). It may be the key to new leads, obtaining more data, and all together create a sense of brand loyalty for customers.

Conclusion

As you can see, digital marketing is a fast-paced role, that is always evolving. However, in 2020, AI technology, social media, email marketing, Google Ads, and interactive content have been a few of the most noteworthy trends. It’s time to connect with your customers in newer and more exciting ways and make their experience enjoyable!

Do you think you will give these trends a try?

Click the button below to find more information on digital marketing and read interesting blogs about digital apprenticeships on our website:

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Level 4 Marketing Executive Apprenticeship

July 21, 2020July 21, 2020 by Fabio Gomes

Laptop showing marketing analysis/research. — *Find out how a marketing apprenticeship can guide you in the right direction to excel in your future career.*

Have you always wanted a career in marketing?

This apprenticeship will guide you with the right steps to ensure you have a successful path to do so. Continue reading to learn more about this Level 4 Marketing Executive apprenticeship role and see if it’s right for you because it can help you kick start a career in marketing.

Marketing jobs this apprenticeship could lead to and entry requirements

There are, without a doubt, many occupations within marketing, which stretch over most industries/sectors. Undoubtedly, this apprenticeship will help develop a high level of skills you need to be able to pursue a career in Marketing.

The types of job titles within Marketing include Marketing Executive, Marketing Officer, Marketing and Communications Officer, Marketing Specialist, Communications Executive and also Communications Specialist. According to Indeed, the average salary of a Communications Specialist is £34,556 per year, demonstrating that by choosing this career path, you will be making the right choice. This Marketing Executive apprenticeship is a role that will show a great deal of development of skills and ensure outstanding opportunities. Desirable salaries ranging from an average of £26,000 to around £34,000 are achievable for the other jobs mentioned, such as Marketing Officer and Marketing Specialist, according to Indeed, Glassdoor, and TotalJobs.

The entry requirements for this apprenticeship will be decided by individual employers. However, a mandatory level 2 English and Maths are required to complete the end-point-assessment. Learners with an education, health and care plan, or a legacy statement, an Entry Level 3 is required for English and Maths. Birth Sign Language qualifications are a substitution to English qualifications if it is their primary language.

Duration:

This apprenticeship’s duration ranges from 15-21 months.

Marketing Executive – what are their responsibilities?

This Marketing Executive apprenticeship will allow the learner to be able to create and perform functioning marketing plans. You will work together with a Marketing Manager whose role is to breakdown the essential marketing strategy. As a marketing executive, you will be very audience-focused, therefore be required to have a creative mind, great communication, and project management skills. There will be a responsibility for ensuring a organisation and execution of the specific marketing activity.

Responsibilities of a Marketing Executive:

– Looking after and maintaining marketing channels (digital, offline and social media)

– Be able to plan and put campaigns into effect

– Manage the production and selling of marketing materials

– Communicating and networking with key people, such as customers, colleagues, suppliers (such as agencies) and partner organisations

– Collect and analyse research to be able to understand the target audience (e.g. behaviour and views across the market)

– Using said guidelines as a way to achieve effective brand positioning

– Organise and attend marketing related events (for instance, conferences, seminars, receptions, and exhibitions)

As a Marketing Executive apprentice, you will generally report to the Marketing Manager.

Required knowledge of a Marketing Executive:

Marketing Concepts & Theories

Understand the foundation of marketing theory which supports the marketing process (for instance ‘the extended marketing mix’ made up of Product, Price, Place, Promotion, Physical environment, Process, People (7P’s), product development and segmentation. You will also need to understand brand positioning, and the principles of customer relationship management (CRM) to ensure effective functional relationships both externally and internally.

Business Understanding and Commercial Awareness

Knowledge of plans and vision in their business and how to achieve objectives, like understanding decisions made by the target audience and the impact of them. Lastly, understand the Data Protection regulations and other legal frameworks of their sector.

Market Research

Fundamentals of market research (e.g. methods, digital sources, and data collection) and just how influential and effective it can be for marketing activity.

Products and Channels

Understanding the development of products/services and how to analyse the competitive market landscape to ensure the most efficiency. Acknowledge the advantages of different marketing channels (online and offline), and when the best time to use them is.

Marketing Executive working with a Marketing Manager

The essential skills and behaviours of a Level 4 Marketing Executive

You may be wondering what type of skills you need to fulfil your duties as a Marketing Executive.

Firstly, you need to be able to implement methodical and strategic marketing campaigns and manage them amongst online and offline channels. Furthermore, the production and distribution of marketing materials should be closely managed.

Underlining the above, being able to deliver a service is key. This comes under a high level of time management skills, where you report, plan and execute projects and multitasking, for instance liaising with key stakeholders and organising campaigns for a specific deadline, which also requires an great level of communication skills. Interpersonal skills are required as they’ll constantly shine through in the role, whether it’s drafting and writing project briefs or doing presentations.

Furthermore, the ideal Marketing Executive should have great budget management skills, alongside a professional level of analysis. In this role, you would need to evaluate which marketing channels would be most effective and gather appropriate data to be able to support your marketing activities, plus use research to ensure improvements on future campaigns, which means you need to show competency in systems/technologies needed for analysis and general marketing, and be up to date with the latest trends in marketing in order to demonstrate them in your work.

In summary, the key abilities needed are great interpersonal skills (communication skills), time management skills, and effectively be able to implement campaigns and use the appropriate technologies/tools to do so.

There are important behaviours you would need to exhibit in this role such as:

– Flexibility

– Creative Thinking

– Adaptable

– Professionalism

Conclusion

As stated above, you can see that this amazing Level 4 Marketing Executive apprenticeship is a great way to progress in your career. In addition, it is an amazing role perfectly suited for anyone that wants a career in marketing. The competencies and skills you learn in this apprenticeship will open many doors in the marketing world, therefore providing great opportunities. Upon completing this apprenticeship, the learner will by then have met the requirements for registration as an Affiliate Member with the Chartered Institute of Marketing (CIM).

As an apprentice, this means you earn a salary whilst you learn. Also, you gain experience in a work place which is a great training preparation for your future. You can continue progressing after completion for professional advancement. For instance, you can continue until a Level 6 Marketing Manager apprenticeship which will help further develop your marketing skills and obtain a career as an Insight/Innovations Manager or a Marketing and Communications Manager, for example.

Click on the button below for a more in detail look at this Marketing Executive apprenticeship role:

Level 4 Marketing Executive

Other amazing opportunities:

If you think this apprenticeship isn’t quite ideal for you, please have a look at the button below for more types of apprenticeships:

Other Apprenticeships

Establish your audience

Before you put pen to paper, or finger to keyboard, stop and question who you’re writing for.

Where will they be reading this? Why will they be reading this? How much time will they have to read this?

Writing is all about knowing your reader, so work out who they are before you start. This will help you decide on the tone of voice you’ll need to adopt – will you be going for serious and professional or informal and fun?

Keep it short and simple

Digital content isn’t the same as print content. You wouldn’t read a four-page feature in a magazine the same way you would browse a headline story on the BBC News app would you?

Of course not. People scan-read online content more than they do print content, so you need to write it differently.

Language is most effective when used economically, so when you’re writing digital content try to keep to a maximum of 30 words per sentence, one or two sentences per paragraph and four to six words per headline.

Of course, you don’t have to stick to these rules religiously – they’re just guidelines.

Also, avoid jargon and acronyms at all cost – no one apart from you knows what you’re talking about!

Structure your content

When structuring your work, think of an inverted pyramid with all the essentials at the top and the ‘nice to haves’ at the bottom.

The most important information should always come first (who, what, when, where, why) and the supporting details and background information later.

Once you’ve got your basic pyramid sorted, you can then take it to the next level by breaking down your content further into smaller, organised sections with subheadings.

Consider text size and font

Many of us struggle reading off paper, but it’s even harder to read off a screen.

Help your reader by using a text size that’s as large as practical and as clear as possible. We all enjoy experimenting with wacky fonts, but if you want to look professional, it’s best to stick with something traditional like Arial or Calibri.

Using bold and italicised text is okay to make a point stand out, but don’t use it too often or you’ll cancel out what you’re trying to achieve.

Reserve using underlined text for hyperlinks only; underlining text just to highlight a point will make your reader assume that it’s hyperlinked and potentially confuse them.

Pay attention to spelling and grammar

Poor speling and gramar can undermine the credibility of your message.

Can you see the point I’m making? Make sure good spelling and grammar is a priority in all your written communication. There’s no shame in admitting that you don’t know how to use an apostrophe – the only shame is in making a mistake for everyone to see!

So if you’re not sure on something, look it up. And if you’re still not sure? Ask someone who is.

We all go blind after spending too long on a piece of work, so taking a break and revisiting your writing another day can help you identify mistakes that you might previously have missed.

Inspire

Is your writing dynamic enough to evoke a response?

Strong verbs can inject life and energy into any text, and active voice is more lively than passive.

Always write concisely and with confidence. Looking at the following two statements, which would you trust more?

“I think that writing with confidence might sometimes be important.”

“Writing with confidence is important.”

I’d go with the second. The words take up less space on the page, but they’re actually more impactful because they’re decisive.

Write to be found

What words will people be typing into Google to find you?

Try and use those words in your copy – especially in titles, headings and descriptions.

There’s no need to go overboard, squashing 10 keyword phrases into every sentence, as this is likely to backfire on you when your reader no longer understands your message, but Google’s Keyword Planner really is worth checking out if you haven’t done so already.

Parade your personality

Nobody likes a bland brand.

You might be reading this blog because you’re trying to improve your writing for work purposes, but work doesn’t have to be boring.

With the internet being a truly global platform, the content you publish online will be competing with millions of other people’s all over the world. Therefore, letting your individuality shine in digital copy is even more important than it is in print.

There is always a way to infuse even the most restrained copy with character. Keep your brand voice in mind at all times.

Want more digital marketing top tips?

Why not check out this blog for more industry advice?

Digital Marketing Tips for Success

Level 2 Housing/Property Management Assistant Apprenticeship

July 20, 2020July 20, 2020 by Rachel Adams

Interested in a property management apprenticeship or job in property?

When most people think of property careers, the first thing that usually springs to mind is a landlord or an estate agent, but there are a lot more occupations in property management than you might think!

If you’re interested in the sector, find out how a Level 2 Housing/Property Management Assistant apprenticeship could help you start a new career, or take a step in a new direction in your current one.

Duration is typically 12 to 18 months.

Overview of the housing/property management assistant role

A housing/property management assistant is an entry-level role. It is customer facing and will see you providing administrative support to create and sustain successful tenancies and leaseholds in both the social and private housing sectors.

The job will involve working under supervision within a wider organisation and with external partners.

Work includes undertaking housing duties such as preparing paperwork for service charges, supporting consultations and undertaking property surveys. There will also be data administration, conducting supervised viewings and rental negotiations, handling telephone calls, arranging meetings and events and researching new initiatives.

The work is varied and you won’t be bored!

What housing/property management jobs might this apprenticeship lead on to?

The apprenticeship will prepare you for a range of general housing/property management duties leading to entry-level professional/management roles. Example job titles include housing assistant, customer services assistant, housing administrator, lettings assistant, assistant property manager and lettings negotiator.

What knowledge will I acquire?

Legislation and regulation
You’ll study the principles and practices of relevant landlord and tenant law, applicable codes of practice and relevant legal frameworks.

Organisation background information
You’ll gain knowledge of your organisation’s business plan, values, services and targets, and understand how your role fits in.

Assets
You’ll get to know the social and physical context of estates and neighbourhoods, as well as how to report defects, common problems, health and safety issues and repairs to dwellings.

Customers
You’ll understand the diversity and needs of the communities in which the business serves.

Context
You’ll learn about the current and historical context of the housing market, including social and affordable housing, private rented and owner occupation.

Range of services
You’ll familiarise yourself with a range of housing services. For example, repairs and maintenance, allocations, lettings, tenancy sustainment, financial and social inclusion, energy efficiency and waste management, antisocial behaviour, care and housing support services, rents and fees, service charges and portfolio accounts, and community involvement.

Quality standards
You’ll find out about the quality standards of your business. Examples include standards of the neighbourhood/property/building and customer service.

Organisation policies
You’ll be acquainted with the principles, policies and practices of your organisation in terms of customer care, complaints handling, employee code of conduct, team working, risk assessments personal safety, data protection, health and safety, equality and diversity, safeguarding and business communications.

The professional skills of a housing/property management assistant

Team work — *Teamwork makes the dream work*

So, you might ask, what kind of skills might be required?

First and foremost, customer service is a must. You’ll need to be able to provide a professional, accurate, timely, ethical and non-judgemental front-line service which meets the needs of a diverse range of customers and stakeholders. You’ll need to understand the needs of vulnerable individuals and respond accordingly.

Communication will also be key, as you’ll be signposting customers to services and working with internal colleagues and external partners to achieve individual, team and business targets.

You’ll need to be able to apply a range of administrative skills and be confident in using a variety of methods to collect and present information and data accurately.

Underpinning all of this will be good time management, strong decision-making skills and effective use of IT equipment and software.

Being able to exhibit certain behaviours will also help you thrive in this line of work. Employers tell us that their most successful employees are responsive, trustworthy, adaptable, dependable, committed, customer-focused and effective team players.

Professional body alignment and progression

On completion of the apprenticeship, apprentices will be able to join the following;

Chartered Institute of Housing (CIH) at Member level
Association of Residential Letting Agents (ARLA) at Associate Grade or Member Grade (depending on length of service within the sector and within the organisation)
Institute of Residential Property Management (IRPM) at Foundation Level or Associate Level (depending on length of service within the sector and within the organisation)

Conclusion: a great start for property careers

As you can see, this level 2 apprenticeship is an excellent starting point for anyone looking to pursue a career in housing or property management. The core skills covered in the apprenticeship will open up a wide range of job and career advancement opportunities, and you will earn while you learn.

More great apprenticeship opportunities

We hope this post has inspired you to find out more about this apprenticeship, but if this programme isn’t for you, why not check out some of the other great ones on offer?

Event Assistant Apprentice Wanted (Level 3)

Event Assistant Apprentice Wanted (Level 3)

July 17, 2020July 17, 2020 by Amelia M

The party don’t start ‘til you walk in!

Another great opportunity here for a potential apprentice, the role of Event Assistant.

Does a team based, event planning role that could span a large variety of events, parties, venues and even countries – sound like it might be something for you or someone you know? Then keep reading!

What does the job role include?

This role would be perfect for individuals looking to develop within a role that provides an exciting array of tasks with varied teams, as you would be providing support to a number of different Event Planners or Project Managers. This will differ and could be for the organisation you will be working at or even with clients from larger corporations, smaller companies and not-for-profit organisations. This could cover a variation of tasks, for example: searching for the perfect location and venue for an event, organising logistics (transportation, catering, bar staff etc.) or working with the design team creating the overall look and feel for the event. So, you will definitely not get bored here.

Similarly, the variation spans to the size of the events as well as the events themselves. Conferences, meetings, trade shows or exhibitions make up 75% of events likely to be planned. However, other events to be created would include outdoor events, cultural events, sporting, and music events. Something for any apprentice to get stuck in and truly enjoy the planning and creation of a project.

If this does not sound diverse and exciting enough for you so far, you will be glad to know that even though most events are generally UK based. They are not at all limited to this and you could be planning events in many countries across the globe.

What does the apprenticeship require and am I qualified to apply?

This is suited to anyone, from any background. The key to success in event management is the right attitude, passion for both the role, the stamina and commitment to the learning.

Previous experience is not typically needed however (even though it may vary between individual employer’s set criteria) you generally need to have achieved a minimum of Level 2 Maths and English. Apprentices without Level 2 Maths and English will need to achieve this prior to them taking their EPA (End-Point Assessment).

An ideal candidate for the profession would be an individual who would be flexible, calm, and proactive in a demanding but rewarding environment that can then deal with such situations with energy and enthusiasm. Good communication skills are key, along with patience and the important ability to empathise with colleagues and clients alike.

What to expect and possible requirements of the Event Assistant role?

If you are liking the sound of this, you are probably wondering what kind of tasks you’ll be taking part in on a day to day basis and what’s the skills you’re going to need to know or be prepared to work on.

Some professional skills needed may include building and maintain a relationship and rapport with a number of colleagues, clients, and suppliers and to be able to work well within these teams. Similarly, it is crucial that an apprentice can listen, understand, vocalise a client’s wants or needs or question effectively to furthermore ensure understanding.

Some general operational skills needed would include: gathering facts and collating information. This is vital for finding the perfect location and venue for an event. Additionally, being able to then aid any onsite staff at an event or registering delegates to do.

Importantly, time management skills are a must as with event management you will need to effectively prioritise tasks by urgency when organising an event.

Another skill that is important for a role such as event planning is the ability to use word processing, spreadsheet documents and contributing or creating reports for project plans or presentations for clients.

For more information on the possible roles, skills, knowledge, and understanding needed, click here: https://www.instituteforapprenticeships.org/apprenticeship-standards/event-assistant/

What does it take to be the perfect event planner?

Enthusiastic and positive individual
Discretion with sensitive information and data
Works well under pressure, keeping calm and positive in tense situations
Good problem solving initiative, resolve issues fast and can be flexible with needs of projects
Consistent, strong attention to detail
Demonstrate respect team members regardless of any differences – sex, race, religion etc.
Exhibit a personal commitment to sustainability within all work in order to minimise negative implications on the environment potentially caused by work activities

Length of Apprenticeship & Details

Does this sound like this job is made for you? The chance to work and learn so many new things while racking up invaluable work experience within a well-established company. The length of this apprenticeship is typically 18 months and the standard of the apprenticeship is a Level 3.

Conclusion

As you can see, the Level 3 Event Assistant apprenticeship is a fantastic opportunity for someone hoping to begin a career within the events industry or someone more experienced wanting to try something new and exciting.

This apprenticeship will guide you along and open up countless possibilities in the future for a career or further education as upon completion. There is many more apprenticeships for an individual to continue learning while working and receive higher qualifications through these Level 4-7 apprenticeships.

For a more in depth look at this apprenticeship, you can view the listing by clicking the button below:

View Event Assistant Role

“SOME PEOPLE LOOK FOR A BEAUTIFUL PLACE. OTHERS MAKE A PLACE BEAUTIFUL.”
-Hazrat Inavat Khan

Although if you want to look for something a little different, you can visit our site using the button below:

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