In South Africa, what are the requirements to enter the digital marketing field without a degree in marketing? Where to start, and what to start with? We often see the words “digital marketing” and ” social media management” used interchangeably! So, what’s the difference?
Boni had some tea with Lesedi Bogwaci, who is a global social media specialist (b2b) at an American information and insights firm. She has about 3 years of solid experience and got started while she was in high school. In addition to her advanced paralegal certificate, she is presently working part-time towards a Bachelor of Commerce in Information Technology degree. Lesedi has faced many hardships, including failing grade 12, which was devastating, but she pushed through!
Getting into social media management with no experience
Boni: How did you get into social media management while you were in high school?
Lesedi: I got into social media through my grandmother, which sounds crazy when I say it out loud. She is a doctor in Xhosa literature, Dr. Sindiwe Magona.
She has written many children’s books, and her most famous book is “To My Mother’s Mother,” which is currently part of our school curriculum. She needed to get her books out there, and I took the opportunity to help her with her social media platforms, such as Instagram and Facebook.
Moving into digital marketing
Boni: How did you move from social media to digital marketing?
Lesedi: I was in a stage where it was the end of my matric year. I knew I was not going to university the following year because my preliminary exam marks were not looking good. I then started with my Instagram Live feature, where I would interview celebrities and entrepreneurs.
There was this one lady called Mathapelo Pitse who agreed to do an interview with me. She was an entrepreneur in the women’s shoe industry.
She mentioned that as a female entrepreneur, starting with a small business, she’s wearing all the hats in the business. So I saw an opportunity to offer her some social media management help for free . We later came to an agreement that I could do it for R2500. I was so excited for this opportunity, and I ran with it!
She introduced me to social media marketing on a larger scale. The company’s profile already had 11,000 followers on Instagram. It was extremely busy with the DMs and setting up an Instagram boutique shop.
Getting real digital marketing experience
Lesedi: She continued to show me that there is a world outside of Instagram and Facebook, and we needed to tap into it. I was like, okay, let’s do it! I began to work on the website, which was originally on WordPress, and that was not user-friendly at all! I really didn’t know what I was doing but I took the challenge with both hands. We eventually decided to move the site to Shopify, which was more retail-friendly.
Learning Google Analytics
Lesedi: To be honest, I didn’t know anything about Google Analytics and Search Engine Optimisation, but I kept learning from her and spending hours watching tutorials on YouTube. I was also excited about learning about the back end of a website and LinkedIn marketing, which came in handy for my current job since I’m now more into LinkedIn marketing as a B2B specialist.
Setting up her own digital marketing business
Boni: How did you start Inkosazana Studio?
Lesedi: Mathapelo suggested that I go into business for myself and help more people after we were together for 18 months. One of my clients was a mining company, and another company was a sub-division of Nedbank. I had packages ranging from R45,000 to R12,000, and it was nerve-wracking to have an employee at the age of 19, but life was good overall.
Moving to corporate
Boni: How did you get your first big corporate opportunity?
Lesedi: I was overwhelmed with the work load and responsibilities of running a company, so I decided to use this experience and look for a job. I used platforms such as INDEED and LinkedIn to apply to any job in social media, at any level. I got the opportunity through Indeed to work as a digital marketing manager. This was a beauty company with franchises around the country.
Digital Marketing Manager Salary
Boni: How was the money?
Lesedi: The money was good, but not to be compared to the self-employment income. I was taking home R16 000 from a gross of R20 000.
So how do I get started in digital marketing?
Boni: So, how do I get started in digital marketing without a degree?
Lesedi: I have minimal certificates from Google, and they were all free! You can also check out the Meta Blueprint Academy for courses that are Meta Platform-focused, but to be honest with you, just start doing them before you even do a course! DM small businesses and influencers, offer them the service, and you will learn so much from working with them.
I did courses to refresh my memory and learn the proper terminology, but I already had the experience and got it by doing! So go approach small businesses and help them to the best of your ability in this market. You will get the desired skills from this experience, no matter how small the business is.
You can watch the interview here!
Free digital marketing resources
To kick off your digital marketing career, here are some free marketing resources!
- SocialMedia Today website to get the latest news and trends in social media marketing! It has articles, insights, and tips on how to effectively leverage social media.
Creative Bloom for inspiration, tips, and interviews with leading creatives and marketers.
The Drum is a marketing, advertising, and media news website that offers a deep dive into the industry. There is also a South African version of this website.
Hubspot Academy offers free courses and certifications on various aspects of digital marketing, content marketing, email marketing, and social media marketing.
Later Blog is focused on social media marketing with a strong emphasis on visual content.
Google Digital Garage has free courses on digital marketing, data, tech, and career development.
TalkWalker is a social media analytics and monitoring tool that offers insights into social media performance, brand reputation, and audience management.
Bizcommunity is a media and marketing news website that features industry jobs as well.
