If , like me, you started working in Marketing before DIGITAL MARKETING was even a thing – You may be thinking HOLY SHIT – what happened over the past few years?

You might have had time off to have a baby, returned to work – potentially already feeling on the backfoot (because you know, baby brain and freaking the HELL out in general) and then BAM!!

A whole new world!

So you may have found yourself with a couple of options.

Learn digital on the job

Dig in, learn on the job and hope fo the best (also trying not to freak out about retaining information and just mainlining caffeine)

Digital Marketing Training

Get for some formal training in this blasted new fango-dango digital. Also, spend WAY more time than necessary, working out what training to go for and worrying about having an actual clue what anyone is on about (also trying not to freak out about retaining information and just mainlining caffeine)

My choice was to go with the first one.

Why? Because the ‘pre-kids’ Claire said I had proved before that I picked things up with ease, I was the one who got shit done. This would be a walk in the park, right?

What I actually forgot was that with the 100,00 million extra jobs, a child, and a lack of sleep I might struggle with that. Shocker right?

This meant I never ‘quite’ felt like I understood digital. That was particularly tricky when I was managing agencies. I had a basic grasp, but anything deeper level and I was winging it.

It was also clear (so clear it took me 10 years to realise it) that I was NEVER about hard stats. I am about people and relationships. I LOVE being able to see stats and use them appropriately, but PRODUCE them….. God no!

Now I understand- this is the VERY reason we have agencies. They are experts in their field. I was expert in managing the project and the deadline. Understanding the brand. THAT was my area of expertise.

But I put a LOT of pressure on myself to ‘have all the answers’ When did that happen and is this symptomatic of having children?

We are often expected to know the answers for what our kids need, and somehow, because MiMs are ‘superheroes’ this belief is carried into work.

Through our community, I know I am not the first to have done that. But we are changing things. We are shaking up those beliefs and owning what we LOVE and what we KNOW with pride.

Mums in Marketing celebrates the fact that we all have different areas of expertise.

We know our stuff, but now we also have each other for the areas that our not our gig.

Together the ‘MiM’s’ are an ARMY of knowing. Digital or not.