Social Media Spotlight - Amy McManus
Introducing the CEO and Founder of AM Marketing, Amy McManus.
She’s had an ‘adventurous’ marketing journey to where she is now and has big plans for the future including encouraging more women into digital!
Tell us about your history in marketing. How did you get to where you are now?:
I went straight from uni into a store manager role. The store was failing and I was in the right place at the right time. I didn't have an area or regional manager and was the only store in my county, it was up to me to turn this store around. After initiating my own marketing campaigns and partnerships with other businesses, the store had gone from closing down to hitting every target, within 3 months. Turnover was up 273% and I was head hunted by my first marketing firm.
On my first day in my new role I was introduced to the team (all male bar one) as one of my new co-workers shouted from the back "great, there's somebody else to make the tea." On my second day I was introduced to one of the directors at Holland and Barrett as their new account manager and told to present...without pre-warning. Then dropped off at the NEC to manage a stand for a client at a national food show for 4 days. Thrown into the deep end was an understatement, but I swam.
Within a year I had brought on Amazon and Harrods as clients and was managing the accounts for 700 retail stores across the UK and Ireland. I was the youngest person to ever win the Holland and Barrett Product of the Year award as responsible for over £8m in sales in a year, but it was at the cost to my mental health. I worked silly hours, my social life went out the window, and I suffered burnout. I was under-appreciated, underpaid and referred to, by my boss, as 'some bird in the agency.' I left this job with nowhere else to go, but I did it for my health and happiness. I later found out the company continued emailing my clients from my account pretending I still worked there.
My next role was very different! I rebranded ferries! It's very rare for a company to build a commercial ferry nowadays, it's much cheaper and simpler to lease them from another firm. My job was to ensure that every deck of these huge commercial ships were rebranded to reflect the new owners. Every single logo from the old company had to be covered...this includes the one on the side! One of my most bizarre memories from this job was in Gdańsk in Poland; it was January and freezing cold. I was attempting to attach new signage to the wall and I couldn't as the glue had frozen. 300 crew, 3 women, 10 people spoke English. I don't know about you, but my Polish is a little rusty? Within 9 months I had rebranded 5 ferries AND also looked after the onboard marketing for 5 commercial ships on the channel. That's a job I'll never forget!
After this I started a role which I thought was going to be my dream job. I was hired as the Marketing Director for an agency, which specialised in marketing for start-ups. I handed in my notice within 28 hours... While looking at some client invoices I realised the numbers didn't match up; some of the money hadn't reached the company account. I then discovered my boss hadn't paid some of my co-workers in months. I then discovered she was paying some of them in other ways... When I confronted her she lied about her finances and attempted to forge a cheque from HMRC for £300,000. I reminded her that HMRC don't use Times New Roman as a font. After reporting her to fraud investigations I was out of there. I felt really bad for the clients who had their money stolen, but were still waiting for work so I said 'I'll do it to help out while I'm looking for another job,' but that other job never came.
The referrals came in really quickly and I picked up a couple of business awards within my first year. One day I pitched for a campaign and the company said they wouldn't work with me unless I was a company; AM Marketing was formed in 30 minutes on a Friday afternoon and that's the branding we still use today! 2 years later I went for a pitch I never thought I'd win, 3 hours later I got it. I had to ring my husband and tell him to hand in his notice...I was his new boss now! Ha! So here I am now, award-winning, 6-figure digital agency, Role Model of the Year, International Speaker, CEO, Digital Entrepreneur. AM Marketing began like a soap story line. Now we provide world-class digital marketing services to clients all over the world and support young talent to start their digital careers.
P.S. Just as a little side note...the boss that was paying people in sex? She turned out to be an actual sociopath who is now committed. In a weird way, I guess I own that cow everything. :-)
What does your day to day work consist of?:
There is never a typical day. That's what I love about my business. I oversee each area of the business as a whole, but in terms of the bigger picture I look after all business development, brand development, strategy, and collaboration projects. One day I could be meeting with another agency about working on projects together, the next I'm creating our social strategy, the day after I'm judging business awards, then at the end of the week I'm flying to Europe to speak at a conference. Every day is completely different. If I'm honest though, I love to have a couple of days in the office a week. I've got a great team and we get on really well. Those days are always filled with laughter.
What are the biggest challenges with running an agency?:
As we are going through a big expansion, the biggest challenge I'm currently finding is the digital skills gap and hiring. The education system hasn't caught up with the digital industry's need for people and there aren't enough relevant digital skills taught in schools and universities. We're very lucky as an agency. We have a great reputation and get multiple referrals a week so this isn't an issue for us. I also wouldn't say mental health is a challenge, but it's certainly something I'm conscious of every day. Working in the digital industry is tough, staring at a screen all day is tough, constantly looking at "perfect" people on social is tough. I have to ensure that my team's wellbeing is top notch. Happy people do great work.
You've recently won Digital Women's Role Model of the Year, how did that make you feel?:
Absolutely elated! This was a very important category for me. I've been through a lot in the last 6 years and shot my entry video on my sofa while recovering from spinal fusion surgery. I always tell the REAL story, shit and all. I want people to see the 100%, not the top 10% Instagram BS. Let's be real, if someone with chronic pain, who got hit by a car, and suffered with mental health issues for years, can found and grow a successful agency, you can do whatever the bloody hell you want to do! Hard work, tenacity, and sheer stubbornness accomplishes anything and I'm living proof of that. Thank you for this award!
Is there anything exciting lined up for AM Marketing or yourself?:
#NDA Keeping Schtum. You'll have to wait and see! We're going through a big expansion at the moment with plans to double our team by the end of the year. For me it's all about getting more young women into digital. I want to see the current 25% up to 50/50 by the time I retire. I've been asked to speak at a lot of conferences around Europe this year, so you'll hopefully see me at the ones that aren't cancelled later on in the year!
What advice would give to aspiring marketer?:
Read and read. There is so much information available online from blogs to vlogs and training courses. No matter who you are and what subjects you studied, marketing is so varied that there will be an area that is suited to you perfectly. If you can enter a grad scheme or entry level position, look for agencies that will train you in several areas so you can get a feel for what you want to specialise in later on.
What do you love most about Social Media?:
The freedom to connect with those I wouldn't have had the opportunity to before. The amazing creativity I see through content every day. At the moment, the way social is bringing people together and allowing friends and families to stay connected throughout the COVID-19 pandemic. The sharing of knowledge and skills online has been amazing to see.
What do you dislike about Social Media?:
The trolls. Have you seen the comments on my TEDx talk? Lol. If you wouldn't say it to someone's face, what gives you the right to say it on social media?
What's been your best social media success story to date (Can be your own or client) and why?:
AM Marketing's Instagram Stories. We started these as a bit of fun to give our followers backstage access to what goes on behind the scenes. It was clear that audiences were tried of pre-created content and corporate crud. We have never been a 'sell sell sell' corporate style agency, but Instagram Stories gave us another platform to show the human side of AM Marketing. What started as a bit of fun is now one of our most successful platforms for new business. At least 50% of the new business calls I have involve the sentence 'I've seen your Instagram stories.' It's like the client has already met us before they pick up the phone. If they see our Stories and think 'that's the agency for me,' we know we're going to have a great relationship from the start.
What has been your favourite social media campaign so far and why?:
Innocent Smoothies - Bolt from the Blue I'm a huge fan of the Innocent social team already, but when they launched Bolt from the Blue it was another level. The main premise? They argued heavily that their Bolt from the Blue drink was blue, when in fact it was definitely green. In a series of videos and posts across multiple platforms, the Innocent team challenged anyone who suggested their drink was anything other than blue. But the cherry on top was hiring Duncan from Blue, and paying him £50 to tell everyone their drink was blue (not green.) It was sheer brilliance and I opened their social platforms every week to check the new content. I love a company that doesn't take itself too seriously.
As there are so many changes to social media, how do you keep up to date with the latest information?:
Read, read and read some more. You have to be constantly learning and ready to evolve. We attend key conferences throughout the year and collaborate with a lot of different agencies from various industries. In the industry that is digital you can go to sleep an expert and wake up a novice. If you're not always learning, you're going to get left behind fast.
Finally, what would you like the future of social media to be?:
I would like it to be simplified and less toxic. Less automatic and more thoughtful.
Where can we find you?:
www.ammarketing.co.uk
www.amymcmanus.co.uk
www.facebook.com/AMMarketingUK
@ammarketing (instagram and twitter)
@theamymcmanus
https://www.linkedin.com/in/theamymcmanus/
https://www.linkedin.com/company/am-marketing-uk/