Infiltrating the digital marketing space

Account manager at Core PR and Communications, Julie Hauwanga shares her love for the public relations and communications sphere while tackling the challenges that come hand in hand with the industry.

After a year and a half - and counting - as an account manager, Hauwanga said her job is never dull, and the diverse range of activities keep her on her toes. When asked what drew her to the field, she had the following to say: “I like variation in my work. Writing and social media has always intrigued me".

According to Hauwanga, working at Core PR and Communications, which is a small boutique marketing and advertising agency, meant she could get an all-round experience.

“This is something I think we as young people forget. These are our formative career years, and the foundation will be invaluable in years to come. My boss gives me a lot of responsibility and while I was first daunted by it, I now relish it."

One of her biggest challenges was feeling like she should be excluded just because of her age, she said, adding that she had to remind herself that she worked just as hard to get to where she is today.

“One of the most challenging things is to know and realise that I deserve to be in the meeting rooms and at the tables that I am at. Just because I am young doesn’t mean my input and opinion isn’t important. We can be respectful but not deferential. Especially as a woman, this is something we should be aware of,” Hauwanga said.



Education

Growing up in Okahandja, Hauwanga attended the University of Namibia (Unam), where she obtained an honours degree in public management. She furthered her studies at Regent Business School in Pretoria where she obtained a postgraduate diploma in project management.

She said while her qualifications have helped her get to where she is, nothing compares to the experience and knowledge she gained throughout the years, physically being in the field.



Responsibilities

Hauwanga has a variety of responsibilities, but her main tasks include assisting in drafting and editing of press releases, articles and other written materials to ensure brand consistency and messaging effectiveness. She is also tasked with attending meetings.

“When attending meetings, I aim to actively contribute meaningfully as it is one of my favourite aspects. My opinion and work is valued," she said.

The account manager duty list continues with helping to train clients for interviews and media engagements, which she describes as "great fun". She is also responsible for some of the clients' social media pages, which is a lot of work, according to Hauwanga



Future plans

As difficult as it might be to answer the question 'where do you see yourself in the next five years?', Hauwanga said she hopes to continue where she is. “Running my own clients and training and teaching the next batch of graduates, just as I started as an intern. Namibia is developing at a rapid pace and with the oil and gas developments, the sky's the limit. I want to push that limit way beyond!” she said.

When asked what advice she had for the youth, she said the best thing is to get a good education and learn as much as you can from others.



Five tips:

Everybody needs everything yesterday

Think before you do

Double and triple check before you post or publish online

Never try reinventing the wheel

Observe those around you and learn their best practices, but also learn from their mistakes.













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