As I was the only digital marketer, there wasn’t really any structure in the marketing department and you are expected to do essentially everything. For example, I had to write one blog a week, upload a social media post 5x a week, track analytics, create and manage the newsletter + all email blasts, collaborate on paid ads, develop the overall marketing strategy (by myself), coordinate PR and influencer activities, and more.
And this was for 2 companies: the main company Trinity AND its sister company palmpalm.
So, to be completely honest, this marketing role is severely underpaid and overworked, especially because what they really are looking for is a Marketing Director to do everything marketing related. But without the title or pay. If I had known what the full extent of the responsibilities were and how there weren’t any real plans to build the marketing team any time soon, I would have either asked for a higher salary or declined the offer. The CEO and certain parts of the upper level management do not see the value in expanding the marketing team right now, which will only continue to negatively impact both companies.
One of the biggest hurdles came from management, especially the executive who directly manages this position. He takes micromanagement to a new extreme. I had to share a Google Doc to-do list, have a weekly meeting, and share an Asana task list with him so that he could have visibility into everything I did. He's a salesperson through and through - not a digital marketer - and it shows. He’s also been a part of the company for years so he’s quite rigid in his ways. Since he wasn’t familiar with SEO, email, paid ads, social media, and more, it was difficult discussing most digital marketing efforts with him. Despite being the expert they hired to take on these responsibilities, I was often challenged on things in which he and the CEO had no experience or background.
One of the most unprofessional things that happened was when I resigned from the position. Management did not allow me to have a 2 week notice (nor the number of days specified in my contract) and, instead, I was told to wrap things up within 3 days of my notice of resignation. They then already hired a new person to start exactly on my last day. I did not get an exit interview and I was quickly deactivated from the work laptop before the end of my last official day. With everything I have stated above, it’s honestly no surprise that the company has had 3-4 people in this marketing role in less than a year.
Overall, the position is not set up for success. There is no on-boarding or training, and the company places little importance on team-building - even during COVID-19. Hopefully, this review helps anyone looking to pursue a marketing role at Trinity and palmpalm to better understand what they’re getting into. And hopefully, things will improve soon.