My year at The Bigger Boat - Enya

Digital marketing intern Enya Key is saying farewell to full-time hours as she returns to Huddersfield for her final year of university. A stalwart fixture in the team, Enya will continue with us on a part-time basis while she continues her studies. Here, Enya discusses her industry year onboard The Bigger Boat.

After taking a gap year to figure out what career I wanted to work towards, I began my degree in Digital and Social Media Marketing at the University of Huddersfield. I’d always known I wanted to complete an optional year in industry and put the skills I’d gained during my first 2 years at Uni into practice. Gaining valuable experience and learning more in a workplace environment really appealed to me.

The Bigger Boat caught my eye when I spotted on social media that they had just won a Best eCommerce Website for their work with Little Tikes at the Northern Digital Awards 2020. I was disappointed to find that TBB wasn’t currently hiring for an intern position. However, I thought just do it and I put myself out there with a witty email to introduce myself. Later that summer, I started my year-long work placement at TBB and haven’t looked back.

At the beginning of the year, I wasn’t sure which area of marketing I wanted to focus on as my degree course is broad and covers all aspects of marketing. However, I quickly became interested in PPC marketing, which allowed me to apply the digital theory I’d learnt at Uni. I also feel I am suited to this area of marketing as I am more of numbers than words person and enjoy looking into data and analytics. digital Marketing is a career that I intend to pursue once I have graduated.

Throughout the year, I have mainly focused my time on digital marketing and social media marketing. I had very little experience in these areas of marketing but I quickly picked up the fundamental of PPC marketing and SEO. Towards the end of placement, I have been able to run and optimise PPC campaign with little guidance. Paid social was also another area that I had no practical experience in before working at TBB, I have since developed my knowledge and wrote a guide that is now TBB’s bible for everything paid social. Overall, my experience at TBB has been invaluable and I’m delighted to complete the year with a plethora of new skills to assist me in my future career.

I joined TBB at strange time due to the COVID-19 pandemic. However, even with working from home for most my placement, the team has made me feel welcome and included and I have still managed to squeeze every drop of knowledge from the crew. Some of my favourite moments include TBB Christmas party (albeit on Zoom) and team lunches (I’m a sucker for a bit of free food). This weekend, TBB are heading to Leeds for our first in-person night out in over a year, which I’m sure will finish of my placement year in the best way.

It’s not goodbye forever as I will be staying onboard part time alongside my final year studies.