Sage U Fireside Chat: Erin Bigley on What It Takes to be the “Jane of All Trades” and the Secret to Finding Your Niche

At Sage Communications, we’re committed to professional development. This commitment to ensuring our talented employees are engaged and never stop learning is manifested through our Sage U program, an all-learn, all-teach model focused on knowledge sharing. In the third recurrence of our Sage U Fireside Chat Q&A Series, Marketing Account Director Erin Bigley shared her witty sense of humor, marketing insights and lessons from her career.

Key highlights from the session include:

Question 1: Over the course of your career, you’ve supported myriad industries across B2B, B2C, B2G,  G2G, G2C and everything in between. What are the biggest changes and constants you’ve observed?

Erin: I definitely have a broad range of clients that I've worked over the past few years, especially throughout my time at Sage. I've watched the shift occur from print, to print and digital, to now mostly digital, and there's always new trends and ways to stay current. When you think of social media, for example, everyone is using the same channels and tactics, the market can eventually become a little over saturated, making it difficult for brands to differentiate themselves in order to stand out and be seen and heard.

Worthwhile and meaningful content, of course, is always king, at least in my mind. But we shouldn't shy away from using some of the old tactics that once worked, because not everything that's old is bad, in my opinion, direct mail is a good example of this, if it's done right. I know we had a client at Sage that once did a direct mail piece, it wasn't just a mailer that went out that was interactive and I think that was a really good example of it. Because right now, obviously we send out a blast. But people delete them. It's just what happens there's so much hitting your inbox that sometimes you don't actually get seen and so sometimes trying something old like mail might put you in the right spot. Another example might even be something like radio spots. Obviously, the current climate isn't the best option for radio per se, since people are commuting to work. But I think if we still think about that and kind of reassess it coming back to it with something like a podcast, it could be a good alternative that would still get the message out in front of the right people. The overarching constant is always to keep your audiences in mind, and make sure you understand what drives them. 

Question 2: Your role as the director of marketing requires you to be a ‘Jane of All Trades’, a master orchestrator with commanding knowledge about marketing strategy, branding, design, web development and all related disciplines. At the same time, you’re balancing the scorecard: managing budgets, timelines, training other vendors and client services. What aspect of your formal education and/or professional training has helped you the most?

Erin: I feel that time management, prioritization and forward thinking are the main keys. Accepting that you can't do everything at once is a first step because jumping from project to project can lead to a talented individual creating subpar work because you begin to feel scatterbrained. And so, I think trying to organize yourself can really help in balancing it all. Prioritization really is essential, but also at the same time while you're looking at these immediate tasks and trying to get things off your plate. I think still being able to look ahead is just as important, whether that be at a project that's coming up that needs to be started now so that you have ample time to complete it, or whether that be thinking to the future for a media buy or planning for the next year. 

Question 3: What aspects of marketing or agency life do you enjoy the most? What is the most often misunderstood?

Erin: I would say the collaboration. There are so many creative and smart people that work at Sage alone that it's just so nice to be able to get differing opinions and differing ideas and see how they can work together. And on that same token, the fact that there are so many aspects of marketing and PR from social media to strategy and creative that you kind of get to see it all. You aren't siloed and get the opportunity to work on numerous clients as well to get a broader vision of the industry as a whole, instead of just being confined to one thing.

On the other hand, at least from my perspective in my role, I think that sometimes people just assume that we are paper pushers or project managers only where we're just simply working to complete a project and not looking at things on a broader scale or that we don't have our own thoughts or that it's just something that has been handed off and you're just kind of completing it. It's much more than that. And people only see small tidbits of it.

Question 4: It’s often said that growth is born from uncomfortable situations. What client accounts or situations have you learned the most?

Erin: I've definitely had some interesting clients throughout the years, whether that be the company themselves or an individual, but I think the thing that stands out for me the most is feeling confident enough to be honest with your clients and push back when needed. Sometimes it leads to uncomfortable conversations, but I think in the long run, that really gives the client more respect for you and the company as a whole.

Question 5: What was the best piece of advice you've ever gotten?

Erin: For me, it's probably just having an opinion, obviously you need to be ready to backup that opinion but if you're just sitting in the back of the room as a wallflower, you’re not going to get as much out of things as you want. There are times and places to do this and also times when you should not do this, but I think if you read the room, there are plenty of opportunities to get your thoughts out there, contribute, even if it's something small. The key is to never be afraid to ask questions. I won't say that there are no dumb questions, because I'm not sure if I fully agree with that, but there are so many questions that can be asked that will help provide clarity save more time in the long run.

Question 6: What advice do you have for rising marketing professionals as they're navigating their career?

Erin: There are so many different aspects to marketing. If you're passionate about it enough, you’ll eventually find a niche that will fit your skill set.  You might not land in it immediately, but working in an agency, you have the ability to touch different departments, to see how things start and how they all flow. It's a good place to start your career because you have that pool of options. You might be in a set position at that moment, but I think at the same time, you can at least get a vision and feel for other aspects and how they all work together. I think it's just a matter of finding what makes you tick and what you really are passionate about, because you don't want to get stuck in something that might not be exactly what you had in mind. But also, don't shy away or give up just because it isn't right away. Give everything a chance, because there are so many other aspects and avenues that I feel like you can explore to find that fit for yourself. 

At Sage Communications, we’re committed to professional development. This commitment to ensuring our employees are engaged and never stop learning is manifested through our Sage U program: an all-learn, all-teach model focused on knowledge sharing.