My name is Carly Adams. I graduated from Wayne State University in August 2016 with a BA in journalism.
Upon graduation, I was pretty torn about the career path I should take. On the one hand, I loved to use my writing talents to tell stories and convey a message. On the other hand, I wanted to go into a field in which I would be challenged, with the freedom to take creative leaps. I knew writing for a newspaper wouldn’t check all the boxes for me, so I explored another avenue: digital marketing.
My first gig was working as a communications associate for the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences at Wayne State University. The position gave me a chance to dip my toes in a field with that I would someday fall in love. I researched, created and posted a variety of content including news articles, feature articles, profiles and various promotional materials. But, what made me discover my true calling was the post-production process – posting it all to social media. I loved seeing how the different variables of posting could impact the overall reach and engagement rates. I realized just how game-like it all was. It was more than just sharing quality content. There’s a strategy behind it; it’s an art as much as it is a science.
Of course, all good things must come to an end, and it was time to spread my wings. My next position, marketing coordinator at Metro Parent magazine, was my first step into pure digital marketing. I was incredibly intimidated by the role at first. ‘I have no children, how could I possibly connect to the audience – let alone convince them to engage with us?’ It ended up being an amazing opportunity. I was able to learn to market to an audience of which I wasn’t a part of, manipulating my voice to resonate with their readers. I created Google and Facebook ad campaigns, implemented complex email automation systems, wrote content, tracked analytics and oversaw each of their social media channels in addition to the social media channels of other clients.
While managing Metro Parent’s social media, I nearly tripled their Instagram audience, increased engagement with their Facebook audience and led the marketing campaigns for several annual events. My talents were developed and refined at Metro Parent, where I even won national recognition, taking home the highest award for the Best Use of Social Media category from the Parenting Media Association in 2018.
Still, I’m hungry for more. My goal is to continue my professional growth in a position where I am able to combine my technical skills with my personal traits and passions, propelling companies and clients to their objectives. There is nothing more satisfying than maximizing the exposure of a brand and mastering an algorithm – and thanks to Zuckerberg, there will always be another algorithm change to conquer.