Paid Social Analyst @ dentsu X with Sophia Ershova
Sophia and Blair discuss the work she’s doing in paid social advertising; how not networking can still get you a job; and, making the big decision to move to Canada as an international student.
In her year one, Sophia’s been working at dentsu X, a global full-service branding and marketing agency. She started on a co-op placement as a Media Coordinator which became a full-time job when she graduated from a postgraduate digital marketing program, and she’s since earned a promotion to Paid Social Analyst. Some of the things that Sophia and Blair discuss include the work she’s doing in paid social advertising; how not networking can still get you a job; and, making the big decision to move to Canada as an international student.
About Sophia Ershova
Sophia started working in media in her 3rd year of university and continued to work in media planning for 2.5 years in two different agencies before moving to Canada in early 2021. In her year one in Canada, Sophia’s been working at dentsu X, a global full-service branding and marketing agency. She started on a co-op placement as a Media Coordinator which became a full-time job when she graduated from a postgraduate digital marketing program, and she’s since earned a promotion to Paid Social Analyst.
The Highlights and Hottest Takes 🔥
How Sophia Got the Job
dentsu X was on Sophia’s radar as an interesting place to work. She applied to them a couple of times directly to the company website, but didn’t get any reply. One day Sophia walked by the office and spoke to the building, asking: “Why can’t you just hire me?” Then she saw job on LinkedIn so applied to it there. The next day she got a call to schedule an interview. The following week Sophia got a job offer.
"This time it worked because it was more urgent than the typical hiring process. dentsu X was looking to replace somebody who got promoted. It was a case of being in the right place at the right time."
Mistake Made
Not being confident. Main mistake was for some time I wasn’t confident enough that I could do certain things that were new.
Lesson Learned
Just go for an opportunity. If there’s an opportunity go for it even if you’re unsure. Better to give it a try than to regret not doing it at all.
Pro Tip
Look back at where you were. Invest time to reflect on the past week/month–where you started, where you ended, what you learned (and any mistakes).
Segments
Sophia's Year 1ne @ dentsu X | 1:10-23:25
dentsu x is global advertising and media agency network. As she says: "All these agency networks are fundamentally the same–full-scope of marketing communication (creative development and production, media planning, media buying) services with international/global reach."
Sophia manages one client with multiple lines of business, where each business does its own paid social strategy based on specific business needs. Most of the work day-to-day is building and launching paid social advertising campaigns on different social ad platforms, mainly Meta Ads Manager (Facebook, Instagram) and Pinterest. (There are multiple people on the team, others work with other social ad platforms–LinkedIn, TikTok, Snap.) The work also involves: status reporting (aka emailing clients 15-20 times/day), managing media budget and invoicing; and, trafficking creative advertising asset(s) to media to run on their channel(s).
“In media you need to work a lot with budgets, financials and invoices.”
How would Sophia persuade a client who typically does offline ("traditional") advertising to test online advertising? Three points:
- It's easier to do online advertising
- You can test with a small budget–in the tens or hundreds of dollars
- It doesn't take as many resources (time, money or people) to do a test
"Just go for it. This morning I launched 4 campaigns within 1 hour!"
Getting to Day 1ne: The Job Search | 23:26-36:40
dentsu X was on Sophia’s radar as an interesting place to work. She applied to them a couple of times directly to the company website, but didn’t get any reply. One day Sophia walked by the office and spoke to the building, asking: “Why can’t you just hire me?” Then she saw job on LinkedIn so applied to it there. The next day she got a call to schedule an interview. The following week Sophia got a job offer.
"This time it worked because it was more urgent than the typical hiring process. dentsu X was looking to replace somebody who got promoted. It was a case of being in the right place at the right time."
Things I've Learned in Year 1ne | 36:41-39:34
Look back at where you were. Nothing is impossible for you. Invest time to reflect on the past week/month–where you started, where you ended, what you learned (and any mistakes).
All mistakes are small mistakes. There’s really no one mistake that can ruin everything. “Unless you delete all your Meta ad accounts but I don’t know how to even do this”
Just go for an opportunity. If there’s an opportunity go for it even if you’re unsure. Better to give it a try than to regret not doing it at all.
Re(Sources)
- Connect with Sophia Ershova: LinkedIn
- Brands/organizations: dentsu X
- Marketing and media tools: Meta Ads Manager | Pinterest for Business | Microsoft Excel
- Connect with The Year 1ne’s host Blair Smith: LinkedIn | Website
Credits
- Created and Produced by Blair Smith
- Hosted by Blair Smith
- Mixed and Mastered by Ray Harripaul
Sponsor(s)
N/A for this episode...Interested in being a sponsor of The Year 1ne's Show? Drop us a line via email 😀
Sophia Ershova
Paid Social Analyst
Born and raised in Moscow, Russia.
started working in media at the end of my 3rd year of university. Moved to Canada in Jan of 2021.
Landed a job at dentsu X in Aug 2021 and was promoted to Paid Social Analyst in Aug 2022
