Hi! Welcome to this Introduction Post where I’ll be taking a deep dive (with you) into my world of Digital Marketing and how I’m helping brands innovate their existing systems and come up with consumer-oriented marketing strategies.
You might be thinking – “Just who is this guy and why should I care”? – Truth be told, I feel the same way. I have no business taking this important chunk of time out of your day and having you read this boring article that’s all about me. But I dare you to stick around. Why?
This isn’t your typical rags to riches story (far from that, actually). I’m not a protagonist of anyone’s story but mine and I’m rather insignificant in the grand scheme of things. But I hope to inspire you with my story. I hope to excite you and make you realize that even though everyone has a different background, any one of us can succeed in the ultimate battle of life, with enough consistency, perseverance, and most importantly, passion!
Humble Beginnings – From a Town Called “Lalkurti” in Pakistan
I was born and raised in a rather upbeat town called “Lalkurti” – known for being a popular tourist resort in the 70s and one of the very few areas in Pakistan where people from different religions and mindsets have managed to co-exist in peace.
From Kindergarten through to College, each part of my life took place in Pakistan. I made (and lost) some amazing friends here, I passed High School (with awful grades) right here. And my transformation also took place – IN THIS VERY SAME PLACE!
The Transition From Finance to Digital Marketing
I have a rather typical Pakistani story – I wasn’t allowed to pursue the degree that I liked (which, at the time, was International Business), and truth be told, I wasn’t really given the time to think either.
If you think I’m lying, the next line will blow your mind – “I had just attempted my last GCE O-Levels Exam and the very next day, I was sitting in the main office of a nearby college, enrolling in a Chartered Accountancy program”.
Weird transition, right? Well, that’s exactly what happened. Nevertheless, not one to back away and disappoint my family, I did one full year of accounting, earning a Foundation Diploma before my transformation and eventual transition to Digital Marketing took place.
My father started facing some “financial issues” and as a result, I took a One-Year Break from College. During that break, I came across a Free Digital Marketing Course that the Government of Pakistan was offering. That was my first interaction with Digital Marketing. I remember I looked at the course curriculum and so all of these terms (SEO? Sounds rather exciting! Design? Wait, is this the same program?). For the next 3-6 months, I was fully focused on the course albeit with some other sacrifices.
The Hard Path – Struggles & Successes
My father’s struggles didn’t seem to be going away and eventually I realized I had to do something. So, in a bit of a daring move, I went to a local “Telecommunications Company” for a Customer Service Role and even though I had landed the role itself, my “pride” didn’t allow me to start my first job with them, as the pay was just a wee bit over the minimum wage (which, according to me, is a Cardinal Sin).
A few weeks later, I again went for an interview with another pioneering Call Center Organization and started working there. I remember getting my first salary and being so excited even though it was a meager $100 for a full month’s job. I continued for the next two weeks until a few days before Christmas when I realized I could be doing more “productive & meaningful things” than going to a Call Center and working 12 Hours in the night.
I eventually managed to persuade my parents trying to get them to allow me to continue my education. And just as I was about to do that, I got a sucker punch as COVID-19 happened and the entire 2020 was lost. But a silver lining was just on the horizon. #
Going Fully Remote With Shine Armor & Acadium
One of my father’s colleagues whose husband was the manager of an American eCommerce brand asked my dad to have me interview for a vacant role. And that I did! Within the next year, I became an integral part of the team consistently being the highest stat-padder in the entire company and getting more projects. As the workload increased, so did my income, and much of that I re-invested into learning more and more about Digital Marketing.
Towards the end of 2020, I found out about Acadium which is a platform offering “Remote Marketing Apprenticeships“. After optimizing my profile and adding in my preferred interests, I landed my first apprenticeship with a Lady from New Zealand but I didn’t manage to survive for long as the difference in time zones made it difficult for either one of us to sync together.
However, after a few weeks of trial-and-error, I managed to secure my first apprenticeship – this time with “Seeking Shalom” – A Mental Health Counseling Organization based out of New York. After a successful three months, I did 4 more apprenticeships and learned more about marketing than books or courses ever taught me.
What Digital Marketing Services Do I Offer?
Throughout my marketing journey, from originally learning about the industry to now having 3+ experience under my belt, there’s on area that has been of utmost importance to me. And that is “Content Marketing”.
I don’t know about your but I’m a sucker for beautifully written & designed content. I absolutely adore it when fellow Marketers or Businesses use their creativity to create narratives within a piece of content. And that is what Content means to me. It’s not about aesthetics or promoting a product/service. It’s about tapping into Human Emotion and leveraging them to craft a beautiful brand story.
And this is why I went into Content Marketing. But, being a T-Shaped Marketer, it was important that I understood all other facets of Marketing and so over the years, I’ve grown from “Just” being a Content Marketer to becoming a Full-Stack Marketing Consultant.
The services that I offer now include SEO, Content Marketing, Copywriting, Paid Advertising, Marketing Strategy & General Business Consulting.
Who do I do it for? While I don’t like to exclude any kind of business, it’s important to note that having a “niche” matters. And I personally prefer to work with Tech Startups (because they seek to innovate) and Health-Tech Brands (because they seek to provide value to human beings). However, I’ve worked with other industries too such as the Financial Services & Investing Industry to Individual Coaches & Practitioners.
The Importance of Growth & Learning
In my life, the biggest constant has been my “eagerness to learn”. I’ve always tried to explore new courses & programs, YouTube Channels and IG accounts, just to learn more and more about Marketing & Business. From guys like Gary V to Chris Do and Alex Hormozi, I’ve binge-watched them all and learned quite a lot at the same time.
Towards the end of 2022, I decided to invest a hefty amount in a “Full-Stack Marketing” course and signed up for IDMPakistan – one of the leading Digital Marketing Institutes in Pakistan. This 6-month certification is still “In Progress”, as I write this article – But so far, I’ve learned a lot! From Affiliate Marketing & Paid Advertising to WordPress & SEO. It’s something that I feel is going to help me take the next step in my marketing journey.
But back to the point about learning! I’m an avid learner and I believe everyone should be. Having that mindset helps one constantly seek to re-invent the old methods and invent new ones. In my experience, it’s given me a different, more holistic outlook of Digital Marketing and as a result, whenever I work with clients, they always appreciate me for my analytical and strategic point of view.
I also find learning to be the sole driver of my life. Throughout my life, stagnation has followed whenever I became too complacent and didn’t seek to learn new things. As such, I want to invite you guys to do the same! There’s no time but NOW!
How Do I Envision Digital Marketing To Turn Out In The Future?
In my opinion, Digital Marketing is undergoing the second phase of “Digitalization” right now. The first stage came with the advent of the Internet as marketers and businesses across the world digitized their products and their offerings online. This was followed by a ton of Marketers who sought to help those businesses optimize their ROI.
Now, in this era, Digitalization is going to evolve further – coupled with Artificial Intelligence (AI) & Communities. Now I don’t believe that AI is going to put Marketers, especially writers, out of business – I do feel it’s something that can be leveraged to make the process much smoother and faster. Also – I’m not going to claim this was written by ChatGPT 🙂
As such, the biggest dilemma I see is this – Do we get ousted by AI OR do we learn how to use it as a utility?
I would love to hear your thoughts on that question! The comments below are open for you to grace your wisdom with!