Create your very own Auto Publish News/Blog Site and Earn Passive Income in Just 4 Easy Steps
The Community Spotlight – a monthly blog series highlighting some of the amazing members of the community Email community– is back for 2024!
Every month we interview, recognize and celebrate the amazing members of the email community. We explore where they started, where they are now, and explore their challenges and passions via email.
This month we're chatting Najmah Salam– Designer, copywriter, strategist and former teenage graffiti artist.
What were the beginnings of your time in email marketing?
Like many other email specialists, I fell in love with email marketing completely by accident. My introduction to email came in my first role in the UK as a marketing assistant for an online personalized gifts company, and one of my many tasks was to create emails every week.
It didn't take long for me to become completely overwhelmed by the impact I was having on sales with the power of email and become an email geek!
How did you first get involved with the broader email geek community?
My first reaction when I learn something new is to go to the library or, these days, do some research online. I know I wanted to get better at email and was lucky enough to stumble upon this Women of Email Community on Facebook and the Email Geeks Slack community. Just by being in these communities, I learned a lot and finally gained the courage to get involved!
How would you describe what you've found in the Email Geeks community and what keeps you connected to it?
I've said it before and I'll say it again: The Email Geeks community is the best professional community there is! Everyone is willing to share their knowledge or peer review things you are working on. Plus, the memes are top notch. I think what connects me. Even though I'm no longer a pure email specialist, there is always a feed with the latest information about email and related disciplines. There are also the most generous and talented people there are.
You're known for a variety of things in the email community, but let's start with stickers – when did you start creating Email Geek stickers and graphics? What was the trigger for this?
I have been a designer and artist for longer than I have been a marketer. In fact, I think I've been doodling on every surface I could get my hands on for as long as I can remember. I was part of a graffiti crew as a teenager, and a big part of the culture is making sticker art.
I remember thinking about the funny phrases I've come across a lot in my career and thinking it would be great if they were stickers and I tried making my own designs – guess I the rest is history!
You have run your own consulting company and worked for some well-known companies in our industry. How would you compare these experiences?
Through my work as a business specialist, I have not only acquired a solid knowledge of email marketing, but also all the other skills required to work successfully with other people. As part of a larger organization you learn to be a good team player and communicator and are ideal for building structures. However, working as a consultant can be incredibly liberating – I believe I became a consultant at the right time in my life. I think if I had started working for myself earlier in my career, I wouldn't have developed the good habits that serve me well today.
Her skills and consulting services range from design to copywriting to public speaking. Which aspects are satisfactory for you?
Design is incredibly important to me –design Since intentional creation is a large part of marketing, being able to leverage design thinking should be essential for every marketer. I love the process of transforming information from a brief into something tangible.
In a similar way, advertising texts is design with words. I've always loved writing, but there's something incredibly satisfying about distilling a powerful idea with sparing use of words.
Finally, I always introduce myself as a weirdo who actually enjoys public speaking – I've always been a bit silly and try to find ways to bring a fun energy to what I present. As a person who enjoys interacting with people, it is also a great opportunity to connect with people!
Tell us about the title “Marketing Alchemist” – why did you choose this term to describe yourself? How would you define it?
When I thought about what term best describes me, simply calling myself a designer, content creator, or marketer didn't seem quite right. I do many things and equally enjoy them.
For me, marketing is like alchemy. Marketing, unlike design where you can bring something into being, depends on being able to market something. I call myself a marketing alchemist because I believe that the best thing I can do is combine existing elements with the full range of my skills and turn them into gold.
How do your intersecting identities shape your approach to your career?
I love the saying, “When the only tool you have is a hammer, every problem looks like a nail.”
Because of my overlapping identities, I have an interesting and diverse set of tools to tackle any problem, be it as a designer, writer or marketer. I am able to make a holistic decision about whether a piece of content works best in one format or another. It also allows me to zoom out and think holistically about the problems I'm solving.
This has served me really well in my career as I have often worked in small companies and had to wear multiple hats.
What first steps would you offer someone who wants to venture into consulting?
Think about your strengths and weaknesses and, most importantly, think about who you want to help. Then think about how you can easily communicate these things to your target audience.
Once you've sorted these things out, you've already checked off a pretty difficult step on your journey!
Which songs motivate you and which relax you?
I have a pretty eclectic taste in music, but I'm a big fan of 90s hits that spice me up and put me in a good mood, like the Spice Girls! I even did a cover of “Say You’ll Be There” because it always makes me smile.
Plus, I'm a big old nerd. I often listen to gaming and movie soundtracks to relax, especially to concentrate while working. The Skyrim soundtrack is one that I go back to again and again.
I also love creating Spotify playlists with really specific songs, like “I'm a deputy cop in my 70s” And “👙Floating in a pool and thinking about existential questions.”
What types of activities have helped you when you need renewal?
I'm lucky enough to live in Salisbury in the UK, which is very picturesque. So getting out of the house to go for a walk in the surrounding plains is a pretty important part of my week and my creative process!
Music is a big part of my life, so it can be refreshing to take an hour or two to play around with my instruments and try out a few new songs.
And as you might suspect, making art is what I love, so I often sketch on my iPad or a sketchbook when I need a break.
Learn from (and connect with) Najmah.
Would you like to know more about Najmah's work? Visit them at NajmahSalam.com
Be sure to keep following Najmah LinkedIn, Instagram And X (Twitter).
Create your very own Auto Publish News/Blog Site and Earn Passive Income in Just 4 Easy Steps