The Drum 30 under 30 #5: Melanie Isabel Dixon, social media manager, Phones 4U
The Drum 30 under 30 women in digital 2013 highlights the top 30 women under the age of 30 making an impact in digital. Here, The Drum catches up with Melanie Isabel Dixon, social media manager, Phones 4U.
The Drum 30 under 30 women in digital is an annual platform recognising the next generation of digital talent. Over the course of 30 days we will be running interviews with each of the women profiled, to give more insight into their careers so far, professional achievements, and what they see as the next big game changers in digital.Today's profiled individual is Melanie Isabel Dixon, social media manager, Phones 4U.What is your biggest professional achievement so far?I started as a graduate here six years ago working within the campaign and marketing team and am now heading up the social media team. I'm working on big campaigns and am surrounded by a great team and agency. I love my job, so I think that's a pretty nice achievement. If it's numbers you want then I've helped to build a Facebook page with over 600,000 fans and we currently have a highly engaged Twitter following of over 28,000 too. What is the biggest challenge you've overcome in your career? Proving that having online conversations with people is a great way to build brand awareness and loyalty. Encouraging a numbers led organisation to see the value in social media without providing them with an instant ROI is tough, but I think we are there now. Pretty much. :) What's the next game changer in digital?The dual screen phenomenon manifesting itself into live events. The smartphone is already a ubiquitous part of the live event experience and as arenas become more connected its only a matter of time until events are streamed direct to smartphones via apps and portals. Particularly useful if you are in the nose bleed seats! Google Glass looks pretty exciting too. What would you like to be remembered for? Upgrading 500 bad mornings, 300 lunch breaks, 100 dull weekends, 70 bad hair days, 10 kitchen utensils, six summer holidays, five skateboards, three cats beds, two student houses and a ukulele. #projectupgrade Who inspires you most professionally or personally?Professionally, my boss (I'm not just saying this for brownie points) but he is a great role model, great at what he does, he makes me think, challenge myself and I feel comfortable challenging him too. Personally, I've got a few friends who are nurses, work with the homeless/women's refuge and I don't know how they do it but they make a real difference and I admire the hell out of them! What would you be doing if you weren't doing this? Well when I was younger I aspired to be either an ice skater, fire lady or a journalist & I'm not hugely interested in any of those careers now. Funny how things change. I'd probably be watching Breaking Bad with the dog. How do you relax? I'm not much of a relaxer, I'm often found at a festival or gig at the weekends, and am currently planning a three course meal for our own private 'come dine with me' with friends. We've printed out the numbers to score the meals on the way home in the taxi. It's all very serious. :) I am also a total dog bore, Sam the dog and I love a good walk, or swim in the canal (Sam not me) Describe your career to date in five words.One big old learning curveThis series will run for the duration of October. Yesterday's featured individual was Safiyya Riyadh, head of technical services UK, Affiliate Window