Ever wondered if the pawfect apprenticeship exists? Look no further!

As part of our case study series, we caught up with LDN Digital Marketing apprentice Lara Saxe & line manager Isabel Graham to talk about their journey with LDN Apprenticeships and the all-important topic at Yappy.com… Dogs!

Lara has played an instrumental part in some of Yappy’s most successful influencer campaigns, generating awesome results for the business in just under 12 months of her apprenticeship!

But, what made Lara originally decide to apply for the role with Yappy as part of the Digital Marketing apprenticeship?

“I was eager to learn more about the Digital Marketing Sector and develop skills in copywriting, email marketing, and social media.” Said Lara.

“I felt like Yappy was a great company to work for, I really enjoyed the nature of the brand and the personalised products. The business is still relatively new so when I applied, I was aware they were experiencing growth and it felt like an exciting time to join and support them.” she added.

Working closely with Lara since the start of her apprenticeship is line manager and Yappy’s Head of Digital and Ecommerce, Isabel Graham!

As a major part of the recruitment process for Lara’s role, we asked Isabel what inspired her to place Lara on the level 3 Digital Marketing apprenticeship with LDN.

“We were looking for a digital all-rounder within the team which proved difficult to recruit, where most candidates had gone down one channel route.

We, therefore, decided that as a small business we were in a strong position to train up an all-rounder ourselves, with skilled channel managers all working closely together.” said Isabel.

With this in mind, how has joining the Yappy Team alongside the apprenticeship helped to develop Lara’s marketing knowledge?

“Before starting my apprenticeship, I knew very little about marketing.

I was able to relate the marketing principles knowledge module to my day-to-day job role which gave me a great understanding of the different roles and responsibilities of people within a marketing team.

At first, I found it difficult to understand marketing terminology, however, over time I have picked this up thanks to the regular live sessions which provided me with the opportunity to speak with other LDN Apprentices to learn about their roles. I found this really interesting.” Lara explained.

How has Isabel and the rest of the Yappy team supported Lara's development into the role when she first started as a Digital Marketing Apprentice?

“Lara has been mentored by myself, but also by all channel managers within the team who have upskilled Lara within their particular areas.

We’ve been focused on ensuring Lara gets a balanced experience of Digital/Ecommerce and that she’s able to effectively manage her workload across both her role here and her apprenticeship.” Added Isabel.

With the continuous support from Isabel and Yappy’s Social Media Team, which pup-related projects has Lara enjoyed being a part of so far?

“I have been involved in writing blog content for Yappy Life, which is our company's recently launched blog.

The blog content is all relevant to our target audience, by featuring blogs that are relevant to dog owners to encourage traffic to our website.

I was also involved in writing breed-specific copy to feature on our website, including dog breed descriptions, product descriptions, and category copy.”

“I also supported our micro-influencer campaign which we launched in February 2022. This has been the first internal influencer campaign we have worked on, so we weren’t quite sure what to expect.” Lara said.

Isabel added “Lara has become an integral asset to the team and is highly praised by everyone at Yappy. Lara now runs our micro-influencer programme, which has helped us to increase awareness of the Yappy Brand amongst dog lovers across multiple Social Media platforms.”

After Lara’s huge success whilst on programme, what advice would she give to other people looking to start a career with a Digital Marketing Apprenticeship?

“Try to make the most of your apprenticeship by asking questions and not being afraid to admit when you don’t understand things, as this will be expected because you're still learning.

An apprenticeship is a great way to learn digital marketing knowledge and get first-hand experience in your day-to-day role so you can develop skills and experience at the same time.

Research into different areas of digital marketing to see whether you would prefer certain areas more than others, then when you’re applying for roles make the employer aware of the areas, you’re most interested in, such as social media, etc.”

But what advice does Isabel have for other employers thinking about taking on Digital Marketing Apprentices in their team?

“Be stringent in your recruitment process and very clear about what you’re looking for in an apprentice.

Lara’s enthusiasm for the role, the course, and our business makes her a great fit for the Yappy culture.

The most important thing to look for in potential apprentices is their drive to learn which has really helped Lara excel in every opportunity that is sent her way.”

Lara is a fantastic example of a business upskilling existing employees already in their teams and taking advantage of the training and new knowledge an apprenticeship provides. Huge thank you to Lara and Isabel for taking the time out to talk to us!