Hi, I'm Pleia Alberts!

To understand the business vision, to co-create the business strategy with the business owner and to then be responsible for the implementation of that strategy and the measurement of the results. To also manage the operations of the business to free up the business owner’s time for further product development and creation.

In this role I am responsible for measurement and reporting of all digital marketing activity, costs, results, overseeing the implementation of digital marketing campaigns, writing marketing mailers via Ontraport, creating campaign calendars and schedules, creating project plans and managing projects, project management of campaigns, managing suppliers and internal staff, testing, proofing copy and technology to ensure effective program delivery, testing of the new website before launch and all campaigns before going live, managing all budgets – events, programs, digital marketing, event project management, planning, logistics, venues, collaborators, sponsors, proofing content, onsite management, budgets, ensuring systems and processes are documented in the operations manual, merchandising, Facebook Group logistics around the implementation of evergreen programs, source and oversee video recording of Financial Confidence Conference, manage film editor, upload 14 separate edited sections to YouTube, create Leadpages for all videos and write the marketing material for the audio and visual package to be resold, repurposing and rewriting old blogs for new website.

I joined as a Conference Producer in May 2016 and was promoted to CPD Manager in May 2017.

My function was to produce high-quality, market-led CPD (Continuous Professional Development) seminars and webinars featuring the most relevant and topical subjects and leading speakers that will attract both delegates and sponsors to attend, thereby maximizing the revenues and profitability of the events.

The main functions of the position are conducting phone and internet research to identify key topics, compiling comprehensive strategy and marketing documents, surveys, evaluation forms, sourcing and inviting speakers (fee and contract negotiations), writing website copy and marketing mailers, sourcing media partners and potential sponsors, seminar and venue management, implementation of SOPs and project management system (Asana), gradual implementation of social media management and digital marketing of the seminars, database cleaning, and maintaining professional relationships with SAIBA, SAIT, Tax Faculty, and ICBA

Projects:
June 2016 – November 2016
46 IAFEI World Congress
I researched and wrote the conference programme and topics, and sourced 73 speakers in 4 months
For this position I used the following skills: marketing, digital marketing, social media (content creation, calendar, sponsored posts), recruitment (sourcing 73 speakers), researching CFOs, copywriting, sponsorship (secured KPMG as a sponsor), project management, negotiation, networking (via CEO LinkedIn and referrals for speakers). My work achievements can be viewed here LinkedIn and here (Work Testimonials).

In my position as content lead I was responsible for creating and implementing a social media calendar for 3 months for Planet Fitness (Facebook). I also created and implemented a full social media calendar for 3 months for Stringfellow Investments (Facebook), as well as writing blogs for their website. I supervised a junior social media community manager and graphic designer.

In my role as business owner, I learnt about sales, marketing, social media, the advertising world, terminology I never knew existed, business accounting, legalities, and networking. I learnt skills that can’t be taught such as resiliency, rejection, intense focus, self-reflection and self-reliance.

I learnt how to network and joined BNI (Business Network International). I joined Toastmasters to improve on my confidence skills when talking in front of a large group of people.

As much as I enjoyed having my own business and was grateful for the opportunity to have tried, I took the decision to rather use my considerable skills and expertise back to a corporate environment where I could make a more valuable contribution.

On the day I resigned from Cozens Recruitment I was coincidentally headhunted by a client who was an outsourced HR Manager for Connold & Associates. I started on a Monday and I was thrown in the deep end. I had no desk, no chair, no telephone, no computer. All I had was file full of cv’s, with a list of the various client’s names, company details, contact numbers and positions needed. By the Friday I had five interviews lined up, three second interviews for the following Monday, of which all three turned into placements for one company.

I learnt headhunting skills, general HR admin and dealt with a variety of candidates and clients across numerous industries. I learnt I could get paid for writing, and that there was a chocolate factory a few km’s from my office.

I was in the right place at the right time and was offered a position in recruitment at a leading recruitment agency. I received exceptional training, learnt about sales, cold calling, new business development, and the full recruitment process.

I initially applied for a position as a secretary at USAID and secured the position, based on my willingness to move to Pretoria, which I declined for personal reasons.

I took up the position as an Executive PA to the Managing Director at an engineering firm. I was responsible for coordinating his diary, making appointments, his travel arrangements, monitoring incoming and outgoing communications, and liaising with the new furniture division they had started. Due to my accounting skills I became responsible for the creditors, bank recons, procurement, daily reconciliation and liaison with the 8 stores and their staff, and barcode manual creation. I successfully reconciled the debtors accounts of all the stores and recovered outstanding amounts.

In this position I learnt to under promise and over deliver and got my driver’s licence.

I joined as a receptionist and three months later was promoted to accounting assistant. I was asked to be a stand in marketing assistant when I did a mail merge (self-taught) of 500 letters and addresses, with envelopes, and no errors. I stood in for the Financial Manager and I was also elected to the Golf Committee.

My biggest achievement at BDB was in 1998 when I converted a fax driven, time consuming operation to an email system and saved 2 hours a day, which enabled me to take on more duties.

At the time of my resignation I had four filing cabinets, had taught the driver how to fax, file and manage my filing system, and had started my BCom degree.

In my position as medical receptionist in an x-ray department I learnt how to work with a number of people across a variety of nationalities and doctors across multiple disciplines. I learnt first-hand how traumatising death can be, that I’m a caring soul, how to decipher hieroglyphics and I met Nelson Mandela.

My first job was in banking and I worked in the suspense account department. The most important lesson I learned was by observing an uncooperative colleague and that was to never say “It’s not my job”. I also learnt that if I ever had children to check if they had put crayons up their nose.