From Engineering to Marketing: Interview with Divyang Kaushik

In this interview, we spoke with Divyang Kaushik, a marketing intern at EnsembleIQ.

Despite coming from an engineering background, Kaushik discovered his passion for marketing and has since focused on building a successful career.

In this conversation, Kaushik shares insights into his journey, including how he landed his marketing internship, his approach to brand management, digital marketing strategy, social media marketing, and PPC advertising.

Additionally, he advises newcomers looking to break into the industry and grow their careers.

1. How did you first become interested in marketing?

During my undergraduate years, I assisted a friend in setting up an e-commerce store.

While he focused on the website and t-shirt designs, I was captivated by the challenge of selling the products online.

As I delved deeper into the world of e-commerce, I discovered a passion for marketing, as it combined three of my favorite elements: psychology, creativity, and problem-solving.

2. How did you get your marketing internship at EnsembleIQ?

I feel fortunate to have experienced the truth behind the quote, “Luck is what happens when preparation meets opportunity.”

Recently, an alumnus I had previously connected with on LinkedIn contacted me about a job opportunity. She was moving on to a new role and thought I would be an excellent fit to take over her current position.

Following a week of interviews, I was offered the job, which was a pleasant surprise as I had not been actively seeking employment.

3. What are the most critical elements of building a solid brand?

There are several elements in building a solid brand, starting with a clear positioning that sets it apart and a consistent identity that includes visual and verbal elements applied across all touchpoints.

It must also have an authentic personality that connects with its audience and is flexible and adaptable to change. A customer-focused approach that balances creativity with consistency is truly essential.

4. How do you approach developing a digital marketing strategy?

When developing a strategy, I begin by thoroughly understanding the business and its goals and managing expectations.

For direct-to-consumer (DTC) brands, leveraging Facebook and Instagram’s discovery-oriented advertising is often the most effective.

Meanwhile, for brands where the target audience is well-informed and search-savvy, advertising on Google can capitalize on existing user intent.

5. Can you share tips for optimizing social media marketing campaigns?

To optimize social media marketing campaigns, defining what “success” is for your brand is crucial, supported by metrics. Knowing the audience and developing content that best resonates with them is the only way forward in this creator economy.

Staying current on platform algorithms could help better prepare for the changes and stay ahead of the competition.

6. How do you measure the success of your digital marketing efforts?

I focus on the metric that aligns with “success,” as mentioned earlier. Basic metrics such as website traffic, click-through rates, and conversion rates are key indicators.

I usually pay more attention to the cost per acquisition (CPA), return on ad spend (ROAS), and cost per million impressions (CPM).

7. What are some common mistakes you see businesses make concerning PPC advertising?

Common mistakes businesses make with PPC ads are using irrelevant keywords, poor targeting, and ignoring the importance of the ad copy and the landing page.

Businesses could easily avoid these mistakes using a keyword planner and optimizing and testing numerous ad copies and landing pages. All of these actions should be well supported with metrics to identify the areas of improvement.

8. How do you stay up-to-date with the latest trends?

I consistently follow thought leaders and industry experts on LinkedIn and Twitter, including my marketing professors.

Additionally, I have subscribed to industry newsletters helping me with the most up-to-date information, coinciding with my content creation responsibilities at my job.

Lately, networking is a great way to stay informed and grow valuable connections.

9. What have been some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced growing your own businesses?

Like any other business, securing capital to fuel growth has been challenging.

While you don’t need a lot of capital to start an agency, you need a skilled workforce to grow, which brings me to the next challenge. Finding and retaining professional talent was always a challenge.

10. What advice would you give someone just starting in the marketing industry?

I’ll keep this one brief and in point:

1. Stay curious
2. Become a lifelong learner
3. Be industry agnostic
4. Don’t be afraid to try new things/experiences
5. And keep exploring!