Marketing Stories with Amalia Oțet

Marketing is probably the trendiest and most diverse among all modern creative industries, which is why jobs in the field are as sought after as they are enjoyable. Amalia Oțet is senior marketing & communications specialist at Yardi. Her story with the company started six years ago, when she decided to change focus from her work as translator & quality control assistant and do something different. The most important step she took in this direction was the decision to stay for the interview, despite the 100+ people waiting in line. Wondering what a marketing specialist is up to all day? Amalia fills us in.

How did you start working at Yardi Romania?

I saw an online ad about an international company looking for journalists and news editors and I thought it was interesting—nothing like I had ever done before. I applied, came in for the interview and here I am, six years later, still loving my job and all that comes with it (it’s a good thing I didn’t leave the premises when I saw the other 100+ people waiting to be interviewed for a job at Yardi Romania—it had certainly crossed my mind).

At Yardi Romania, you started out as a journalist and now you work as a senior marketing & communications specialist. Tell us about your professional journey so far.

I can still remember that I wasn’t sure how one is supposed to report news about something happening in the U.S. and be good at it. But I had the privilege to work with a great team that showed me the way. I learned the basics about the U.S. real estate market, improved my writing and developed my research skills. It turned out to be exactly what I was looking for.
Then, I wanted to learn more about how the internet works—how these articles that we were writing were getting in front of people on a different continent, how we could get better at it—basically, find out more about the technical side of online communication. Again, I found myself in the right place at the right time. Marketing involves a lot more discipline and analytical thinking. You’re the voice of a brand and if you want to spread the word about something, you have to be very persuasive, in an engaging way.

Is this job as you expected it to be? Was there something that surprised you?

It’s actually better than I had hoped it would be. Believe it or not, I was fascinated with the world of real estate even before coming here. Getting to know the American market, how people live and what they are looking for in a home, was something that really appealed to me. Combine that with my love of the written word and it’s exactly what I wanted to do—write stories that can help people get their dream homes. Oh, and there was a lot of writing about interior design and DIY—another one of my passions. The fact that I could search for decorating ideas and put the best into practice at home later on (with a little help from my husband, to be honest) was definitely a plus.

The daily tasks

As an online marketing specialist for RentCafe, I’m responsible for generating brand exposure for our apartment search website, ensuring smooth communication with reporters and journalists, and securing coverage for our articles from American and international media outlets.

All in a Day’s Work

• I always start my day with a nice cup of coffee at around 9.00 a.m.
• I go through my e-mails, catch up with the news, look for any RentCafe mentions in the news and start planning my activities for the day
• If there’s a new story to pitch to the media, I go through it, identify the most newsworthy aspects of it and craft my actual pitch—i.e. the email that goes out to reporters in search of coverage and exposure
• we usually get questions about our research studies from journalists and I help them with whatever they need
• I also do my own reporting from time to time and when that’s the case I always work with our in-house analysts to understand the data
• then there’s a lot of research, comparing our findings with accounts on the same topic from other real estate sources and finally putting those findings into words in an easy-to-digest, accurate and engaging way.

The challenges

There’s a lot of competition in online marketing—especially in real estate, where there are some big players that have been perfecting their game for decades. But this is also one of the biggest rewards that come with the job. When you’re cited by CNN, the San Francisco Chronicle and the Chicago Tribune, you know you’re doing something right—and you want more.

The Favorite Part

Learning so much and being able to share that knowledge—that’s what I like most.

The Coolest Out-of-Office Experience

I’m a big fan of company parties and team building activities—it’s how you really get to know your co-workers and perhaps even get some great friends in the process. I know it happened to me and it’s one of the reasons I like coming to work every day. The last time we were on a team building trip—somewhere in the Apuseni Mountains, at Huda lui Papara—I really had a lot of fun and discovered a lot of things about my colleagues—including that some people would do anything for a win, me included.

The gratification

It’s always nice to have your work appreciated not only by your team, but also by internationally acclaimed reporters who get tons of pitches every day from other marketers, but decide to use your story over theirs.
You can check out some of the articles that Amalia wrote for one of Yardi’s brands. If her story inspired you, and you wish to join our Marketing Department, already counting over 50 members, check out our current openings.