Feedback from Anastasia

Anastasia graduated from Digital Marketing course from NZIE Institute in 2016, and a year later she started her own business – Digital agency in New Zealand with a home office. How did she do it? Read in our article.

About me

I am from Russia and arrived in New Zealand in 2015. The reason why I’ve chosen this country is that I was looking for a better quality of life. I wanted to have the ability to do outdoor activities, have work and life balance and simply live better. I had experience working in the biggest international FMCG companies in Russia as a Brand Marketing Manager (Diageo, BAT). Next, I have decided that I want to get more knowledge in a new fast-growing industry – Digital Marketing. I found NZIE’s program in July 2015th. The same year, in October I came to NZ and started the education. Thanks to KiwiEducation who has assisted me in the application and visa processes.

Kiwi Education Help

When I only started looking into options of studying in New Zealand, I’ve contacted 3 Russian Agencies, and Kiwi Education was one of them. I was not satisfied with pricing and customer service of the other 2 agencies and within a week I’ve decided to proceed with Kiwi Education. These guys made the process really easy and great! Their service was totally free for me, they helped me choose the right program, apply for it, apply for visa. Agents always answered all my endless questions in a timely manner. Moreover, I’ve received a great discount for my program at NZIE. The full process – from application to arrival to NZ – was smooth and easy, thanks to Kiwi Education. Since then I’ve been recommending this agency to everyone and I have 6 friends that also came to study in New Zealand and used their services.

Digital Marketing Program

NZIE’s Digital Marketing program was an intense 8-months course. It included all aspects of Digital Marketing. And the most important – I was taught by industry professionals. During the course, I discovered Adobe Creative programs, WordPress – CMS for developing websites, really useful insights about SEO and analytics. I learned how to engage with potential customers through all online channels (Social Media, websites, advertising, blogging). Also, I gained knowledge about New Zealand Digital industry and its trends and opportunities. Overall, this program opened a whole new digital world to me! So I am extremely happy that I had this experience.

Achieved results

Before I even graduated, I found a skilled job as a Brand and Media Specialist within the Millennium Group. There, I was in charge of all traditional and online marketing for their new hotel – M Social, located right on the waterfront of Auckland harbour on Quay street. It is now the top-rated hotel on TripAdvisor and is one of the most popular accommodations in Auckland!

1 year after graduation from the Digital Marketing Program I got a resident visa. And now, 1.5 years after graduation, I have opened my own Digital Marketing Agency – Weblizard Ltd.

At the moment, I live in Ohakune and work from my home office. I deal directly with small and medium businesses throughout New Zealand. My Digital Marketing Agency provides a full range of digital marketing services. We do Digital Design, Website Design & Development, SEO, SMM, SEM, Marketing strategy and more.

Since opening in December 2018, I already found many amazing clients and had a chance to do some really great web designs. For example, for Kiwi TukTuk, where I’ve done the website, integrated the best booking system available on the market. Also, I am running their Social Media Accounts and helping with all marketing aspects. I have clients who started getting 40%-200% more sales after working with us. Therefore, I feel really proud of what I am achieving in such a short time and that my clients experience growth.

Doing Business In New Zealand

New Zealand is rated #1 among all countries in the world in the ease of doing business. And I can assure that this is true, as since I’ve started my own company, I’ve experienced the full process from registering the company to paying Income Tax and GST. I never used services of any accountants or lawyers, as IRD runs free seminars about running a business.

New Zealand Government provides great support to new businesses, everything can be done online, and you can literally start doing ANY business on the same day you want to start. Moreover, New Zealand Economy is growing and there is a huge potential and low competition in most niches. Therefore, I would highly recommend to everyone who lives in this country, that you should not be afraid to start your own thing! If you are good at what you do – you WILL succeed! Just be patient, try different approaches and never give up!

Digital Marketing Program Potential

Digital Marketing is a huge niche in New Zealand. I understood it since my very first week in this country. Most of the websites of local businesses are done in a very poor manner. With absolutely no SEO or with Black Hat SEO and bad performance. As a result, they cannot get onto the top pages of Google Search Results. Therefore, since coming to New Zealand I wanted to open a digital agency. I wanted to help local businesses to solve their issues. In fact, I wanted to help them rank better and have the best online performance.

And to be honest, NZIE’s Digital Marketing Diploma Program helped my dream come true. I gained the necessary knowledge and understood how the industry works in NZ. Overall, I had an amazing time while gaining all those priceless insights from industry professionals, that were sharing the most up-to-date information and useful tips. That information helped me to develop a special approach which I am using while working today! Moreover, NZIE has one of the best locations to study at – North Shore, Takapuna. It is located in the biggest city of NZ – Auckland. As a result, you have bigger chances to find a job faster. Also, you get the opportunity to travel all around the North Island and enjoy the unique nature of Aotearoa!