We are talking to Yoeri Bouwmeester, Marketer at Enable U.
Marketing! And best of breed. Digital marketing, DTP work, front-end development for the website (and occasionally some back-end too), managing our CRM and marketing automation tools, ensuring data quality, social media… you name it.
That is what I love—being involved in marketing in many different areas and in many different ways.
I joined Enable U a little over a year ago — but honestly, it already feels like much longer. And that is a good thing; I truly feel at home here.
I started with optimizing the website and focusing on Search Engine Optimization (SEO), something I already had quite a bit of experience with. Within a month, I had made significant progress. Back then there was — and still is today —plenty of room to take on other tasks and explore new things. It is great to have the trust and freedom to do that. So in a very positive way, I have become the ‘Jack of all trades’ in marketing.
During my International Business studies, I did an internship at a company that produced medical devices. I wrote a marketing plan to help break into the UK healthcare market with rollators. That is when I realized I was especially interested in the digital marketing side of things. So I decided to pursue a master’s degree in Digital Marketing at Northumbria University. At the same time, I continued to work for the company. I was responsible for SEO, and gradually took on more and more digital marketing tasks. I also started working on both the front-end and back-end of several new websites we were launching at the time.
All in all — including my internship — I worked for this company for about 3.5 years. When I was ready for a new challenge, I came across an exciting opportunity at Enable U. During the interview, I immediately felt a strong connection with the marketing team lead and the rest of the team. That is very important to me. So even though I had another offer from a well-known company, I chose Enable U. Things moved quickly, and just a few days later, I was already on the job.
As I mentioned, I am a Jack of all trades. But my favorite part of the job is definitely the front-end side of things. I love designing and building the digital touchpoints that both our customers and colleagues interact with — like creating a new section or page for the website. Designing it, coding it, writing the JavaScript — just getting hands-on with the entire process from concept and build to testing and going live. That is when I am really in my element.
I follow several newsletters about digital marketing and have an automated tracker set up for SEO-related news — super useful. With the rise of AI and LLMs, I am also keeping a close eye on those trends, so I can start turning my SEO expertise into ‘LLM experience’, to make sure we stay ahead in search results.
I also keep an eye on what is happening at online conferences and attend when there are topics on the agenda that are interesting and relevant to me. Same goes for specific courses. But I learn the most from connecting with other web developers in online communities like Stack Overflow and GitHub.
Like a group of people with a lot of specialized knowledge. Basically a bunch of nerds, hahaha — and I mean that in the best possible way. The conversations are on a high technical level. Everyone is proud of what they do and of what they achieve for clients with their technical expertise. They are truly driven — they want to keep that level of knowledge high and feel personally responsible for it. There is room for everyone to speak up and contribute. That kind of environment really makes me happy.
Building computers is my favorite thing to do — brand-new, state-of-the-art machines. I love it. Though I have to admit, it is a pretty expensive hobby. I also love snowboarding. I would love to live on a mountain and hop on my board every single day. Sadly, that is not the case, but I do make sure to visit an indoor snow hall at least once a month. And I try to plan at least one ski trip every year — preferably to France.
I also enjoy gaming — with friends (on my self-built PC off course), but also with my girlfriend. We have been together for 10 years and live together. We love gaming together, but we also have our own interests, and we give each other space for that. It works really well for us.
I am a big fan of cats, but I also love German Shepherds. My parents have German shepherds, and I visit them regularly. I love cuddling with them. My girlfriend and I have a dog too, and there is a cat that regularly hangs out at our place as well.
The rest of my free time is spent at the gym. I do strength training five days a week, for at least an hour each session. I actually started because someone in the family once compared me to a rather bulky relative — that was the trigger for me. And once I start something, I want to do it right. So: five days a week it is.
You are a tough crowd to talk to — because of the high level of knowledge — but definitely a fun and great one. Make sure to hold on to that high standard of expertise. It is a great challenge to keep up, and I love that. So: Keep up the good work!
