When you’re in school, you hope that you will be happy working in the field of your chosen major. Not everyone plans their major and their livelihood. I know I sure didn’t. You see, I’m in my second, nay third attempt at an education that will serve a career that works with my strengths and passions. I worked in my first attempt for quite a few years and it was great. I loved it, but it was a mix of bad economic timing and lack of interest in furthering that career that stunted it. I never liked my second one, so I never really worked in the field. Finally, I’m on my third attempt—marketing. Third time’s the charm, right? I’ve been working in my third attempt at a marketing agency for a couple of months now, so what have I learned?
Calendars, Deadlines and Meetings, Oh My!
There is nothing on a professional social media platform or website that has not been considered, examined, and vetted by marketing professionals. If you see something poorly done, the company likely isn’t using a marketing agency. Marketing agencies compile research and schedule milestones to make sure things make sense for your organization. Their calendars are created a month or more in advance to have time to ensure the content is timely and the best it can be. Before it’s sent to the client, the calendar has already been looked over for flaws. Discussions have been had about what the client might say, and a few iterations have been tried before the client lays eyes on it. Every day there are meetings and brainstorming sessions to get the creative juices flowing. These meetings are fun enough to unleash the brilliant minds of the marketers, but then it’s time to focus on deadlines.
Marketing is Serious Business
Your business is their business. An agency does a deep dive into your company culture, values, and of course, products and/or services. They must be prepared and poised to answer any of your questions. You expect them to lead your organization to growth and they expect to exceed your goals. Upon being onboarded to the marketing agency, the first few days were filled with researching clients and ensuring I understood their offering. It was a lot of information to absorb! I have to say, I was just in awe of what my team had to learn to create the content they produce for the clients.
Pride Blocks Growth
I continue to say I’m a baby marketer, because I am. Nothing I do is sent off without approval (thank goodness!). That can be challenging as in my first career, I was the lead. Now I’m the little one. Marketing is not for those who cannot handle criticism. There was a time in my life when critiques were nearly impossible to accept without taking offense. It can still be tough to remember that feedback is helpful sometimes—even unsolicited feedback. I am a perfectionist. I have high standards. Do I make mistakes? Absolutely! Do I like it when other people catch them? No… Most definitely not. I try very hard to avoid people seeing my silly errors before I fix them. However, being an older intern, like Chandler on Friends, I have figured out that learning doesn’t happen when you have built a wall of pride. Being a baby marketer is humbling and I like that because it means I can get better.
The Sky is the Limit
Marketing is always about how we can ensure an upward turn. How can we bring companies and customers together in one harmonious song? The goal is always to reach new heights. How can we top the last thing we did? Is it even possible? If you’re talking to a marketer, the answer is always yes. Okay, well sometimes, it’s more of a “yes, but not the way you thought it would be” type of yes. It’s not about being Jim Carrey in Yes, Man! when he’s saying yes to every silly thing that comes in front of him. It’s at the end, when he realizes what’s important is being open to possibilities. Marketers are the “Yes, men” that take a good idea and make it great. Marketing makes you think outside of your normal parameters and create something new. Good marketing takes you to new heights.
What Does it all Mean?
I’m still very new to the industry. I am learning so much every day that it’s tough to really know what this means for me. I think I know what I enjoy doing most now. I enjoy seeing a client’s face light up in a Zoom meeting when something impressed them. I revel in a client approval with little-to-no edits because it means I’m understanding what they need more each day. I love making graphics and writing content that speaks to the feeling the company wants to convey. Creating a story that people connect to is important to me. It’s not as easy when it’s business-to-business, but it’s equally important and such a wonderful challenge!
This is just the beginning for me and thankfully I have the guidance of a great team of wingmen to help me grow. When you are ready to get the help of a professional marketing agency, contact Wingman Direct Marketing and get your business off the ground.