12 Feb 3 Things I’ve Learned from Working at a Marketing Agency

3 Things I’ve learned My First Two Years Working for A Marketing Agency

I graduated from UNC Charlotte in August 2014 with a B.S.B.A in Marketing. During the summer of my junior year, I was 1 of 5 domestic interns selected to be a part of the SOCCER.COM trainee program, which eventually led to me securing an internship position with a soccer marketing agency. After a little over a year since graduation, I am now an Account Executive taking on an important role for our soccer accounts team.

Steven Marques, Account Executive

After two years of working in the “real world”, I’ve often been asked by friends, family and even co-workers, “What have you learned from working in an agency?” The short answer is: a lot, everyday there is an opportunity to learn something new, whether it be an invaluable business skill or building on client relationships that will help propel my career forward.

To expand on this, I’ve compiled a short list of things I’ve learned during my time working for an agency. Here they are:

• You’re going to learn a lot about a little of everything: my first major role for the agency was to manage and coordinate content for a new blog covering soccer-gear related news and product launches. Within months my responsibilities sky-rocketed and I was executing a national grassroots project for a major brand. This is one of the best things about working at a small agency, you’re exposed to a range of tasks that make up a single project and supported by a talented team of individuals that help you succeed along the way. The continuous learning environment has provided me countless opportunities to expand my knowledge and understanding of marketing and advertising.

Client On-site Activation

• Getting to know your client and understanding how to be effective for them is key: there are many traits of a great account executive that can be developed, but one necessary skill is being able to understand your client. This knowledge comes through research, practice, observation and teaching. This is how you unlock your ability to talk to them about problems they didn’t know they had, and open the door to solutions that they will actually understand and implement. This is something I’ve consistently worked on since I started at the agency and its paid off.

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• A little effort + preparation goes a long way: I remember it like it was yesterday; sitting in my first meeting with the creative team to brainstorm campaign ideas for a client we just started working with. I kicked off the meeting with a detailed timeline and due date, then opened the floor for ideas. It’s safe to say, I got a bunch of blank stares and soon realized the importance of a good creative brief. A good brief is short and to the point. With little effort and preparation, it can act as a roadmap to successful campaign down the road.
  

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Keep in mind that these are just a few highlights I’ve taken away from my own experience. Every day brings something new. How do my learnings compare with your experiences? Do you find the same things to be true?

Source: Steven Marques on LinkedIn Pulse