This month marks my fourth anniversary at Browser Media. Starting in 2022 as a Junior Account Executive with a diploma in digital marketing, a dream, and a pocket full of imposter syndrome, the past four years have been full of professional development and learnings that have shaped the way I work, both now and going forward.
Here are eight things I’ve learned over my four years in the agency.
There’s a publication for everything
No matter how niche you assume a topic is, there will always be a publication that caters for it. It may only be one, and it may only exist either digitally or physically, but it will be there. If you’re really lucky, there may even be a few! For example, I’ve found active publications aimed at stadium managers, flooring installers, and fleet owners.
Never assume a client’s niche is too small to reach. The audience is there; you just need to find it.
Learn the shortcuts
Keyboard shortcuts are a brilliant invention, and while it can take some time to get used to them, they’re absolutely worth learning. My favourite and most impactful discovery was Cmd+K for adding a hyperlink (Ctrl+K for Windows).
On a slight tangent, why haven’t keyboard manufacturers set a shortcut for adding or removing caps lock? Why can I not highlight a sentence accidentally typed in all caps and then press the caps lock to revert it to lower case, or vice versa?
This goes further than just keyboard shortcuts. Spreadsheet formulas that eliminate repetitive work or annoying calculations are worth learning early! Not only will it save time down the line, but it also looks impressive when sharing a smart sheet with clients.
Spend time to save time
In a similar vein, I’ve learned that it’s often worthwhile investing time in repetitive or regular tasks up front in order to save time in the future. As an example, I have a physical copy of a client’s brochure on my desk, and I found myself regularly flipping through it to find projects that fit specific criteria for journalist requests. I dedicated a bulk of time to categorising every single page with coloured tabs, labelling them by project type and location, and this time investment has paid for itself a hundred times over, allowing me to find the right page in mere seconds. This philosophy applies to any task you find yourself regularly repeating; the time it takes to learn how to save time is often well spent.
Feedback is not rejection
I’ve always been somewhat of a perfectionist, so despite understanding the fact that joining the agency with no practical marketing experience meant I had a lot to learn, it still stung every time a client ripped apart a piece of work I’d spent hours on. But the thing is, no matter what stage in your career you’re in, feedback is part of the process. Some of my best work started as a Google Doc absolutely littered with comments, but this is simply direction as to what’s working and what isn’t. Reframing your view from criticism to guidance is key to not taking it to heart.
Also, the more quality feedback you receive early on, the less you need later – assuming you actually take it on board!
The value of wearing many hats
I’m so grateful that my agency experience has exposed me to such a wide range of marketing channels. Being a well-rounded marketer is a major long-term career asset, allowing you to spot connections between channels and understand how the different tactics complement each other. Plus, it feels very satisfying to have such a broad range of knowledge rather than being siloed into one specialism.
Ask the stupid question
Agency life often means servicing a diverse client base, sometimes within niche industries. I’ve lost count of the number of times I’ve been stumped by an acronym or piece of industry jargon, and I used to feel embarrassed to ask, as if I should already know the answer. But it’s okay to not know an industry inside and out, and wanting to learn something new is never looked down upon. No matter how stupid you think your question is, it’s important to ask it anyway.
It’s okay to not know the answer
Continuing on from the above point, being hired by a client as the ‘SEO specialists’ or ‘marketing professionals’ can easily put pressure on agency workers to know everything there is to know about marketing. As my career within the agency progressed, and the expectations on my abilities grew, it became harder to admit to my clients or colleagues that I wasn’t sure of an answer to their questions.
But, in reality, it’s always better to say “I’m not 100% certain, let me investigate and get back to you” than to give a false answer just for the sake of saying something. Clients value honesty, and they don’t expect you to react to every question with the speed of a GenAI bot.
Be yourself
Of course I had to end it with the most cliché point on the list, but I truly believe that your personality goes a long way with agency work. For starters, trying to fit a stereotypical mould of the “perfect marketer” or tone down your personality can be exhausting, especially with clients you interact with regularly. But more importantly, showing your unique strengths, quirks, and sense of humour helps build better relationships, and when people feel comfortable being themselves, they bring their full potential to the table.
Looking back, looking forward
Only one thing is certain with agency life: there’s always something new to learn. The skills I’ve developed and the lessons I’ve learned over the last four years are things I’ll take with me for the rest of my career.