Is one month in, a milestone? Probably not, but we’re going to celebrate anyway! I started at Propel Digital in July, but it feels like I’ve been here a lot longer (and no! it’s not because the days are dragging on). Lauren has welcomed me with open arms into her beloved business, into her home & her family! From Day 1, I knew this was going to be a fast-paced environment, but I was excited and eager to put my skills to the test.
A little bit of background about me (in case you’ve already missed some of the embarrassing videos Lauren’s gotten out of me 
) I’m Zac, 22, and in my final semester studying a Double Degree of Business & Marketing at Monash University. When I’m not working or studying, you’ll find me out on a tennis court, going for a walk, having a wine or (pre-covid) hanging out with friends. I’ve always had a keen interest in marketing as I get to combine some of my favourite things; people, passion and creativity! So when I saw the position of Marketing Assistant become available at Propel Digital I jumped at the chance.
With all my great wisdom I have learnt from my first month at Propel Digital, I thought I’d reflect and share my top five learnings thus far:
#1 – CONTENT TAKES TIME
When you look at social media, what do you see? Lots of pretty pictures & funny captions right? It looks almost effortless at times. Behind most of these pretty pictures is a couple hours of planning, drafting, redrafting, optimising & manipulating. The majority of my workload is taken up with creating content. I’ve always been the type to click and post, but Lauren has shown me that if you really want to get the best value out of your content, you’ve got to be more considered. At Propel we like to tackle content in monthly blocks. This process can take a few days as we create and search for content that will delight the audience. We have to create engaging copy that doesn’t focus so much on the sell, but adds value for the audience. From this we then begin to optimise, re-write and play around with the aesthetics. Then, once you’ve got it all sorted and started to schedule, things will change! A client will sell out of a product, a business will change their offering, and most notably a pandemic will begin and throw everything you’ve just planned out the window! 
So next time you see a nice image on Instagram, think about what might have gone into it. Content takes time, but the greater the effort the sweeter the reward!
#2 – ADS REALLY WORK
Ok, I’m going to be totally honest here. Before joining Propel Digital, I didn’t really see the value in advertising on various social platforms. I was always of the opinion that as long as you’re still posting your own native content on social media the need for ads were diminished. I’m eating humble pie right now, because I was SO wrong. Some of the results that Lauren has shared with me are astounding! If someone came up to you and said ‘If you give me one dollar, I’ll turn it into 15 (or even more!)’ Would you do it? Well, if it’s Lauren who comes up to you, you definitely should! We’ve seen great results with many ad campaigns at Propel. Now if I’m to dig a little deeper, why are these ads so effective? Well, I’ve learnt that to simply ‘spray & pray’ is the wrong approach. You need to gently massage your audience down the marketing funnel. Getting your audience to ‘warm’ to your brand or offering, then continuing to retarget ads towards those who show intent is the best way to get bang for your buck. Not sure how to do this? Hit us up at Propel and we can make it happen, because ads really work. 
#3 – APPS ARE YOUR FRIEND
The variety of work in the digital space is huge. You really have to become a jack of all trades. But that’s not to say you have to tackle it alone. Lauren has introduced me to many, many, many apps, platforms and softwares (someone help me navigate through all these tabs!!!) However, there is no need to be afraid, apps are your friend. There are apps for just about everything. Communicating, organisation, informing, creating, reporting, managing, building – everything! Use them! Find out which ones save you time, give you a better outcome and are user friendly. “What’s your favourite app?” I hear you all screaming at your screen. Canva – she’s a lifesaver. Canva is a design platform that takes user-friendly to a whole new level. Want to make an instagram story? Canva. Want to de-ugly your resume? Canva. Want to create an email header? Canva. I could do this all day. Canva. I love using it, dare I say, it’s even fun to do work on Canva. Some other notable mentions are; Slack, Trello, Later, Toggl, Dashthis & the list goes on. Try some of these out, trust me, you’ll thank me later.
#4 – THERE’S ALWAYS SOMETHING TO DO
Working at Propel Digital, there’s never nothing to do. If you’ve finished one client, you’ve got another. If you’re wrapping up for the day, you’ll get an email requiring immediate action. But who doesn’t like to keep busy! If you’re lucky enough to catch up on everything, you can start planning ahead for the next month. If you ever truly catch up on everything, then you get to work on Propel Digital itself. That’s when you guys get beautiful blog posts (such as this one!), informative content, and most recently Instagram Reels 
Then when you’ve finished that, it’s time to let your creative juices fly and just have a good ol’ brainstorming session thinking of new ideas for engaging content. Aaaand repeat. Being a Digital Marketing Assistant – there’s always something to do.
#5 WRITE, REWRITE & REWRITE AGAIN
Copywriting skills are imperative in the digital space, you need to stand out, add value, be informative, foster engagement, make the sale and be remembered. If only it were as easily said as done. There’s only so many ways to sell something, and you have to think of them all and some more! Take this blog post for example. As I write this first draft, I’m already thinking ahead to how I’m going to rewrite it. Am I waffling, is it engaging enough, am I being informative, is it enjoyable to read? I’m sure Lauren will provide feedback for me to implement, so I’ll need to make sure to incorporate that. By the time you’re reading this, I’ve probably already changed it 3, 4 or even more times! Want to write great copy? Here are a few tips that you can start implementing now; get personal, remove unnecessities, avoid cliches (this is not a piece of cake!) and be honest. I’ve learnt that sometimes it’s best to write something, forget about it, and then come back and look at it with fresh eyes – especially if you’re writing lots and lots of copy. So for the best copy make sure you write, rewrite & rewrite again.
Well that’s it! Those are my top 5 learnings, so far! There is SO much more for me still to learn, but I’ve certainly made a start. If you want to learn more just reach out! In the meantime I’m going to crack open a bottle of Campbells Wines finest 
(yes, they are a client, no, they didn’t pay me to say that) and celebrate my first month. Let’s see where the next month takes me!