Beauty and the 3geeks

Beauty and the 3geeks

Episode 2; Would you recruit me?       

Good morning,

In episode 1 the focus of my placement at the digital agency; 3geeks, was to lay a solid foundation for their new social media department. With proposal and presentation templates firmly in place it was now time to test how effective they were. My boss and I had a meeting with one of Perth’s leading recruitment agency’s to discuss the potential of implementing a social media strategy. I had met the owner (aka the decision maker) very briefly before the meeting so I wasn’t walking in blindfolded however it was a big pitch and very different to presentations I had done in the past and also anything I had pitched at University.

The agency was already aware of the importance social media placed on the future success of most organisations however they did not have the resources or experience to fulfil on the strategy we were suggesting.  Our proposal (another PR technique I had been graded on many times before) included the management of their Facebook, Twitter, Google+, Linkedin and Youtube accounts. It was exciting and confronting to be talking to not only a “real” client but also a potential BIG client about managing their digital footprint on such a large scale.

At University we have been taught about budgets and timelines for supposed clients and it was satisfying to be proposing something in reality and for a client that actually invested in marketing or PR activities. The only clients we had come close to working with at Uni were charities and typically these organisations don’t have the money to spend on excess marketing, advertising and public relations therefore it was refreshing to be able to unleash our creativity with this campaign and still produce value for money.

(A Rolls Royce Camopaign).

The pitch went well (I felt) and my boss was happy so we crossed our fingers and waited for their response. They were happy with us BUT wanted to know what a step down from the campaign would cost them so requested we come back to them with a ‘Plan B’ proposal so they could choose.  This response was positive for me, we were proposing a 'Rolls Royce' of campaigns and they wanted to see how a 'Mercedes' would look.

After this pitch I had a completely new experience of what we call an “oral presentation” at University. Although the process was a lot more natural in this context it was also a lot more confronting and I was left waiting for a contract rather than a grade.

Overall it was an enjoyable experience and I learnt a lot! Working with my boss to ensure we were on the same page before, during and after the meeting was crucial. This is more important in a small working environment and is also obvious to a client. Therefore we worked together making sure we agreed on every part of our proposed campaign and did we land the job??? Episode 3 will answer all ;)

Final thought: don’t take them up on a coffee at the start of a meeting it’s too hot to drink until after the meeting is over.

Thanks for reading,

Ashlee Harrison