In order for digital agencies to be as efficient and successful as possible, they need the...
Trust me, I know how you feel. You’re probably sat in front of your laptop realising you’ve found the perfect job at an agency, but you’ve no idea of what’s involved. It’s easy to think the worst right away and talk yourself out of it, but I’m here to stop that from happening by shutting down 10 common myths of working at an inbound marketing agency.
Obviously, this can vary from agency to agency so it’s a good idea to find out more about them. For starters, check out their blog, social media accounts and reviews to get a better feel.
- “If I’m new, they’ll just have me make coffee for a while”
- “It’s going to be really easy”
- “I’m going to work every hour under the sun and wave goodbye to any downtime”
- “I’ll have no clue what the f**k I’m doing every day”
- “Pfft, it can’t be that fast-paced...can it?”
- “I’ll never get to do any training again”
- “There’s no chance I can ever interact with clients”
- “I’m going to be stuck in the same role forever”
- “I won’t be able to work with anyone outside my team”
- “I can’t have any input into how campaigns are shaped”
1. “If I’m new, they’ll just have me make coffee for a while”
Yeah, it doesn’t quite work like that. You might be new but a marketing agency has brought you in for a reason. You’ll need to do some training, meet your teammates and adjust to the new environment. It’s the only way to get a good feel of what your working life will be like. You’re there to be an expert and help clients achieve success.
Although, if you do need to be at the coffee machine 12 times a day to feed your caffeine addiction, then go for it. Nobody’s judging.
2. “It’s going to be really easy”
If you come into a marketing agency with this mindset then oh boy, are you in for a surprise. It’s never a walk in the park. A team member might be off sick so you’ll need to cover them, a client has changed their mind yet again so that design needs adjusting for the ninth time or you just can’t think of a really good campaign idea.
These things happen, but what’s important is how you overcome them. You won’t be sat on a bean bag, listening to tunes on Spotify and playing FIFA all day. There’s a lot of work that needs to be done before you can enjoy some of the perks of the job.
Sure, it’s going to be a challenge but if you’re up to it, then a marketing agency is probably the right environment for you.
3. “I’m going to work every hour under the sun and wave goodbye to any downtime”
All right, it might not be easy but that doesn’t mean you’ll be working non-stop from the moment you get in. While it can be challenging, it’s still manageable so that you deliver client deliverables, grow in your role and also have fun doing it.
Some agencies (by some, I mean Digital 22) even offer early finishes and our working week is much shorter than the national average. So while you’ll get a load of work done, you’ll still have plenty of time for yourself or even be a part of regular work social events.
4. “I’ll have no clue what the f**k I’m doing every day”
Although you’ll have the job title, you’re probably thinking that you’ll have no clue what you’ll actually do every day when you’re at your desk. Trust me, you won’t be sat there twiddling your thumbs waiting for something to fall on your plate.
If you’re involved in content, you’ll do a lot of writing, proofing and analysis. If you’re on the strategy side, you’ll do a lot of campaign planning, client comms and report creation. If you’re a developer, you’ll be buried knee-deep in confusing code nobody but you understands. If you’re in social...you get the idea.
You’ll have your set tasks or even ad-hoc ones that somebody will need help with. To make it even easier, some marketing agencies even have project management solutions with a dedicated team to help make sure everyone has their ideal schedule every single day.
5. “Pfft, it can’t be that fast-paced...can it?”
Yeah, it can.
This links in with the last few points. Working at a marketing agency isn’t always easy, it can be a challenge and with so many moving parts, you could move between multiple tasks at any given time. Again, if you need a working environment where you can test yourself and know that you can cope well under pressure, then you’ll do just fine.
Clients have demands and marketing agencies have deadlines. Having a fast-paced environment and producing work to a high-quality can also make it more enjoyable.
You don’t want to be stuck in a place where it’s too easy-going and you feel like you won’t progress.
6. “I’ll never get to do any training again”
It’s actually the complete opposite. Marketing agencies will encourage you to train as it’s one of the ways to stay ahead of the competition and remain a genuine expert in your field. Neglecting training means you’ll probably miss out on all the latest trends and techniques that can help achieve success for your clients.
Got a spare half an hour on your hands? Stick a training video on or complete a course you think will help your development. Found an interesting event that will help? Try and attend.
We’ve even sent some of the team to Boston for the annual INBOUND event so trust me, agencies do care about training.
7. “There’s no chance I can ever interact with clients”
There’s always the opportunity to get to know the clients whose accounts you’ll work on. It’s not always a case of just being a name in an office somewhere. Regular visits can build a relationship and trust between you both.
Obviously, there’s a fine line between communicating with clients and emailing them every other minute about what they did over the weekend. But if you want a chance to get a better understanding of clients, their industry and their vision, you’ll have opportunities to get these insights and work closely with them.
8. “I’m going to be stuck in the same role forever”
Some might like that, but working at a marketing agency doesn’t mean you’ll never shift into another role. You might have a lighter schedule and end up helping someone from another team, only to realise that it’s actually something you enjoy and want to explore a bit more.
Some agencies offer these opportunities to try your hand in other roles if you’re genuinely interested in them. You won’t feel like you’re stuck in a permanent rut and if your skills allow for it, then you could find yourself working in other areas of the business that you also enjoy.
9. “I won’t be able to work with anyone outside my team”
At a marketing agency, you’ll have loads of opportunities to work with others outside of your team. Rather than just wheeling yourself over to another department to escape the craziness of your own for a few minutes, there are plenty of projects that require some collaboration.
You might have to work with video to get a really nice clip for your blog post. You might sit on a call with a Strategist and the client to discuss your ideas for a download piece - and then work with design to help it come to life.
Working with others will not only create stronger relationships but also make projects more successful.
10. “I can’t have any input on how campaigns are shaped”
All right, you might not get the final say on campaigns right away but your ideas are always needed. Working through campaigns, you’ll have a great understanding of what has and hasn’t worked - so it’s up to you to get that message across and help shape what you do in the future for clients.
It might be titles you’ve realised have worked really well. Certain topics you want to explore again, push the boat out a little with more ambitious design ideas and more. Without doing this, you’ll probably get bored of doing the same old in every campaign. Depending on your job role, it might be you asking others to help you shape campaign plans.
Either way, you’ll always be in the loop.
Hopefully, you’re at ease a little now that you’re aware of the common myths of working at a marketing agency. There’s still a bit more involved if you’ve never worked at one, so we’ve created a guide to give you a better understanding of what life is really like in a marketing agency.
Wanna know what life is like in a marketing agency?
The myths, the different jobs, the skills you’ll need to be a massive success and what a typical day looks like - it can all vary from role to role. If you’re interested in diving into life at a marketing agency, go ahead and check out our vacancies.
