It’s been 6 months since I started full time at Torchlight Marketing and running my own business. In my latest blog I wanted to share my journey.
I’ve been working 100% freelance for the past 6 months now so I wanted to write something and reflect on my journey so far in terms of the work I’ve been doing, the challenges, the highs (& of course the lows) and what I’ve learnt along the way.
CLIENT WORK
It’s been amazing to work on such an array of different projects allowing me to utilise my different skill sets and challenge myself in different ways.
As B&C Educational’s freelance Marketing Manager I support them with their content strategy and am responsible for managing their website, FB account and Pinterest account. It’s been a great Q1 for them so far with lots of leads, new business, and analytics for all platforms on the rise. We also joined a number of Facebook groups which has been amazing for the business in terms of product awareness and website traffic generation.
I’ve developed the copy for 2 case studies for KAMGURU to showcase successful projects.
I’ve supported BaseNorth Marketing with a variety of content writing tasks including post writing, blog writing, website copy and most recently developing 4 case studies to help showcase their successes in recent times.
I’ve been helping a budding children’s author with promoting a new children’s book which included copy writing, market research and submitting to 8 identified publishers.
I’ve assisted Union Baptist Church with their branding requirements and am really pleased with the outdoor and indoor banners produced.
MARKETING FOR TORCHLIGHT MARKETING
As a new business and a marketing professional it’s imperative to get this right from the start! Some key achievements in this area:
You can see the website is live and the feedback has been so incredibly positive.
Content strategy is a work in progress developing key ideas for the types of content I want to create. I’ve started working on a couple of video promotions and have identified 12 title ideas for my articles/blogs all of which tie in to my 3 key areas of marketing support that I offer (Pinterest Management, Content Writing and Marketing Management). I have mapped out what I want to achieve in the next 6 months including 2 x LinkedIn post ideas per week for the next 6 months and always aim to write the post content a month in advance as part of my marketing planning.
LinkedIn- this is where I try to engage with my audience and I feel it’s the most relevant social media platform for the business at the moment. I am really enjoying being more active on this channel and can feel the foundations of my business really building with it. Some top line short term wins for me so far include: improving my profile following best practice guidance, helping a connection with an upcoming article (watch this space for news on that), reconnecting with old contacts, making new ones and learning how others utilise the platform.
Pinterest –I have been busy working on my own account using all of the amazing materials and checklists I’ve got from Kathryn Moorhouse's Pinterest Gameplan and Simplifying Pinterest Keywords courses. A must for any Pinterest manager!
What it has taught me is how to better balance client marketing needs with your own. Obviously client work is paramount (as it ultimately pays the bills!) but in order to achieve growth your own marketing is important too!
THE LOWS
Don’t get me wrong there have been lows too and it’s not always plain sailing! Namely:
If you have an IT problem you can’t just phone the IT help desk (but usually a contact or a friend or You Tube can help)
You no longer have a company licence for certain software which massively limits what you can do with the system (but there are usually free alternatives and workarounds)
Worrying and what ifs e.g. What if I don’t pick up new clients, what if I lose an existing client (but you can plan so this doesn’t happen, and often when one door closes, another one opens)
You never really switch off and your to do list is never ending (but if you prioritise the most important and urgent tasks first and manage your time effectively this won’t be a problem)
When Imposter syndrome strikes and you think what am I doing? Am I really a professional marketeer? Who am I kidding?….but there are coping strategies you can put in place to help manage it when it happens
What’s in the brackets is what I’ve learnt so far and although it is a cliché it makes you stronger.
FLEXIBILITY
This has just been a joy. I can juggle my work with childcare, go to assemblies, go to shared circle time, have lunch with my 4 year old every day. I even managed to stay calm and together when my 7 year old was off sick and broke her little toe. Yes I have to work a lot of evenings, a few weekends and every opportunity I can do some work I take it (3 hour journey to in-laws when hubby driving) but it’s so worth it and I feel I am the most productive I’ve ever been.
LIVING THE DREAM
Just writing this down and using the achievement lists I write every Friday night makes me realise how incredible the past 6 months have been!
Hopefully it’s come through this blog but I am living the dream and I AM ACTUALLY DOING THIS! Here’s to the next 6 months!
