I have been working at Naturally Social for four months now. It only feels like yesterday when I joined the Kickstart Scheme and started back in April, but I’ve learnt a lot in that time! So, this month it’s time to talk about what I’ve learnt so far. Let’s get started!
Last month I mentioned that I had been invited by MP Michelle Donelan to attend, and be a speaker at, the DWP’s Kickstart Event to talk about my time through the Kickstart Scheme. Though it seemed daunting at first, I managed to confidently deliver my speech and received a lot of praise in turn. My time with Naturally Social has helped increase my confidence to do things that I’m not familiar with. Such as being able to get out of my comfort zone and attend this event as well as being able to network with the other attendees.
One of the main things I have learnt about is the business side of social media. More specifically; why businesses use social media and what kind of stats are tracked and analysed. Businesses use social media as a core element of their digital marketing strategy, due to its global outreach, making it easier for customers to find and engage with your business.
I have learnt a variety of processes that Naturally Social use. For instance, the client reporting process was something I had never done before April, and now I do it monthly! I enjoy studying statistical data, so it wasn’t too difficult for me to pick up this task and enjoy it.
I have also been learnt about the client onboarding process. Whenever we get a new client, we all contribute to making sure we’re ready to work with them when the contract starts. There’s a lot of information to store and collate before and during the contract periods, so we aim to make sure we are prepared beforehand
Another system that I use frequently is the time-keeping tool, Toggl. This tool would have been a lifesaver for me at University, so it is good for monitoring the time spent on each client.
The short answer is yes! Along with being enrolled on a few training courses, I also take part in regular training with the rest of the team.
During our team meetings, we have learning and development slots. During this time the team and I get to learn (or in some cases teach) about an area of the business or a skill that would be beneficial for us. One of these sessions was about blogging for business, which I am utilising even as I write this blog!
Another example for these learning and development slots would be learning about SEO (search engine optimisation). This is the algorithm browsers and social media sites use to prioritize relevant posts for users. This has benefitted me in the sense that I can start understanding why some posts have higher reach or engagement than others.
One of the skills I have learnt and frequently use is minute-taking. This is an important task for team meetings as it documents actions, decisions, and significant business updates. After completing a course on it, I have been able to use it in practice and I believe I improve upon it each time I do it.
Another skill that I think I have improved upon, thanks to my role here, is my IT skills. I was adept in Word and PowerPoint and that was about it. Now I have a good understanding of all the Office tools and the sites/features used to collect the statistical data for the client reports.
I’m not sure if confidence can be counted as a skill, but as I mentioned earlier, it is something that I have gained from my experience with Naturally Social. Before April, there would have been no way I would have done my speech in front of a crowd, in person. But now I can say that I did it and did it well.
Absolutely, I knew pretty much nothing about any of the work we do before I started. Just looking at a glossary of key terms would have left me bewildered and blank-eyed. But now I can say that I understand most of it well.
Another month entered; another blog finished. If you are curious about partaking in the Kickstart Scheme you can find out more here. If you have missed last month’s blog you can find it here!
Thanks for reading!
Put your feet up, we’ve got this. We’ve been living and breathing social-first communications since the phrase “social media strategy” was first heard on business-leader lips. Get the newsletter to stay in the loop. We respect your privacy and would never sell your details on to a third party. You can unsubscribe at any time – see our Privacy Policy for more details.
01225 809990