5 REASONS WHY I LOVE MY JOB & WHY THAT'S GOOD FOR YOUR BUSINESS
- Larissa Fleming
- Sep 21, 2018
- 5 min read
Updated: Dec 21, 2019
There are definitely more but essentially all the reasons why I'm loving what I'm doing now fall into these overarching themes. And whilst they're ultimately my reasons, they can certainly benefit the businesses I work and collaborate with. Here's why...
This is a big one. And when it's there, lots of great ideas come about and some truly magical stuff can happen. Of course, I don't wake up feeling like this every day - especially when it's cold and dreary and your head is full of a cold (me last week - courtesy of my kids!).
But I'm so fortunate that every so often, that 'spark' flickers into life and everything just seems to flow and fit together - ideas organically spawn more ideas and my mind feels alive with all the possibilities.
I find this happens more when I'm working on a client I feel an infinity and connection with. Which has helped me to realise a core value I'd like to uphold for 'Motherposter' moving forward - primarily that I will only work on business I truly believe in.
It's not lost on me what a privilege it is to be able to do this but there's no denying that passion fuels the best work. I also think it's important to avoid 'duplication', working with businesses from the same category, at the same time. In this way, I hope to bring truly original thinking to all my clients and find inspiration from other sectors. After all, any promotion mechanic, whether social or otherwise, is about reaching a certain person and ultimately, people often do quite similar things!
Being my own boss and working as a freelancer from home has given me a high level of personal and professional flexibility.
Personally, the most obvious is being able to be present and involved in my children's lives every day. I'm able to do all the meetings, plays, showcases and sports days whenever I'm needed. On another level, I'm able to take time out of my day to just 'live life' like tending to my garden, making a costume for World Book Day or baking a cake just because (although I am a terrible baker!).
What this means for my clients is that I'm able to bring my full self to work - energised and with a fresh perspective that I can apply to their business. Spending time away from 'work' doesn't necessarily mean I'm not working. In fact, some of my best ideas have come from not actively thinking about the task. Instead, having time to 'ruminate', 'incubate' and then 'percolate' a number of streams of thought can come up with some pretty original and exciting stuff!
From a professional perspective, I'm able to offer clients flexibility by opting to charge an hourly rate for some of my services if that is their preference. This means remuneration is a true and accurate reflection of effort. Some clients may only need my help with a specific, time-sensitive campaign, others may need regular ongoing support and other still, may have a big launch coming up before moving to a more consistent level of promotion.
Adopting this pricing structure means I can effectively and transparently deliver on any client scenario, tailoring my services to what is needed and mirroring the ebb and flow of each individual business.
Another really important one for me - I just love the level of creativity I'm able to exercise on a daily basis. There are so many really great platforms which help my creative ideas come alive!
Video, graphic design, GIF making - I'm able to produce all these content formats and more, to brief and on brand. Even if a client doesn't have many existing assets, if they have a logo and a vision for how they'd like their business to be seen by customers, I can bring this life.
Social Media and campaign strategy is another way I get to flex my 'creativity'. I truly enjoy this process, and it becomes even more fruitful and exciting if its a business I'm passionate about (see Reason 1). But I don't limit my creativity to just social media - I've helped businesses look at the full spectrum of their digital offering, from website user experience to designing creative and engaging loyalty programmes that can help a business to grow.
Another advantage of being my own boss is that I am in control of workflow and can make decisions quickly when needed. Similarly, working with small businesses naturally means that clients mirror this set-up.
With this 'agility' things happen in a more efficient and effective manner, side-stepping corporate red-tape and hierarchy. But this pace and ability to adapt is also important from a marketing perspective.
In this 'data-driven' world, being able to learn on the go and repeat what works is a key factor in driving business success. It's vital to be nimble and have the ability to change direction or approach when needed. Having worked in large companies with many layers of management, being able to have a hand directly on the 'steering' wheel so to speak, is thrilling and humbling at the same time.
As part of any campaign or client I manage, I provide regular performance reports, which show what has worked, what needs improving and what new tactics we should consider. Being fully accountable means that I am even more determined to deliver successful campaigns that smash the KPIs set as the buck really does stop with me.
Social Media moves pretty quick. Almost on a daily basis, new technology advances drive innovation and within a blink of an eye, new trends in this space are evolving. Truly, it can be daunting but it also keeps me on my toes to ensure I am up to speed with the latest updates.
What I especially love is that many of the new developments are just a lot of fun - plain and simple! At the heart of these improvements is the aim of enhancing people's experiences on these platforms, I spent hours on Instagram Stories when the add music function was rolled out!
I also like the challenge of figuring out how new innovation can be used by my clients to better connect and engage with the people they want to reach. I'm a firm believer in not using new tech just because it's the 'new thing' on the block - it has to be relevant to the brand otherwise it won't feel authentic.
This space is always changing, which means that there is always variety in my workday. I feel very fortunate to work in such a dynamic and exciting space - something which I hope translates to the work I produce for my clients!
If you'd like to have a chat about how I can apply all of the above to fuel your business growth through social media, please get in touch, I'd love to hear from you!
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