Today, our Founder Shelley is sharing 6 lessons she has learnt over the years as a creative agency owner.

Lessons from a creative agency owner.

Today, our Founder Shelley is sharing 6 lessons she has learnt over the years as a creative agency owner.

I’ve been in business for over 13 years now, and have learned a thing or two along the way.

Here are 6 lessons from me, a creative agency owner.

1. Your people are your greatest asset.

Prioritising their well-being and growth is key to success, as is building a tight-knit culture based on mutual respect.

2. Trust and transparency will take you further than a fancy sales pitch can.

While big numbers, awards and sales tactics can land clients quickly, being open and transparent about recommendations and realistic results leads to stronger long term relationships with clients. 

3. Grow at a sustainable rate.

While there are some out there 10 x-ing their growth each year, consistent, sustainable growth is key to staff and client retention.

4. Systems and processes are your saviour.

A simple playbook documenting everything you do as an agency will be your saving grace when things get crazy.

5. Reputation is everything.

The industry is small and you’ll cross paths with everyone more than once. Make sure every impression is a positive one.

6. Let your work speak for itself.

High-quality, creative work delivered on time, every time will become your greatest sales tool.

What would you add to the list? Let Shelley know on LinkedIn.

Want to work with our creative agency? Get in touch with us today.


Approved the Podcast is a fun, fortnightly peek behind the curtains of the social media industry, hosted by Nicole and Hannah.

Meet our latest passion project, Approved the Podcast.

Earlier this year, we floated the concept of an agency podcast. Let’s be honest, we ALL LOVE podcasts, especially those with the fun and familiarity of a chat between friends or family, that deep dive into the things we all want to know more about. Like maybe, what it’s like as a Gen Z climbing the career ladder at a creative agency?

Fast forward to today, as we launch Approved.

Hosted by social media experts (and sisters) Nicole and Hannah, Approved is a fun, fortnightly peek behind the curtains of the social media industry, where your hosts sit down to spill the tea about what it’s like to work in social media and all that it entails. 

In each episode Nicole and Hannah will look at pop culture and how platforms like TikTok and Instagram influence our daily lives, and chat to influential up and comers in the industry about how the navigate the landscape to promote both themselves and their brands.

Delivered through the lens of Gen Z women forging impressive careers in marketing themselves, Approved the Podcast exists to help listeners unpack social media updates, learn from industry heavyweights and dabble in influencer ‘tea’, all shared with the familiarity that comes with a chat between sisters.

Listen now on Spotify.

Want to get to know Hannah a little better? Our recently appointed Head of Production recently sat down with Fashion Journal to share what it's really like to work at a social media agency. Read the article here.

Want to work with our agency? Get in touch with us today.


It’s been a busy few months here at Melbourne Social Co, with new staff, promotions and acquisitions. Let us catch you up to speed.

The latest news from Melbourne Social Co

It’s been a busy few months here at Melbourne Social Co!

Let us catch you up to speed.

Firstly, we have been thrilled to welcome two new team members to the agency, Jess and Nicole. Both join the Melbourne Social Co team as social media managers. Nicole comes to us from New Zealand, with a wealth of knowledge in the agency and client relations space, while Jess recently completed an internship with our agency, which gave us an opportunity to see her incredible creativity up close!

In other exciting team news, we’ve recently restructured our leadership team, leading to two newly created roles at Melbourne Social Co. We have been thrilled to fill these two new roles internally, with Hannah taking on the role of Head of Production, and Bridget taking on the role of Head of Accounts. These roles have been created to ensure our agency continues to provide the very best output in terms of content production and client servicing, and we’re thrilled for Bridget and Hannah to make these roles their own.

Finally, it’s been a busy few months with new client acquisition. Despite the climate of economic uncertainty, our agency continues to secure exciting new contracts, with a focus on property and hospitality, two industries that are very close to our hearts. We’re very proud of our growth in 22/23, and look forward to more exciting opportunities in the new financial year.

If you’d like to chat to our team about a marketing campaign or content production, please reach out.

Looking to begin a career in Social Media?

We’re often recruiting for a number of Social Media Manager roles at Melbourne Social Co. Each role we advertise tends to get hundreds of applications. Which, to be honest, is kind of amazing. To think that hundreds of people want to work at this wonderful business that we’ve created is a bit of a thrill really.

But, on the flipside, unfortunately it’s impossible for us to reach out to and interview every candidate that applies, as much as we’d love to.

So what makes a Social Media Manager application stand out from the rest? Here are a few things that we look for when reviewing applications.

The latest news from Melbourne Social Co
The latest news from Melbourne Social Co

Melbourne Social Co is celebrating 10 years in business this year! Read all about our journey in our latest post.

Melbourne Social Co Celebrates Our 10th Birthday!

This year, Melbourne Social Co is celebrating 10 years in business.

I’m so incredibly proud of our business journey, from humble beginnings to now being recognised as one of Australia’s leading content-driven creative agencies. 

I started Melbourne Social Co from my spare bedroom, as most start-ups begin, with one client and a lot of determination. As a person in my mid-20s at the time and of course, pre-kids - I loved working 60 hour weeks and throwing myself into the entrepreneurial game.

My client list quickly grew, and then so did my team, with my first hire being Rebekah Pickett, who has stuck with me (thanks Bek!) and now leads the team of 15+ creatives both here in Melbourne and around Australia. We’ve had 3.5 offices, a few different logos, many office plants (that sadly have not survived the journey) and an incredible predominately-female team of creatives over the journey. We have worked across almost every state in Australia (as well as a few ventures into NZ and Singapore) and have produced incredible work for household names like Fitbit, PETstock, BiC and more.

We’ve worked with SO many different businesses over the journey, from start-ups to global powerhouses, with both ends of the spectrum being equally rewarding.

While I understand that for many business owners, 2020 and now 2021 have been incredibly difficult, I am so proud to say that our team has gone from strength to strength over the past year in particular. Not only have our team adapted to working predominately remotely, but they have upskilled, hustled and continued to deliver incredible results over the pandemic period for our clients. In addition, we have on-boarded some of our biggest campaigns to date this year and are so excited to be working with some really great brands, such as Koko Black, Sass Clothing and Jenny Craig.

I’m so proud of our female-lead business, where we have been, where we are now, and where we are headed. Here’s to an exciting next 10 years!

Shelley

Melbourne Social Co is celebrating 10 years in business this year! Read all about our journey in our latest post.
Melbourne Social Co is celebrating 10 years in business this year! Read all about our journey in our latest post.

Melbourne Social Co Celebrates Nine Years In Business

Melbourne Social Co Celebrates Nine Years In Business

Did you know that this month Melbourne Social Co celebrates our ninth year in business? 

Melbourne Social Co Celebrates Nine Years In Business
Melbourne Social Co Celebrates Nine Years In Business

With a traditional fashion editorial background, our Director Shelley Friesen began forging a career in social media over ten years ago – establishing Melbourne Social Co in 2011. While pursuing IT wasn’t a stylish choice for a child of the 80’s, Shelley’s intuition to pursue social media was bang on (much like Olivia Newton John’s leotard in Let’s Get Physical!) “I got into digital marketing through identifying a need for businesses to embrace it. From my experience working in the editorial department of a fashion magazine and as a Marketing Manager for an Australian fashion and accessories label, I could see that social media was a tool businesses could adopt and utilise to connect with their consumers. Despite people’s hesitance at the time to take a leap of faith on such an emerging field, I decided to start my own digital marketing agency!” 

Now a team of fifteen, most of whom can’t remember a world without selfies and Snapchat, Melbourne Social Co has been instrumental in building the digital presence of some of Australia’s biggest brands. 

While 2020 has certainly presented its’ challenges for both our business and our wonderful clients, the power of digital and social media is greater than ever and we’re excited to be able to continue to assist small business owners in navigating this difficult time. (Read our top tips on using social media in times of crisis here.)

Want to get to know our team a little better? Click here.

 

Need assistance in navigating social media during the COVID-19 crisis? Our team of experts at Melbourne Social Co are here to help you. We can provide a range of services to assist your needs including virtual consulting sessions, copywriting, ad hoc graphic design, digital marketing campaign management and more.

We have a full team with all hands-on deck available to support you.

Our agency is also offering 50% off our online training resources during this time, should you be looking to upskill in social media management, strategy or content creation during your time at home. You can access our online courses here: courses.thesocialco.com.au and use the coupon code: upskillathome to redeem your discount.


The Importance of Social Media During the COVID-19 Crisis.

The Importance of Social Media During the COVID-19 Crisis.

Over the past couple of months, we’ve seen the COVID-19 virus impact citizens around the globe with many businesses having to make tough decisions on how to adapt to the ever changing landscape we are currently facing.

Along with other small businesses, we’re already seeing the huge impact that the current climate is having on the economy and business around the world - which is why digital marketing has never been more important. Due to its reactive nature and potential to reach large audiences, social media is a highly valuable and cost effective medium for businesses looking to navigate the current climate and future proof their businesses.

With more eyes on social media channels looking for news and business updates than ever before, now is the time to ensure you are posting thoughtful and engaging content including sharing business updates and showing how you are responding to the COVID-19 pandemic and the everchanging government regulations.

Determining the right approach for your social media campaign during a pandemic can be challenging, which is why we are sharing with you our tips on how you can leverage your social media channels during a crisis like COVID-19. 

Unsure where to start? We’ve outlined our top tips below!

  • Acknowledge the crisis and how your business is adapting or changing 
  • Keep your audience updated with your business changes. Consumers will be looking at your social media channels first for all of your latest business information including things such as opening hours, service changes, takeaway menu items as well as insight into the measures you are putting in place to keep your staff and customers safe and healthy
  • Review all scheduled posts and paid ad campaigns to ensure messaging is appropriate and call-to-actions have been adapted to new business updates. Don’t waste money on running ad campaigns with old information, instead use your paid ads to promote new services such as your new takeaway menu, or online workout program!
  • Ask your audience what they want to see on your social media feeds and adapt your content strategy as needed. With more people on social media now, it’s important you give the people what they want! 
  • Tap into features such as Instagram Live or Stories to provide value to your audience outside of your usual offerings
  • Adapt your content to new customer behaviours. As we are all encouraged to stay indoors during work and after hours, ensure your content speaks to this and angle your business or service to fit into these lifestyle and behavioural changes
  • Be responsive to your community, provide answers and support them. During a crisis like COVID-19, there’s a lot of uncertainty on a business and personal level, so providing information, educating your audience and ensuring you are fostering relationships is key 
  • Tweak tweak tweak! We all know that social media is trial and error, so it’s vital to ensure you are reviewing and improving your strategy every few days. Think about new ways you can add value to your customers and enhance their experience with you (eg. Being more responsive to messages and comments, uploading an IGTV on how your business is adapting to the regulations, providing free advice on your service or product, sharing FAQs via stories)
  • Add a human element into your content. More people will crave seeing faces and hearing voices as we feel more distant from human interaction due to social distancing and self-isolation. Videos (feed and IGTV) / stories / lives are a great way to add this in. 

Need assistance in navigating social media during the COVID-19 crisis? Our team of experts at Melbourne Social Co are here to help you. We can provide a range of services to assist your needs including virtual consulting sessions, copywriting, ad hoc graphic design, digital marketing campaign management and more.

We have a full team with all hands-on deck available to support you. 

Get in touch with our team today for more information on how we can help. [email protected]

The Importance of Social Media During the COVID-19 Crisis.
The Importance of Social Media During the COVID-19 Crisis.

Latest News - Support Small Business

Latest News - Support Small Business

support small business

Hey guys, Shelley here.

Like many small businesses, we’re already seeing the effect that the current climate is having on the economy and in-turn, our business. And while we’re not sure what the short term future might bring, what we do know is that for small business, now is not the time to fall silent. With more and more Australians spending time on their phones consuming news and social media content, now is the time to capture this audience with thoughtful, engaging content - not only to let your consumer know how you’re handling this crisis, but to stay front of mind and to encourage them to shop local and support your business.

While we understand that many businesses need to look at where they can scale back costs at the moment, marketing, and in particular social media content creation and distribution, needs to be viewed as business-critical. Your social media communication is now more important than ever - it is the most effective tool you have to promote your business in these highly reactive, times of uncertainty.

With that in mind, our agency is offering a range of different packages and resources to support your business through this crisis. I’ve created a coupon code upskillathome to offer you 70% off our online training resources, should you be looking to upskill in social media management, strategy or content creation during your time at home. You can access our online courses here: courses.thesocialco.com.au 

We’re also offering reactive content packages to help you craft the right messaging for your consumer, and are able to quickly turn around graphics, copy, video and imagery to get the message out to your audience in a professional and timely manner. If you’d like some more info, please reach out to me - [email protected] and let’s pencil in a chat.

I’m personally supporting as many small businesses as I can at the moment, and I urge you to as well. We’re all in this together!


Influencer Events at Melbourne Social Co

Influencer Events at Melbourne Social Co

In December, we hosted a beautiful influencer brand showcase at our Moonee Ponds Studio. We were excited to share some of our lovely stable of brands with a gorgeous group of influencers. A big thank you to everyone who came along, we loved meeting you all!

At this event, we showcased a selection of our brands to influencers across the mummy, lifestyle, health and foodie space. This meant that we had a wide range of personalities who had a much broader reach.

Our guests were delighted with the variety of brands available at the event, and were able fill their goodie bags with products best suited to them. Some of the goodies included Avène skincare, Chris’ Dips, Chi Khi children’s clothing, Alessi Beverages and many more. One lucky winner was also the recipient of a brand new Fitbit Versa 2, from our friends at Fitbit. 

We had such incredible feedback from our guests. Firstly, being that they loved seeing all the products displayed on the tables. This allowed our influencers to take home products which they feel are most relevant to them and their needs. Secondly, they loved the ability to be able to ask and find out more about the products by having our staff there rather than going home and having questions. 

Collectively, the Instagram followers of all the influencers reached 310,502. There was over 90 Instagram Stories and approximately 30 posts on Instagram. 

Influencer Events at Melbourne Social Co
Influencer Events at Melbourne Social Co

If you’re a Melbourne based influencer and would like to join our mailing list, please reach out to [email protected]. Or, if you’re a brand who would like to go on the waitlist for our next showcase, please email [email protected].

Want to learn how to create beautiful social media content (like the images above) for your brand? Our latest online course is launching soon - pre-register now.


The latest news from Melbourne Social Co!

The latest news from Melbourne Social Co!

Melbourne Social Co has moved!

You may have seen on our socials, Melbourne Social Co has recently moved office to bustling Puckle Street in Moonee Ponds.

We had two years in wonderful Yarraville, but due to exciting growth in our business, we needed more space! Our new studio has gorgeous New York loft vibes, lots of natural light and is the perfect space for our growing team to get creative! 


Melbourne Social Co's studio on Puckle Street in Moonee Ponds
Our new studio on Puckle Street in Moonee Ponds

Come in and say hi!

We would love to welcome you in check out our space. Not only do we offer custom consulting and strategy sessions by appointment, but we also have a few dates left in 2019 for our Melbourne Social Co Beginners’ Social Media Workshops! If you’re new to the world of social media, these full day workshops are the perfect place to start. Facilitated by our training guru Charlotte, we cover everything from scheduling content to writing captions, creating eye-catching Instagram stories and more. Tickets are selling fast, so visit our events page to secure yours now.


Melbourne Social Co's Moonee Ponds Studio
Our team at work in our new space!

Is your strategy up to date?

There have been lots of developments in the world of social media marketing in the second half of this year, from algorithm shifts to the removal of visible likes on Instagram. If you’re an established business but you’re finding things are a little ho-hum on your socials at the moment, it might be time for strategy update! Our Senior Strategist Jess would love to pencil you in for a session, to run through your goals and objectives, target audience profiling, competitor analysis and more, to make sure you’re getting everything you can out of your social media marketing efforts.

Contact us today to pencil in an appointment with Jess and the team.

Christmas is just around the corner!

Can you believe it's only a few short months until Christmas? And that means festive marketing plans are well underway. If you're in need of any creative content to support your festive sales strategy, get in touch with our team today, we'd love to assist!


Happy International Women’s day! Here’s to strong women. May we know them, may we be them and may we raise them!

Who runs the world? Girls!

2018 was truly a big year for women, with the year seeing plenty of incredible moments of female activism and empowerment. From the foundation of new movements and celebrations of important milestones, there is no denying that 2018 was the Year of the Woman.

So, in honour of International Women’s Day, here’s a round-up of inspirational women we believe excelled in their industries in 2018.

1. Abisoye Ajayi-Akinfolarin was named one of ten CNN heroes of the year.

Twitter: @AbisoyeAjayi

Abisoye Ajayi-Akinfolarin, 34, is a Nigerian Women and Girls Advocate Social Entrepreneur. A graduate of Business Administration from the University of Lagos, Ajayi-Akinfolarin began her career working for E. D. P Audit and Security Associates. Soon she realised the large gender gap in the tech field and started a non-profit organisation, Pearls Africa Foundation, focused on minimising the gender gap in technology and encouraging more women to gain relevant technological skills.

Through GirlsCoding, a free programme run by her Pearls Africa Foundation, Ajayi-Akinfolarin seeks to educate — and excite— girls about computer programming. GirlsCoding has boosted the girls’ self-esteem. They now have a voice and know their rights. Since starting the initiative, Girlscoding has reached more than 400 beneficiaries, including girls from orphanages and correctional homes, in addition to young women fleeing the Boko Haram insurgency.

On November 1, 2018, Ajayi-Akinfolarin was named one of ten CNN Heroes of the year. Later that month she was listed as one of BBC's 100 Women.

Credit: Abisoye Ajayi-Akinfolarin / International Women’s Day

2. Zoe Foster Blake also published a book! Have you heard of the Break-Up Boss?

Instagram:@zotheysay

Website: http://www.zotheysay.com

Zoë Foster Blake is an Australian author, columnist, magazine editor, and cosmetics entrepreneur. She has now she delivered us Break-up Boss, a rather light-hearted but realistic pocket guide to break-ups and its companion piece, an eponymous app.

it has a singular goal: to help women handle, heal and move on from their breakup in a healthy, positive way. Also, 10 per cent of every purchase goes to the Safe Steps Family Violence Response Centre in Victoria.

Credit: Wikidata / International Women’s Day

3. Michelle Akhidenor made the list for her outstanding hardship in starting the Peer Project in 2018!

Instagram:@michakhidenor

Website: https://thepeersproject.com

Melbourne born, Michelle Akhidenor is considered as one of the most energetic millennials around. A multilingual entrepreneur and coach, she is the founder of a global podcast which interviews some of the world's most outstanding millennial entrepreneurs. She offers guidance and helps young millennials challenge their assumptions and align their passion.

While there is still a way to go, the progress made so far marks the beginning of a new wave of activism, empowerment, and change. It’s this sense of celebration of the past and determination for the future which highlights why 2018 was a great year for women!

Credit: Hotsta / International Women’s Day

4. Cardi B for becoming the first female solo artist to win Best Rap Album

Instagram:@iamcardib

Okay, you caught us. Yes, Cardi B was the first female solo artist to win Best Rap Album at the 2019 Grammy Awards in 2019, but surely this needs to be in the top five!

Cardi B became the first solo woman to win best rap album for "Invasion Of Privacy" at the 2019 Grammy Awards. According to Time Magazine, Best Rap Album only became an official Grammy category in 1996 and has typically been won by male artists, with the exception of Lauryn Hill (won as a member of the hip-hop group Fugees in 1997).

This marks Cardi’s first Grammy win, and she spoke about the challenges of creating the album while pregnant during an emotional acceptance speech.

Credit: Vogue Australia / International Women’s Day


Happy International Women’s day, there is no denying that 2018 was the Year of the Woman. Here at Melbourne Social Co, we're proud to be a team of 15 creative and wonderful women. Learn more about us here.