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 celebrates our 7th Birthday
We’re excited to be celebrating our 7th birthday at Melbourne Social Co this month!
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, and now seven years later the digital marketing world is as thriving as ever.
Being in the industry this long has allowed us to evolve over time and be able to offer more than just standard social media management. We know that there is “no one-size-fits-all” approach when it comes to amplifying a brand’s presence online.
The evolution of Melbourne Social Co is something our team is truly proud of. Moving into our 8th year now, our agency’s focus is on creating innovative and game-changing digital content for our wonderful portfolio of clients.
“The business we founded in 2011 is very different to the agency we operate today, such is the fast-paced and ever evolving digital marketing landscape. That being said, this evolution has been a wonderful journey to go on, from humble beginnings as a social media management team, to our positioning today as brand strategists and premium content creators. It’s such a rewarding industry to be a part of, and a pleasure to work with a creative, dynamic team who are incredibly passionate about what they do.” Shelley Friesen - Director, Melbourne Social Co
Want to know more about our team? Get in touch today.
Is bigger better when it comes to a marketing agency?
Do you believe boutique agencies create more authentic relationships with clients? If so, why?
Absolutely! One of the major perks of business’s working with a boutique agency is that you get a much more personalised experience with our Account Managers as we have a manageable client base so we can really dedicate our time and energy to each and every one of our clients.
At Melbourne Social Co, we pride ourselves on the close relationships we have with our clients – we want them to feel like we are just an extension of their team! This kind of relationship helps us to do our best work, as we’re always communicating with our clients we get to know their business inside out so we can produce content that hits their targets and that we know they’ll love!
Is bigger better when it comes to a marketing agency?
Not at all. In fact, I think it’s very much the opposite.
Working with a boutique agency has many benefits from offering a more personalised service that can be tailored to individual clients and their needs (no more one size fits all packages!), to being more cost effective. We also have an ‘all hands on deck’ approach, which allows senior members of our team to oversee all accounts big and small and lend their input and expertise.
What’s your opinion on boutique agency, versus, one in house employee?
Working with a boutique agency is great way to get the skills of 5 or so people, for the price that’s usually equal or less than a full-time junior employee’s annual salary. When we work on our client’s accounts, we combine the skills of our content creators, copywriters, community managers, Facebook ad experts and account managers so we always have an expert working on the different elements of our client’s campaigns. It’s rare to find an employee who is an expert in all of those areas!
In recent times, larger, more traditional marketing agencies have been seen to use identical and standard marketing approaches. Do you believe that boutique agencies offer a more innovative and unique approach?
Without the confines of a larger agency, a boutique agency can remove the red tape, so we can get creative, try new and interesting ideas without having to get sign-off from various senior staff or board members. This means we can produce out-of-the-box content for our clients that is different to all the other digital marketing content and strategies on the market. This is the best way to get your business to stand out from the rest and get some serious results!
What flexibility does a boutique marketing agency offer?
A whole lot! From our packages (we tailor them to suit you!), to deadlines, to your entire digital marketing strategy. We get that your business is different from any other, and we work with you to offer you a digital marketing service that best works for you.
Do you believe that boutique agencies offer a more streamlined and responsive approach?
Certainly. As we are juggling a lesser client base and have account managers dedicated to managing only a handful of clients at a time, we are always flexible and super responsive to our clients wants and needs.
What is your favourite part of working at a boutique marketing agency?
Our clients are so varied! We have the opportunity to work with clients big, medium and small so each client and each campaign is totally different. Keeps things interesting!
Want to pencil in some time with Rebekah and the rest of our team to chat about your creative requirements? Contact us today to schedule in a session with our team.
The Benefits Of A Boutique Agency
Thinking of outsourcing your brand's marketing requirements? Tossing up between working with a large or boutique agency? We're sharing a few tips on why boutique is the way to go!
When it comes to sourcing an agency to best represent your brand, its no secret there is a bit of an oversaturation in the world of marketing and social media.
More than often, it’s tempting to choose a large, well-known company to meet your marketing needs - but what about the alternatives? There HAS to be another option for value, satisfaction and success.
Here lies the secret weapon that is the Boutique Creative Marketing Agency.
With an intimate team of professionals directly at hand, the benefits of choosing a boutique agency are endless.
Direct access to the owner, specialist team members and closer client relationships
Too often the hierarchy at big agencies resembles more of a monarchy than an efficient, innovative space for creativity and client relations to flourish.
In larger businesses, strict structures and reporting protocol limit the contact and input a client can have when it comes to the services provided to them.
At a boutique agency, a smaller team of handpicked professionals can offer a more personal service and creative space for successful client relationships. Your creative team are able to position themselves as an extension of your business, leading to a more authentic content creation process.
Owners and senior members of staff have the ability to directly oversee projects within a smaller team, allowing a client’s input and best interests to be at the forefront of their minds; ultimately producing higher quality work that is the best representation of your business’ vision.
Lower Cost
Instead of the cost of overheads including extra support staff, lavish workspaces and expense accounts that you would find integrated into proposed quotes by larger agencies, outsourcing a boutique agency to market your business can be a much more cost effective option.
With a boutique agency, clients pay only for the team that actually works on a job, meaning no unjustified or hidden costs. Generally a Melbourne Social Co monthly retainer is equivalent to, or less than, the cost of a full time junior salary - a fee that gives you direct access to the experience of an entire creative team.
Faster turn around
Another major benefit when it comes to choosing a boutique agency over a larger competitor is the quick turn around time for projects and content.
Boutique agencies carefully hand-pick a manageable amount of clients they believe they can deliver genuine results to, so your project wont be put on hold or lost in the crowd. This tailored approach smaller agencies employ ensures your campaign will be given the attention and dedicate it deserves, leading to better results!
These are but a few benefits we can recommend when it comes to going ahead with a smaller, boutique marketing agency. For any queries, or additional information on how we at Melbourne Social Co can provide the very best service for your business or project, contact us today - [email protected]
Content Marketing For Business
Here at Melbourne Social Co, we are big believers in the importance of content marketing for businesses. Why? It helps to increase SEO, it builds brand awareness and provides extra value to your consumer.
Are you ready to start using content marketing for your business? We've listed the key reasons why you should…
It increases SEO:
If you want to increase your website’s SEO (Search Engine Optimisation) then high-quality and search-friendly content is a must. This content should be unique and original and should include relevant keywords which will boost your ranking on Google, so you can continue to attract more visitors.
It provides value to your audience:
As consumers become more and more savvy, it’s important that you give your brand a point of difference, and offer something via your digital strategy that will add value to your consumers' daily life, encouraging them to keep coming back for more. This is where content marketing comes into play. Think of engaging blogs, eye-catching imagery and emails filled with tips and tricks as ways to entice your consumer to stay engaged with your business.
It helps to build brand awareness:
Content marketing is all about creating and distributing relevant content to attract and increase your consumer engagement. This increase in consumer engagement means more people are listening and connecting with your business and in turn are more likely to buy your product or your service. Types of content marketing you could use to increase your brand awareness include blogs and email marketing, which help to capture the attention of your consumer, increase brand awareness, provide value, generate sales and increase SEO! Sounds perfect right?!
Are you ready to take the next step and build your business’s content marketing? From website content, to blogs, engaging imagery, email marketing and creative copy for your social media channels, Melbourne Social Co does it all.
Get in touch with us to find out how we can help your business today.
Want to learn how to get that great content of yours 'out there'?
Take our Social Co Academy short online course.