What I've learned in my apprenticeship at an inbound marketing agency

Wow, I’ve done it… I’ve spent one whole year at the inbound marketing agency Six & Flow AND they want to keep me!

I know I’m going to sound old, but it actually has flown by. Sometimes I feel like I’m still new and have only been here for a few months, but then I remember all my responsibilities and the skills that I’ve developed over the past year.

Before joining Six & Flow, I had never even heard of inbound marketing (or outbound marketing). I just thought that all marketing was the same - I can tell you now that this is definitely not the case! If you would like lessons from an inbound marketing agency, then I suggest you have a look at one of our previous blogs.

Working with an Inbound Marketing Agency: The highlights

I think my main highlight from a year as an apprentice was being part of the Northern Blog Awards, it was definitely a night to remember!

My role for the night was to manage the social media for The Northern Blog Awards account. The organiser Holly didn’t give me many ‘must do’s’, but one of them was to get #NBAs17 trending and we did it, which I was obviously very happy with. I could go on for the whole blog about the awards, but if you’d like a full update on the evening, take a look at this blog I wrote earlier:  Six & Flow - Proud Sponsors of the Northern Blog Awards. 

Another highlight for me has to be the filming that took place in Pot Kettle Black (an independent coffee shop in Barton Arcade). I think this was mainly because I got to meet Angellica Bell & Gethin Jones which was super cool… not to mention I was also an extra on the show, as I was lingering about taking photos for social media.

I don’t think I will forget my ‘first birthday’ either, probably because the entire office was full of glitter! As an apprentice, one of my roles was to go on coffee runs, I was asked and when I came back my whole desk was covered. I thought it would only be fair to cover everyone else’s desk too.

Lowlights working at an Inbound Marketing Agency

I can honestly say I don’t have any lowlights, well none that stand out out to me right now. If I had to say anything, it would be getting used to the working life.

As an 18-year-old ,when most of your friends are starting university and going out every night, it’s not the easiest waking up to Snapchat or Instagram Stories of them enjoying their university experience. However, I can honestly say one year on that I definitely made the right decision choosing to go straight into work rather than going to university.

I’d also say getting used to new systems that our inbound marketing agency use was quite difficult, and probably took me longer than everyone else - but now I don’t know what I was worrying about or what took me so long to get used to it. Getting used to some of the clients also took me a little while, but now I find it exciting to research and find out all about our prospects.

Why an apprenticeship is a great alternative to university

If like me you aren’t entirely sure what path to take after your exams, whether it’s A-levels or GCSE’s then I would definitely recommend looking into a Juice Academy  apprenticeship. Just because your parents or teachers are encouraging you to go to university, it doesn’t mean that it’s necessarily the right option for you.

Like a lot of people my age, I had a strong interest in the digital world and in particular social media, which is how I initially came across The Juice Academy. What appealed to me most was the opportunity to gain valuable experience relating to an occupation which I took a real interest in. Like most people my age, I am also fairly competent with technology, but I knew I wanted to gain a better insight into the workings of the field.

From being young, I’ve always felt I have worked well in a team, and this is something I wanted to expand on as well as showcase. It was important for me to expand on my networking and communication skills as a key aspect of my job role. This is something both The Juice Academy and Six & Flow have given me the opportunity to do.

Before starting, I always said I just want to gain experience in whatever I am doing. That was my main reason for choosing an apprenticeship. One year on, I can happily say I have found a career that I enjoy, am good at and can grow in. An apprenticeship at an inbound marketing agency has definitely taught me a lot, especially in helping my confidence grow.