Things They Don't Tell You You'll Learn at a Digital Marketing Agency

04 Dec 2023

Hi, I’m Jade, and I spent the last 4 months interning as a Digital and Social Media intern here at LOKi. Here are all the findings I’ve gleaned from my time here (and some advice too, if you’re considering applying for my current position!). There’s been so much to learn here for me that I’m extremely grateful for, and I’m sure you’ll feel the same way.

So, without further ado, here are five things that they don’t tell you about interning at a digital marketing boutique agency. If you’re fresh out of school like I was, it’s definitely going to be a whole new ride, so hold on tight!

1. Agency work is a lot. Like, a lot.

When it comes to working at a digital marketing agency, I think of an octopus juggling jobs with all 8 of its tentacles occupied. It’s all about versatility and code-switching, because the team is always and constantly managing a ton of different brands with wildly different scopes in completely diverse industries.

That means the workload is definitely on the high side, and the pace of work is very rapid and oftentimes erratic, as it depends on when the clients release their feedback as well. Prepare for intensity.

2. The network of people you work with is immense.

From in-house designers based in another country, to colourful clients, to outsourced copywriters, you work much more with people outside your team than you would expect. Throughout these interactions, communication and accountability are pivotal to achieve clarity.

Different clients have entirely different objectives and work schedules (for example, some require weekly WIPs), so there’s a clear need to align to their expectations.

Honestly, I’m always shocked when designers are able to translate visual copies and instructions into a cohesive and beautiful final product. One of the most rewarding parts of interning was seeing this - ideation turned into fruition through the interactions with people in the professional network.

3. Size matters - shorter, shorter, and shorter.

As someone who just finished her A-Levels, I’m used to writing long form essays where you cram information into foolscap paper. It’s almost always the longer the better, and there’s even a streak of competitive fear whenever you see someone ask for more paper in the exam when you’ve barely worked your way through half of the stack you’re given.

However, when I started doing copywriting, I realised something - in the real world, no one is going to bother reading. Modern attention spans are comparable to that of goldfish, especially on platforms as whimsical as social media, where one scroll can bring you to a totally different hemisphere of information.

And hence, it’s always about writing in the most concise, eye-catching way that still dispenses enough information to get your point across.

4. You have to kiss a bunch of frogs before you find your prince.

This advice was dispensed to me by my colleagues, albeit in a more romantic context. Essentially, it entails that working on tasks (and definitely relationships!) that you are not necessarily a good fit for is an essential part of the process.

Without puckering up for a few amphibians here and there, you’ll never develop into a person that can actually find the right prince. Similarly, it’s very hard to grow (professionally or personally), especially in an industry as fast-paced and trend-reliant as digital marketing, without trying out all the different job roles, scopes, and brands available to you in a boutique agency.

As an intern, I had the fortunate ability to try many of the roles available in a digital agency out: making reports, content ideation, copywriting, community management, and much more. As much as I wasn’t accustomed to most of these roles, I found that working through them, as difficult as it was, tangibly added to my skill sets, which would definitely assist me in my endeavours as I enter university this fall and try to forge my way through life.

5. Agency life is a bowl of tomato soup.

Warm, spicy, and always better with bread.

On warmth, my colleagues at LOKi were exceedingly welcoming and sweet. In spite of this being my first internship ever, I did not feel like a fish out of water, and I did not flounder as much as I thought I would. Since I’m significantly younger than even the associates that joined the company after me, everyone has taken on the role of helping me out and giving me advice, - both personally and professionally - which I’m very grateful for.

I had no spice tolerance, but working at LOKi has changed that, just a little. (I can eat tom yum now!) I describe working here as spicy, because of the range of different experiences I had that made me grow as a person (and as a non-spice-eating individual). Oftentimes, I felt pushed out of my comfort zone, or stretched in a completely different way than I had previously been in school. Everyone’s guidance definitely helped, but I still feel challenged and changed - much more than I had expected myself to be.

Regarding the bread thing, it’s important to get breakfast in the morning. It gets the brain juices going, and with everyone’s workload, lunch often ends up being closer to dinner.

p.s. The Starbucks bagel is amazing.