What makes an agency great? Is it the quality of work produced? Or, maybe the size of the clients? Perhaps it all depends on how trendy the office space is…
While all of these factors can play a huge role in a company’s attractiveness, to me, what makes an agency great is how well it invests in its people. Every business is only as strong as the team behind it, and the strongest teams are those that look out for and hold each other accountable, across all levels of the business.
The KWSM Mentorship Program is the perfect example of this type of investment. As you can deduce from the word “mentorship,” this program allows eager team members to learn the ropes of various areas of digital marketing from those with more experience. As this quarter’s program comes to a close and I reflect on my experience, I realize that I not only learned the ropes, but I learned from them as well.
Great companies are a lot like ropes: each team member representing a thread. If one thread tries to do all the heavy lifting alone, or if a group of threads neglects to pull their weight, the rope will snap. It’s only when each thread is strong, sure, and capable that the rope is able to fulfill its purpose.
When I joined the KWSM Atlanta team last year, training began right off the bat (as it does for most companies). However, one thing that I did not expect was the immediate attention from management about my interests. Within my first week at the company, I had already been asked multiple times about the areas of marketing I was interested in, types of industries I’d enjoy working with, etc. On day five, I expressed to my manager that I was curious about public relations and press releases. Not even two days later, I was on the phone with my mentor, Jeff Soto. Jeff is the Managing Content Editor at KWSM Orange County and KWSM Las Vegas and heads up the agency’s PR efforts.
It was during this first call that Jeff told me about the Mentorship Program, and asked if I would like to partner with him to learn more about PR and press releases. With much excitement and appreciation, I gladly accepted and our work began.
Every other week for the next three months, Jeff and I scheduled a call so he could teach me about PR (what it entails, examples of PR wins, how to structure a press release, sending releases through Cision, etc), and then give me homework to put my new knowledge into practice for some of our clients. At first, I knew close to nothing about the subject matter. Before I knew it, I was answering other peoples’ questions about all things press releases, and even writing a few releases for clients outside of our mentorship curriculum!
This program not only allowed me to acquire a new skill, gain confidence in what I bring to the table at work, and collaborate with a team member on the other side of the country, but it also showed me from the beginning how much KWSM values my growth as an individual.
By taking the time to strengthen me and the other mentees through this program, KWSM is becoming a stronger rope with greater ability to rise to new challenges together. As each person continues to grow there’s no telling what we’ll be capable of, but it’s bound to be great.
Ready to be part of a dynamic, connected team?
We want to work with people who are passionate. If you have the ability to get excited and roll up our sleeves to serve our clients, we might just be the work-family you’re looking for!
CLICK HERE to learn more about joining the KWSM Team.
