A day in the life of our Advertising Director, Louise Prickett

Firstly, tell us a little about your career so far, your education + how you have found the last 5 years creating, building + running a successful Marketing Brand, Chirpy Bird Social?

At school I was clever but I ‘dumbed’ myself down to fit in. I think this set me back a little bit. I never really found something that I excelled at + that I was happy to be seen to like [I look back + I am kind of annoyed at myself for caring so much about what other people thought because I don’t care half as much now!]

Then I took Business Studies, I loved it. I wanted to carry this on into to Sixth Form, but alongside that, I had to pick other subjects which I didn’t really enjoy +, to be honest, I hated it! I then made the jump to college to study Business. This was one of the best decisions of my life! Completely out of my comfort zone + a year behind, but this didn’t matter at college, it was great! 

Jumping forward to University + a gap year I took where I decided to work to gain experience in Marketing. I never left! I didn’t go back to university, it wasn’t for me + so I continued to work. I quickly fell in love with Online Marketing. But, I wasn’t 100% happy where I was + my heart was telling me that I could do this on my own. So I did… + the rest is history. 

Although I never really talk about it, I have worked super hard over the years + I have learned a lot of what I know today through simply doing, getting stuck in + learning along the way. 

Truthfully that’s how I learn best, it helps that I am so interested in what I do too! 

We know your expertise inside + out, but for our readers, what elements of Digital Marketing do you specialise in? What do you love the most?

I have always loved writing. So, that aspect of my job is a real joy. I also love creating graphics, this is something I would like to delve deeper into this year. 

I have naturally fallen into Facebook Advertising due to the incredible demand for them. I have learned most of this as I’ve gone along, I honestly think this is the best way to do it. Making errors, learning from them + moving on! 

Known as our ‘Ad Queen’, you are our go-to for Paid Social Advertising; achieving results + getting the best ROI for our clients. What are your top tips for a small business owner, with a small budget looking to start Paid Advertising for themselves? 

Get testing, use a small budget to get to know Ads Manager, make mistakes + learn from them. Start by running an advert for Brand Awareness or Reach, this way, you’ll be able to get to know your target audience + how well they respond to your ad creatives + wording. Tweak, tweak + tweak until you’re satisfied. Once you hit the right mark, you’ll get some really great results + from there, you can put aside more budget for each month.

Working with household brands to start-ups, you have had a range of briefs over the last 5 years. What have been your favourite projects to work on?

I’m not sure where to start! You’re quite right, I have had a range of briefs over the years + I have had the absolute pleasure of working with so many amazing business owners from a variety of different industries. 

Without naming names, my favourite projects are the ones where I support a business from its infancy + watch it flourish. I also really enjoy projects where I have free creative reign + my favourite subjects include food, animals + beauty! 

I enjoy being able to put on different ‘hats’ + learn the ins + outs of different products + services, something that not many people may realise I do. 

What would you say have been the most positive learnings since launching your own brand?

Go with my gut instinct, always! 

Now, we know + see the magic you create – but, tell our readers a typical day for you.

A typical day will consist of catch-up calls with clients + you! I ensure that clients haven’t got anything urgent to attend to in their notifications or contact points. I will double check there are no problems with the Facebook Ads I am running for clients + I will normally have a Content Calendar to get stuck into. They’ll be ideas to come up with, lots of writing + coffee to be drank. 

This is a hard question, I am really lucky that no day is ever the same. 

As well as working with our fabulous clients already, who would be your dream client to work with?

I would love to run the Social Media for a Zoo [seriously!]… something along those lines, anything to do with animals… I’d have so many ideas. Completely the opposite to your dream client Abigail. 

I would also love to be on the Social Media team for Aldi – I think they are brilliant. 

At You & Me we have our ‘go-to Toolkit’, what are your favourite apps or programs to use to create a beautifully aesthetic grid?

Planoly all the way. 

Where do you get your inspiration from?

You + also Pinterest, I love it! 

Now, we’re getting a little personal – on the weekend, where can we find you?

Walking the dogs, eating, or chilling on my sofa! 

Are you a night owl or an early bird?

Erm, it very much depends. I can be either!

How do you manage your time + remain productive throughout the day?

Right, I don’t manage my time + it’s something I need to work on! I remain productive because I know when to stop, sometimes I need to clock off early or even go for a nap because I’ve hit a wall, then I am back on it. I always listen to my body! Also going for a walk + coming back to it helps. 

Tell us a piece of advice you would tell your younger self now?

Please please don’t care so much about what others think! If The Secret was around at that time, I would tell myself to get stuck into it + look after my mental health more. 

… and finally, what’s your favourite thing about what you do + working with You & Me?

Learning about other people, their services or products + being able to provide them the awareness that they deserve.

Follow Louise’s journey + the magic she creates on her Socials, @chirpybirdsocial.