In the beginning…
I remember that lovely Wednesday afternoon when I got a call that I had been selected for a job with Westco Communications as the Digital Communications Manager at a London borough council.
My joy knew no bounds as it was that dynamic opportunity I had been hoping for having worked in the financial Industry for over five years and also completing my Masters programme in Advertising and Marketing.
I started work at the Council in November 2022 on a six-month contract and the responsibility I had was “exc-tasking” which is basically a phrase I came up with by combining two words: “exciting” and “tasking”. The role gave me the perfect platform to put all the skills, I’ve gathered over the years into something different than what I was used to.
My job basically required that I managed the social media accounts for the Council; from coming up with concepts and ideas, to creating designs, scheduling posts and drawing up reports for campaigns run on all social platforms.
A family that works…
I joined the Comms team at a very interesting time as a new administration had just taken over the reins and several campaigns were underway that needed digital and social elements to help achieve the set objectives.
The moment I resumed, I hit the ground running. Thankfully, even though I joined without having the slightest idea about how councils operate, I had the wonderful people at Westco guide me and give me the training required that ensured that I had a good grasp of what was required of me on this new role.
I underwent an induction programme and was trained on how the local government system in the United Kingdom works. I was also given the required tools and materials to ensure that I wasn't found wanting on my responsibilities.
At Westco, everyone is a part of one big family. I think one of the things I love the most about working here is how everybody is on the same team, and I can reach out to any member of the Westco Community for help at any point in time and be sure to get the help that I need.
A day in the life of a Digital Comms Manager
Typically, I'm responsible for delivering the social media strategy for the council. I come up with ideas and content for the social media pages (Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, NextDoor etc) most of which are regarding the priorities and activities of the council.
Once I have the perfect idea for a social media campaign, post or project and I am clear on the objectives, strategy and approach, I go ahead to create the required design or animation to go alongside the content.
I am also responsible for evaluation, creating the reports for campaigns to effectively measure the impact of our comms and marketing efforts and how much progress we are making as a team.
As the Digital Communications Manager, I plan and run programmatic ads for the borough and the results it has yielded for us so far has been incredible.
The Communications team is a very small one, but every single member of the team is extremely brilliant and highly skilled in what they do, and this has helped us achieve so much positive results in all the campaigns we’ve run.
Big wins in less than 90 days in office
In my first two months of working with the team, I have been able to grow the social media accounts for the council grew by over 35% and we became the council in London with the 4th highest number of followers on Instagram.
One of the major things I really love about my role is how it gives me the opportunity to attend and capture events that help me see how much effort is put into creating a system focused on making the lives of local people better. This role has also given me a great networking platform and I would not be where I am today.
Are you looking for digital communications support? Why not reach out to Westco?
Even if you don’t know what skill set you need or how long you might need someone to step in for, if you have a job or a project that needs to be implemented, reach out to see how we can help. Email Nalini at nalini@westcocommunications.com call us on 020 7641 5242 or use this form to get in touch.
And if you are an digital communications or general communications / marketing or PR specialist, looking for a new challenge – reach out to us. We are always looking for new people to put on our books.
Author
Yvonne Igbukolu - Digital Communications Manager
