Meet the Vertical Leap content marketing team

As a search marketing agency, our content marketing team plays a really important role in making sure our customers are visible in the search results. Consisting of team manager Jo Littlechild (pictured middle), content marketing specialist Jen Williams (left) and content marketing manager Liz Parsons (right). They are a fantastic team, often quietly working under the radar, heads buried in pages of content. So we thought it was about time we shone the spotlight on these three lovely ladies.

How long have you been at Vertical Leap?

Jen: I’m approaching my one year VL anniversary on 17^th December.

Jo: Started on the 1st August 2016, so just over three years.

Liz: Since March 2017, so coming up for three years.

Why do you like working in content marketing?

Jen: The chance to be creative. I couldn’t not be creative, whether that’s writing, brainstorming or mapping out how a visual piece could work – I love being able to put pen to paper (or fingers to keys!) and the opportunity to think creatively in a digital space.

Jo: It is the opportunity to be creative and develop messages which influence audiences through a range of channels. This ultimately allows us to track behaviours and follow audiences through their individual conversion paths.

Liz: Writing is one of the few things I’m good at! In all seriousness, I always wanted a career I could form around writing, so this suits me perfectly. I love the variety of working with a range of clients, and on all different forms of content marketing. It’s never boring and always challenging.

What’s your favourite thing about Vertical Leap?

Jen: The culture, the support and being part of a hugely respected agency. Everyone works tremendously hard and has an admirable work ethic. There are some great personalities and senses of humour too!

Jo: The culture, the people and the amazing work we do. We truly work in partnership to help our customers reach and engage their audiences. I love delivering results and making a difference to an organisation’s bottom line.

Liz: The people are great, there’s a real energy in the office every day and plenty of team spirit. I love the yoga sessions we do on a Tuesday too, it’s like pushing a reset button.

Which interesting / fun campaigns have you worked on?

Jen: We have created two eye-catching festive and evergreen Argos Gift Card infographics for Argos for Business. We were tasked with brainstorming and creating two visual pieces which showcase the Argos for Business Gift Cards and their appeal to their customer base. Taking unique, raw data and statistics from the customer, we then translated these into two eye-catching visuals, showcasing facts of interest combined with a colourful design.

It’s a fantastic chance to showcase the customer’s diverse product range and services in a creative and engaging design-led piece.

Jo: We are working with the amazing British lifestyle and clothing retailer FatFace to create a range of evergreen lifestyle stories. They are a mix of on trend pieces to support organic search and how to look amazing for life outside of the 9 to 5.  Check out Best pub walks in the UK.

Liz: We’ve produced a lot of lovely content for The Brewery in London, including a downloadable case study about their launch event for series three of Amazon’s The Grand Tour. It’s a fantastic venue, the way they transform their spaces is incredible.

Best piece of advice anyone’s ever given you?

Jen: Personal – my grandad always used to tell me, “You need to look after you and your family, no matter how big that family becomes”. It’s something that always stayed with me – self-care and looking after yourself as well as others closest around you.

Professional – Always make lists! I could not have survived without endless to do lists!

You need to look after you and your family, no matter how big that family becomes.

Jo: I have two.

1. Always pack your bag the night before.
2. Never forget your audience and only ever communicate three messages in everything you do.

Liz: This isn’t particularly work-related, nor was it given to me personally, but I think it’s gold. Ru Paul said “What other people think of you is none of your business”. I think this is so important to remember as it’s so easy to get caught up in other people’s opinions, but actually, if you’re doing what’s best for you, you’re doing just fine.

When you’re having a bad day, how do you make yourself feel better?

Jen: When I’m having a bad day I sweat it out – either by punching someone (when boxing!) or losing myself running – I find exercise really therapeutic and it helps me to clear my head and reset for the next day.

Jo: Take the dog for a long walk, and put things into perspective.

Liz: The constructive answer is a good exercise class – the thought of it is always awful beforehand, but afterwards it feels great. The more honest answer? Wine.

If you could shop for free at one store, which one would you choose?

Jen: The two extremes – either Thornton’s or Sports Direct!

Jo: There are so many … but department store would be John Lewis or if it has to be one store then Hobbs.

Liz: It’d have to be ASOS. I dread to think how much money I’ve spent on there over the years!

Are you naughty or nice?

Jen: I’d like to think nice, but outside of work’s walls I’d say I have a naughty streak!

Jo: Nice unless we are talking about shoes, handbags or holidays, then I’m definitely naughty!

Liz: That really depends! I try and be nice, but only after coffee.

Thank you!

Content marketing ladies, thank you for the amazing work you do. You’re a fantastic asset to the company and just lovely people to have on our team.

If you need help with your content, you can find out more about our content marketing services here or call us on 02392 830281.