May 6, 2022
We think it's important for you to get to know the people behind the scenes at Ortus, and one that slipped through the net when it came to a newbie grillin' was Charlotte Laverick, our Paid Social Executive.
Without further ado...
How long have you been with Ortus now?
Since October 2021 so almost 7 months!
Can you tell us a little about your career path that led you here?
I studied Fashion Communication at Northumbria University, I always knew I wanted to work in a comms focused role, be it marketing or branding. At this point social media was only really a personal space for me, YouTube and written blogs were the done thing but I hadn’t really been overly exposed to career opportunities solely through social.
I worked for a local fashion brand alongside my studies and ended up running their organic social media - I loved it!
Leaving uni I started my first full time paid social media job at an agency and 3 months into my role we were catapulted into the first ‘it’ll be over in 3 weeks’ lockdown. This threw me right in the deep end as every retailer and brand was forced to sell to their customers exclusively online, and of course everyone wanted a slice of social. I do feel this was a bit of a turning point, as the impact and the opportunities social advertising provides really came to light more than ever before, not just for brand awareness, but for driving revenue!
I’ve been pretty obsessed ever since. My next step was joining Ortus where I’ve been able to develop my skills on an even greater scale.
We know you live and breathe social, but what’s your favourite thing about it?
I think for me social is just this constant reflection of our ever changing society and how we communicate with one another, not just on a personal level but how brands communicate with customers, how people behave online and how that shapes everything we do. I find that really interesting.
It’s also mind blowing that you have the potential for hitting global reach at your fingertips from our mobiles and laptops - and the immediacy of social means we can jump in and adapt/switch up our campaigns on the go!
Anddddd your biggest bug bear with it?
Change is exciting and helps us consistently learn and grow BUT it can also cause some issues. The ever changing nature of social means things like advanced features and privacy policies are always switching up - our partnerships mean we’re often one of the first to hear about these in time to implement, but even so they can land at particularly inconvenient times if it’s mid campaign!
What three brands are killin’ it with their paid social at the minute?
I’m always on the hunt for inspo both personally and professionally and I think one that’s caught my eye most is Refy- a beauty brand founded by influencer, Jess Hunt. Their brand and message is strong and they really know their target customer - the way the brand’s social efforts intertwine seamlessly with Jess’s own platform and following is *Chef’s kiss*.
ASOS nail relevancy and are super reactive to what’s going on around their target customer. Their wit sparks serious engagement and it’s brilliant to watch unfold.
Loreal are pretty unignorable too - everywhere I look, they’re there! I’m also guilty of buying their new mascara from spotting it on their TikTok ads so they’re obviously doing something right..
What’s your favourite platform to work on and why?
It would have to be Facebook purely due to it being where I spend the majority of my time professionally, I feel like it’s the most advanced in the space too. That being said though, Tiktok’s boom following the pandemic is something I’ve been keeping a close eye on since 2020 and learning more about the ins and outs of advertising on the platform has been a lot of fun!
From your fashion influencer perspective, what advice would you give to a brand looking to grow their social following?
Consistency is key my friends - I mean it! I know it's tough keeping the momentum of regular posts that are engaging and relevant but it’s one piece of advice I know works even though I find it hard to stick to myself on my fashion account! You want your content to be shareable/saveable to drive that engagement, whether it’s the image itself or the caption, you’ve got to provide value to your followers.
It’s also important to be ‘social with your social’ and engage with your followers. Consumers like to ‘buy into brands’ that have a bit about them. There’s nothing more disengaging than faceless, cold and robotic messaging/content.
What’s ‘hot’ in social right now?
Video! Tiktok definitely pulled the trigger on video content being bigger than ever before but consumers want engaging, educational or entertaining content. This goes for all platforms. I think a lot of platforms are seeing a trend in this type of content.
User generated content is also seeing a huuuuge spike, 20-50% of user-generated content is out performing conventional ad types and UGC video content getting 12x engagement across marketing platforms as a whole.
POV: You’ve got the day off work - how do you spend it?
There’s no days off in social for me, I usually spend my days off creating content for my personal Instagram (which luckily for me is something I genuinely love doing!). I’m lucky to have a great circle of friends in this industry and it often leads to a couple of cocktails and food too!
Just for fun, you’re stuck on a deserted island and can take 3 single items only - what do you pick?
A tv so I can watch Friends (I’m a BIG fan) - I have it on 90% of the time just as background noise if nothing else!
Skincare - Your girl needs her glow and yep, this is another one of my favourite things to do (and spend money on!).
My phone - think of the content opportunities I’d be missing if I left it behind! 😂
Connect with Charlotte on LinkedIn to continue the conversation here!