We have a new face at SocialSurge Marketing! Maddie Rashid is our new Digital Marketing Specialist and has been with us for a little over two months now. In this position, Maddie has been putting the majority of her time into curating content and managing social media accounts for some of our clients as well as creating a website from scratch.
A couple of weeks ago, we sat down with Maddie on our Facebook Live and asked her all kinds of questions so that our clients, supporters, and even ourselves could learn a little more about her. We’ve learned a decent amount so far, but we can’t wait to learn more about Maddie and her capabilities as she continues to grow with our team!
Click to watch the Facebook live version.
Can you tell us about your background?
I attended UW-Madison for my Bachelor’s degree in Communication Arts and Digital Studies. During college, I had an internship at Rockwell Automation as a Web Editor Intern. Following that, I interned at Trusted Media Brands, Inc. as an Associate Editor Intern. Let’s just say I spent equally as much time working as meandering over to their test kitchen (for their Taste of Home brand) where they kept all the food leftovers…
Post-graduation, I began working at Marcus Hotels & Resorts (under the Marcus Corporation) as a Marketing Intern working on restaurants. I was then promoted to Marketing Coordinator where I completely shifted “industries” per se and worked alongside stakeholders at hotel properties to help them with anything marketing-related. Fast forward two years later and here I am at SocialSurge! Currently, most of my time is spent on social media. I help strategize, create content and manage the social accounts for some of our clients. I’m helping create websites for other clients as well. Eventually, I hope to expand my knowledge and play an integral role in SEO and the digital side of marketing.
Who is Maddie outside of work?
Outside of work, I like a variety of things! I have danced since I was young and it’s something I still enjoy and partake in here and there. I like to be active outside, whether that is going for walks, hikes, bike rides, being on the water (only in the summer/fall, obviously), or some plain old soaking up the sun in a park. I love socializing and spending time with friends and family, I love trying new places, restaurants, and foods. Even though I grew up just outside of Milwaukee, I feel like there are so many places I have yet to explore in the city.
What have you noticed about the agency world and how does it differ from a corporate environment?
It is so different but in a good way! It’s fun working with various industries and personalities and seeing the passion shine through with clients in these different industries. Things are extremely fast-paced and it’s nice to be able to pivot quickly when necessary. There are fewer points of communication, which is SO nice to be able to adjust when something comes up. I can also turn around and ask Kevin or Eric for an opinion or approval and boom, I’m crossing something off my check-list.
What do you like about working on social media?
I like having the ability to be creative and do things differently each time. In social media, there are so many ways you can go about making something, it’s just figuring out what works and what doesn’t. I love creating content and trying to figure out a clever caption to best convey the message. I think what I enjoy most, though, is when clients are really open to letting us explore and open to trying new things, such as incorporating new social media features into their strategies
What is your favorite social media platform to use?
On the business side: Instagram, for the ability to explore all of the features that the platform provides and building those into a strategy for a client. On the personal side: Instagram and TikTok. TikTok has quite literally an endless amount of wholesome, funny content. People on the internet are hilarious and geniuses. Seeing how people think either differently, or similarly to me blows my mind.
Pro tip: If you use the Tok, set a timer so that you don’t accidentally spend two hours on it (learn from my mistakes).
Tell us about something you’ve learned already
Overall, I’ve learned a LOT about the different clients that we work with- within specific industries with niche audiences- that I didn’t even know existed. Then from there, I’ve learned a lot about the companies, their brand and voice, and how I can work with them to achieve their online goals.
Also, l’ve already been opened up to all of the marketing tools that are out there on the internet! There is literally a tool for everything. Last week, I asked Kevin how he made a graphic and he said, “I googled ‘logo in coffee foam.’” Marketing is truly all about figuring out how to make something work. We sure are Google search experts when it comes to that! Anyways, it’s been cool finding out Kevin and Eric’s knowledge in small, useful tools such as those ones.
How do you switch back and forth between different clients and projects?
Luckily, I had experience from my previous role with switching back and forth between ‘clients’ and properties. When I first start out with a new client, I tend to struggle with being able to switch back and forth easily, mainly because I am beginning to familiarise myself with the brand, strategy, and voice. Once I feel comfortable and I know what’s available in assets for each client, I can easily switch back and forth, and it becomes automatic, kind of like code-switching. I’m always learning more about clients and their industries as I continue to work with them, so I’m always adding to my working knowledge
What has surprised you the most?
Coming to work to enjoy what I do, the environment, and people around me! Sometimes you walk into a job with expectations of the work you’re doing and the environment, and it turns out to be completely different. It was so rewarding to come into this role and contribute within the first week. I’m constantly being asked for opinions and my ideas show through my work, which you might not always see so quickly in a corporate setting.
Did you learn something new about Maddie? We sure did! We’re incredibly excited to see Maddie continue to grow on our team and see how she’ll be able to help our clients here at SocialSurge. Make sure to connect with Maddie on LinkedIn and say hi!