25 Mar A Tour of the Original Social Media Agency
Welcome to Ignite!
It’s no surprise, but we might be a little bit biased when we say we work in one of the best companies in the world! Known as the original social media agency, we truly take into consideration an array of different goals we have as an agency, from ensuring our clients are getting the best possible work to creating an environment that allows for that level of delivery.
In order to do so, we created 6 Core Values that we live by every single day. They are broken down into: #Collaboration, #Respect, #ClientSuccess, #AlwaysLearning, #ButtonedUp and #GreatWorkplace. And they go a little something like this:
#Collaboration
In Michigan, we have a very unique office space. Located in downtown Birmingham, the historic Ford-Peabody Mansion is our home base. Built in 1878, the Victorian-style house has been completely renovated and outfitted with leopard print carpet and fun furniture. Today we sit in multiple collaboration-prone office spaces, split by team discipline. It allows us to discuss ideas, however menial the topic may be. TVs equipped with Chromecasts also allow us to share the latest trends in social and the occasional 90s music video.
In North Carolina, we work in a completely open office that allows us to collaborate all day, every day. People think when you work in social media, it’s a job you can do from home. That may be true, but being able to brainstorm, talk through what we’re stuck on, and listen and learn from one another makes us better overall. Our open space even gives our dogs plenty of room to run, or lounge.
#Respect
We go to bat for one another. Having a community kitchen, it’s our job to look out for each other as if this mansion were our home. So whenever something funky smelly pops up in our fridge, we will gladly email the entire company to try to find a culprit – just kidding, maybe. Just don’t leave hard boiled eggs in there for 2 weeks and we’re okay.
In our big, open North Carolina office, where everyone can see you, and more importantly, hear you, it’s important that we respect each other, especially since we’re all close neighbors. And try not to hit anyone in the head with a dart while they’re on a client call.
#ClientSuccess
This goes without saying but our processes are always evolving in order to meet market expectations. We’re always raising the bar to provide the best content, strategies, and overall client success. When you’re brainstorming and trying to come up with new, innovative and fresh ideas, sticky notes can come in handy too. Because we don’t look good, unless our clients look good. 😉
We also have a few different places and ways we like to celebrate our clients’ successes–like ringing the gong that hangs on the wall and keeping track of memorable moments on our giant chalkboard wall. When it comes to photo ops, like National Wear Red Day, we’re all in … and posing in front of our wall that proudly displays each of our clients’ logos … all dressed in a color that matches the wall of course …
#AlwaysLearning
The entire agency uses Yammer as an in-house social network of sorts to keep up on agency info, industry news, and other tidbits that make our lives as social media marketers a little bit better. Sometimes those little tidbits show up in real life, in the form of framed emoji oil paintings on canvas.
#ButtonedUp
It’s the post check before publishing, the extra set of eyes on a deck before sending to a client, it’s the checks and balances that we have in place to make sure we’re doing our best work possible all the time. It’s also the biggest and brightest core value living on our chalkboard wall as our everyday reminder.
Not only do we embody our core values through our work and the way live as an agency, but as you can see from the few examples we pointed out above, our core values surround us on a daily basis. They remind us of who we are. They inspire us to do amazing work for our clients. And most of all, they make Ignite truly a #GreatWorkplace.
As if that weren’t enough, once a year, our office space transforms into a mystery location. This year it was the Caribbean Sea. If that’s not a #GreatWorkplace, we don’t know what is!
This blog post was written by two of Ignite Social Media’s finest Content producers; Kathleen Loescher and Bruna Carmago.
