In September, Ivor Bulat and Maria Meireles joined the Client Outreach department. Collectively, the Client Outreach team added 613 companies and 498 people to our database, updated 2,068 companies and 2,047 people, and sent out over 1,597 individual emails to producers, creative directors, marketing managers, and photo editors around the world.
During the month of September, I focused primarily on the Vertical Markets role, assisting with the task of assigning companies in our database to the appropriate verticals. As part of this process, I reviewed our list of verticals and aimed to assign at least 25 relevant companies to each vertical that had fewer than 25 entries. This task broadened my understanding of various industries and brands while also helping improve the organization of the vertical categories. Towards the end of the month, I shifted my attention to a different area, focusing on publications, having already contributed to categorizing agencies and brands earlier.
At the beginning of this month, I worked on assigning the correct Vertical Market to each company, based on their Industry. This ensured accurate segmentation for targeted outreach. Afterwards I transitioned into a new role focusing on managing parent companies, which has a direct impact on all photographers and clients within our network. With over 100,000 data records in our database, it is critical to maintain up-to-date information as both our company and the clients we serve evolve over time. This role involves systematically reviewing and updating client and company data to reflect changes in the industry and our business perspective. Every update presents an opportunity to correct errors, gather new insights, and improve our website’s accuracy and relevance. This was a complex task due to the interconnectedness of clients, photographers, and companies, making it essential to continuously refine and organize the information.
In September, I worked on outreach efforts to the vertical markets of Airlines and Wine Brands, as well as Agency and Brand Clients. We connected with agencies and brands such as Chiquita, Arnold, Kohler, ESPN, Fabuwood, and Edelman on their project needs and submitted photographer recommendations.
At the beginning of September, I started the role connected to updating agency contacts. I was there for a week and a half. I worked on managing data records for clients listed under both the Agencies and Brands. This new role was challenging but satisfying, as it helped me get a clearer view of our services and how we assist photographers in finding new clients. I focused on reviewing profiles of potential clients and photographers to find the right connections. Many prospects in our database had switched companies or changed emails, so it was important to keep this info updated to help photographers connect with potential clients. After finding the best client, I sent an email suggesting a photographer who aligned with the company’s keyword and who I believed would be a good option for that client.
This past month, I focused my outreach efforts on art producers working at advertising agencies. We worked with Luckie to recommend photographers and bid on a project for a convenience store client. We later connected with Hogarth to discuss upcoming projects for Coca-Cola. In addition, we met with 1-800-PetMeds to discuss animal photography for social media content. We also recently gave capabilities presentations to the Mekanism agency as well as the &Co agency.
During the month of September, I meticulously scrutinized our company’s archival data within our database, thoroughly assessing the viability of the existing information as valuable market prospects. I initiated the process by analyzing individual profiles, determining their alignment with our organizational standards and verifying their current professional affiliations. Upon completing this detailed evaluation, I selected the photographer whose profile most closely matched the client’s company needs. In the final phase, I promoted that photographer’s profile to the client for consideration.
In September, I worked with LinkedIn Industries. My responsibilities encompassed the meticulous tracking of LinkedIn industry types, the identification of new industries, and the cataloging of those undergoing removal from the platform. This undertaking holds significant importance for our database and the photographers within our network. We maintain an extensive “Industries-tracker” wherein all LinkedIn Industries and those being phased out are meticulously documented. The nature of this task requires a detailed approach, as each industry necessitates distinct photography solutions. Aligning our services with these varied needs proved to be both challenging and fulfilling. Presently, we possess the capability to track approximately 15,000 Brand Companies. Transitioning from my prior focus on vertical markets, this experience has been profoundly enriching, expanding my industry knowledge and reaffirming the pivotal role played by our promotional endeavors. Collaborative efforts with our CEO Bill resulted in multiple meetings to systematize our Industries list. Consequently, our database now stands as an increasingly comprehensive repository, akin to the authoritative compendium of LinkedIn Industries.
This September, I switched from the Photographer Outreach department to the Client Outreach department. My current role involves updating our internal database of prospective companies to which we connect our Member Photographers. While updating our database, I came across some of today’s biggest brands, that we keep frequent connection with. I started with the most curated list of our clients, and by the end of the month, I was focusing on Publications. From there, I also began to analyze the individuals working for those clients, to make sure our connections to the clients are up to date so we can provide the best opportunities to our photographers. My new role is certainly exciting, and I look forward to learning more about the photography industry.
In the first week of the month, I focused on updating employees from brands. After that, my attention shifted to individuals who were not connected to companies. These two roles involved adding new companies to our database and promoting our Member Photographers to those companies. It was a productive month, and I believe that the companies I’ve added will greatly benefit our contributors. I had valuable discussions with my colleagues regarding some edge cases, which provided useful insights and learning opportunities. Additionally, I have thoroughly enjoyed promoting and adding new companies to our database, as it has opened up more opportunities for our photographers. I hope the work I’ve done positively impacts our Member Photographers and the rest of our contributors.
Last month, I was responsible for assessing company data records marked for deletion. To ensure that Wonderful Machine has the most recent and highest quality data, I reviewed inactive companies, poor prospects, and other entries that needed to be removed from our database. I find this task valuable because it allows us to focus on viable photography prospects, ultimately helping our clients reach their goals.
In the month of September, I was responsible for helping to sort all of the companies in our database into their respective vertical markets. Our list of vertical markets has grown a great deal in recent months, so it was important to us to bring this aspect of our company records up to date as well as their corresponding profiles on our site. Additionally, I was also moved into the role of “Oldest Promoted.” In this role, I promoted the Member Photographers that hadn’t been promoted in the longest time to a client that aligned with their specialties. The process is a bit tricky because, sometimes, I would find the perfect company for a specific photographer only to find that the contacts we had linked to that company were no longer working there. In these cases, I would take the time to update the contact’s information (which sometimes included adding their new company to our database or marking the person for deletion). I would then search for a new contact at the original company as a replacement.
At the beginning of the month, the entire Client Outreach department concentrated on updating Vertical Markets on our website and internal database. The primary objective was to determine each company’s industry and subsequently categorize them into specific Vertical Markets, which are identified as subcategories of their respective industries. Once the updates for all companies were completed, I transitioned into a new role focused on updating companies for whom we don’t have contact. These contacts are crucial as they enable direct communication with the company, especially for business opportunities.
Last month, I worked as the Librarian for two weeks, managing internal documentation, assisting with edge cases, and meeting regularly with team members to ensure everything was well-organized. During this period, the client outreach team was focused on adding vertical markets to companies in our database to help photographers receive more specific assignments. At the end of September, I started updating records for publications, agencies, and brands in our database. I was also responsible for handling email replies and checking out-of-office (OOO) replies. If someone was on extended leave or no longer worked for the company, I updated the database accordingly, either connecting them to a new company or marking them for deletion if they were no longer a good prospect for us.
This September, I worked in two roles. At the beginning of the month, I continued handling our email account to check client emails daily and make sure we didn’t miss recording any important information. After a week of doing that, I started working as the Client Outreach Librarian, where I had to update and review internal documentation. I had to meet once a week with all employees involved in Client Outreach and with our CEO Bill Cramer. I also had to assist all employees in better understanding our processes and improving their work efficiency.
Last month, I had two roles. First, I helped categorize our companies according to our Vertical Markets focusing on those beginning with the letter “C.” With the help of my colleagues, we finished it! After that, I worked in the Companies (Brands) role. I had to update and evaluate companies on our website and internal database. I also had weekly meetings with my colleagues to discuss edge cases.
In September, I was presented with a valuable challenge at Wonderful Machine. During the first two weeks, I was responsible for updating the vertical markets in our company’s database and website. Specifically, I added vertical markets to all companies whose names began with the letter “F.” After completing that, I assisted a colleague in adding vertical markets to companies starting with the letter “C.” Mid-month, I shifted my focus to updating the data records of agencies, which provided me with an opportunity to deepen my understanding of the various types of Agencies. Toward the end of the month, my attention turned to updating the data records of Brands. I look forward to continuing this work in October. In addition to these tasks, I regularly attended weekly meetings with the librarians and other colleagues, where we collaborated and provided assistance to one another.
September was a month full of challenges, during which, I had the opportunity to take on a new role in the Client Outreach department. This role allowed me to broaden my knowledge across various vertical markets, and the experience was incredibly valuable. At the beginning of the month, my responsibility was updating companies, focusing on their industries with the aim of accurately categorizing them for easier access. Working within these vertical markets presented me with the challenge of specializing in each, which gave me the opportunity to deepen my understanding of them. Once all the companies were properly updated and categorized, I continued my work in Apollo, identifying new companies that complemented our existing database, further enhancing its value.
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