Happy in Halifax: A day in the Life of Jared Priestley, account executive at Shrewdd Marketing

My day

7.00am(ish): My alarm goes off at 7am, promptly met by a hit of the snooze button, before I finally make it out of the comfort of my bed. After having breakfast and checking Twitter and BBC News for any relevant updates, I set off to the office – a beautiful old Victorian building in the centre of Halifax, which we have lovingly restored to show off some of the original features.

8.45am: Upon arriving at the office my first task is to check and respond to my emails, updating my to-do list accordingly. I have received an email from one of the many editors I’ve built relationships up with after working with them on a regular basis; I have secured a feature in an energy magazine for one of our clients so that moves to the top of my priority list.

9.00am: After drinking my first cup of tea of the day, I sit down with my MD and discuss the work we have to complete this week and any urgent deadlines that we have pending.

9.15am: The first item on my to-do list is a social media schedule for one of our clients. We do these over a two-week period, for this particular client that includes posts for Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn and Google+. For each platform we tailor the posts to suit, and they can include company news, industry news and any relevant updates within a client’s sector.

10.30am: After tea number two, accompanied by a biscuit – a staple in the Shrewdd office – I sit down and begin my writing tasks. Today I am writing a feature on the benefits of energy management in relation to the current energy legislation ESOS (Energy Saving Opportunities Scheme). The idea behind this is to establish our client as a leader in their sector and help promote its services to a wider market.

12:00pm: I stroll into Halifax town centre for some lunch; we are just a few minutes walk away so there’s always plenty of food on offer, especially in the historic Halifax Borough Market.

1.00pm: It is time to set off to a meeting with one of our Yorkshire-based clients. Today’s meeting is with one of our current clients and includes discussing and planning an upcoming open day it has planned and the supporting marketing collateral – we discuss the event details, who will be attending and the press release. We generally have catch-up meetings with clients on a monthly basis, but I also regularly attend new business development meetings where we pitch our services to potential clients.

3.00pm: Upon my return to the office I sit down with our creative director and brief him on a new brochure we have been tasked with creating by a client in the energy sector. The brochure is a welcome pack for potential partners, which outlines the business’s history, services and includes some case studies on successful projects the company has worked on. After discussing brand guidelines, pagination and the content of the brochure, I leave him to work his magic on the design whilst I draft the content.

4:30pm: I receive a call from one of our clients within the construction sector. It has received some great news as it has been awarded a major new contract. I draft a press release outlining the project and the company’s work in that sector, ready to send out to the trade and local media next week.

5.10pm: I head home for a quick bite to eat before the tortures of a rugby training session. Give me an extra few hours at work any day...

Jared Priestley is an account executive at Shrewdd Marketing in Halifax