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What does a full-service digital agency do? Learn about:
#agencylife culture at Ardent Creative
The daily to-do list of a full-service digital agency
How our range of digital marketing, design, and development services come together to achieve remarkable results for our clients
Okay, spill: what’s your morning routine?
In the blogging world, this buzzy topic is touched on by nearly every influencer. (We’ll take a guess that you’ve probably read at least one article titled something like, “5 Things to Do Every Morning Before 9 a.m.,” or “The Ultimate Morning Routine to Make You Happy and Productive All Day.” We know we have…) These posts get clicks because people are naturally curious. When given a glimpse into someone else’s life, why wouldn’t you take it?
We don’t claim to have the answers for increasing productivity or hitting the gym before work (especially that last one, sorry). But at Ardent we do have daily routines that keep us running like a well-oiled machine. Below, we’re giving you a look at how we run our day-to-day operations here at our full-service digital agency.
A full-service digital agency offers comprehensive design services (like logos, emails, social graphics, and more); marketing services (including SEO, social media planning, and content marketing); and web development services (including custom websites, landing pages, and online portals) to brands looking for help boosting their online presence.
Daily Life at Ardent
When you enjoy the work you do, you’re more productive and you generally perform better — that’s just science. But, loving your work isn’t the only key to success.
We know from experience that people work better when they get along with their coworkers. It’s way easier said than done. Luckily, our focus on hiring for fit — not just talent — has been our secret in keeping the day-to-day #worklife positive and fun. Tight deadlines and fast-paced schedules seem much easier to handle when your coworkers just get you and your weird sense of humor.
Switching to a work-from-home schedule in 2020 changed how we define our “office culture.” Our relaxed dress code got dangerously casual and our office couch (for that 3 p.m. scenery change) turned into working from our respective couches, dining tables, and porches all-day every day.
We’ve kept up our team camaraderie as best we can with constant Zoom calls, the occasional virtual happy hour, and constant messaging about whatever crazy event is happening now: from Tiger King conspiracy theories to tales of trial-by-fire homeschooling.
Even our Ardent pets (with their frequent appearances on Zoom) feel like part of the family now:
Development Team
As soon as our web developers sit down in the morning, they’re either troubleshooting issues with current websites or servers, building new features on a work-in-progress site, or performing daily maintenance to keep all our sites operating smoothly.
Our “Dev” team’s day may include any of the following, according to our Development Coordinator (and Dev Wonder Woman), Mari:
- Adding new features or plugins to our WordPress websites
- Answering client questions
- Helping create quotes for potential clients
- Updating and creating servers or installing SSL
- Building WordPress post-types and implementing design templates
- Creating and supporting hosted email
The Dev and Design teams often work closely together on website projects to ensure our websites look just as good as they function. While designers take the lead on web design, our developers keep the backend working properly so websites are faster and more efficient.
Design Team
No matter what we do, it has to look good. That’s not vain, if it’s for our clients, right? Here’s where our digital designers come in. They do it all — from large-scale print designs and logos to brand standards and digital animations.
Anna, Ardent’s seasoned Art Director and corgi enthusiast, shared what a daily to-do list may look like for her team:
- Working with the Digital Marketing team to design a sleek consumer-facing email
- Finishing templates for punchy social graphics for a new client
- Designing action-oriented landing pages
- Building a moodboard for a new website
- Finishing last-minute edits to an event poster scheduled for print that afternoon
- Starting sketches on a new logo for a local company
Like we mentioned above, the Design team also takes the lead on web design, working within WordPress to design responsive websites that reflect the look and feel of the brand.
Creative direction at Ardent is housed within our Design team. Our art directors oversee every piece of designed work that leaves Ardent, to ensure it meets each brand’s standards and reflects the high-quality work we aim to produce.
Digital Marketing Team
Scanning social media feeds, reading the morning’s latest industry e-newsletters, and breaking down the latest viral sensation on Tik Tok are just some of the things our digital marketing team loves. Because digital marketing changes (literally) daily in 2020, our “DM” team helps keep Ardent up to date of what’s happening across different industries. When we know our stuff, we can pass on better results to our clients.
On any given day, Meghan, our digital marketing coordinator and Diet Coke diva, checks in on the progress of:
- planning a month of Instagram, Facebook, and LinkedIn posts
- scheduling an e-newsletter
- building Google search campaigns for strategic keywords
- reporting on the previous month’s social advertising efforts
- shooting a quick video to promote on Pinterest
- writing a how-to blog
Unlike our other departments, each member of digital marketing has a completely unique set of skills. When combined, our team offers comprehensive marketing efforts with equal parts creative and analytical.
Account Management Team
And, of course, the team that ties it all together: our much-appreciated account managers. As the client-focused arm of our team, they help our creators stay on-track, on-time, and on-budget so we can deliver projects as promised. They help move work through to completion and are the go-to people for questions like “when should this be completed?” or “has this been approved by the client?”. (As you can guess, their patience is second to none.)
Our account managers start problem-solving the moment they sign on in the morning, writing, and planning their to-do lists before the first meeting of the day begins. No day looks the same for this group, as they adapt to meet the current needs of clients.
Andrea, one of Ardent’s Account Coordinators and lover of thrifting, shared an example of one of her days, which includes:
- checking emails and voicemails from clients to create a task for an Ardent team member
- attending the daily account management meeting where the Dev, Design, and DM teams communicate with each other about what’s on the docket for today
- setting up a phone call with a client to discuss SEO with the DM team
- relaying logo edits from the client to the Design team
- drafting and sending invoices for services
- onboarding a new client
- scheduling and assigning tasks in our project management software
The Ardent family is like any other: we each have our own daily schedules and to-do lists, but we always pitch in to help each other out when things get busy. Communication, strong team dynamics, and agile account managers keep it all moving towards the finish line until the next morning. . . when it starts all over, of course.
Looking for a Full-Service Digital Agency?
Now that you know what we do, let us show you what we can do for you! If you’re looking for full-service digital marketing, design, or web development agency in Dallas-Fort Worth, we’d love to make you a part of our daily work.
Contact us to learn more about our services to get a free design, web development, or digital marketing quote. Contact Ardent
