Gabby’s work experience with Trio

At Trio, our values remind us to do better every day, whether that’s helping our clients, our team or the wider community. One area where we regularly practice our value of knowledge is through developing others.

For our team and clients, we regularly share insights and teach one another new things. We also work with aspiring local students who share our passion for knowledge and learning.

Over the years, we’ve provided work experience for a number of students. Recently, we welcomed Molly and now Gabby, who joined the team to learn more about marketing. 

Below, we sit down with Gabby to hear more about her time at Trio. 

What did you get up to at Trio?

During my time at Trio, I had the opportunity to work on various client-based tasks. One of the tasks involved conducting market research to help a student accommodation brand become more competitive through its organic social media presence.

With this task, I had to type in relevant search terms that students looking for accommodation would search. This research then provided insight into what keywords competitors were targeting to get their website to appear on the first page of Google. 

My following task was to focus specifically on our client’s competitor and research their social media accounts, e.g., TikTok and Instagram. Due to these apps being a great way to advertise products and services, I examined the differences in content on both account pages. 

What did you learn from your research?

I found that videos with popular music or trending sounds gained more engagement because they are directly shown on viewers’ feeds, thanks to their algorithms.

I also discovered that videos with screen text and captions containing favoured words, e.g. ‘summer’ and ‘party’, gained larger popularity than the other videos. Businesses should also aim for partnerships with well-liked influencers, as it gives a good brand image. 

Did you get involved in content creation? 

Yes – after doing this research, I had to create video content and captions for TikTok and Instagram. I then had to write Google Ad copy that was engaging enough to draw users into clicking on the ad.   

The next day, the Trio team had planned for me to research potential client bases for them to work with, in order to improve their social media content and website pages, making them appear more competitive.

I researched several small businesses in the area, focusing on those that had social media accounts but were either inactive or not being used effectively. This involved examining what similar businesses were doing well and finding ways to do it better.

Did you use any marketing platforms?

The team gave me the challenge of using Meta Business Suite to post content for a brand that promotes water efficiency. This platform helped me understand how to post content effectively and the optimal times to post to maximise engagement. I really enjoyed this task as I had the responsibility and trust to do industry work for a client. 

What was your favourite part of working at Trio? 

I had spoken to some Trio members earlier in the week, expressing my interest in specialising in fashion marketing. The team assigned me to create an advertorial post for a fashion brand of my choice, giving me insight into content in this industry. 

I looked at Maebe, as it’s a brand I know well, and has a large display of social content. With so much content, I gained insight into their tone, target audience and objectives. Here, I used Canva, which provides layouts and filters, allowing you to layer photographs together, to create a post I thought would tie in well with the brand. 

I worked with Gary, the Head of Design, who helped me improve my designs to make them more eye-catching to consumers. For example, my work consisted of a Pinterest-inspired layout featuring numerous photos. We then added new slides to refine this, and I was able to experiment with placing different images in various locations. I experimented with backgrounds, filters, and transparency in photographs, leading to some final designs that I was proud of and felt matched the colours and vibe of the account. 

I then moved on to blog writing. When given this structure, I was instructed to focus on a topic in fashion that I found interesting and could write about in detail. With this in mind, I chose the topic title ‘How prejudiced opinions shape the clothing we wear’.  I researched factors that influence the clothes we wear, including wealth, culture and role models.   

Gabby’s final thoughts

Throughout my work experience at Trio, I have developed new skills and worked with an experienced team that made me feel welcome and valued in a professional setting. 

The work I have carried out has made me more assured about what I want to do with my career going forward, and I am incredibly grateful for the experience I have received.