Hi! I’m Vin Gill. When I’m not busy working, you’ll find this black country lass tweeting, instragramming, scrolling through Tik Tok, curled up on the sofa drinking a Yorkshire brew, attempting the king of all Ashtanga yoga poses – the headstand or reading (usually books about social media!)
For me, it is not just a job, it is a lifestyle. I have an intuitive approach to the digital landscape and can often be found sitting in a quiet corner with my laptop and notebook, hard at work.
I have always been drawn towards the digital landscape because it gives everyone an equal voice, showcases unimaginable creativity and opens up a whole world of instant information sharing.
My 7+ years of experience in fast-paced creative marketing agencies to risk-averse local councils means that I am highly attuned to creating digital solutions for businesses and achieving tangible results, whilst changing the perception of social media being “just tweeting.”
I love empowering people in the digital realm and showcasing the intricacies of social media whilst helping them achieve that “aha!” moment.
I specialise in taking a highly creative, research led and organised approach to social media and digital projects.
My story
Before finding my passion in digital marketing, I studied Broadcast Journalism followed by the National Council for the Training of Journalists (NCTJ). I have very fond memories of my time at Nottingham Trent University – on nights out I was always the keen photographer eager to capture the moment with my pre-Instagram disposable camera. Those were the days when there were no Valencia filters, but just a 24-hour short wait for Jessops to develop the photos.
Freshly graduated and ready for work, I was hellbent on becoming the next Lois Lane working at the local newspaper and radio station.
Here’s me at the Labour Conference at the International Convention Centre in Birmingham back in 2008 👉
Then the recession hit in 2008/09. I quickly adapted to the ‘online first’ approach and (the very new) world of social media using my transferable skills in B2B journalism and PR.
(The boring bits in-between studying and journalism involved working at call-centres where I dealt with the joys of disgruntled customers – way before customer service on Twitter took off). Looking back this was invaluable, I had the opportunity to learn how to deal with a variety of characters, turning negative interactions into peaceful ones. I only learnt just how valuable this stop gap was in my development when I discovered a flair for engaging with online audiences.
My lightbulb moment
In 2013, I took a chance on a 3-month contract for a social media and marketing agency. Best decision ever. I learnt about the power of marketing, connecting with online audiences and how to turn traditional marketing into digital marketing. I even helped the CEO create his own Twitter account which in today’s terms, is like a CEO creating a Tik Tok account.
Finally, I discovered my sparkle for social media and unravelled my natural flair for digital communication. That is when this introvert became an online extrovert.
Since then, wherever I have worked, I have become the ‘go-to’ social media person and have built up a reputation of a reliable, creative and get sh*t done social media marketer.
From “Ta-ra a bit” to “Ey Up me duck”
I met my husband (digitally!) through eHarmony in 2015, we got married in 2016 I made the move from Wolverhampton to Derby.
I had moved away from what I was used to – Birmingham’s flourishing creative agencies and the Digbeth vibe. Moving to Derby meant I had to find something I could apply my digital skills to. That’s where I discovered the untapped potential of Local Government. Local councils are formidable for not utilising social media – common themes are them being resistant to change and too reliant on traditional media (newspapers *yawn*) even when the local press said that they source their content from social media first.
After discovering where the gaps were, I worked at Derby City Council and South Derbyshire District Council where I’ve implemented social media strategies, training, creative content, campaigns and built processes and frameworks, all from scratch. This has been both frustrating/fun and easily the most pivotal point in my career.
My Values
Authentic – I genuinely love what I do, therefore working on social media and digital projects will always get my undivided attention. My approach is always collaborative and communicative – I’ll always be honest with you about the project so that I can create and deliver the best digital solution for you.
Creativity – I thrive on creating eye-catching work that gets the ‘wow’ from clients. I have an innate ability of transforming ideas and messages into highly effective, shareable content across all social media platforms. Innovation is my driving force. Social media is about being bold, courageous and constantly learning and evolving.
Strong work ethic – I love just getting on with the work. Give me a brief and I will throw myself into the task giving full accountability and project managing it towards completion.
What can I do?
Crisis management:
Safeguarding online reputation by managing negative engagement and ensuring timely and accurate information is available to fans and followers.
Social Media Strategy:
Developing, implementing, analysing and evolving a social media strategy with the application of current social media trends, tools and best practice.
Training:
Providing in-house training including group sessions and 121 sessions. This includes creating bespoke training manuals.
Creative design work:
Designing and creating bespoke promotional marketing material for various platforms from a design brief.
Campaigns:
Creating tailored campaigns for teams – ensuring both paid and organic activity is data-driven, audience focused and is incorporated into the wider campaign and marketing strategy.
Cultivating engagement:
Managing social media accounts including all engagement. Utilising community Facebook groups and ‘top-fans’ to help share relevant key messages.
Social customer service:
Helping teams transfer traditional customer service to social customer service. This includes adjusting their tone of voice to a social tone of voice.
Reporting:
Analysing and creating detailed data-led monthly, annual and campaign reports for effectiveness and ROI. Using data to forward-plan online activity.
Monthly schedules:
Working with relevant teams and stakeholders to share insights and gather input – including designing creative content based on user behaviour, website analytics and seasonal trends.
Video content:
Creating storyboards, filming and editing video content across all platforms using smartphone filming and editing apps. Live-streaming events.
Security:
Setting up and managing a structure for account security ensuring adherence to a Social Media Strategy and compliance with all platforms’ terms and conditions.
Software:
Implementation of social media software. Utilising Facebook Business Manager to oversee numerous social media accounts to ensure a central point of contact with focus on consistency.
@DigitalVinGill 