A year in the life of a Beech Web Services Apprentice
The 12th of September 2023 officially marks one year since I first joined Beech Web Services as a digital marketing apprentice. In this new role, I had the opportunity to take part in many digital marketing activities and take on a variety of responsibilities and have loved every second of it!
As someone who knew very little about digital marketing and website development before joining Beech Web Services, I feel like I have learned a lot. I’m also more confident in my communication and customer service skills than I was when I first entered the workplace at sixteen.
Working with Beech Web Services has given me many new experiences. I’ve been involved in many different aspects of digital marketing. Here are some of the highlights:
Networking Opportunities and TEDxWarrington
Until I started with Beech Web Services, I had never had any experience in networking. The thought of introducing myself to strangers and having conversations with people far more experienced than me was daunting. Luckily for me, the team have helped me thrive in these environments and I feel more and more confident as time goes on. Now, a year later, I am very excited to be on the TEDxWarrington team for 2023, and I have met so many great people who have introduced me to the wonders of the networking scene.
Working with our sponsored charity Creating Adventures
Beech Web Services has proudly sponsored Warrington charity Creating Adventures for years now. Creating Adventures is a wonderful organisation that provides free activities to adults with learning disabilities and Autism. In my year with Beech Web Services, I have had the chance to witness the work and dedication that goes into such an excellent charity. My role in supporting them includes creating reels for their Instagram profile, showcasing their talented members and fun activities.
I’ve even had the chance to attend some of their showstopping events!
Jenny and the team at Creating Adventures work so hard to fulfil the lives of adults with learning disabilities and Autism. I am fortunate enough to have supported them this year as part of my apprentice role and I couldn’t be happier. Having hands-on experience with such an amazing cause has been a true highlight of working for Beech Web Services, I love it!
Website Development
The only experience I had in website development before my work with Beech Web Services was a GCSE course I did in high school, known as CiDA or Certificate in Digital Applications. For this course, the website development I did was on an older version of a platform called Dreamweaver and I had to learn HTML for the first time.
It’s safe to say that my knowledge of websites is much better now – all thanks to this apprenticeship!
I have been fortunate enough in my time with the business so far to see many different client websites from the very beginning of their website development phase. My role in development means that I get to review in-progress websites and ensure they are as accurate to their initial designs as possible for clients before they are allowed to be launched – which is super exciting to be involved in!
If you’d asked me a year ago, I wouldn’t have been able to even touch upon the complexities and work that go into a new website, never mind being behind the building of one. This role has taught me so much about how websites are created, and I’ve gained such an appreciation for the work that goes into making a client’s dream for their business a reality. It is especially rewarding to see the results of these brilliant projects when they are live.
From pawfect pet businesses, a glamorous hair salon, a wonderful local charity and many more, I’ve seen a variety of websites make their way from initial concepts into stunning finished websites.
Website Maintenance
One of my first tasks when joining Beech Web Services was to conduct monthly software updates and checks on all our client websites. Maintenance is an essential factor in our website development, and we always recommend it to our clients. Having a bespoke new website is an exciting time, so don’t let it fall flat by avoiding taking care of it! My role in our monthly website maintenance for clients included:
- Updating plugins and themes
- Checking that the website is regularly backed up
- Checking for browser and mobile compatibility post-updates
- Testing the contact form
For those on our more advanced plans, I would also check:- Page Speed Insights data and website performance
- Broken links on the website
- Page not found (404) errors
Performing regular maintenance gave me a fresh perspective on what a website needs to function correctly, and how to properly take care of one, so it continues to work the best it possibly can.
Enhancing my Social Media skills and Email marketing
Unlike website development, I was familiar with the way of social media before starting this job. Social media is an area of marketing I learned a lot about during my time at college, in multiple courses on my timetable. I also spent a lot of time running a personal bookstagram, letting my creativity run wild in the form of posting aesthetic book pictures, creating reels for current reads and reviewing some of my all-time favourites.
Social media is an excellent, free marketing tool. Using a variety of platforms like Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and my personal favourite, Instagram, to promote yourself or your business has never been more popular or powerful. A major part of my role with Beech Web Services revolves around the use of social media, and more specifically, the launch of our business’s Instagram account – something I’m especially proud of!
I have had the opportunity to research more and more about social media marketing for business and how to use it as an efficient tool. I have spent time with our graphic designers coming up with concepts for infographics that will catch the eye of our target audience, and I have created reels and videos for our social media platforms that help to show off our website projects.
If you haven’t followed our socials already, check us out!
As well as writing interesting and engaging social media posts, I’ve also written one of our monthly blog posts. Like this one for example!
My work with Baltic Apprenticeships
Of course, I wouldn’t be able to do any of this without the support of Baltic Apprenticeships. The Digital Marketing Level 3 course has taught me so much about what marketing means in modern industries. With Baltic, I’ve been able to learn about the customer life cycle; search engine optimisation; different forms of content marketing; how to create an email marketing campaign and much more.
I have earned badges in The Principles of Online/Offline Marketing, and The Principles of Coding as well as a Google Digital Garage certificate for Google Analytics. Each of these sessions has given me even more knowledge of digital marketing strategy to take forward in my role. I would recommend an apprenticeship to anyone; it’s truly changed the course of my career.
It’s been a great year!
When I was in college, making the all-important decision about my future, I knew university wasn’t for me. I never once imagined I would be able to create marketing campaigns, talk to clients or work on website development projects. I am very thankful for the opportunities that this apprenticeship has brought me.
Check out our social media to keep an eye on what we’re up to. Or, if you’d like to discuss your website and digital marketing strategy, get in touch today.
