We’re hiring: New roles at Keep Left

Content Strategist

Multi-disciplinary agency with great clients & career progression
Competitive salary and employee benefits
Beautiful working environment, with a focus on health & wellbeing

The company

Keep Left is a full-service communications, creative services and content marketing agency with a team of 35 consultants across Melbourne and Sydney. We’re a results-driven business with a firm belief in measuring everything we do with numbers, not just sentiment. We combine creative thinking with audience insights and analytics to create powerful campaigns that have impact and can be measured.

The person

We are looking for a talented Content Strategist (VIC) who can collaborate with a team of specialists to segment and define audiences, map trigger moments and user journeys and create meaningful content and communications strategies that maps to performance outcomes. An analytical mind, combined with a passion for narrative and storytelling, and strong presentation skills are required.

The role

This hands-on role requires a thorough understanding of content marketing and brand storytelling across paid, owned and earned channels – with a strong focus on performance outcomes.

The Content Strategist will be responsible for leading insight gathering and research to inform our strategies, segment and profile audiences, map trigger moments against the buyer journey, develop content ecosystems across earned, owned and paid channels and work collaboratively with a team of creatives, copywriters and performance specialists on the implementation.

An applied understanding of SEO, Social and UX is essential.

Key responsibilities

Develop insightful content and communications strategies, leveraging first, second and third party data
Gather and present relevant insights, performance data and best practice thinking
Develop audience segmentation and profiling reports, trigger mapper and user journey development.
Understand clients’ business challenges and work collaboratively with channel specialists to ensure content recommendations can be amplified effectively
Refine content ideas into meaningful content recommendations. Develop narrative and messaging to bring content recommendations / pillars to life
Recommend clear, tangible content KPIs that map back client’s objectives and the strategy
Collaborate effectively with specialists in the business
Effectively present audience profiling project and content and communications strategies.

Key traits / soft skills:

High-level thinker with a penchant for keeping track of the details
Idea generator and problem solver
Excellent time management & organisational skills
Confident presentation skills
Ability to consistently meet tight deadlines
Ability to communicate & collaborate effectively

Technical expertise:

3+ years’ experience in a content focused role
Proficient skills with using audience insight tools such as Mosaic
Excellent research skills
Experience with third party data (e.g. IBISWorld, Roy Morgan, Nielsen etc.)
Basic understanding of SEO and keyword research tools (Moz, Google Trends, Google Keyword Planner etc.)
Intermediate skills with social & content trends research tools (BuzzSumo etc.)
Comfortable with main web analytic tools and analysing data to derive insights
An understanding of PR, influencer marketing and earned media tactics will be highly regarded
Qualifications in digital marketing, journalism or relevant field

Applications

Please send your CV and a cover letter to [email protected] email by Friday 12 April 2019.

You must have the right to work in Australia.

Lefties on location: if you go down to the woods today…

March 02 · Uncategorized · on location

…you’re sure of a big surprise!

Last weekend, a break-out faction of Keep Left’s content production team headed out to Kinglake National Park, north of Melbourne, to undertake a secret task for our outdoorsy client Kathmandu.

Mission ‘Hidden Retreat’ had been months in the making, with the busy bees at Kathmandu and the Keep Left team arranging clandestine calls, photo shoots and site recces in the lead up to the big day.

The idea?

Set up the ultimate campsite in a secret location somewhere in Australia for the public to find. Those who could break Kathmandu’s cryptic clues on social media and uncover their Hidden Retreat would be in with a chance of winning the ultimate campsite set up, worth over $4,000, along with an excellent range of runner-up prizes.The concept was the brainchild of Thomas Rennie, our Art Director and magic ideas machine. When we asked him what the inspiration was for the Hidden Retreat, Rennie told us that as a kid he used to make forts in the woods near his house. “I liked the idea of someone else coming along after me and finding this place all set up and waiting for them. There’s something quite Hansel and Gretel about it!”.

With the help of Account Director Jasmin, Consultant Mary and the Keep Left team, Rennie’s vision was brought to life.

The set up

An ultimate campsite doesn’t just set itself up. Under the cloak of two inconspicuous rental vans, with Jasmin and Mary at the wheels, our team of Lefties and an audacious amount of bug spray departed the big smoke in the direction of the countryside.

“I’m an outdoors kind of guy”, Rennie tells us, as though we didn’t already know. “There’s nothing like the satisfaction you get when you put the final guy rope in place, but it was a bit different with the Hidden Retreat. We sat back after we nailed the first tent, and realised we had seven more to put up! We paid a well-earned visit to the Kinglake Pub that night.”

Blood, sweat and tears, alright.

But there’s no rest for the wicked. At 5.00am the following day, the team were bright eyed and bushy tailed, and back on the campsite to put the final touches to the Hidden Retreat.

A few hours later, and with Jasmin in a high-vis vest doing her best bouncer impression, over 100 happy campers arrived at the site keen for some competition.

After a spot of clue trivia and a gruelling game of quoits (the athletes’ game of choice), the overall winners were announced. Congratulations to Jamie and Mark, who had driven over two hours to get their hands on the prize – here’s to many happy camping trips!

The after party

But the festivities didn’t end there. With the secluded spot in the woods packed with hungry competitors, it was time for the great Aussie tradition of a cook out. “We’d set up seating areas and games so people could enjoy the sunshine, and having food meant that the runners-up also had a fun day out with their family, so it wasn’t all about the winning,” Jasmin told us.

“It was just like a big family picnic,” Rennie added. “That BBQ, too – the food was homemade by a local caterer, and those were the best burgers I’ve ever eaten.”

Given the number of burgers Rennie has put away in his life, that is some accolade.

Quick facts

WHAT: Kathmandu Hidden Retreat
WHERE: The Gums, Kinglake National Park
WHEN: Saturday 24^th February 2018
WHO: Jasmin, Rennie, Tash, Jacob, Mary, Ben and Johanna from Keep Left + Wombat + the Kathmandu team + 100 happy campers

Lefties on location: out of the office and into the wild

January 25 · Uncategorized · on location

Last week, a small contingent of Keep Left’s content and PR specialists swapped their colleagues for giant bugs and impromptu client picnics on an exciting shoot – this time a little far out from our regular leafy South Melbourne office.

Bugs aside, the team was tasked with shooting a teaser video for an upcoming activation campaign, and a good hearty dose of wilderness was compulsory. “Despite the 33 degree heat, it felt good to take Keep Left out of the confines of an office for a day, and we can’t complain – it was a pretty picturesque satellite office,” says Jasmin Watts, one of our Account Directors.

The team is beyond happy with the raw footage, and is looking forward to utilising it in the coming months as the campaign rolls out. We’re really proud of the team and it was invigorating to work so closely with the client and collaborate so successfully on a challenging but beautiful project.

Thomas Rennie, our Art Director, was beaming quietly when he showed us some of what they captured: “I just had the best day,” he sighed.

Keep Left appoints new CEO

February 20 · Uncategorized · PR

Melbourne-based PR and Content Marketing agency announces appointment of new CEO.

PR and content marketing agency, Keep Left, has today announced the appointment of Gillian Yeap as CEO, with former CEO and founder Caroline Catterall transitioning to the role of Executive Director.

Yeap is stepping into the role after eight years with the agency, having become a co-owner in 2015 and Keep Left’s Director of Strategy for the past two years.

As CEO, Yeap will oversee the running of the core PR and content production business, implement the agency’s strategic plan and nurture key client relationships alongside Keep Left’s long-standing management team.

After 15 years as CEO, Catterall’s transition to Executive Director will see her focus on the growth areas of the business with a particular focus on content marketing.

Yeap explained: “This move will allow us to keep the core business solid, while Caroline focuses on developing our capability in content marketing, exploring new tools and technologies and establishing relevant partnerships that will help future-proof the agency.

“The launch of our content production studio has been game-changing for the agency and for our clients, and we’re keen to continue innovating with our creative and digital services.”

With 11 years’ experience across a diverse range of sectors including property, social change, food, travel, health and technology, Yeap joined Keep Left in 2009 where her progression through the agency has seen her rising up the ranks in eight years. Since becoming a partner, a succession plan to CEO has been in place.

As part of the internal reorganisation existing team member Sarah Robertson has moved to the role of Strategy & Marketing Manager. Keep Left has also recently appointed Brooke Stephenson as Marketing Coordinator and Elena Goh as Finance & Operations Manager.

The announcement comes after a period of significant growth for Keep Left, with Catterall and Yeap achieving a 20 percent increase in revenue since they launched the content production studio in 2016.

Content team expansion

February 01 · Uncategorized · content, marketing, new hire

Melbourne-based PR and Content Marketing agency expands its Content Production team

Melbourne-based PR and Content Marketing agency, Keep Left, today announces the expansion of its content production studio seven months on from launching the content marketing arm of the agency.

Jordan Gold has been appointed Production Manager for the studio and brings a mix of production and editorial expertise to Keep Left, having previously worked at innovative integrated media businesses within the UK market, such as VICE and Konbini.

Jordan Gold Keep Left's Content Production Manager

Jordan Gold, Keep Left’s new Production Manager

He is joined by three recent Content Producer recruits, Ant Dinham, Kate Tärtsus, and Corinne Innes, who will work alongside the studio’s Copywriter, Laura Carpenter Davies, and Art Director and Designer, Thomas Rennie. The expansion brings the agency’s staff up to numbers of 25.

CEO and founder Caroline Catterall said: “It’s been great to add this creative bow to our services. Jordan’s appointment comes at a critical period for Keep Left, as we continue to branch into content marketing and content production, and integrate our new services with PR.”

In July last year, Keep Left launched its integrated PR, content and digital offering to reflect the value that brand storytelling informed by data can have for an organisation wanting to connect with the hearts and minds of its audience.

“Our aim is to move clients beyond the traditional ‘safe’ PR to future-proof and to elevate their communications” Catterall added.

Keep Left’s clients include Dairy Australia, VicSuper, Tassal, Red Nose and ME. Find out more about Keep Left’s content production services on the website.