What’s Is It Like Working in the Found Content Space

We love our employees! Each of their unique skillsets and personalities bring something special to the table for each project we do. Working in found content can be a tricky place at times but the rewards it reaps are high, especially since we have the best team available in our field. What better way to explain what it’s like to work in found content than interviewing one of our very own employees? For personal privacy purposes, the name of individual(s) interviewed will be left out due to their allowance to work on other projects. Although we sadly regret not being able to praise their name to the mountain tops, we completely understand that this is their preference and we respect that.  

1.     What is your favorite part of the job?

Obtaining the rights to the videos or Buying the content because you get to connect with the content owners. I enjoy the chase and the challenge. I also like the creative part of discovery/curation to find that diamond in the rough for their vision.

2.     What was your favorite project you’ve worked on and why?

My favorite project was the Oreo Stay Playful campaign because the content was so fun and all the creators were so excited to be a part of the campaign. The campaign was also shown in Times Square, which was very cool.

3.     What do you love most about your job here with us?

Overall with the job I love the people that I work with since we are a boutique agency. I love working with our family and bouncing ideas off of each other. Each of us has our own expertise that they can add.

4.     What is your biggest challenge when sourcing content and/or working on a project?

The biggest challenge would probably be working with the super remote video owners or trying to track down the international content that we work with. Some people are just off the grid and very difficult to reach, especially if they don’t have a large social media presence. On the flip side of that, it’s also very hard to find the correct owner of a video that’s gone very viral.

5.     What do you enjoy being able to work fully remote?

Definitely the flexibly and just being able to be home with my family, while still focusing on work.

6.     What do believe about this allows you to work efficiently and still remain connected to others within the company/company culture?

I would say the amount of time that I get back from not having to commute to and from work. If I need to log on earlier, especially with the different time zones we work with all over the world. The hours allow me to work completely efficient at home and not be tied to an office.

7.     Are there any aspects of the team culture that you would change or improve?

We’re all so spread out so I would love to be able to meet up in person but we do stay pretty connected and I do really like the culture.

8.     What led you to work in this field?

My degree is in entertainment marketing and advertising. I studied this in college and got my Bachelors. I worked in television production for a couple of years and I just sort of fell into this through that.

9.     Describe a favorite work memory from Locomotive.

I would say, not sure if it’s a favorite but after we just did the Duracell campaign, this client had their hearts set on a certain video. We did not think it was going to happen and in the 12th hour we were able to make a deal with the video owner. It was so stressful but when it finally came through I was so relieved. I see that commercial everywhere now. Ofdsn Sunday night football and other content creators have even seen that commercial. It was such a gratifying.

10.  Is there an area of working in found content that you think you can improve and/or when working on projects?

Well, the industry is kind of like the wild, wild west still and video owners can sometimes be very skeptical. Content creators can think that agencies like us might be a scam because what we do is still so new, but when they actually look up our company, they see that we’re a 5-star agency with lots of great reviews from creators that have worked with us in the past.

We love hearing what our employee(s) have to say about working in the found content space. We hope it was enlightening for you all as well. If you’re curious about tapping into the power of UGC strategies, contact us today.

Employee Engagement

What is employee engagement? Well, it can be defined as a measure of an employee’s sense of purpose at the workplace, involvement, commitment to the brand, their effectiveness in communicating and lastly, having a collaborative attitude that’s dedicated to quality performance. Engagement of employees is about motivation behind their work and not job satisfaction. It’s surprising to note that only 36% of workers in the United States are highly engaged, according to HubSpot. Employees are the gears that turn the machine within a business. Their engagement is necessary to its success. When the gears are well oiled, the machine runs smoothly and efficiently. Think of it like this. It’s just as within the human body. When one part isn’t working well, the entire thing sees a downturn and it’s like a domino effect. One thing ultimately, affects the whole. Therefore, fostering a good culture in the workplace is crucial. Let’s look at some stats. Gallup studies show that having good employee engagement:

1.     Lowers absenteeism by 81%

2.     Lowers turnover rates by 18%

3.     Lowers defects in quality by 41%

4.     Increases productivity by 18%

5.     Increases customer loyalty and engagement by 10%

6.     Increases profitability by 23%

It is obvious why employee engagement is important looking at these numbers, but how do you foster it within the workplace for your brand? There are 3 key components to doing so. 1.) Leadership. 2.) Rewards and Recognition. 3.) Personal Growth. Within the leadership role, managers and CEO’s must communicate clear expectations for their employees so they understand their tasks, goals and day to day responsibilities. To this, they must also provide the proper tools and knowledge that they need to carry out these tasks while giving them the space to show your trust of them. Autonomy shows them that they are valued. Recognition programs are a great way to show employees they’re valued as well. Reward them with bonuses, gift cards, gift baskets, etc. for their successes. Lastly, there must always be room for growth and a clear path of how to get there. This can help create a sense of purpose with employees. They start at the bottom and work their way up towards a goal.

Now that you have all the tools you need to engage your employees; how do you measure the effectiveness you are having with it? The first is obvious, seek their feedback. Make it anonymous so they don’t feel put on the spot or you can have private, individual conversations. Or both. Survey Monkey is a great survey creator you can use to do this. Next, make sure to keep an eye on your turnover rates and employee absenteeism regularly. If these numbers are up, then unfortunately, engagement is down. Another way to get feedback would be to conduct exit interviews to see what areas can truly be improved. People tend to be more candid when they won’t be working there anymore.

In summary, employee engagement keeps your business running smoothly. Happy employees’ equal happy customers equal thriving businesses. It’s important to keep the gears of your business machine well-oiled in order to run well.

Work Schedule Flexibility

 The pandemic literally changed how we all view work. It increased the work-life balance by 43% of people surveyed by Qualtrics. We all know that the old-school mentality bosses are terrified that people will take advantage of this flexibility. However, there is this cool little thing called gift exchange theory that is responsible for 55% of people working more hours remotely than at the office. This is where people feel grateful for the gift of flexibility, so they feel obligated to work longer and harder for receiving it. They also want to keep their work schedule this way since they like it, so they work harder to prove that they can still get the same job done at home, maybe even better, then being at the office. We thought this little tid bit was useful and interesting. It seems like all sunshine and rainbows, right? Well, no, it’s not that simple. There are pros and cons to every situation and this one is no different. Let’s first talk about the pros for employees and employers.

Advantages for Employees:

1. Better work-life balance

   1. Self-care is easier (mental and physical)

   2. Pursue passions outside of work

2. Reduced commute/lowered carbon footprint

3. More control over schedule

   1. Work in the hours where you feel most productive

4. Child care isn’t a problem

5. Autonomy

Advantages for Employers:

1. Boosts employee morale

2. Build trust through employee autonomy

3. Lower turnover

   1. Recruit and retains better talent

   2. Positive brand image

   3. Employees will take fewer sick days

Disadvantages for employees:

1.     Work life and personal life boundaries are blurred

2.     Difficult to bond with other employees

3.     Disconnect between at home employees and in office staff

4.     Less structure

Disadvantages for employers:

1.     Some employees are not self-motivated without supervision

2.     Compressed work schedules decrease client availability

3.     Difficult to create a work culture

4.     Harder to arrange meetings

While there is no right or wrong way to approach flexible work scheduling, we believe that there are more positive results that come of it. Locomotive is a fully remote team that gets it done in many parts of the world. Our employees are happy, able to work on other things and they make sure that every job gets their maximum effort! This may not work for every company and we understand that so we hope that this list can help you decide if that style of business is right for you!