From Freelance to Full-Time: Meet Your Co-Host

In this episode, Zach takes the opportunity to interview his co-host Liv Morley, Artus' first full-time copywriter and digital marketing executive. With copywriting, university and career aspirations on the agenda, Zach and Liv take a deep dive into "the story of Liv Morley", discussing her approach to copywriting and storytelling in business. 

Zach Greaves 00:02 

Welcome to Words that Work. My name is Zach Greaves, Founder and Director of Artus Digital Marketing. We're here to empower businesses to tell their story through compelling copywriting and content. 

 

In our first two episodes, I introduced myself and Artus and now it's time for you to meet my co-host, Liv Morley. Liv will be joining me for future episodes as we delve into the art of telling business stories. She’s a full-time Copywriter and Digital Marketing Executive here at Artus having completed her degree in English Literature at Leeds Beckett University last year. 

 

I was introduced to Liv through a mentoring program at Leeds Beckett after she attended our Make It in Marketing online seminar. As part of her mentoring program, Liv engaged in some freelance copywriting for our clients here at Artus and her flair for the written word immediately became apparent. 

 

I set Liv on as a freelancer and within weeks, I was very pleased to offer her a full-time job alongside a Digital Marketing Apprenticeship - and the rest is history! So, without further ado, I'd like to give you a very warm welcome to Liv. Hello, Liv how you doing? 

 

Liv Morley 01:11 

Hello, that was a lovely comprehensive introduction to me. 

 

Zach Greaves 01:17 

No, well, thanks for coming on Liv. And I think as you're going to be such a key part of this podcast going forward, it’ll be great for our listeners to figure out a little bit more about yourself. So over to you, tell us all we need to know about Liv Morley. 

 

Liv Morley 01:33 

Fabulous – so I'm 22 years old, and I'm from Manchester. I went to university in Leeds as you've just said, and I’m now copywriting with Zach at Artus. So, I'm here to tell the inside stories about Artus; I think that might be my role on this podcast. 

 

Zach Greaves 01:50 

Controversial - be careful what you say. 

 

Liv Morley 01:53 

I know exactly! 

 

But I'm loving having a bit of travel back in my life since COVID. Just been on my holidays to Croatia, and I'm heading over to Italy soon. 

 

Zach Greaves 02:05 

The pictures looked stunning of Croatia, I’m very jealous. 

 

Liv Morley 02:07 

Oh wow. Thank you. 

 

But yeah, I’m just in my role at the minute, learning all the time and constantly taking things in. I’m currently taking part in a Digital Marketing Apprenticeship with Zach. So yeah, fabulous, and I’m really happy to be co-hosting on the podcast. 

 

Zach Greaves 02:22 

Well, thanks very much Liv. And perhaps then we can rewind then. So, you're in a copywriting role now you've been doing that nearly a year. But what were your career aspirations growing up? And what did you see your future looking like? 

 

Liv Morley 02:38 

I think I've always been more writing led and English led all the way through school; that was always my strong point. My mum always said I would be a weather girl. I don't know whether that bodes well for me, I think I’m a little bit too northern to be a weather girl. 

 

I had always considered being in radio, and sort of going down that route. But then I think my writing skills shone through when I went off to university. Those skills really stood out to me as being my skill set. 

 

I always loved writing and reading, and I think that led me on to my degree at university. And then since being 16, I worked at a pub, like a pub restaurant, constantly interacting with people so I knew that what I ended up doing was going to be something people based, and it was going to be getting to know people. It was going to be understanding people and making people happy. 

 

Providing a good customer service was something that I needed to merge together with my writing. And copywriting sort of came up and merged those things together. It was getting to know companies and getting to know people and articulating that in writing. 

 

Zach Greaves 03:57 

I think it's so important that blend between doing it through the writing but also having that customer interaction. It's certainly been important for me my career. I've been in hospitality before as well. So, I think there's a lot of parallels between our direction really Liv. 

 

I mean, I did English at uni too and considered various careers in media. But look at you now, having thought about a career in radio, here you are on your first podcast. 

 

Liv Morley 04:27 

Well, it was meant to be. 

 

Are you trying to tell me something? That I’ve got a face for radio! 

 

Zach Greaves 04:33 

Well, I could see you as a weather girl you know, maybe there's a future career for you. But for now, stick here please. 

 

Liv Morley 04:44 

Yeah, you're not losing me anytime. 

 

Zach Greaves 04:47 

Well, that's good to know. 

 

So having done your degree, obviously that was a natural fit for you. What were your expectations? What was your knowledge of the copywriting industry when you got involved with it? What were your expectations about the role? 

 

Liv Morley 05:04 

Well, I must admit marketing was something that my older sister wanted to get involved with when she finished uni. And it was a bit of a fleeting passion, and now she’s moved on to another career. But my knowledge was quite limited just from her interest in marketing. 

 

It was only when I got to my third year of uni, when I was learning more about marketing. And it was an avenue that a lot of my fellow course mates were going down. That was when I got an email through for the course that you mentioned at the beginning in the intro, Zack. 

 

It was a marketing program set up through the university, and that word marketing just stood out to me because it was something that I didn't have a huge understanding of, but something that I was interested to learn more about. 

 

It was an employer led course and it was mentor based, and you would go through an application process be assigned with a mentor to learn more about the industry. And it was only when we went through the different types of marketing, when copywriting came up that I did a lot of research into copywriting, and it just seemed to tick all the boxes. 

 

I think a lot of people say to you, and I'm sure you had this as well when you did an English degree, “do you want to be an English teacher?” And teaching wasn't something I was even looking into. So, it was finding something that really used my degree, used my strengths and built on that. Copywriting seemed to answer those questions and, obviously, provide a path for me. 

 

Zach Greaves 06:59 

Yeah, and I think that's a lot of English students. I know for me, I kind of chose English to keep my options open. But I know that a lot of English students lack that direction as a result. But I think that's kind of part of the joy of it, it does kind of leave you open to so many different career pathways. 

 

Liv Morley 07:21 

Yeah, it's lovely and broad, isn't it. It’s honing in on those essential skills to apply across so many professions. 

 

Zach Greaves 07:30 

And I think, you know, during your degree, I certainly feel the same. In terms the things that I learned through my degree and developed skills, what if you're not even aware, during your time learning that you are developing them? I'm so thankful for what I did pick up at university as a result. 

 

Liv Morley 07:51 

Definitely. We have Ellie working with us at the moment as an intern and I think she was a little bit concerned about this. She's doing a placement and she was a little bit concerned about getting back into the swing of things when she rejoins for third year. 

 

And I said, you're going to be spending the next full year researching. I'm still using all the skills that I developed at uni. So she's going to slide right back in third year, and I know she'll be fab because we really do use those English literature skills every day. 

 

Zach Greaves 08:23 

Absolutely. And even you know, during the two months now that we've been working with Ellie, the development in that time is just stunning. So, she'll slide back in, I'm sure. 

 

So, talking a little bit about your apprenticeship now then Liv. You're on a Digital Marketing Apprenticeship. And you're probably about two thirds of the way through that now. How is that helping you in your role? And what have been the sort of highlight so far for you? 

 

Liv Morley 08:57 

Well, I think it's really pushing me to learn new things and it's really pushing me to learn different aspects of marketing. 

It's based on a portfolio style. So, I'm building my portfolio over the year whilst working at Artus and I have to develop campaigns using different forms of marketing. So far, I've worked on the Artus website redevelopment for us, I've worked on a LinkedIn campaign, I've worked on an email marketing campaign and this podcast is also going to be written into the portfolio too. 

 

Zach Greaves 09:31 

Yes, Liv is highly responsible for this podcast. 

 

Liv Morley 09:34 

Exactly, hence my involvement. 

 

So, I think it's really pushed me out of my comfort zone and forced me to learn things that I'm not sure I would have learned from working alone as a copywriter. And so yeah, I'm really enjoying the course so far and that wraps up in October time, so I should have a full glittering portfolio by then. 

 

Zach Greaves 09:59 

Absolutely. Well, all I can say Liv is I can't wait to get you back to five days a week. So excited for that to happen, honestly. 

 

But yeah, you're right. I think, you know, I say time and time again, we are a marketing company. But really our specialism is in copywriting and content creation. But I think to deliver that value to our clients, you need that rounded perspective on marketing and seeing how everything fits together. So, I'm really glad that it's been beneficial to you so far, and I can't wait for you to finish it off, really. 

 

So, talking about your role then Liv. I mean, it's just incredible to think that we've only been working together for a year, I just can't imagine the business without Olivia Morley now. So obviously, you started as a freelancer, and how do you think your role has evolved during that time working with us? Perhaps you can sort of pick out a few different highlights of working with the business. 

 

Liv Morley 11:12 

I started as a freelance copywriter. And now I do everything from social media to website copy, to blog writing jobs. So, nowadays I'd like to think of myself as a bit of a jack of all trades in the business. 

 

Zach Greaves 11:32 

And master of all! 

 

Liv Morley 11:36 

Yeah, and a master of all. 

 

Personally, I think working on our website was a real highlight for me, because I think it really proved a sort of trust between me and you. And it was a bit of a collaborative effort. And we worked together on the copy, we worked on editing the copy, along with Harriet, who also works with us. And really immersing myself in that process of changing the website and getting involved with the company. That was something that I'm really proud of looking back. 

 

Zach Greaves 12:04 

You should be. I mean, I think that process really took our online presence to another level, I really appreciate your efforts that are Liv, and it certainly pushed you out your comfort zone. And that's what we're keen to do with all of our people, I think, and especially with your apprenticeship with us, it's important to be pushed down different avenues. 

 

So, what would you say is the best part of your job? What do you enjoy most about working at Artus? 

 

Liv Morley 12:33 

I'd say the variety as every day is different. Every client is different, even when they work in the same industry sector. 

 

Something we really hold close to our hearts at Artus is really getting to know a business for who they are: their values, their personal story, their motivations, their goals. And I suppose that does tie into that good customer service, and that people facing role that I loved so much growing up. 

 

I think in a digital role it's quite easy to assume that we’re closed off, and that it's an impersonal experience. And I think that's the opposite of what we do here. We really like to get to know people and use that knowledge to better their presence online, making sure that we're putting across words and websites and social media posts that really truly reflect them. 

 

Zach Greaves 13:37 

Yeah, totally. Well, I'll tell you what, we'll come back to that again in a moment. But in the meantime, just sort of finishing off that the story of Liv Morley, how do you imagine your future now Liv? Within the business outside of the business? Whatever that might be? 

 

Liv Morley 13:59 

Wow. It's a big question. I think the world's my oyster at this point. But, to just keep learning is a huge thing for me. I'm somewhat fresh out of university and I've landed a role that I'm loving. I'm loving the company, I'm loving working with you, Zach; even though you'll think I'm saying this because I have to. 

 

Zach Greaves 14:23 

You are being recorded. 

 

Liv Morley 14:25 

But I think in terms of the future, it's staying put at the minute and carrying on learning like a sponge, taking in all the information that I can, and carrying on enjoying myself. 

 

Zach Greaves 14:38 

Amazing. Well, I love that Liv and I guess it was your attitude and your sort of vibrant personality that continues to blossom. So, thanks so much for everything. 

 

Liv Morley 14:53 

Oh, you're welcome. 

 

Zach Greaves 14:53 

Amazing. Glad we've got you on board for the foreseeable 

 

Liv Morley 14:58 

Yeah, I'm not going anywhere. 

 

Zach Greaves 15:01 

So, let's wind this back then to storytelling and our jobs as copywriters Liv. You're very much at the coalface with it all. So how do you interpret briefs from clients? And how do you successfully tap into? Or even create a client's tone of voice? What's that process look like for you? 

 

Liv Morley 15:23 

I think it's all in the research. I think it's learning their tone of voice naturally; I think something that we're really actively doing is talking to our clients, having recording meetings so that I can have a really good in-depth listen to them. And research in the industry, researching competitors. 

 

I think that's the biggest thing in our role maybe is getting to know a client by doing all of the legwork before you start writing. That's the best touch point basically as it relates to our understanding of the tone of voice. 

 

I also think there's natural flair in there for being able to listen to someone's voice or get to know someone's business and articulate that in writing. I think there's definitely a natural flair there. 

 

And I think it's a place of passion as well, it's, it's wanting to do a good job, it's wanting to listen to that person and do a good job for them so that their website truly represents them and their business. So those are the ways that I would sort of approach a brief it's research before you start writing and sort of having that passion and that natural flair to really get involved with them. 

 

Zach Greaves 16:34 

Absolutely. Well, we saw it the other day, when you saw one of our clients in person, we had a little team day, on Monday. So, we're talking at the end of July here, by the way for our listeners, July 2022. And yeah, Olivia was visited one of our clients for the first time. 

 

So, Olivia is works remotely, but comes into the office periodically, and we just timed in with a visit to one of our clients. And that was a really powerful meeting, wasn't it? I think, you know, you can have all of these zoom calls but sometimes there really isn't a substitute for seeing somebody face to face and seeing the passion within their business for yourself. 

 

Liv Morley 17:21 

I can completely agree. And we came away from that meeting with tonnes of material, tonnes of ideas. We managed their social media accounts, and we came away with so much more so than what could be in a written brief, so that’s really invaluable. 

 

Zach Greaves 17:43 

Absolutely. So Liv, I guess, rounding off now. Could you tell me your top tips for telling stories in business? 

 

Liv Morley 17:53 

Well, I know we've been speaking all about research. So, I would say that's a huge one. Getting to know the conversation that's going on within your industry. What's happening at the moment? What are your competitors talking about? What should you be getting yourself involved with, it could be in-person events, all sorts of things in your local area. That's a huge one sort of getting involved in the conversation, to be able to tell your own story within that theatre. 

 

Zach Greaves 18:24 

Oh, I like how you put that. 

 

Liv Morley 18:27 

And knowing your own voice, I think, to any story that has to be a storyteller. So, the voice of your company, it has to be you, to be able to tell the story. You have to understand why you're there. What were your passions? What drove you to start that business in the first place? And how can you make that catch on? 

 

How can you make other people feel that passion as well. And I think once you can tap into that, it's just getting it all down. It's getting it all out there. It's getting out there in your social media posts, on your website, in your blog, everywhere, get that passion out there, because that's what makes you different from any other company out there. 

 

Zach Greaves 19:10 

And be consistent with it, I guess, as well and make sure it's all cohesive. 

 

Liv Morley 19:16 

Yeah, definitely. And that'll, if that's coming from one person's story or a family story or a team story, it's going to naturally become cohesive, and it's just you need to put the time in to be able to make it consistent. 

 

Zach Greaves 19:32 

Absolutely. So, Olivia, thank you so much. Well, I hope you've all sort of gained a gem or two there from Liv but more broadly speaking, it's just been such a pleasure talking to you and reflecting about your career journey to date Liv. So, thanks for agreeing to be part of that. And once again, I just like to say a huge thank you for being such a big part of our success over the last year and I'm really excited about the future and working together with you to develop the company further. 

 

So, Liv will be joining me again in our next episode, we'll be talking to one of our clients about their business story and our journey working so far with them. So that's all from us for now. Invest in your own story with words that work which is free to listen to twice a month on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and whatever podcast apps on your device. If you'd like to hear more about our story, head over to our website. 

 

Thanks for listening and we hope to see you soon.