Diane Markovski founded Lit Agency in 2015 following a long and seasoned career in the media that saw her work her way up the ranks in FCP Magazines before moving to News Limited, ACP and Pacific Magazines.
Since then, Lit Agency has grown leaps and bounds in the Australian market and is now burgeoning in the US market.
Markovski spoke to Mediaweek about the agency’s adoption and effective implementation of social media, getting through the pandemic, and branching out into the States.
Starting Lit Agency
The founder shared that she was motivated to launch her company after the birth of her first child. She recalled doing a boardroom presentation for a client while still on leave and carrying her six-week-old newborn in a BabyBjorn.
“That’s when I realised something had to change for me. I made the decision to go out and create my own company and my flexible work hours. I knew enough about media, marketing, and how to pitch because that’s all we did; we pitched out and received pitches back to us,” she said.
After leaving, Markovski’s Pacific Magazines clients sought after her to get help with a range of aspects from packaging to web and strategy.
“It just fell in place together, and I’ve still got some of those clients with me as a part of the agency today all these years later. I’m really lucky with how my business has been able to evolve,” she said, particularly with the growth of social media.
Markovski revealed that her early training on the Instagram, Facebook, and LinkedIn platforms during her time at Pacific Magazines gave her a head start in adapting and understanding how social media can change the market.
Additionally, she recognised the early growth of the influencers industry and began booking and engaging with them for brands she worked with.
“Now, part of what we do is representing influencers and getting them paid work via brand. That part of the business has grown without really having to do that much, which is amazing.”
Markovski added of their influencer offering: “We’re able to offer clients a service that traditionally they may not have the ability to understand or the time to do it themselves.”
The Lit agency team and specialisations
As founder of the agency, Markovski oversees the work done by her team, which includes a designer, media buyer, director, copywriters and a web team.
“We have so many amazing people with us, and our day-to-day fluctuates depending on what projects we’re working on. However, we touch base with nearly every single client we’re working with daily, whether it be a quick phone call or an email,” she said.
Markovski described Lit Agency’s specialisations as “360” with strategic, creative and marketing capabilities. But she noted that their strengths are in PR and social media, along with buying and setting creative campaigns.
Among Lit’s clients in Australia are CGFA, Puregg, Corn Thins, Couture Kingdom and Workplace Law. The agency has also had wins in the US with Lifeboard VR, Smartmoose NFT, and United Tiny Homes based in Arizona.
Getting through the pandemic
Lit Agency’s clients in the food service industry took a hit during the pandemic, either forced to shut down or scale back. But in that, Markovski said they saw the opportunity to pivot and support other parts, retail and FMCG, of the business.
The founder ensured the restaurants and cafes clients Lit represented stayed afloat by encouraging them to keep a consistent level of communication and even producing a social media guide for them to follow.
On the social media side of the business, Markovski said that during the lockdown, the agency saw an opportunity to connect with influencers at home by sending care packages from brands to continue exposure online.
“I think that’s where we were quite blessed during lockdown because many brands saw the opportunity to connect with influences at home. We were able to grow that side of the business over the past two years,” she said.
The bounce back from the pandemic has been varied for Lit’s clients, with some booming and doing better than pre-pandemic, while others – like large food suppliers – finding it difficult because of supply issues.
Markovski also noted that their PR strategy had to change. She said: “I remember pitching to our traditional go-to teams, and I remember a producer from Nine came back and said, ‘we’ve got a pandemic, we’ve got floods, we’ve got all of these things going on – that’s not important to us right now.’
“That made us realise the way we communicated to media for PR had to change because we needed to stay relevant. We couldn’t just pitch an idea. It had to be relevant to the population because of how much was going on,” she said.
Growth and expansion on the horizon
There’s plenty of growth in the outlook of Lit Agency in the year ahead. Markovski shared that the agency will be expanding its team and ramping up its creative in-house team and said: “We know creative is king, and we see how that’s affecting ads at the moment.”
The founder also revealed the agency’s plans to have a presence in the US to manage growth in what is quickly becoming a big market for Lit. She shared that about a third of their business comes from the US.
“It’s amazing to see that what we do isn’t just for the Australian market, and we’re starting to impact global markets. It’s amazing, it feels like it’s been a year for me, but it has been years,” she said.
Markovski said of Lit Agency’s client growth over the years: “I’ve never had to advertise anything we do. It has always been word of mouth, which I think is a huge blessing.
“I can sit there and take the kudos. But it is the team. What everyone does is just amazing,” the founder proudly added.
Why being part of the IMAA is important to Lit Agency
Lit Agency joined the IMAA earlier this year, and Markovski shared that they joined the industry body on the recommendation of a friend. Since then, she has been impressed by what they offer and do for independent agencies.
The founder highlighted networking events, the IMAA’s learning portal, and accessible education opportunities particularly beneficial for Lit Agency. She said: “That’s been amazing because we can sit at our desks during lunch on a Monday, log on to their webinars, and get updates.”
Markovski also noted that the educational opportunities and updates have been beneficial for upskilling her team. She said: “I’m all for it. That’s been the biggest thing for me.”
The founder concluded: This [the IMAA] is such a good association to be a part of, and it helps the clients to recognise we are a part of an association here in Australia, and it means a lot.”
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Top image: Diane Markovski
