Most people like to refrain from Networking. In the process, we miss leveraging the most powerful tool to help boost job search, expand the learning resources, or be noticeable.
Throughout my second semester, I had a fantastic lineup of speakers through the Digital Marketing series who also became my network on LinkedIn. Thanks to George Brown College Centre for Business and Wendy Greenwood for helping me expand my network.
There was no clear career path for me at the beginning of the Digital Media program. We had 12 courses in the program that educated us in different areas of Digital Media Marketing—understanding each area in depth, required interaction with subject matter experts.
The Second-semester seminar series accomplished the same.
Career Visualization- The storytelling
A key highlight of the networking series was the speaker introduction which unfolded the entire career journey of the speaker to date. It showcased a clear career path with its sets of challenges and rewards.
Layers of learning
We had some robust speakers who shared their Digital marketing experiences. A few below left a more significant impact and inspired me toward new directions in my career choices. The topics discussed by them were my desirable areas of specialization.
Network Growth- My LinkedIn Connect story
Soon after the class ended, I would send a LinkedIn connection request to the speakers. This was an excellent opportunity for me to connect with professionals in the Digital marketing space. I was excited to link with most of them and observe their views, thoughts, and posts on LinkedIn.
Final Thoughts – Personal Training and Development
Better Training = Better Performance
According to a study by Boston University, majority of students are more inductive than deductive reasoners, which means that they learn better from examples than from logical development, starting with basic principles. The use of case studies can therefore be a very effective classroom technique.
Case studies are a great tool to enhance and enrich our skills. Some of the skills that I developed and mastered are the following.
I learn better from practical examples and case studies as well. I comprehend better from practical examples and case studies as well. At the end of each speaker presentation, a case related to the speaker’s presentation topic was assigned to the class, working in teams. It was an incredible moment of experiencing a real-world situation. It guided and oriented us to build strategies, solve problems, and measure success.
It was the value-added feature of the seminar series.
Overall, an outstanding and enriching experience in the digital marketing learning experience. Each week imparted knowledge that would have been impossible to gain otherwise.
At the end of the course, I feel more confident and sounder, more knowledgeable about approaching jobs. All the learnings shared and acquired by me are precious.
Special thanks to speakers at the following events for inspiring and insightful presentations. These speakers notably introduced me to more career options in my digital expedition.
Lia Grimberg – Value Based Loyalty Program Leveraging Data
Gar Concannon – Social Media Marketing and Networking
Paul Michel – Pandemic Pivots – Growing Sales Through Digital Channels
The topics shared by the three speakers extended a new career choice for me in Digital media marketing. Some of the insights from their presentation that genuinely inspired me are:
Loyalty Programs key takeaway: The Loyalty program must be relevant. It should be aligned perfectly with what the brand seeks to achieve and what the consumer expects.
The products and services offered should be relevant- in other words, they must be personalized and customized based on data and consumer needs.
A poorly designed loyalty program can backfire and result in an investment loss.
Loyalty program alignment
Lia then touched upon the most critical aspects of the Loyalty programs, the four “R.”
Each stage has a business impact and must be strategically aligned. Personally, this was the highlight of the entire presentation. The fundamentals of the Loyalty program discussion got unfolded in these four stages. “Relevance” is the most critical.
Social media Marketing-shared by Gar Concannon:
Hootsuite platform has been our on-hand experience platform for content marketing and social media marketing. Having acquired a few certifications and working experience, I felt closely associated with it. Hootsuite is the industry leader in social media management, with millions of users counting on it. We can schedule posts, participate in conversations, and track our social success with Hootsuite.
Gar explained how to optimize the social media profile to build Personal Branding. It was a piece of excellent advice for success in our Career and Networking.
Performance Marketing- A hidden gem in Digital Marketing
I am attracted to challenging roles in Digital Marketing, and my introduction to Performance Marketing has opened a new career prospect for my preferred Digital marketing roles.
The diversity of marketing mix in Performance marketing is an excellent way to master the skills and become an expert. To work for an organization with solid Performance Marketing roles would be a golden opportunity for me.
The conversation with our speaker, Paul Michel, has inspired me to pursue Performance marketing roles alongside other digital marketing opportunities and apply the key concepts he shared with us while working with real clients.
The End is my New Beginning
It has been a remarkable journey with new career exploration. I was successful in including a few of the seminar series speakers in my existing network on LinkedIn. I hope to discover more about Digital marketing from them and educate myself from the learnings.
The past six months at George Brown College have shaped me for success. I launched my start-up in 2021 with big dreams. I had 20% Digital Media Marketing knowledge. The value-added Seminar series and routine academics have boosted my knowledge and experience.
Today I feel on top of the world and full of confidence.
In simple words- I feel Empowered and ready to Conquer.
