How to Get Involved in the Marketing Community
By Hallie Moser
I think we can all agree, Charlotte’s got a lot—and industry networking opportunies are no exception.
So, as I’m writing this piece on how to get involved, I am very aware of how easy I have it. And, though some of these tips are specific to our queen city, you can find resources similar to these in almost any city.
(If you don’t, consider creating your own opportunities! Trust me, you’re not the only one that would benefit from the advantages of increasing the local marketing network.)
Join Clubs
I don’t know if everyone can relate.
Maybe your friends love when you talk about lead generation, email workflows and client management best practices. Maybe their eyes light up when you bring up chatbots and SEO–I found out really fast that my friend’s did not.
Clubs are this great way to build friendships with people who are excited about these same things, and want to talk about it. You go to events where the speaker has ideas you’ve never thought about; where you (you and your new marketing friends) get to chat about those ideas and how you could implement them into your business.
Imagine how much better your marketing efforts will be and how many more valuable ideas you could bring to the table if you had 45 minutes to bounce ideas off other really smart marketing influencers, who are having similar situations, but vastly different approaches.
Charlotte AMA
The Charlotte chapter of the American Marketing Association has been around since 1982, helping members connect and share insights. They’ve had great speakers like Karl Sakas, Jason Keith, and Debra Smul. They also have frequent mingles and mixes, where you can discuss ideas with local marketing professionals.
American Advertising Federation
Headquartered in Washington, DC, the American Advertising Federation (AAF) is the “Unifying Voice for Advertising.”It’s not just “marketing,”but instead, involves all the disciplines and career levels of advertising–everything from creative, to account management, videography.
You might be familiar with some of the AAF programs, like: Advertising Hall of Fame, the American Advertising Awards, and a National Student Advertising Competition.
Host an Event
What is your company really good at? Or what are you really good at?
Things that you might find simple like organization or ad copy writing, someone else might really struggle with and could benefit from a seminar or workshop.
Last November, we had a very successful night event hosting our favorite HubSpot Partner, Jen Snyder. We ate delicious food and mingled in our office, then listened to Jen teach us about Sales Marketing Alignment.
Hosting an event will not only help you grow your network, but it will also help you and your company become a trusted influencer in your industry—something I’m sure your boss would be onboard with!
If you’re not into hosting, keep your ears out for community monthly events like Creative Mornings. These Friday morning events are fun ways to keep your department creative and celebrate the local businesses in your area.
Don’t forget about your online network! If you prefer to join the discussion from the comfort of your couch, Linkedin is a great tool to get your ideas out there.
Join virtual clubs and follow thought-leaders as they discuss topics we love! Some clubs I’ve personally joined include Ad Age Discussion Group, The University of North Carolina Wilmington Alumni Association (Go Seahawks!), Digital Marketing, and Marketing Communication.
You can respond to provocative marketing discussions or create your own post and see how people would respond to your perspective.
Just make sure that you have your profile clean, and updated; since this is what your new network will base their first impressions around.
Take Classes
A coworker of mine recently looked into a class about the Adobe Illustrator software. She’s not a graphic designer but figured it would be nice knowledge to know, and would be great to meet influencers in nearby agencies!
You can find classes on lots of places, including facebook events near you. This is a great resource for people who are new to the area and would like to learn more but aren’t going to type “Illustrator class” into google, because you don’t know what you don’t know, right?
Hope this was helpful! Connect with us and comment below, we would love to hear more about how you get involved in the marketing culture!
And, as you’re setting up your network and building your business, why not look into how you can improve your website? Check out our newest workbook on all the first steps of auditing and planning that go into a website refresh.