Part Three: A week of networking and match-making

During my spring break, I drove up to NYC from Richmond to meet with three agencies, attend two social gatherings, visit with family and network with a variety of folks within the advertising & marketing industries.

Here are my thoughts on the networking portion of the trip:

Network #5: If I believe LinkedIn is great, my sorority network is just as good especially when technology helps make the connections even easier. I've been considering client side big brand companies as employment options. However, it is always good to talk to people who have been with the company and are in the know of the "real deal". In this case, I leveraged my "crimson & cream" sorority connection and used LinkedIn to get my request for information out to the person. She was able to tell me what subsidiaries I should focus on as well as some possible obstacles I may experience during the application process.

Network #6: It is definitely a small world. I had been trying to get in touch with a Creative at an interactive agency for a while. The entire time I kept on thinking the name sounded extremely familiar. We finally talk (I got some GREAT tips and advice about the entering the digital marketing space) and he tells me how our paths had crossed in the passed. He had come to my graduate school as a Friday speaker.

Network #7: Don't know if you would count this one or not, but I do. I went to a photography exhibit of a person who befriended me on FB. We chat every now and then, but not too much. He invited me to the exhibit even though I no longer reside in NYC. However, when I realized I would be in NYC when the show was on I figured it would be a great opportunity to increase my cultural awareness. Plus it never hurts to show support to people when time permits. You never know when or how they may be able to do the same for you.

Network #8: Had a lunch date with a contact in Radio. Met this person via Facebook and instantly became interested in his background. I look forward to more interactions especially since Radio hasn't been a medium heavily talked about in my advertising program.

Part Two: A week of networking and match-making

During my spring break, I drove up to NYC from Richmond to meet with three agencies, attend two social gatherings, visit with family and network with a variety of folks within the advertising & marketing industries.

Here are my thoughts on the networking portion of the trip:

Network #1: Met with an alumna from my graduate program. We initially met via social media and communicated that route. It was a wonder opportunity to finally meet in person. I wish this alumna only the best as I am positive she is on the verge of wonderful things. UPDATE: Alumna got a job offer at a growing interactive agency. Yippee!!

Network #2: Perhaps this one doesn't count, but I spoke with a classmate about an agency internship from last summer. We spoke about the company's ethics, environment and clients.

Network #3: Another alum meeting. We stay in touch via social media as well, but it is always a good thing to touch base face-to-face every now and then.

Network #4: If I haven't said it recently I do like LinkedIn.com. I wanted to apply for an account manager role out in L.A., but didn't know anything about the company other than what I found on the website. So I used my LinkedIn network and found a current account manager at the firm and reached out to him. He responded immediately and set up time for us to talk via the phone.

Part One: A week of networking and match-making

During my spring break, I drove up to NYC from Richmond to meet with three agencies, attend two social gatherings, visit with family and network with a variety of folks within the advertising & marketing industries.

Here are my thoughts on the business portion of the trip:

Agency #1: This was one of my first interviews for full-time employment in advertising. I was nervous and don't feel I've represented myself as well as I could have especially given my time allotted was shortened to 17 minutes. Not because the interviewer was less intrigued by me, but because the flight was delayed and the interviewer arrived 40 minutes late. The good thing about this interview is it helped me sharpen my skills just in time for the rest later in the week.

Agency #2: Fabulous! The little of experienced of the work environment was great and reminded me much of what I liked about the last company I worked at - the people. Since I wasn't applying for a particular job, just an opportunity for face time and get my name in the pipeline.

Agency #3: Jury is still out on this one. I'm definitely intrigued and I believe the feeling is mutual. My primary concern is associated with the economy and how it may be effecting some of the agency's major clients. As anyone knows, if a client tanks so do the people associated with the account. Other than that I am interested in and look forward to pursuing opportunities within the social media group or on account management team.

Brandcenter students @ SXSW

Meet a couple VCU Brandcenter students at South By Southwest [SXSW]

The Update on The Hunt

I'm a little behind in providing updates on the job hunt so allow me to quickly catch up with this summary.

January: Focused on updating my resume so it reflected a newer format and optimized keywords for enhanced search abilities. Unlike in the 90's, these days it's all about will a computer find your resume attractive versus a human. Human interaction seems to be the "second line of defense" nowadays.

February: I had a very slow ramp up. The plan was to send out a blast to my network letting them know I'm on the job prowl and the type of opportunities I am seeking. Since I've received quite a few of these type of emails myself, I have been rather hesitant to send one of my own. But know it will be done sooner or later. In lieu, I have been taking more of a one on one approach and as I talk to people I do my best to let them know at that time.

February has also been the month I began applying for positions online. It is an extremely SLOW process. One that requires lots of time to find, read and match my skills with those written in the job description via a cover letter. It's the cover letter that seems to always get me....I just don't like them although they are a necessity in most cases.

The other mental obstacle is salary requirements. We are in a day where you talk money before you even talk about being the right fit for the position. I can't speak for everyone, but there have been times in my career that I was willing to go down on base salary for the experience. If the value of the experience a company or position could offer is not evident in a job description, it is extremely difficult to communicate my flexibility in numbers. And I've already come across some people who didn't want to receive only words.

March: This month is the start of my interviews and hard-core networking. I define hard-core networking because in the first couple of weeks I feel like I've spoken to 100s of people even though it was actually only about 10. I've also began have a couple of informational and real interviews. Interviews have not been for any particular position. They seem more to assess my abilities and background so as opportunities come up I can already be in mind.

Moving forward: I will continue applying to positions online and focusing on the client side of the board as well. LinkedIn will be leveraged more as well so I can try to get an inside scoop on companies and get my resume to a human sooner while going the online application route as well.

If you have any suggestions or word of wisdom, please post in the comment section. You never know....you may help me or another reader of my blog.

A little Humor on a Sunday

For anyone who comes to my blog you have the pleasure of reading a Google gadget called "Things to Ponder." When I visited my blog today this is what was displayed...
It got a chuckle out of me especially since my answer to the question was "spit". What would your answer be....or do I want to know?

Social Media is like a Wagon Wheel

Below is a comment I posted to Ad Age after reading Facebook Phantoms Don't Scare Me at All by Tom Martin

**************************************************

Tom wrote: "I'd love to show you how to actually converse versus market with Facebook and a few other social media platforms. " I couldn't agree with Tom more.

Just on Monday, I tweeted to the Twitterverse*:

This is why I have an affinity for social media.


Social media is a not a one-way, but a multi-way medium. One may start with a simple comment, but if phrased correctly, it will connect with someone and spark a dialogue that grows into a conversation with one or many participants.

I liken a brand’s use of social media to that of a wagon wheel. The core of the wagon wheel is the brand, each spoke is a line of communication and the rim is the population of social media users. If any piece isn’t fully engaged with the others, the integrity of wheel (brand equity) will come into question.

*A Twitter Word (Tword) meaning Twitter Universe

Unemployment Haiku Weekly: My Second Career

Unemployment Haiku Weekly: My Second Career

Check out the work of this dynamic creative duo. If it can't be me, somebody I like should benefit from the economy.

How to be a LinkedIn superstar - iMediaConnection.com

"I'm a big fan of LinkedIn.com. Read this article and felt it was good enough to share. It's a little slow in the beginning, but has good sound tips/advice for business users that can be applied for the individual as well."

View >>

Above is a copy of a comment I wrote about the referenced article.

Google Notebook: A hidden Gem

Google Giveth, and Taketh Away: Google Video, Notebook, Catalog Search, Jaiku, and Dodgeball to Shut Down

At first I panicked when I heard Google Notebook was being shut down, but was able to breathe again once I read it would remain functional even though additional development would cease.

Notebook is a Firefox add-on I discovered last fall. I use it A LOT! Try everyday. Google definitely has an unprocessed gem. I hope, sooner rather than later, Google will take it out of the freeze station and put it back into the incubator and help it grow.

Long Live Direct Marketing

Just yesterday someone said direct marketing isn't very interesting and nothing is really happening. Well, I disagree. Direct Marketing will always be around, but like all media channels it will have to reinvent itself or evolve to continually engage the consumer. What are your thoughts?

I've also attached an article that may spark some comments as well.

DMA: 'We Are All Direct Marketers Now'
(a subscription may be needed to access)

Learn SEO without spending a bundle

If your company plans to do most of its advertising using Google AdWords, I recommend a free, readily available route instead - the Google AdWords Learning Center.

It has easy to follow instruction as well as quizzes at the end of each topic. If you so choose you can take the Google Advertiser Professional Exam too. It costs $50 and is part of the Google Advertiser Professional Program that its own set of requirements.

There is also a free electronic textbook Google provides as well that I believe goes more in-depth.

To the point of some, you may wish to have a course that explores other marketing concepts that can be combined with SEO such as social media or PR. However if you are just starting to get your feet wet when it comes to SEO, why not go the free route and see if "free" meets your needs. If it doesn't hit all of the points desired, at least you have better idea of the type of information you prefer to know and will be able to better select a paid resource and potentially get a higher return on investment.

Are we heading to an Internet burnout?

This question was posed on LinkedIn.com by Richard Meyer.

Here's my response:

There is no way anyone is close to an Internet burnout anytime soon. Why? Because there is nothing out there (yet) to replace it. Unlike TV, which has matured but not obsolete, the Internet is still in a growing stage where individuals, organizations and companies are just now learning how to get better returns out it. That being said, there remains so much more growth to experience.

What are your thoughts? Do you think differently?

12 Days of an SEO Christmas

The below was written by Kettlewell Enterprises, Inc. and all credit should go to it.

‘Tis the season for days of twelve, with a partridge in a pear tree, but in the SEO world the twelve days look a little different…

On the first day of Christmas
my SEO Expert says:
a website with a good plan

On the second day of Christmas
my SEO Expert says:
Two title tags
and a website with a good plan

On the third day of Christmas
my SEO Expert says:
Three back links
Two title tags
and a website with a good plan

On the fourth day of Christmas
my SEO Expert says:
Four social sites
Three back links
Two title tags
and a website with a good plan

On the fifth day of Christmas
my SEO Expert says:
Five deep links
Four social sites
Three back links
Two title tags
and a website with a good plan

On the sixth day of Christmas
my SEO Expert says:
Six entry pages
Five deep links
Four social sites
Three back links
Two title tags
and a website with a good plan

On the seventh day of Christmas
my SEO Expert says:
Seven Dugg articles
Six entry pages
Five deep links
Four social sites
Three back links
Two title tags
and a website with a good plan

On the eighth day of Christmas
my SEO Expert says:
Eight spiders crawling
Seven Dugg articles
Six entry pages
Five deep links
Four social sites
Three back links
Two title tags
and a website with a good plan

On the ninth day of Christmas
my SEO Expert says:
Nine new conversions
Eight spiders crawling
Seven Dugg articles
Six entry pages
Five deep links
Four social sites
Three back links
Two title tags
and a website with a good plan

On the tenth day of Christmas
my SEO Expert says:
Ten keywords added
Nine new conversions
Eight spiders crawling
Seven Dugg articles
Six entry pages
Five deep links
Four social sites
Three back links
Two title tags
and a website with a good plan

On the eleventh day of Christmas
my SEO Expert says:
Eleven indexed pages
Ten keywords added
Nine new conversions
Eight spiders crawling
Seven Dugg articles
Six entry pages
Five deep links
Four social sites
Three back links
Two title tags
and a website with a good plan

On the twelfth day of Christmas
my SEO Expert says:
Twelve long tail keywords
Eleven indexed pages
Ten keywords added
Nine new conversions
Eight spiders crawling
Seven Dugg articles
Six entry pages
Five deep links
Four social sites
Three back links
Two title tags
and a website with a good plan

From Kettlewell Enterprises - Happy Holidays!

what the freakin' fly?

Don't have much to say other than...."what the freakin' fly?" No really. I read an article today about Campbell's Swanson broth advertisement in a LGBT magazine that the American Family Association (AFA) has taken issue against.


My question is why? Why does the AFA believe Campbell's is "pushing the gay agenda?" Do they believe the soup manufacturer now wants to convince people to change their chosen lifestyle?

Note: The above is a rhetorical question. However, I would be interested in knowing your opinion on advertisements such as Campbell's, which is targeted to a certain audience based on media channel and creative execution. Do you believe it's offensive? Why or why not?

Social Media 2009 Predictions

An interesting read I've embedded below....

In some regards, I believe a few of the predictions are too aspirational. By this I mean 2009 may be too soon to see ideas fully embraced (e.g., think mobile marketing...wasn't 2008 suppose to be THE year?).

I definitely do believe social media will only grow in its use by brands, organizations, and individuals as a relationship builder. If there is a human element in the users approach, the masses will follow. However, this will take time, patience, and a wise marketing strategist who is capable of establishing virtual listening posts and use the info gathered to create value-added consumer focused programming.

Social Media 2009

Publish at Scribd or explore others: Management Business social media 2009

True Friendship is Priceless

Top 10 TV Ads

Top 10 TV Ads - Time Magazine

Just Checking In....

It's that time of year when every graduate school student is busy typing away on the laptop, anxiously waiting to officially call the semester over. Or it that just me?

Three presentations and 8 days to go!

Twitter: Hard Hitter for Better or for Worst

Who says word of mouth is shared at the pace of snail mail? Out of all the different types of social media (SoMe) out there today, I believe Twitter is the most effective in getting the word out quickly than any other source. This "gift" from technology is a double-edged sword making it both good and bad for brands.

Let's take Motrin for example. Using Twitter Search I looked for "Motrin" mentions on Friday, November 14th and Saturday, November 15th. One page of results come up with statements such as these:Then someone surfing the Internet comes across the new Motrin ad posted on its website.

Unfortunately for Motrin several moms find it offensively patronizing, which began the negativity buzz on Twitter. After sleuthing around using Twitter Search the earliest "tweet" about the ad is from crunchygoddess on November 15th at 10:28PM EST and the buzz picks up from there. Within my circle of followers and following, I received a "tweet" shortly after 5PM EST on November 16th sharing the news and now it's my turn to pass it to you. Below is a video montage that was posted to YouTube after a fellow Tweeter (KatjaPresnal) learned of Motrin ad at 11:07PM EST on November 15th.

Video Credit: Katja Presnal

Result:(1) The word is spreading requesting folks to boycott Motrin and the products of its parent company Johnson & Johnson. (2) Kathy Widmer, Vice President of Marketing for McNeil Consumer Healthcare, responded to concerns about the advertising on the Motrin website. See email to Katja Presnal for actual correspondence. (3) Motrin's website is down as of November 17th at 2:36AM EST and has been down for several hours now as they take steps to remove the ad from the website. Evidently, the brand felt it was better to take the entire site down that to have people bogging down the server and aid in the spread of negative buzz. (4) Motrin has spent thousands of dollars to place a magazine print version of the ad and now is taking steps to remove it from circulation. Unfortunately for the brand, this will take longer since it is currently on newsstands and in distribution. (5) In this season of pink slips, the Twitter question of the moment is "will those responsible for this blunder get their own customized version?"

Lesson to Learn: Use your target audience as a sounding board BEFORE you launch a new campaign or decide to try a new tactic. Talk to them and listen to what they have to say. If you don't seek out the true subject matter experts, folks will definitely get the buzz going in the way you would prefer to avoid. They say bad publicity is better than no publicity, but in this case...I think Motrin would beg to differ.