Membership Update Fall 2021

Welcome one and all!

Since our last Membership Update in July, our community has grown by another 15,000 members which means over 170,000 of you will be receiving this email!

Not only is the community expanding but the engagement and enthusiasm for learning is increasing. Our CPD participation is higher than ever and we have recorded a total of 13,548.5 hours of learning awarded to those in the program so far this year.

We are also seeing more networking and idea sharing in our community forum with almost 350 threads started by members this year. This has increased significantly in recent months with the addition of our new “Discussion” areas linked in to each course which invite you to share your opinion on each topic.

We have also increased our output of content to feed that appetite for learning. More than 31,000 of you have attended a webinar or some form of live learning this year. That number should only increase with recent additions to our schedule such as the “DMI GameChanger”; a series where we learn from our graduates working for big name companies or starting ones of their own!

It would be remiss of me not to follow up for you on the Memcom awards mentioned in our last update, we were delighted and honored to receive a “Highly Recommended” award for our podcast Ahead of the Game hosted by Will Francis (so check it out in the library!).

​​​​​​​Recent Headlines

It’s Mark Zuckerberg’s world, and we just live in it…. or so he hopes.

Not content with dominating the digital marketing news headlines earlier this year with data privacy wars with Apple, it seems the Facebook CEO wants our attention again. This time, it’s to let us know he is actually the CEO of Meta. You probably couldn’t miss the recent news regarding the Facebook group rebranding itself but how many of us know the intention?

Zuckerberg announced the name change in line with a vision for a "metaverse", a virtual reality version of the internet that the company sees as the future of social interaction online or “a set of interconnected digital spaces that lets you do things you can’t do in the physical world” according to their website.

Many have rowed in to criticize the concept, from those claiming it is a distraction from bad headlines generated by whistleblowers to those who think the financial commitment of a project like this could ruin the company.

It is still uncertain what this virtual or augmented reality will mean for us digital marketers and if it will stick. The company has announced the rollout will take some time as they plan a beta version this year (not much time left!) and the hope to fully launch in 2023.

Also in our headlines lately is “the great resignation of 2021”, a trend seemingly caused by a turning of the tables whereby employees are now scarce, not jobs.

But it's not as simple as that.

Recent research from the Harvard Business Review shows that the big uptick in those deciding to leave their place of employment is most common in those aged 30 to 45 who work in tech or IT related roles.

No single reason can be attributed to this phenomenon over the last months but rather it seems there are many: employees striving for a better work-life balance, an expectation for remote working and an increase in those wanting to start their own business.

The pandemic may have caused many mid-level employees to reconsider their priorities and realize what they want from a job.

With many opportunities available and the ability to work remotely or even for yourself, what better time to consider a career in digital marketing!?

My Content Guide

With more and more content being released on the Resources Library each week, I thought it would be helpful to highlight some recent pieces you may find interesting and can leverage during your studies or even in the workplace!

Webinars

Our webinar output has increased recently as we strive to bring you more variety in your learning.

As alluded to already, our most recent DMI GameChanger series has piqued the interest of many members and this most recent addition is essential viewing if you are considering a move into the freelancing space; DMI GameChanger: Troy Linehan - Top tips for freelance Digital Marketing!

Influencer marketing is continuing to rise this year with more and more digital budgets testing and investing, but how is it best utilized if you are in B2B marketing? Lee Odden, author and CEO of TopRank marketing (and a DMI champion) brings you a presentation on How to Create Marketing Impact with Business Influencers which explores how B2B marketers can leverage target audience building on key platforms.

If you fancy more practical learning, fear not, as our resident expert Cathal Melinn brings us Data Driven Marketing: A Methodology for Better Decisions. In this step by step webinar Cathal walks us through how to gain better insights from Google Analytics and Google Console and find the metrics that really matter!

Ebooks

Inbound marketing is often overlooked with many companies focusing on paid digital media options. Perhaps it's time to rethink your strategy as we explore the power of high quality content online in The DMI Guide to Inbound Marketing written by Kelsey Jones.

Also not to be missed is A Guide to SEO for Small Business by Joe Williams who walks us through the basics and essentials of SEO for SMBs short on time.

Toolkits

Our ever popular toolkit section has had many great additions recently. Here are just a few of the ready to download examples that can save you time with your day to day digital marketing activities:

Competitor Analysis Tracker - Track how well your competitors are doing on different social media platforms.

Social Media Style Guide and Template - A style guide to ensure consistency and best practice on your social media channels. This is already proving to be one of our most popular toolkits ever.

Paid Media Campaign Tracker - Bring all of your paid media campaign data together into a single view to assess performance.

If you have a toolkit idea or one you’ve created yourself feel free to contact us about adding it to the member library. You can also submit an article or ebook.

Live Streams

To date we have had almost 50,000 views between our DMI TeamTalk and DMI GameDay live streams across our Linkedin, Facebook and Youtube channel.

Find them readily available to watch back in the Video section of our library and be sure to tune in live to our next GameDay Live Q&A on November 8th at 1 pm on Linkedin.

Podcasts

We highly recommend you check these out, as do the good people at Memcom, there's a reason they were highly commended by them!

With now almost 40 episodes to listen to, the Ahead of the Game podcast will provide you with many digital marketing insights and entertainment. Our host Will Francis interviews a different expert each week, why not sample these recent episodes:

The Secrets of Google’s Algorithm - with guest Joe Williams

Tips from a Pro Copywriter - with guest Kate Toon

Help the podcast find a wider audience, please rate and review it wherever you get your podcasts!

A World of Knowledge

Some topics we have covered recently include dropshipping, memes, case studies on Dove and Nike, how to manage online customer reviews, tips for digital nomads and on how to use Pinterest and WhatsApp.

Our series of useful walkthroughs started with a guide to using Canva and to social media shopping. These will continue over the next few months.

Other upcoming topics to keep an eye out for include marketing after Covid-19, gaming platform Twitch, WeChat, B2B Marketing, and a case study on HSBC.

Get Involved!

Are you keen to showcase your career, get some personal branding, and share your knowledge with your fellow members?

Power Members have the opportunity to do exactly just that by participating in the DMI Member Showcase. Please find our most recent Member Showcase with Carson Edwards to learn more about the format.

Don’t hesitate to email us at [email protected] if you would like to feature in the future.

Power Members can also take part in our DMI Roundtable. Find out more about these during this insightful discussion on Personal Skills and your Career Evolution.