Summer Membership Update 2020

Welcome, One and All,

I hope that this update continues to find you safe and well. 

Since my last update at the end of March, 2020 has continued to shake us. The Covid-19 pandemic rumbles on and the threat of a second wave is starting to become a reality and, as a global community, we are in the midst of the civil rights movement that seeks readdress following the recent racial tensions in the USA and #BlackLivesMatter movement worldwide. 

2020 didn’t come to mess around … and we are only just past the year’s halfway mark. Nobody could have expected that this was the way this year would go.

Starting out the year with the Australia bush fires, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle announcing their step back as UK royal members, (depending on your politics - a failed impeachment trial for President Trump), the helicopter crash killing Kobe Byrant and, we can’t forget Brexit. 

Then COVID-19 rolled in and not even Hollywood legend Tom Hanks could escape the pandemic. Sporting occasions from the NBA to the Olympics were canceled. Then we have had everything from UFO footage released from the Pentagon and then the horrifying and unjust killings of black men and women (Ahmaud Arbery, George Floyd, and Breonna Taylor) to the question of where was Kim Jong-Un? And content marketers are now also left reeling from India’s blanket banning Chinese Apps including TikTok.

It’s easy to get lost in all these headlines and catastrophes but in adversity comes strength, a sense of unity, and progress, and these come with a healthy side portion of joy, laughter, and togetherness that brings change and betterment. 

Netflix let us forget our troubles by introducing us to “Love is Blind” a show which captured audiences because it was so bad it was good and of course we can’t leave out Joe Exotic and Carole Baskin from the Tiger King - who not only gave us pure escapism but also so much joy in the memes, gifs and TikTok dances that followed. Uninhibited laughter also came in the form of parents and grandparents who have taken over the TikTok app and brought us mimes, dances, and deserved acclaim with #tiktokmoms quickly becoming some of 2020's top social media influencers.

We all tuned in from across the world to the “One World: Together at Home” concert organized by Lady Gaga and the World Health Organization (WHO) which raised $127m for coronavirus relief. Recently Ireland’s female music artists remotely collaborated on a beautiful rendition of the Cranberries’ song “Dreams” that is one guaranteed to stay on repeat. 

2020 also saw a win for the #metoo movement with the trial and conviction of Harvey Weinstein. We also saw princesses, taoiseach, and film directors return to medicine to support coronavirus efforts. We had Captain Tom Moore (100 years old) and Margaret Payne (90 years old) who inspired and motivated us as they broke world records and raised much-needed funds for local charities. The Australian bush fires from New Year have stopped, pollution levels have dropped, and wildlife has flourished and even taken over the streets.

As we close out the half-way point in 2020, and what feels like a blink of an eye -

Membership Turns Two!

It’s been an eventful but progressive 12 months for the DMI membership community, which we have grown this year by over 20,000 members bringing our community to 61,000+ digital marketing and sales professionals. 

We’ve seen some big changes over the course of the last year, including the roll out of our new brand - an exciting new look, feel, and tone that best represents what DMI is today - and you’re part of it! Our new identity has been designed to communicate our energy, our commitment to being at the cutting edge, our integrity, and our dedication to play and win at this digital marketing game which reflects you, our members.

So let’s take a look at what’s happened in the last 12 months.

12 Months and 12 Webinars later

Since we launched membership in July 2018 we have run 22 webinars, and have seen 22,741 people register for them. In the last 12 months we have had 15,083 register for our webinars - with hundreds of professionals from around the globe attending each session. We are delighted to have such an impact and have been thrilled by your kind and generous feedback.  

“Over and above. Probably the most interesting webinar I've seen for a year. So much value, new ideas and excellent questions” Karen, UK

Our next webinar is 'Email Marketing Strategy - The Ultimate Blueprint for 2020 and Beyond' - where we will be looking at refreshing your email strategy to make your email marketing not only easier but exceptional. 

Check out our events page for our list of all upcoming webinars.

My Content Guide

Our commitment to delivering content that is relevant, specific, and practical, and focused on meeting your needs has been unwavering. We have been adding a minimum of three assets to our library every week. 

I’ve handpicked a selection I feel will be of benefit to you:

• First, stop off at our latest White Paper: Digital Paves the Way in Response to Covid-19. We asked the member community to #informandkeepinformed in a survey we conducted in  May 2020. A look at how professionals and businesses are coping, a look at their marketing strategies, and what the future holds.
• Then stop off at the latest News in Review. Started initially to bring you a summary of what’s happening in digital marketing as it relates to the coronavirus, we’ll be making this an ongoing monthly feature - keeping you abreast of all sorts of interesting things happening in different corners of the industry.
• Check out the tenuous interdependent relationship between restaurant and delivery apps, as they scramble to survive and stay profitable in The Disruption of the Restaurant Industry Has Only Begun
• Alongside our upcoming webinar you can access this great tool - Email Marketing Campaign Results Dashboard, a tool for tracking and benchmarking the results of every email campaign you send. (POWER Members Only)
• An ever-popular piece of content amongst the community is Kelsey Jones’s walkthrough of getting your website up and running, from hosting options to final design and layout in Exclusive Lecture Video: Build a Website with Wordpress

The Community Forum and Our Podcasts

Last year I made the promise to our members that we would soon see the launch of a community forum and that we would be making an entrance into the podcast space.

In August we launched our Community Forum - and now, with over 17,000 views later, it’s a welcoming and dedicated space that connects you to a global community of like minded professionals who offer practical guidance, resolution, and real advice through the 130+ threads and over 500 comments. 

Check out some of our top forum posts: 

• I just passed with 85.32% - Here’s my experience
• DMI exam preparation tips
• Career change at 48! Any tips on freelancing please?
• Tell the Community About You #ShowcaseYou
• I passed taking the at-home exam, here’s my prep process & test-taking experience

And in March of this year, we fulfilled our other promise and launched the DMI podcast - Ahead of the Game. 10 podcasts and over 3,200+ plays later, we are delighted by how well received our podcasts are. Haven’t caught one yet? Then maybe stop-by one our most popular ones in the library. Or subscribe through any of the standard podcast platforms and be sure to keep up to date with them every two weeks.

• How does SEO really work?
• Productivity Tips for Freelance Marketers
• Experiences of Leadership 

Continuous Professional Development

DMI’s certified members are maintaining their certifications, expanding their knowledge, skill and prowess through our CPD Program. To date, we have approved over 5,000 CPD submissions and awarded 10,600+ credits. We currently have 76 CPD-accredited learning activities available in the platform and this will continue to grow. These include our short courses, live webinars, recorded webinars and many of our eBooks.

Member Shout-Outs

We are a thriving global community with a strong and active membership community who achieve, succeed, and represent the crème de la crème of digital marketing and sales professionals globally. 

With that in mind, it's time for some Member Shout-Outs, I want to recognize those that have contributed to the Community and added their voice. 

Congratulations and Thank You to:

• Lynsey Hall who has had not one, but two, articles published in our “Community Insights - Member Spotlight”. In June we published her article Creating Platform-Specific Social Media Content which has already been read nearly 400 times in the last 25 days. Don’t forget to submit your own piece of original content for consideration on the library.
• April Stratemeyer for sharing her experience of successfully preparing and certifying using the COVID-19 activated online proctored examination process.
• Gary Gleeson - a community champion who regularly shares his experience, activities, and offers support and stories that benefit the community.

The Future

Our Covid-19 white paper demonstrates that we are a community that is transformative and transformational. We’ve been supporting this by adding original content, great live webinars, our podcasts, and our recent (but now closed) 3-month Power Membership offer and Get In The Game Sprint Mix. 

We will be continuing to support the industry by providing benefits that will keep you at the cutting edge to navigate all modern digital marketing challenges. One area of your development we want to contribute to is that of “soft skills”. Over the next few months, we will be publishing, in the library, a selection of videos from our Expert and Master’s courses that explores those personal skills that we tend to overlook but which are becoming ever more important in your marketing life, such as communication, creativity, persuasion, project management, collaboration, strategic thinking, and crisis management.

Moving forward, you can expect us to provide you with more great content, and we’ll keep giving you world-class webinars and bring you podcasts that give you a taste of the real-life digital marketing game from industry leaders. We’ll continue to expand the community aspect of Membership and we have projects in the works which will allow you to build your profile and connections within a global landscape.

We are only two years into our Membership journey and it’s been an amazing experience. Together, we stay relevant, connected, and ahead. 

I recognize that the challenges that 2020 has thrown at us have been difficult. Don’t underestimate the strain that months of isolation, changes in work structure, and responsibilities have entailed. Many of you may have to face your fears whether that be your health and wellbeing, to job security, and personal or business financial viability. 

In my mind, I have tried to equate the recent months to a melting pot. The lines of distinction disappeared - I, like many of you, juggled a full-time job, parenting, teaching, keeping house, and trying to give each 100% to all areas of my life. It’s easy when trying to juggle and “do-it-all” to become frustrated, forlorn, to become cynical, and even burn out. This applies particularly to those who may think of themself as pragmatists. But I would like to take this opportunity to remind you of the strength that you have. It’s been a tough few months - but you, and this community - have not only survived but grown stronger. This strength was evident in your tenacity, excitement. and eagerness to proactively adapt and pivot your lives, jobs, marketing strategies, and even business models. Join the conversation and share with us how you managed and give the community some of your coping techniques, here.

Whether it’s new structures, ideas, activities, plans, product, or service offerings - you and your businesses are looking forward. And we are here at DMI and your member community is here to support you every step of the way. 

“Yesterday is not ours to recover, but tomorrow is ours to win or lose” Lyndon B. Johnson