Winter Membership Update - Grab a Cuppa and Chill for 5

2020 Will Be The Year of the Game Changers

It’s hard to believe that it’s that time of year again. I recall writing a membership update just before last Christmas - and being profoundly proud of the membership community we had built together. In December 2018 I was reflecting on the build and launch of the MyDMI membership offering earlier that year, and I was totally taken aback by just how much appetite our (then) 36,000 members had to invest and engage in our member offering. 

I closed out the year with a promise and a resolution, that we would bring lots more great content and benefits to members in 2019, and I am delighted to announce that we have delivered above and beyond that - as we change the game and support you, our esteemed members, in being the heroes and leaders in this ever-changing digital landscape.

2019 The Promise vs Our Delivery

This year, I’m excited about what is now our 47,000+ strong member base. We are a thriving global community. We started the year still in the phase of building out our membership offering - adding great content, live webinar sessions, doing system upgrades and building our community forum - we close out the year with a community that is transformative and transformational. 

Giving you the tools and services to empower and transform your career, keep you apprised of best-in-class standards and practices globally. We are delighted to bring you cutting edge thinking, time-saving toolkit solutions, and a connection to other digital members. 

The crux of our “get in the game” mission, is you - making you the hero of your own career. Keeping you informed, connected and with the right tools to play for the win.

The Only Library You Need!

I only say it because it’s true. It’s comprehensive, it’s accurate, and it’s best practice - and the best news is that we’ll be starting the year with over 450 pieces of content and adding over 150 more during 2020. We’ll be keeping you abreast of all things digital marketing as we cover what’s making headlines, and cover every digital marketing and selling topic from the practical to the trending. We’ll be future-proofing your digital marketing strategies and plans by keeping you fully informed in Search Marketing, AI, Social Media Marketing, Content Marketing, Analytics, eCommerce, and Data Privacy. Giving you practical guides, top of the range toolkits, and exclusive insights through our member-only interviews with industry practitioners, leaders, and change drivers. 

I’ve highlighted below some of our top pieces from 2019 - 

• Social Media Calendar Template
• The A to Z of SEO
• Digital Media Budget Plan Template
• Buyer Persona Template
• The Key Social Media Platforms A Complete Marketing Guide

I have so many personal favorites amongst the content we have published even within the last quarter - but I have handpicked a few for your reading pleasure:

• 3 Ways to Make Your Brand Legendary, Star Wars-Style
• Johnson & Johnson: Big Pharma Pioneers on the Front Line
• Be a Communication Powerhouse
• Stranger Things Season 3 Has Turned Branding ‘Upside Down’

Can You Hear Us 2020? It’s going to be the Year of Audio

Audio - it’s one of the most exciting growth areas of digital. It’s also an area that we are excited to add to our library. If you’ve missed a webinar or prefer to learn through listening, then we are delighted to let you know that we will now be offering a percentage of our content in audio form, so you can listen to our case studies, eBooks and exclusive interviews wherever and whenever you want. Listen on the go and keep up to date with what’s new and hear from a mix of industry leaders on their experiences, what they are focusing on with an eye to the future, and their career life lessons.

Podcasts - we are excited to be introducing a brand new format to our content offering. We talk with a variety of experts in two different series of original podcasts. We’re looking forward to introducing these to the greater listening public in early 2020 and to be giving you a sneak peek this side of the New Year. Our ‘Big Q&A’ series takes a deep dive into each of the practical topics that affect you, your role, your career. Our ‘Modern Mindset’ series takes a look at the skills, techniques and personal skills that are vital to your marketing career and keeping you ahead of the game.

Community Insights - Member Spotlight

This year, I was delighted to invite our members to submit your own pieces for publication within our library. We have published four of your fellow members, who have informed and inspired this community to date. We look forward to publishing more of your unique insights and contributions to the platform. 

Check out what we have published to date:

• Red Bull and Brand Affiliation: From Cans to SkyDives by Dave Glazier
• SCA is Coming. 5 Things You Need to Know by Vince Howard
• Digital Media Tracker and Planner by Charles MacKenzie
• Is Your Website Working For Your Business? By Brian Wrenn

Make sure that 2020 is the year you add your voice to our library - Submit Your Piece for Publication here

Webinars - Keeping You at the Top of Your Game

11,991 - That truly amazing figure is the number of you that signed up for our webinars during 2019. Just Wow! Wow! 

We are truly blown away - and I am delighted to see our members tuning in, webinar after webinar. Your passion and enthusiasm are so evident during the Q&A sessions at the end of each webinar where you can ask your own questions of the presenter. We also really appreciate you taking the time to respond to our end of webinar survey and send us your positive feedback. Thank You!

Our live webinars will continue to run through 2020, and we’re just finalizing details of our first three webinars. So keep an eye out for our events page, which will be updated with the new schedule very soon.

Your Community - Let’s Discuss

Your Brand New Community Forum launched only a few months ago, it’s there for you to share your insights, speak your truth, your opinion. It’s there to ask questions or ask for support from this community. It’s also there to have fun. 

So whether you have any tips you can offer to get freelancing off the ground or if you have watched a Christmas Ad Campaign that ticks all the right boxes and left you feeling the Christmas spirit and a desire to share. Or if you have an opinion on the recent Peleton controversy - and want to share your opinion or comment on Ryan Reynolds Aviation Gin spin-off.  

Whatever is on your mind, get on over to your Community Forum, and let’s get talking…

2020 - It’s a new decade.

We are not just closing out another year, but a decade. Look out for our piece coming soon, giving a review of the last decade. You’ll be astonished by how much the landscape has changed.

So with an eye to the future, we’ll continue to deliver great original content, another short course, 12 live webinar sessions, new interviews and delivering content through on-demand audio and our podcast series. 

We will also be turning some of our focus to personal skill development, making sure that you have the ‘soft skills’ which are ‘hot’ right now, and that the industry is crying out for. We’ll also have lots more involvement from our Global Champions who will continue to support our drive for excellence.

2020 will also see us continue to expand the community aspect of Membership. We’ll be adding a new membership directory and this, combined with planned upgrades to your profile page and community forum, will really be fundamental in building out a professional digital marketing network which will allow you to build your profile and connections within a global landscape.

Membership is yours. It’s built to support you, and its purpose is to make you the hero of your professional career. With that in mind, I ask you to have your voice and tell us what you want - is it a walkthrough on how to use Google Analytics? or is it a look at AR & VR?, Chatbots? or Interactive Content?. 

We want to hear… What would help You? What would you like to see? Tell us here

All that is left to say is that I wish you all a very happy holiday and wish you the very best with everything in the year ahead.