MEGO: My Eyes Glaze Over

Get Active in the Digital Space

Mar 25, 2008 Blogs, Marketing & Communication, RSS, Social Media, social networks

One of the reasons I started this blog was to share the exciting tools I was learning about; RSS, Social Bookmarking, and Twitter – just to name a few. At work I talked non-stop about this new exciting digital space…but for the longest time I might as well have been talking to myself, and of course the other bloggers reading my blog!

That was until my colleague Janine attended the IAB’s Intensive One Day Course in Social Media Marketing and Web 2.0. Thankfully, Janine is the one taking over for me when I go on mat leave in four months! Which is actually why she was on the course in the first place. My job is Marketing Communications Manager for two small appliance brands, which means I plan and create our advertising campaigns, oversee the brand web sites, determine course of action for communication to retailers and consumers -amongst numerous other responsibilities. I have been pushing for the past year to dedicate more funds and resources to digital marketing, and in the last month or two it seems as though my constant blathering (and likely the blathering of others) has broken through. So to me, it was important that Janine understood the digital space – so that what I had started would be followed-through!

Last Wednesday she attended the course and she learned a lot. In fact, she came back and went over the book of slides with me – and I learned some more. She even made her first comment on my blog this weekend (and yes, Janine, I nearly fell of my chair!). In the comment she suggested reading a post on Mitch Joel’s Twist Image Blog: 12 Ways to Move the Social Media Conversation Past the Converted – exactly the dilemma I spoke about above! It was number 5 that converted Janine -in fact it was Mitch Joel teaching at the IAB Course. Many of the “12 Ways”, Joel mentions unfortunately are difficult for the average blogger (not so hard for the rock star of the Canadian digital space!). I don’t get too many requests as Marketing Communications Manager of my small appliance company or as a blogger to speak, or teach…although I did volunteer at the Talk is Cheap unconference.

I will continue to blog, and talk non-stop to my marketing friends and colleagues. It may take time but baby steps will get us there! Of course if the opportunity comes to talk, speak, be interviewed or write for traditional media – I am all over that too. That is what evangelizing is all about!

To those of you working, as I do, on client-side in marketing positions – if you are approving web sites, and new digital programs for your brands – don’t you think you should have hands-on knowledge of the field? You wouldn’t dream of approving anything in traditional marketing without having a full understanding of it as a communication tool – so why are you now just taking your agencies word for it? It isn’t too technical to get your hands dirty- that is the beauty of it all. Get active, get digital.

Welcome, Janine!

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Tags: IAB, MEGO, Michelle Kostya, Microblogging, RSS, Social Bookmarking, social media, work marketing