Guide to Marketing Yourself

Knowing where your business fits in the industry will allow you to identify what ultimately makes your business stand out from the competition.

You’re confident in your skills and yourself, but when it comes to networking, you don’t know where to start. While you may feel uneasy, you’re likely not the only one. That’s why we’ve pulled some tips from the CMA’s marketing team to help students and young professionals prepare for an event focused on building strong connections through networking.

You don’t have to be new to embrace change, learn, be challenged, immerse yourself, and build relationships! Your marketing career will be all the more rewarding when you lead with an open mind. 

Every platform has a learning curve, so don’t fret if your content isn’t incredible off the jump. Share other users’ content that resonates with your message. 

Are you trying to build brand awareness? Are you trying to increase clicks to your website? Or are you trying to generate leads or sales? Once you've defined your objectives, you’re then able to determine the appropriate metrics to track.

Communication, organization and project management, problem-solving, data analysis, and leadership are all transferable skills that can significantly enhance your resume when applying for a role in digital marketing.

Overall, ensuring to track user behaviour is an important metric to track for SEO. It allows you to identify potential opportunities to boost engagement, personalize the experience, and better serve valuable content to website visitors.

Mailchimp is Jelly Academy’s favourite email management platform. Not only is it free to start - allowing you to send 12,000 emails for up to 2,000 subscribers a year - but Mailchimp also offers you email support for the first 30 days after opening your account, and a large number of helpful resources to get you started with ease.

My career path was somewhat linear once I set my mind on what I wanted to do. From my first tech job working in auto lead generation, I knew that I wanted to pursue digital marketing. 

Applying for jobs can be stressful, and so can figuring out what to include in your resumé - especially as it relates to jobs in digital marketing. We’ve put together some tips to help you hit all the right notes!

Digital marketing is becoming a desired career for many, and an industry that has seen rapid growth the past few years. While there were 381,000 marketing job postings in 2021 on LinkedIn, our recent Canada-wide survey, conducted with Innovate BC, demonstrates that there are skill gaps when applying for those roles. 

The more enriching experiences you gain now, the greater the knowledge you can draw from to generate solutions.

Here are 5 insights from Jelly Academy's graphic designer for creating social media graphics that will take your social posts to the next level

If you recognize that every experience is valuable, you can take what you’ve learned and build on it. Embrace the fact that your career path probably won’t be linear. You’ll learn a lot from jobs that broaden your professional horizons and provide insights into different businesses, industries, roles, and leadership styles.

We checked in with some of our digital marketing experts here at Jelly Academy and asked them their favourite websites that you need to check out this year.

While I haven’t been in marketing long enough to know the full extent, there’s no doubt things are changing. Corporate responsibility is more significant than ever. As part of HubSpot’s 2022 State of Consumer Trends Report, they uncovered insights confirming that consumers expect companies to look after their employees, the planet, and give back to their communities.

Remember, nothing worthwhile comes easy, so be prepared to fail because every chapter in your story won’t celebrate successes.

Constructive feedback is a tool you can use to be better. However, to benefit from the advice and experience of others, you must be willing to listen.

I wish I had taken advantage of the power of mentorship earlier. A great mentor will have a massive impact on your career trajectory. They can hold you accountable, push you out of your comfort zone, help you achieve your goals faster, and expose you to unique opportunities you would’ve missed. 

You could be the only one in your class to secure a job in your field and still feel like you didn’t earn it or don’t belong. You might even think it’s only a matter of time before everyone realizes they made a mistake when they hired you.

You must be honest about your talents and pursue volunteer opportunities that appeal to and allow you to leverage those talents to help others.

As the semester winds down, you realize your professional image still needs work. If you’re wondering what to do next, maybe it’s time to start working on your brand.

Volunteering may not be what you’re looking for, but sometimes it may be just what you need. 

Experiential learning opportunities provided through your coursework are a great way to show your skills in lieu of employment on a ‘thin’ resume.

In my opinion, emotion drives branding and marketing, and I love how our feelings have so much influence over the decision we make and what we do.

One of the benefits of informational interviews is that they will help you get comfortable speaking to people who work in the industry you are aspiring to enter. Another benefit is that you'll better understand the role and responsibilities that come with it. 

Good creative ideas are hard to come by, and people always say creativity is subjective. Sometimes, regardless of how strong you believe they are, the ideas you come up with don't resonate with your audience.

Tracy Reese CM, a Marketing Instructor at New Brunswick Community College (NBCC), discusses her passion, critical thinking, flexibility, curiosity, sharing experiences and advice for young marketers.

 I will continue to support others as I have in the past because I honestly believe empowerment is the one true key to success.

As the saying goes, “You only get one chance to make a first impression,” so relax, take a deep breath, and make sure it sticks. Sometimes it’s not only what you know but whom you know that matters.

Testing is the key when it comes to marketing. Take calculated risks with the marketing strategies you feel are suitable for the business until you determine what is profitable.

Today, we will look at the five steps in the creative process you can use to guide your creativity and help you focus your creative thinking.

One suggestion to gain more experience, develop your skills, and get your name out there could be freelancing.

There may come a time where you say I’ve had enough, or I can’t do this anymore. It might be your first job out of school or your third role in the field of your dreams. Whatever the situation is, the grass doesn’t seem as green as it used to.  

There you are, living your best professional life when suddenly your career confidence hits a low. The wind is out of your sails so to speak. You’re left wondering whether or not you have what it takes to move your career forward. Although it can seem like an impossible situation, building your career confidence is like anything: a skill you can master.

Are you looking to turn a career corner but don’t know where to start? Why not pick up a professional development book to read in between your Netflix binge time? Yes, you’ve earned every single minute of your downtime, but your career goals for the new year won’t materialize without some personal investment. 

We hate to break it to you, but workplace mistakes are going to be made … by you. Remember,  even the best of the best stumble from time to time. Working professionals may juggle multiple priorities and tasks but at the end of the day, they’re still human. (Gasp, we know!) The key to getting over messing up at work is all about your recovery.

Like two opposing storms coming together, workplace conflicts disrupt the natural flow and good vibes of a team. Instead of moving forward, united and strong, workplace conflict puts a full stop to any kind of productivity. It seems everyone and everything is waiting with bated breath to see how it will play out. Which begs the question, when you’re in the middle of it all, how do you resolve the conflict?

Before raising your flag of victory after receiving notice that a job offer is coming your way, let us remind you to prepare to negotiate. You’ve done an incredible job showcasing you’d be a great fit for said job. Does that mean you say yes to the initial job offer without hesitation? 

An informational interview switches the roles around: instead of being interview for a role, you’re doing the interviewing for a change and getting the answers you need. Consider it a routine practice both prior to graduating and throughout your career. Actively engaging in them indicates you’re open to the many career possibilities that are out there and have a curious nature to match. 

There’s always a bit of workplace competition brewing within a company’s culture. As business and marketing professionals, we’re natural change-makers and creative thinkers. Sometimes that competitiveness can be on the lighter side, fueling everyone consistently while other times… let’s just say, it’s a tad strong and ruins the pot. 

Think your volunteering days are over and done once you leave your post-secondary behind? Or believe that volunteering seems more up the alley of a junior professional? That’s a misconception that’ll lead you to miss out on the many benefits voluntary opportunities have to offer. 

It’s time for a change of pace and switching industries is the career shift that makes the most sense for you. Even though you’re eager and feel confident it’s the right move, it can also feel a bit like starting over which could stop you in your tracks before you even really begin. You may be asking yourself if your experience holds up and whether you can learn an entire industry quickly enough to make an impact. 

It happens to the best of us where suddenly all those yes’s pile up to an impossible mountain. Setting work boundaries might seem like another peak to climb, but the result ensures that your performance continues to rise, rather than fall. You need to look out for yourself because after all, no one else will.

With the right kind of mentorship, imagine the career trajectory you could experience knowing you have a pro to turn to for support, advice, and insight. A bright light on your career path especially during times of uncertainty where you might feel you’re walking blindly forward. Finding that mentor may seem impossible. So where do you start?