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Great Ways For Digital Marketers To Give Back

Published: April 17, 2014

Author: Ian Lopuch

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There’s no doubt about it: digital marketing is a fast-paced, rewarding career path, especially for those who work the hardest. In an economy that’s challenging overall, those of us in digital marketing are truly lucky. As someone who’s always looking for ways to give back, I wanted to share today some thoughts on how you can greatly impact our industry and the world.

Start a Mentorship Program

Mentors truly make a difference. When you mentor, however, you also evolve, learn, and grow. It’s a two-way street. There is strength in numbers, friendship, and teamwork. Ever face a challenge in your digital marketing career, one you didn’t know how to solve? You’re either brand new to digital marketing or are an outlier if your answer is “no”. Become a mentor and help someone out. Give back and be that support your mentee needs to advance their career or simply make it through a challenge. Digital marketing is difficult. Those with a support system have the best odds for success. While mentoring, you may just find out that you gain just as much as your mentee!

Participate In Speaking Events

The beauty of digital marketing is leverage. Leverage world-class technologies like Google AdWords, Bing Ads, Marin Software, among others, and your marketing campaign can impact the lives of hundreds of millions. How do you gain leverage with people? People management is one way. Writing blog posts is another. Public speaking, however, is king. Imagine an audience of hundreds. What would you say? It’s your opportunity to give back and help others. Invest time to share a special message. Add lasting impact on your audience. Treat public speaking like mentoring hundreds of digital marketers at once.

Team Charity Events

As digital marketers, we are glued to our computers 24/7. Digital marketing is similar to Wall Street except the closing bell never rings. It’s fun but not always healthy unless we are conscious to take breaks, get outside, and exercise. Why not give back by coordinating a team charity event, such as a 5K charity run? You give back two ways here. First, you donate your time to those less fortunate. Second, you motivate your team and co-workers to get out of the office and exercise. It’s a double win!

Donate To Charity

if you’ve been in digital marketing for a while, it’s likely you’ve been able to save some money. Those of us in this career path are blessed. Consider setting aside a budget to donate to charity each year. You’d be amazed how far your dollars can go and what a huge impact you can make. Does your company participate in charity work? Consider donating extra to those charities. If not, maybe you could step up as a leader and facilitate a company donation. For example, my employer supports the Holiday Giving Tree each year. Employees get the gift wishes of children and adults who cannot afford holiday gifts and make their wishes come true. Each year, my wife and I buy more gifts for the Holiday Giving Tree. It’s so rewarding knowing we are making children smile during the holidays!

Send Your Team To Conferences

I look for ways to reward my team. It’s probably my favorite part of being a manager, and I’m so lucky to have an amazing team. I try to always put my team first. One fun reward that truly pays off and teaches is digital marketing conferences. I’m sending three team members to SMX Advanced Seattle this year, for example. Be there, done that? Always put your team first and share the amazing opportunities. As the team lead, don’t take all the great opportunities for yourself.

Get Others Excited About Digital Marketing

I have gone really far in this career. I have seen others do the same. I have helped many achieve success first hand. This is a great, rewarding career. Why not give back by getting others involved? Help your recruiting team out by going back to your college, to represent your company at the job fair. Were you in any fun clubs/activities when in school? Go back and share your experiences as a digital marketer, as a guest speaker. Consider building an internship program on your team. Get creative! You can truly help someone out by getting them involved in this special career.