Contemplating a lateral move? Asking for a raise? Trying to break into the world of advertising? Perhaps you’re a freelancer looking to figure out what hourly rate to charge, or what courses you need to take in order to advance your design career. Has your boss asked you to locate stats on how much online advertising was bought in 2011 versus 2012? And most importantly, are you being underpaid?
So many questions, so little time.
Lucky for you, there are a number of resources – both online and offline – that you can utilize when you’re looking for answers (be it for personal or for work). Sometimes it’s as easy as a Google Search, and other times you have to dig a little deeper to get what you need.
Start With Your Local Association’s Websites
Use these websites as a compass to point you in the right direction.
Associations such as NABS, the Canadian Marketing Association, Society of Graphic Designers of Canada, IAB, and Direct Marketing Association are great resources and all carry a wealth of information on their websites. Anything from white papers, to research and statistics, job postings, professional development workshops, industry news, and salary reviews and guides.
Sure you can find almost anything online nowadays, but sometimes nothing beats a good old-fashioned face-to-face.
For example, IAB will provide you with free research on internet advertising revenue, cross-media optimization and Canadian media usage trends all in their research section.
The CMA has an endless supply of guides, white papers, and best practice documents, including an interesting Leadership Series. And the GDC’s monthly e-newsletter will provide you with inspiration, events, industry award-winners, and more.
Want to know what other people are making in your role? The Creative Group has a free 2013 Salary Guide that includes national hiring trends, salary information and job descriptions for design and production, interactive, content development, advertising, marketing and PR.
On most of these sites, in order to access certain information, you need to be a member, and some info can cost a pretty penny. But there’s a large portion that’s free and doesn’t require membership. Hooray! Free!
The more you expose yourself to what others are doing in your industry, the more you’ll know where to look for answers when questions arise.
You may want to consider signing up to receive newsletters from these associations to stay up-to-date on the latest industry buzz. And of course, don’t forget to follow them on Twitter and Facebook to get information delivered directly into your newsfeed.
Many of these associations are very active on social media, and – depending on the question – you can reach out and ask them for advice directly through Twitter or Facebook.
Go Analogue
Put some pants on and go meet people.
Sure you can find almost anything online nowadays, but sometimes nothing beats a good old-fashioned face-to-face.
If, for example, you’re looking to break into the advertising industry, identify the agencies and/or people that you’d like to work with and set up informational interviews. Create a list of specific questions, like “what sort of education would you recommend for someone looking to break into this role?” and sit down with a number of people to get broad feedback. For more intel on getting your big break in advertising, check out 10 Tips to Get a Job At An Ad Agency that we posted earlier.
Wondering where your industry is headed? What trends are coming down the pipe and which ones are dead? Attend industry events to meet colleagues and other folks who are in your field. Even if you’re the type that just sits back and listens, or you get up to lead the class, being in a room full of people with similar interests could very well lead you to that “ah ha!” moment.
Classes, seminars, awards programs and MeetUps are always happening. Check out your local association’s website for listings.
Form a Gang
No dance-fighting.
Create your own (as much as I hate this word) mentoring group. Find four or five cool people within your industry/profession who you admire and whose company you enjoy. Ask if they’d like to be part of a group that meets once every two to three months.
You would get together outside of work hours, maybe over a beer (or three), and discuss issues, ideas, or concerns and help each other work through problems. This will help you gain fresh perspective on your ideas and can help you come up with new, and creative ways to solve your problems.
Feed Me!
Back to the Internet! Use feed readers and RSS feeds to stay sharp.
Finally, subscribe to as many blogs as you can. Use a feed reader like Google Reader to aggregate all your content in an easy-to-read format.
Subscribe to blogs like Media Post Publications, Agency Spy by Media Bistro, eMarketer, Design You Trust, and Ad Week … just to name a few.
Follow these blogs and various ad agencies on Twitter. Become fans of well-known designers on Facebook. The more you expose yourself to what others are doing in your industry, the more you’ll know where to look for answers when questions arise.
Always remember, no matter the question, someone, somewhere has probably already answered it on the internet.