Exit stage left: how to end a contract position and keep your bridges intact

Joanne M. Brathwaite

Most people who’ve worked on contract know that contracting does not always lead to a callback, or landing full-time employ. At least, not right away; if you know your gig is coming to an end and you’d like to improve your chances of being asked to work with the company again, there are a few things you can do upon and after your contract ends to make your exit a memorable one.

Be gracious

Make it a point to thank everyone you worked with, your direct reports – even the receptionist. Ending a contract on a positive and polite note demonstrates that you’re a consummate professional. This shows that you’re respectful and a team player and you’ll be remembered Continue reading →

Digital Marketing Confidential with Vision Critical’s Tyler Douglas: Research and demand

Joanne M. Brathwaite

Back for another year, the 2016 Canadian Internet Marketing Conference (CIMC) will feature a powerhouse line-up of more than 30 of the world’s top minds and movers of the digital marketing industry. FreshGigs.ca got the awesome opportunity to have a pre-conference brain-picking sesh with each of the keynote speakers and panelists. Today’s Q & A is with Tyler Douglas, CMO for Vision Critical.

What place does analog research have in the technological marketing landscape?

If you define research as simply, “the process of understanding your customers and your market,” it has a more important place in the tech marketing landscape than ever before. The drive to personalization and greater focus on customer experience and the desire to ‘measure’ marketing effectiveness have resulted in an exponential increase in marketing tech. At the heart of these trends and technologies, however, is the need to understand customers; not just what they buy, where, and how… but who are they and why they do what they do.

And just like software has done to virtually every other area of our lives and businesses, traditional research is being quickly transformed into a more effective, valuable, on-demand function for use across the enterprise, including and especially marketing. Old and tired ways of research that treat customers like a transaction are being replaced by methods that treat customers as a key competitive advantage. Continue reading →

The business card: Relevant networking tool, or relic?

Joanne M. Brathwaite

Image of businessman giving a business card from Shutterstock.

Many years ago, I ordered a set of 150 fancy-dancy business cards that I thought would help make an impression as I forged a freelance writing career. I was partly right; the oversized, double-sided, matte card with the QR (!) code always garnered the same response when I handed it to someone: Ooh! Nice card! The receiver would run a finger over it – the velvet finish makes a lovely swoosh sound – flip it over and remark on the code or ask me if I’d designed it myself. Then they’d tuck it in a wallet or purse and we’d either continue a conversation, or part ways with a promise to “be in touch.”

While my cards have been worth every penny I paid for them, I’m reticent to invest in another set. These days, since nearly everyone and their grandmother (literally) is the owner of a fairly decent mobile phone, it seems almost archaic to hand someone my card when they can simply add my details with the push of a button – or, better yet, send me an email on the spot. Ergo, the amount of time that lapses between “give me your details” and, “we’ll be in touch” is measured in minutes and hours instead of days.

And let’s face it: with texting, email, Facebook, LinkedIn, Instagram, Snapchat, Continue reading →

Digital Marketing Confidential with O2E’s Melissa Mewdell: Data girl!

Joanne M. Brathwaite

Back for another year, the 2016 Canadian Internet Marketing Conference (CIMC) will feature a powerhouse line-up of more than 30 of the world’s top minds and movers of the digital marketing industry. FreshGigs.ca got the awesome opportunity to have a pre-conference brain-picking sesh with each of the keynote speakers and panelists. Today’s Q & A is with Melissa Mewdell, Marketing Manager at O2E Brands.

What exactly does reporting digital marketing entail? Why should the public be interested in it?

Reporting on digital marketing entails tying dollars spent (usually on driving traffic of achieving impressions) to results achieved (sales, leads, other actions taken online), and ultimately, revenue earned from those results. When you say “the public,” you mean “the type of people attending the conference,” yes? In that sense, they should care about reporting on digital marketing because strategic reporting will ensure a few things: Continue reading →

Creative Cultures: NGX Interactive and the science of hiring smart

Crystal Henrickson

NGX-Interactive-Fresh-Gigs Creative Cultures is powered by Chimp, bringing people and charities together.
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In our Creative Cultures series, our writers day inside companies to learn how hiring, onboarding and company culture play a role in employee happiness. From startups to design firms and all in-between, we’re pulling back the curtain on what it’s like to work in inventive and productive environments. Today, writer Crystal Henrickson takes us through a day at NGX Interactive.

When we embark upon one path in business, no matter what our vision or intention, we don’t always know where we’ll end up. What started out as a web design company for founder Leigh Byblow has grown into one of Canada’s leading companies providing custom, digital, interactive experiences. These leading edge installations can be found in culturally-focused institutions like science centres, museums and discovery centres across the country. I was invited for a behind-the-scenes look at the close knit team that makes this business tick.

NGX Interactive is headquartered in Vancouver, fittingly just south of Science World. Within the workshop/studio works a core team of 14 along with a reservoir of specialized contractors who supercharge specific projects in fields such as animation and graphic design. Continue reading →

Digital Marketing Confidential with Christina Crook: How to take a social media Sabbath

Joanne M. Brathwaite

Back for another year, the 2016 Canadian Internet Marketing Conference (CIMC) will feature a powerhouse line-up of more than 30 of the world’s top minds and movers of the digital marketing industry. FreshGigs.ca got the awesome opportunity to have a pre-conference brain-picking sesh with each of the keynote speakers and panelists. Today’s Q & A is with Christina Crook, author of The Joy of Missing Out.

Did you ever imagine being an ambassador for slowing down in an era of rapid media consumption? What prompted your journey into the value of analog living in the digital age?

I didn’t envision this for myself. Like most of our personal and professional lives, getting here was a journey. I grew up in a pretty analog home, but so did most kids growing up in the 80s! My parents were not early adopters and we didn’t spend much time in front of screens. Having six brothers and sisters keeps things pretty interesting on its own.

My interest in the impacts in the Web began studying Communication at Simon Fraser University. After graduation I kept my eye on trends and articles. I had a grandma who was a newspaper clipper and I followed her example, clipping and archiving newspaper and magazine articles over about 10 years as Google and social media came on the scene. So, I guess that’s pretty analog. Continue reading →

Five Things Friday: Meira Khosla, Organizer of The Hip Haus | Networking for Young Professionals

Joanne M. Brathwaite

Five Things Friday is a departure from the interviews and features we typically post. Part conversation, Part Proust Questionnaire – but with just five questions, Five Things Friday (hashtag alert! #5TF) shows the lighter (and sometimes sillier) side of our interviewees. We’ll be talking to everyone we can get our grubby little hands on; it’s our way of introducing you to the communications, marketing and creative cognoscenti who rock their respective industries. This week, Joanne M. Brathwaite gets hip to the networking game with the HipHaus organizer, Meira Khosla.

Tell me a little about The HipHaus – how did it come about? How did you and your partners identify the need for such a thing?

The Hip Haus was founded in May 2014 and helps young professionals connect, fosters professional development and brings the community together. Prior to creating the HH, we (my business partners and I) would attend other networking events – many of them were industry specific, and most weren’t very welcoming to 20-somethings like ourselves. So that’s when we thought, why not create our own?

Initially, we didn’t realize how huge the market was for individuals who simply just wanted to get together and meet new people. In doing so, we’ve been able to adapt the Hip Haus over time and bring consistent networking events to the Greater Toronto Area. Continue reading →

Lessons Learned: Art of Sales Toronto, 2016 edition

Leila Pejman

The Art of Sales conference wrapped up its Toronto edition on January 26, with an impressive lineup that included:

Daniel Pink – #1 New York Times bestselling author of To Sell is Human: The Surprising Truth About Moving Others, A Whole New Mind: Why Right Brainers Will Rule the Future and Drive: The Surprising Truth About What Motivates Us
Keith Ferrazzi – #1 New York Times bestselling author of Who’s Got Your Back and Never Eat Alone
Richard Robbins – Co-Founder & CEO of Richard Robbins International and author of Deliver the Unexpected & Six Other New Truths for Business Success
Mitch Joel – Bestselling author of CTRL ALT Delete: Reboot Your Business.
Reboot Your Life. Your Future Depends On It. and Six Pixels of Separation: Everyone Is Connected. Connect Your Business To Everyone.
Ian Chamandy – Co-Author of Why Should I Choose You? and founding partner of Blueprint Business Architecture

Here are the key lessons from each presenter:

Mitch Joel

His speech focused on consumer behaviours and how to attract new customers. He identified three main points:

Transformation: Not on an external level but internally. What tools are you providing your sales team and organization to help them transform?

Innovation: Asking your staff to be innovative is like asking them find a cure for cancer (an analogy Mitch provided); it’s out of reach. Discover new services (like digital) that add value to your customer and become new streams of revenue. Focus on value instead of energy on a campaign to aim for more sales. For example, iTunes became a revenue model for Apple by offering value to their customers. Continue reading →

Digital Marketing Confidential with Mediative’s Rebecca Maynes: Tech detective

Joanne M. Brathwaite

Back for another year, the 2016 Canadian Internet Marketing Conference (CIMC) will feature a powerhouse line-up of more than 30 of the world’s top minds and movers of the digital marketing industry. FreshGigs.ca got the awesome opportunity to have a pre-conference brain-picking sesh with each of the keynote speakers and panelists. Today’s Q & A is with Rebecca Maynes, content marketing and research manager for Mediative.

Tell us about your work at Mediative. What does it entail?

As the Manager of Content Marketing and Research, it’s my role to ensure that Mediative is creating and publishing great content that will not only be of value for our audience, but that also showcases the innovative products and services that Mediative has to offer. A major part of my role is research, which is what I am going to be sharing more about at the CIMC. We have a lab at Mediative dedicated to researching latest trends and innovations in the digital world – we have desktop, tablet and mobile eye-trackers so we are able to get a deep understanding of how user behaviour is affected by digital marketing efforts, and vice versa.

Normally when people think of analytics, they consider the impact that they have on an organization’s bottom line. How can knowledge of consumer trends benefit customers?

Most of our research is designed to help companies gain a better understanding of their customers’ behaviour online so that they may optimize the user experience for the benefit of the customer, as well as the company’s bottom line. They’re interconnected. Continue reading →

Creative Cultures: At Shopify, fit trumps skill

Leila Pejman

Get Sh*t Done.

It’s one of Shopify’s core values, and it’s helping them become one of Canada’s fastest growing companies. In order, their other core values are: (2) building of the long term, (3) finding simple and elegant solutions, (4) acting like an owner, and (5) thriving on change.

(Fun Fact: the expletive was kept in their recent IPO filings, a first for Wall Street.) Continue reading →