Marketing & Creative Jobs in Canada Blog - Part 49

4 Digital Trends Bringing You The Future Now

Future-Marketing-Trends

Marketing ain’t what she used to be. Thanks to the digital revolution we now have what seems like an endless plethora of opportunities … and challenges to predict the next step. Read on for a few digital marketing trends for the next one to two years that Mark Schaefer, Schaefer Marketing Solutions, identified in 7 Digital Marketing Trends to Embrace NOW.

Content marketing vs. content advertising?

Advertisers are horning in on what marketing does best: content. It has some vast complications, namely how do you distinguish your content from the crowd? According to Schaefer, one trend he sees is making information small and more digestible (i.e. quick and easy to consume). Instagram, Pinterest and Vine are great examples of trending channels for quick, compelling bites of information.

Another way to combat the content advertising trend is to remember to create your marketing content to educate not activate, according to Chikodi Chima in his blog What is the Difference Between Content Marketing and Advertising? Build trust by offering something of value, for nothing. And don’t self-promote or try to sell too fast.

“Putting your product or service ahead of the needs of your new readers is a fast and easy way to damage your credibility,” he relates.

Augmented reality Continue reading →

Paranormal Ad-Tivity: A Spooky Marketing + Advertising Event in Vancouver

PARANORMAL AD TIVITYThe Vancouver chapter of the non-profit organizations AdDrinx and the National Advertising Benevolent Society (NABS) have teamed up to create one of the spookiest industry Halloween events in Vancouver history!

Paranormal Ad-Tivity is open to anyone working in Vancouver media, marketing and advertising.

With dancing, drinks and plenty of prizes, including Best Costume, Paranormal Ad-tivity is shaping up to be the biggest media event of the Halloween season!

Tickets include admission plus a complimentary beverage and appetizer. All proceeds go to benefit NABS.

WHEN: Thursday, October 31

TIME: 5:00 pm – late

WHERE: The Portside Pub – 7 Alexander St., Vancouver

DRESS: Costumes encouraged, but not mandatory

Tickets are $15.00 online or $20.00 at the door. For more information and to purchase tickets visit http://www.ParanormalAdtivity.com

Marketing Event: Digital Day 2013 Toronto

Digital Day 2013On October 22 the Digital Day 3D conference will be held at the Allstream Centre in Toronto.

The event explores how companies can find, engage and grow their customer base in this digital age.

Canadian advertisers continue to increase their online spends and this will affect how marketers plan and execute their campaigns.

At the event you’ll learn:

• How should digital be represented in the boardroom? Who is accountable for a company’s digital footprint?
• How is the relationship between television, social and video changing the media landscape? Can the two work together in a more effective way?
• What do the most creative digital thinkers in Canada find disruptive? Where should we look for the next great idea?

Date & Location
Tuesday, October 22, 2013
8:00am – 4:00pm
The Allstream Centre
Exhibition Place – 105 Prince’s Gate Boulevard
Toronto, Ontario

For ticket inquiries please contact Salim Ladha: 416.764.2068 or salimb.ladha@rci.rogers.com

Canadian Creative & Marketing Jobs This Week Oct 4th, 2013

FG-FreshGigs-Photo

Account Director (Corporate Communications) with The Works Design Communications
Toronto, Ontario

Web Editorial Coordinator with Alzheimer Society of Canada
Toronto, ON

Communications Specialist with Schneider Electric
Burnaby, BC

Consultant, Digital Marketing & SEO with Cardinal Path
Vancouver, BC

Marketing Communications Assistant with Gowling Lafleur Henderson LLP
Toronto, ON

Web Writer – Search Engine Optimization (SEO) with Ontario Pubic Service
Toronto, ON

Senior Web Producer with Ontario Public Service
Toronto, ON

Director of Product with Plentyoffish Media Inc
Vancouver, BC

Online Sales Account Manager with Iovate Health Sciences International Inc.
Oakville, ON

Web & Digital Marketing Specialist with Gowling Lafleur Henderson LLP
Toronto, ON

Canadians love facebook

Canada-FB-Status

It’s official: We love Facebook. More than 19 million Canadians log on to Facebook once a month; 14 million log on every single day. The social networking site released this information in hopes of drawing you to advertise on the site, according to Facebook Releases Canadian User Statistics by Canada Press. But, the impact goes beyond just ads. The data shows some important trends to heed when it comes to social marketing.

If you aren’t using Facebook to market your services, establish your brand or establish your expertise, do it, already! Canadians use Facebook on a daily basis more than any other country, so you have a large audience at your fingertips.

It’s a Mobile World

We also love mobile devices – and it shows in the Facebook use trends. Of Canadian Facebook users, 13 million are accessing the site at least once a month via a mobile device. Nearly 10 million are using a mobile phone or table to check Facebook daily. Overall, mobile access to Facebook is exceeding computer use.

“Consumer behavior is just fundamentally changing these days and so whereas it used to be that somebody would jump online maybe once a day and they’d do it from their PC, people are now online multiple times a day and they’re online across a whole variety of different devices, the majority of which are mobile,” said Jordan Banks, managing director of Facebook Canada.

It is an overall trend that people are using mobile devices, including phones and tablets to access websites, read email and even make online purchases. According to Mobile Marketing Statistics 2013, “In Q1 2013 tablets exceeded traditional desktop devices for conversion rates for the first time, suggesting people are increasingly comfortable with the experience of buying on tablets.” Continue reading →

Technical Writer: Job Description

Job-Descriptions-Technical-Writer

Technical Writers put technical information into easy-to-understand language. They often take high-level research, complex data or a company’s internal information and put it into terms that a layman can use. A Technical Writer may be required to write software manuals, text books, technical online content, product instructions, employee manuals, policy manuals, grants, how-to manuals, etc.

They will work closely with engineers, scientists, researchers, program developers and even graphic design teams to produce content.

A Technical Writer must also bring a uniform tone to all communication and policies to create a consistent voice. This includes not only the content but also the overall structure of documents, including overseeing the preparation of graphics to accompany the content. Technical Writers must have strong written and verbal communication skills, as well as be very detail and organization oriented. They will work closely with engineers, scientists, researchers, program developers and even graphic design teams to produce content.

Technical Writers are generally required to have a degree in communications, journalism and English. Education or experience in a technical field is also desirable.

 

Ready to hire a Technical Writer? Post a job with Canada’s top marketing and creative job board now.

Looking for a job in Technical Writing? Check out our listings.

Celebrities Invade and Change the Marketing World

Celebrities

You can’t turn on the news these days without seeing a celebrity. Justin Beiber did this, some sport celebrity did that. But have you noticed it doesn’t stop there? Martha Stewart hocks lines of home goods on TV, everyone who’s anyone seems to have a line of headphones and did you just recognize Matt Damon’s voice soothingly hocking something on a TD Ameritrade commercial?

Advertising is so yesterday. Instead, public relations using celebrities, and social media, is now being used to generate buzz about products.

Celebrities have taken over marketing. And it’s changing the face of what we know about selling products, according to Al Ries, chairman of Ries & Ries, an Atlanta-based marketing strategy firm in his blog Celebrity-Obsessed Culture Has Overtaken Marketing. With so many celebrities adding their names to brands and shilling products, it’s all about PR instead of advertising. Even coverage of Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity read more about a who’s who of celebrities in attendance rather than advertising trends worth billions of dollars.

Like Monkey Like Man

Why are celebrities becoming commonplace in the marketing world? It’s nature, Ries claims, citing the book Brain Bugs, by Dean Buonomano. In an interesting, if not a little eye-opening, study, rhesus monkeys were two choices: receiving a lot of juice or receiving less juice but also a picture of another monkey. It turns out, they were willing to forego a lot of juice for some juice and a picture of a monkey, but only if the monkey was a dominant male … in other words, higher on the social scale.

This goes a long way to explaining why humans continue to buy Entertainment Weekly. Continue reading →

Community or Social Media Manager: Job Description

SM-Manager-Job-Description

A Community or Social Media Manager is responsible for the day-to-day management and development of editorial content on social media platforms. This includes positioning a brand through tweets, posts and discussions on the social media sites. It also includes passive monitoring of related discussions on social media sites, as well direct customer interaction on these sites.

In addition, he or she must be a have strong people skills, communication skills and must have an enthusiasm for the brand they are promoting…

A Community or Social Media Manager is embedded in social media communities and has a strong handle on various tools and interfaces. In addition, he or she must be a have strong people skills, communication skills and must have an enthusiasm for the brand they are promoting, as they are responsible for driving consumer engagement in social networks. The Community Manager must be able to engage with customers and influencers with personality and patience.

This position generally requires a degree in journalism or a related field. In addition, two to three years of experience in journalism, communications or social media is desired in addition to education.

 

Ready to hire a Social Media / Community Manager? Post a job with Canada’s top marketing and creative job board now.

Looking for a job in Community Management or Social Media? Check out our listings.

Work to Live Don’t Live to Work: Productivity Doesn’t Define Self-Worth

Work-Life-Balance

Technology never sleeps, and apparently, neither do many of us. We have an endless to-do list that is in control of our sense of accomplishment. We’ve all been there. You are working, and working and working; suddenly, its midnight, you’ve hardly moved a muscle all day and had no meaningful contact with friends or family. And sleep? Fugeddaboudit!

Here is a shocking revelation: Productivity does not equal self-worth. Consider instead this thought from Henry David Thoreau, “It is not enough to be busy… The question is: what are we busy about?”

Set a work limit, and stick to it, no matter what you have to do. Take some breaks, get some exercise and eat a vegetable or two.

Even in his day, Thoreau knew it’s all about quality over quantity. Why? According to Kyla Roma’s blog Hey Overachiever! Five Reasons why Productivity does not Equal Self-Worth, you are better than your to-do list. Let’s check out the reasons.

1. Rushing leads to poor work and time lost. Cramming your day full of tasks only does one thing: It takes you out of the moment. You are always looking to the future and planning what you need to do next. How does this hurt you? You are missing out on the events around you, and worst of all, aren’t focusing on the task at hand. That can directly affect your work quality. Roma suggests focusing on your senses for 5 to 10 minutes as needed throughout a day to ground you back in the here and now.

2. You buy your own BS. No one is better at fooling us than … well … ourselves. If you tell yourself you are crazy busy and don’t have time to even breathe, it will be a self-fulfilling prophecy. Tame the Neurotic Nelly within. Set boundaries and make decisions with your best interests in mind. Set a work limit, and stick to it, no matter what you have to do. Take some breaks, get some exercise and eat a vegetable or two. Continue reading →

7 Small Business Experts Under One Roof In Toronto: Ticket Giveaway

On October 21, 2013, The Art Of Small Business is bringing 7 leading minds in small business together under one roof. Join over 1,200 business owners and entrepreneurs for this special day. For full details on the event and to register right away visit: Art Of Small Business Registration

Ticket Giveaway

FreshGigs.ca has also arranged for one complimentary ticket to the event which we are giving away. For a chance to win this ticket, simply send us a tweet and tell us why you want to attend the event. On September 30th we’ll announce the winner. Click here to tweet and be entered to win the ticket Congratulations to Shannon @starhare on winning the ticket!

Speakers

ArtOfSmallBusinessConference
UPDATE: Brett Wilson of Dragon’s Den fame has just been added to the Speakers list!

Venue and Details

October 21, 2013
8:45am – 5:00pm
Metro Toronto Convention Centre
Art Of Small Business Registration