When you joined MarketingProfs did you ever consider yourself to be part of a community of over 320,000 marketers? Well, you are! I know it's a huge number of nameless, faceless people to think about, but as you know, with more people embracing social media tools and how we all seem to know another marketer by six degrees of separation, that's changing on a daily basis.
How is a marketing community different from a marketing network you might be wondering? Well, typical (dare I say, traditional?) networking is usually done by attending offline association meetings, conferences, events, etc., collecting business cards, adding those cards to your contact list in the tool of your choice and then following up every once in a while–usually when you need something. And yes, that was meant to be basic because we all know great networking involves so much more than that.
An online community is somewhat similar (again, we're all 'networked' in multiple places), yet, it's vastly different. Communities develop naturally over a common bond or interest. Community members feel a sense of ownership. Conversation within communities is on-going, if not daily. Communities allow for all members to have a voice, share information, provide insights, etc. Communities that gather online often gather offline too. And great friendships often develop in communities. You get the picture. As a reader of the Daily Fix, you probably already consider yourself part of the MarketingProfs community.
I've recently joined on as the MarketingProfs Community Manager and part of my job is to get to know our members and fans. I am here to listen to you, and help everyone to connect better and easier as a community, whether that's with each other or with MarketingProfs.
There are a lot of places for us to connect:
- Twitter (@MarketingProfs, @bethharte)
- The MarketingProfs Facebook Group
- The MarketingProfs LinkedIn Group
- The MarketingProfs Know-How Exchange
- MarketingProfs conferences
- Industry conferences, events, meetings, etc.
- Tweetups
- Your blog
- Other forums and groups
Getting back to that listening part of my job– Don't be shy! I am all ears, so lay it on me. And, I am nosey–
- How can we be an even stronger community of marketers?
- Is being part of a community important to you?
- If you only hang out here on the Daily Fix, is there other information would you like to see?
- Are you finding all the content you need to do your job better?
- Are there specific areas you'd like to learn more about?
- What about more traditional marketing tools like e-mail marketing and search marketing are they important? Anything else?
- What would you change?
- Where do you like to network?
I am looking forward to getting to know everyone, be sure to tap me on the shoulder and introduce yourself– virtually or in person!