As a child, what did you want to be when you grew up?
I wanted to be everything – singing and dancing on broadway (although it was hinted by my family that I actually needed to be able to sing), a ballerina was next (I wasn’t very light on my feet, so I opted for baseball instead). I thought about teaching…then a vet…then a writer…mmm the list could go on.....
Where has your career path taken you?
Not exactly the straightest of paths to where I am now. Right out of University, I started as a “Girl Friday”, as they used to call them…running errands and standing at line at the government office with the other “runners” when I worked for the Corporate Division of Dye & Durham. I travelled, worked in insurance, non – profit and eventually found myself in Korea teaching ESL for a year.
When I got back to Canada I found myself in the publishing world, this time at an educational publishing company. I had intended to head into the editorial side of publishing (I was, after all, an English major!), until my manager pointed out that I probably wouldn’t last sitting in an office, alone and marking up grammar – I liked to be around people, so she pushed me into marketing (or maybe that was a nice way of saying I talked too much!).
Well, I loved it! I worked with authors, organized events and displays (coordinating sales reps, materials, speakers and supporting material), even filling in for sales reps and travelling across the GTA and Ontario to represent the company at conference displays and small school displays. The sales side was a great learning experience for me to actually talk to the customer and see what they wanted. Eventually the path led me to legal marketing where I am now at Goodmans.
What, if anything (or anyone) inspired you to get started in the legal arena?
I had always worked in the product end of marketing, but Goodmans was my intro to professional services marketing. They are such a great team and taught me a lot about marketing people and services.
What is the primary responsibility of your current role?
In my current role, I am the Marketing Technology Administrator – I take care of our CRM database maintenance and online communication. I also try and put my foot in the educational side of things and have created workshops for InterAction refreshers for our support staff and write an internal marketing blog with tips on using InterAction.
What do you love about your work?
I love creating online! I’m not a tech wizard, but I love trying to teach myself the ins and outs of a new program.
What inspires you?
I'm a news junkie and I love to learn new things, so I’m always reading blogs, articles and anything else I can get my hands on that relate to marketing/online marketing.
What is your biggest challenge at work?
Getting people on board when you have new ideas – there are a lot of people out there afraid of change! Trying to get people excited about those changes and convincing them that it’s actually going to make their life easier can be difficult.
What advice would you offer others entering the field?
Be outgoing, positive, ask questions and be proactive.
When did you join LMA and how has it helped your career?
I joined as an official member this year, but as a volunteer in 2011. I manage the invites, e-newsletter and getting announcements on our LMA social media sites.
What do you enjoy doing when you’re not working? What are you passionate about outside of your work?
I’m a huge dog lover, so you’lll usually find me walking through Gage Park or along the lakeshore after work in the summer with my 8 year old Shih Tzu and husband, or working on my dog website/directory I am in the process of creating to help locals find pet stores (groomers, etc) in the area and other info on their dogs.
In your opinion, are there any memorable marketing/branding campaigns that have stood out in the last year or so (not necessarily legal services related
Have you seen dollarshaveclub.com? http://www.dollarshaveclub.com – pretty great!