by Karen McFarlane
What’s the most frequently asked question: Why should I join AMA New York? A better question to ask is: How can I leverage AMA New York to advance my marketing career?
Joining an association is a commitment and as the old saying goes, you get out what you put in. Associations like AMA New York will serve you a platter of amazing opportunities, but it’s up to you to give them a try.
But before you add even more to your already packed schedule, chart your career goals to ensure any activity you undertake puts you one step closer to your end goal. Investing in yourself requires an acute understanding of what you want to achieve and without a blueprint, you won’t be able to dedicate the time and energy your goal requires.
To help you evaluate the value of AMA New York membership, here’s a quick guide to help you answer the age-old question: What’s in it for me? And while this definitely skews towards joining AMA New York, you can apply this handy guide to almost any organization that you are thinking of joining.
Networking Events
Let’s start with a staggering stat. 85% of people believe meeting in person can levy stronger, more meaningful relationships. In a world where online interactions through email, social media and tools like slack that have helped facilitate remote work and helped us traverse global barriers, there are unfortunately fewer opportunities, or perhaps less impetus for people to meet to face-to-face. And let’s face it. We’re all strapped for time so we need opportunities that are convenient, easy and impactful. Association membership provides a simple gateway for network targeting by pairing you with like-minded professionals and topics that make sense for your career goals.
AMA New York hosts local events at trendy locations throughout New York City almost every month. Some are social events, some are speaker panels, but all involve a networking component specifically designed to build connections that can boost your marketing career. Our events are planned by our programming committee and they are happy to make introductions, talk shop, and bestow the value of membership. Since AMA New York holds events so frequently, it’s easy to find an event that matches your interests and your schedule. Many people also use our networking events as a tool to sync up with contacts as a form of multitasking without adding another event to their calendar.
Personal Branding
AMA New York membership has its privileges. Yes, that is ripped from the old tagline of American Express, but it still has long legs years after its invention. (Besides, the former CMO of Amex, John Hayes, was inducted into our Marketing Hall of Fame so I don’t think he’ll mind us borrowing the phrase). Here at AMA New York, we understand that building your personal brand is not about self-promotion, but rather about creating a blueprint for your marketing career. And to turn your ideas into reality, you need to leverage your available channels to showcase your best self.
Part of choosing the right association is ensuring that the organization helps lift your blueprint off the page. For example, AMA New York invites members to share their expertise by promoting their thought leadership. Members can contribute to our blog, volunteer for a committee or become an active part of our mentorship program. These are excellent opportunities for members to develop new skills or use their expertise in new and meaningful ways that showcase their leadership and expertise while adding to the cache of AMA New York. For example, Priya Doty started volunteering as a project manager a couple years ago and is now the Executive Director of Marketing Hall of Fame, our signature event. Keith Reynolds started a shared interest group on digital marketing in 2016 and is now the Programming Chair on the Board of Directors. Peter Owen joined the Board after graduating from Columbia University and in just three short years became President-Elect.
These are just three examples of how individual contributions of our members have led to tangible benefits for upskilling and career advancement based on time and talent they were able to give to the organization.
Marketing Professional Development
Our recent event on digital disruption outlined how technology is outpacing human capacity providing a clear indication that a critical part of advancing in your field is to become a student of it. At AMA New York, we’re committed to helping marketers navigate the changing landscape so they can stay ahead of the curve. We even have a whole team of senior marketers in our Executive Circle committee developing unique programming and micro-networking events specifically geared towards solving top challenges facing today’s CMOs.
Whether you are responsible for managing an entire business unit or overseeing day-to-day operations, it’s imperative for marketers to up-skill so they can keep up with the demands being fueled by IoT, AI and the many interactions that can now be collected, sliced and diced to reveal key insights on gaining a competitive edge with customers. It’s equally important to shore up the best practices that have served as the foundation of advertising, branding, communications and various disciplines that make up all things marketing. AMA New York provides many opportunities to gain perspective through virtual, local and national events where you can learn from the successes and failures of your peers, as well as a professional marketing certification that can help you develop the skills where and when you are ready.
Corporate Opportunities
While there are many individual channels for you to leverage, you can also use AMA New York membership benefits to build a professional development offering for your employees that will deepen their skillset, amplify your productivity and improve job satisfaction.
- Membership: Marketing is best played as a team sport, so encourage your marketing department to become AMA New York members. You can sweeten the pot by adding membership as a paid benefit. Fees are discounted when four or more members join from your organization.
- Corporate Training: This program is designed to provide hands-on learning experiences that help organizations quickly up-skill and solve real-world challenges facing their industry. It’s a flexible and customizable training model taught by subject matter experts that can provide training on everything from high-level strategy to deep-dive analytics for your specified audience.
- Sponsorship: Sometimes you want your organization to be part of something greater. Sponsoring an AMA New York event, hosting a webinar or taking part in one of our research studies will enable your company to gain a level of notoriety, build your lead list, and share your message with your target audience. Some programs are also available to our national network which can increase exposure to a nationwide audience.
Back to your original question: how can AMA New York membership help advance your career? As a member, the tools are at your disposal. If you want to expand your network to people beyond LinkedIn connections, local networking events can put you face-to-face with your peers. If you want to showcase your expertise as a professional or as an organization, AMA New York provides a platform. And if you want to simply continue your education to keep up with the marketing joneses, information abounds. We even have toolkits to speed up the time to market. The real test is — will you take advantage of the plethora of opportunities that are available to you. But here’s the good news. All you have to do is take the first step to become a member and we’ll help you climb the next rung to get you started. It just starts with a click.
