Marketing Happy Hour - 6 Key Career Insights from Our NYC Event (+ Celebrating 3 Years of MHH) | Cassie + Erica

Starting point is 00:00:00 you're listening to the marketing happy hour podcast where we discuss career and industry insights with our peers in marketing we're here to talk about it all like the ups and downs of working in social media how to build authentic relationships in the influencer and pr space managing a nine-to-five and a side hustle at the same time, how to be productive in your life and career without losing your sanity, and more. Ultimately, we're here to build a community with you because we're all trying to navigate the world of marketing together. Are you ready? Grab your favorite drink and join your hosts, Cassie and Erica, for this week's episode.

Starting point is 00:00:52 Okay, Cassie, we have a lot to get to today. We just got back from New York, which that was like the most fun trip ever. I just like loved connecting with everybody in person. And we did our little event adventures like during the day, which was so fun. But before we dive into a recap on New York and the event that we had there in partnership with creative people and talk about how it's been three years since we started the podcast, I do have to ask you a very important question that we ask all of our guests, but we always like to share what's in ours as well. What is in your glass this afternoon? Yes. No, New York was awesome and excited to dive into that. But I have a Celsius this morning or this afternoon, whatever time it is. It's really funny. We've been chatting for like two hours at this point now, going over like goals and stuff. And I don't even know what time it is, but no matter what time it is, I have a Celsius. Um, that is my feel for the day. Uh, what about you?

Starting point is 00:01:51 That's always good. I actually, fun fact, have never tried Celsius. Um, but I hear it's good and everybody loves it. So maybe someday I will try it. Um, I just have an Ouroboros, which big surprise. I, um, just placed an order on their website the other day because they did a collaboration with gosh, I think, oh, PF Candle Co. And they came out with like a flavor with them called watermelon chili. I haven't tried it yet. I'm just cracking it open right now. And I will report back in like a couple seconds when I do try it but this collab like came with a case of this flavor a candle and a matchbook which is like the only I bought it because I don't even know if I'm gonna like this flavor watermelon chili I'm sure I will every flavor they come out with is delicious um, I collect matchbooks and I needed that matchbook. So I

Starting point is 00:02:47 did a little online retail therapy with that, but I'm going to try it. Oh my gosh. You do, you'd get like the chili kick. I don't know if I'm the biggest fan of that part, but it would be really good with a little tequila, little tajin rim. I think I'm there with that. It's very summery. There you go. Next episode, you'll have to make that cocktail and report back again. Well, it's funny you mentioned matchbooks because I feel like I started my matchbook collection during our trip two weeks ago now. And I have like six matchbooks by my hotel lobby candle in my living room. Anyways, that was kind of a visual example of how many places we went to in a span of two days in New York, which was a lot. And I talked to a couple of people and they're

Starting point is 00:03:39 like, it looks like you were there for like a whole week. And I'm like, I felt like I was there for a whole week. Because not only did we explore a number of different amazing restaurants and stuff, but we had this incredible event with creative people. And this event was so awesome. Not only did we get to meet so many people in person, both listeners and new people who had never heard of the show before and just getting to meet them and hear about their personal journey. But we had an awesome panel with some incredible people on it, including Les Alfred, Kelly Gordon, Jack Appleby, and Michael Kay. And really, you know, there were a lot of marketers there, but it was very career and just kind of personal goal focused, which I thought was very refreshing

Starting point is 00:04:27 because at least when I was living in New York, I attended so many marketing specific events and it was all about strategy and marketing, which is awesome. And I feel like we need that, but I think just really surrounding yourselves with people who are facing some of the same challenges that you are, but are afraid to talk about it and just kind of removing the stigma of those conversations was really important. I think a lot of people, at least it sounded like we're very refreshed of that conversation. So I'm truly grateful for that time. We got to just kind of chat with everyone during that panel. Yeah. And so inspired too. And I think it's really important. You said it to just like come together and champion one another and just like be cheerleaders for those in the industry

Starting point is 00:05:09 that may not have, you know, another source of that, you know, encouragement and inspiration. And so I think that was like super impactful. And I also like got to connect. That's my favorite thing ever is like connecting in real life with people and so getting to just see faces and like put faces to names of people who have like reached out to us or like follow us on Instagram or things like that and I also like um one of my friends from ninth grade that I like really lost touch with came to the event because she lives in New York and so it was so cool to, just bring people from all areas of our lives and just like meet together in person. That was like my favorite thing in the world. So thank you. If you came to the event, thank you so much. We really, really value you being there.

Starting point is 00:05:57 And if you didn't get to come to the event, we will probably have more in the future. So be on the lookout for that. But I know we want to talk about some key takeaways. So Cass, what are these takeaways? Yeah. So we, like I said, we had this amazing panel with these panelists and it's so crazy because you and I were up there moderating. And so of course we're not taking notes during this panel, right? Because we're listening and we're asking questions.

Starting point is 00:06:26 These six key takeaways from the panel were literally points that I think were ingrained in our brain because we remembered them after the fact. So I just really important just principles and insights that we want to pass along to you and hopefully they encourage you. So Erica, I believe you have our first of the six key takeaways. Yes. So Les Alfred, who is the host of the Balanced Black Girl podcast, she was just so inspiring and she has this like calming presence and like calming voice. And everyone was just like enthralled while she was up there. They were like, she's incredible. But one of the things, the key things that she said was

Starting point is 00:07:10 your career is not your identity. It's an assignment and assignments will end. So it's important to know like who you are outside of your career. And I just could not agree more with that. We talk about it all the time. You know, what are those offline things that keep you fueled for the online things? Or what are those things that you can hone outside of work that, you know, leave you feeling refreshed and able to do your best work and put your best foot forward no matter what you're doing in your career. So a big focus of the event and the panel was like career pivots and like moving on from one thing to the next or like trying to find that passion or, you know, knowing that it's never too late to start doing the things that you want to do or the things that

Starting point is 00:07:53 you love. And so just having that perspective in your brain of like your current position is just an assignment and you will learn something from it and you will move on to the next assignment. But having things that carry with you from assignment to assignment is so important. So knowing like who you are outside of your career to her point and really developing skills that you want to carry from one assignment to the next and relationships that you want to carry from one assignment to the next is just so invaluable. And Cassie and I can really relate to that. Yeah, absolutely. And I think the other point that she was trying to make is, although the panel was so heavily career focused,

Starting point is 00:08:39 to your point, like, how do we get to the next step in our career? How do we pivot? Ultimately, there's more out there than just career, right? There's more things that like add to our life and things that lead to happiness and stuff. So it's almost this delicate balance of focus, which I think was important to have that reality check as well. So, um, well, the second point I have here is from Kelly Gordon from Creative People. And she was talking about reaching out to recruiters and asking for jobs. And she was saying how it's important to not just ask for a job and say, hey, I want to work for your company.

Starting point is 00:09:17 How do I do that? Tell me what the next step is. But literally sharing why you would bring value to the company and stand out by sharing a portfolio or examples of your work or even ideas that you've come up with that the company can leverage. Things like that because Kelly's whole point was when you just go and ask for a job and not share why or how or what, it's making the company or the recruiter or the hiring manager do more work to figure out how you would fit into that company. So literally telling them and helping the hiring manager kind of picture how you'd fit into the goals of the brand is so incredibly important.

Starting point is 00:09:58 And it kind of does that work for them. Absolutely. And we just released an episode about this, maybe like a month ago where we were talking about like interview tips or like preparing for your next role and things that you can do to make yourself stand out. And I think that just echoes the points in that episode. So we'll put that episode in the show notes so people can go back and listen to that as well if they are looking for tips around landing that next role. But the third point that I have is from Jack Appleby. If you're not familiar with Jack, he has a newsletter called Future Social. And he has a really, really great perspective on a lot of like social campaigns

Starting point is 00:10:39 out there that he shares every week. So it was a treat to have him on the panel. And he said, learn by doing. If you want to be a wellness creator, for example, maybe start by offering to shoot content for a wellness creator and shadow them. And I think the main point that he was trying to allude to is another point that like Gary Vee always makes or like things that we always say is like, go out there and start doing the work. And if you're passionate, passionate about it, the opportunities will follow. So if you're out there, you want to learn how to do something, start doing it as a passion project as a side project. And you will understand whether or not you actually want to carry that into what you're

Starting point is 00:11:25 doing on the day-to-day to like monetize or like have it be part of your career. I think that's really what he was trying to get at is just like, do like do the things for free that make you feel fulfilled and see if there's an opportunity to make those things your career. Right. And I think this kind of goes into the point that Kelly was making of having some sort of portfolio or something to show your work for. If you, let's say you want to make a pivot into social and you're currently in PR, maybe go offer to do some social for some small businesses and you have something to show for those roles or those clients that you want to work for versus just saying, hey,

Starting point is 00:12:11 I've never done this before, but like, I think I'd be good at it. And here's why you actually have something that can kind of showcase the work that you've done, even though you haven't maybe fully professionally worked in that sector. So that was a really good tip there. So next point here, point number four is about mentorship and Michael, Kelly, and Jack were kind of driving this point home about mentorships, but really what they were saying is that the best mentorships are driven by relationships and genuine connection, not transaction and tasks. So I know there's a lot of companies out there that have internal mentorship programs and they're

Starting point is 00:12:51 structured as a way to make sure that both sides are getting value, which I think is good. And that's a good form to kind of test and dabble in. But I think as you further develop in your career and you start to build relationships and connections, a lot of times those relationships that you maybe didn't intend to become mentorships do. And I think there's a lot of beauty in that because the foundation of it really is that someone cares and is invested in your career and they want to kind of take you under their wing. And so look out for that, you know, again,

Starting point is 00:13:26 not just necessarily asking, Hey, can you be my mentor, but seeing how those relationships can develop over time. And I really truly think number one, and we talk about this all the time on the show, but if you go into your career, looking to build genuine relationships and connections with people, you never know what that can turn into. It can turn into mentorships. It can turn into future jobs. It can turn into clients, what have you. But I think if you have the right intention about building connections with people, it can come to fruition in a number of different ways, including mentorships, which is really beautiful. Yeah. And we also have another episode around, you know, how to find the

Starting point is 00:14:06 right mentor fit for you with Matthew Miller. And it's a really good conversation just like about that further diving into that. So we'll also put that in the show notes if anybody wants to listen into that. But the next one is also from Les Alfred. She said the term networking holds a lot of weight. And if the concept overwhelms you just change the title to connecting with people because that's less daunting and you don't feel like you have to make multiple new connections. You can go into something like a networking event or, um, you know, your day-to-day on LinkedIn or social or something, just with the goal to meet one new person and exchange contact information. I feel like a lot of times, and she was kind of alluding to this, like networking is scary. And it's just, it seems like this thing that you like have to do

Starting point is 00:14:59 to further your career, but you're kind of like, I don't want to go into a room full of people I don't know and like have to have all these conversations about what the work that I do and like who I am. And you want to just like make a genuine connection. And so I think her perspective on just like having the goal to meet one person is like so impactful. And it's another thing that we've talked about before, like even in regards to like marketing, just always have the one person that you're wanting to connect with in your mind.

Starting point is 00:15:32 And you'll go far. I mean, you will probably go into something like a networking event with that goal and come out with like five people. But if you define success as like, okay, I met this one person I'm carrying on to like a coffee afterwards, or I'm exchanging like, you know, services or information, knowledge sharing with that person, that's going to be more valuable than just going into a wide room and just kind of like spreading your name around and just like not really making any real connections. So I love that she said that as well. Yeah. And I think one time, one thing too, is that depending on what kind of event it is,

Starting point is 00:16:11 a lot of times you can find out in advance who's either attending or speaking at the event or sponsoring the event. So you can do some research on what brands or people are going to be present. And I think having that initial phase of research almost pre going into that event and knowing who you want to connect with and any sort of connection points that you have with that person to kind of bridge the gap and introducing yourself, I think is helpful as well. So going in a little bit prepared, if you can, I know that's not always the case depending on what event it is. You can definitely do that. And I think having that preparedness helps a little bit with that nervousness and you know, okay, I want to connect with these two main people. That's my goal. And

Starting point is 00:16:55 I'm going to walk away feeling fulfilled. I think that's important. Even if you don't have that knowledge in advance to your point and the point that less was making. If you just go into that saying, I'm going to connect with one new person and exchange contact info and leave feeling good about it, setting that goal for yourself and like actively meeting that goal, I think makes that situation feel a lot better. Totally. Yeah. Well, last point here that we have is from Michael K and Michael said, uh, don't be afraid to put yourself out there and improve by chasing the uncomfortable. So he was kind of sharing how he has over time become less nervous with public speaking and how he did that. So for him, he was kind of giving some

Starting point is 00:17:39 examples of how to improve in that area. And one of the things he was talking about is how he literally asked his leader if he could present to interns at the company and share some ideas or some concepts or a campaign. But he was also saying, you know, go on podcasts and be asked questions and share your story or speak on panels. And so there's a number of different ways to put yourself out there that can seem a little bit uncomfortable but the more that you do it the more that you shape those skills and improve in that area and this can be a number of things it doesn't just have to be public speaking it can be writing a newsletter or becoming better at copywriting or it could be things in your role that you previously or currently do. And so the more that you kind of push those areas in within yourself and just work to improve and work to take

Starting point is 00:18:33 on things that are maybe outside of your day to day just to become better at that area. I think that's so incredibly important. Yeah. And that wraps back around to like what the whole ethos of the event was, you know, like pivoting in your career, it's never too late to do the things that you want to do. And I think that in order to do the things that you want to do or the things that you love, you have to kind of become an expert in those things. And so if you are not yet, you can put yourself out there in one of these many ways and start to become that expert. And I think that was an excellent point that he made too. Um, I wanted to give a shout out to, to our sponsors from the event. We had, um, some incredible, um, brands

Starting point is 00:19:18 that were a part of the evening. So 99 designs by Vista, they really helped us with our event collateral. And we had some posters and some cards that we gave out to attendees with information and things like that. They're a really great resource for things like that. We also had Ilia Beauty. They gave us the blue light setting mist that all of our attendees got to take home. We had the new bar supply non-alcoholic beverages. We had Lemon Perfect giving us some hydrating electrolyte waters. We had My Muse

Starting point is 00:19:54 giving us some refreshing sodas. And then of course we had creative people who really brought the event together with us. We did a lot of back and forth meeting with them, trying to really make this an impactful and amazing event. And they were the most incredible partners ever. And we're so excited to see what comes forward with our partnership with them. Yeah, it was so good. And I know we have a lot more in store. This was our first really big in-person event. And I know the goal is to do many more. And so lots coming up, lots in, in mind for us for the future. And so make sure if you are not subscribed to our email newsletter, you do so. And, uh, the form is linked below. Uh, but so Erica, you mentioned we are officially three years in for the podcast. And I know we've kind of been celebrating three years for several months.

Starting point is 00:20:49 We've mentioned that a bunch of times. But the reason is, is because in April of 2021, we launched on Clubhouse. And then in June, July of 2021, we... July 13th. July 13th. Oh my gosh. So literally, literally this week. So July 13th of 2021, we launched the actual podcast. So, um, it's, it's kind of funny to like, look back and see the evolvement of the show, but yeah, we did start on clubhouse when it was very hot and very

Starting point is 00:21:21 popular. Um, and then that's when like you couldn't record conversations on there. And we're like, we need to find a way to get this stuff in front of people who can attend live. So anyways, that's a little background if you've never heard on the show, but we figured to celebrate three years of the podcast, we wanted to play a little game. So we're going to do a little this or that and both answer them rapidly. So you guys can get to know us a little game. So we're going to do a little this or that and both answer them rapidly so you guys can get to know us a little bit more. Amazing. I'm so excited. I feel like we did some of this like in our earlier episodes, like in season one, and we just kind of dropped it and never did it again. But if you're, you've always been curious about who the heck we are and like

Starting point is 00:22:03 what makes us tick and all of that kind of stuff like this game will just be a fun insight into that so without further ado um cassie how about being too hot or being too cold what do you prefer being too cold because you can always warm up from that what about you same which is hilarious because we both live in Florida and it's summer right now and it's the hottest summer I feel like I've experienced in a long time. So definitely being too cold,

Starting point is 00:22:33 but apparently we torture ourselves by being in Florida, being too hot. But Cassie, okay, TikTok or Instagram Reels? TikTok, 100%. Okay, I also love TikTok, but I deleted it off of my phone. So not Instagram Reels, girl. But I feel like they did improve, you know, like a couple, like maybe a year or a couple months ago, it was kind of like Instagram Reels was all the delayed, like very delayed

Starting point is 00:23:01 content from TikTok. I feel like it has gotten a little bit better to where it's not as delayed. So I still feel like I'm in the loop, even though I'm an Instagram reels person. Money or free time? I wish I could say a combination of both, but I know it. I would probably say money initially in order to buy more free time. So I'm going to, I'm going to kind of cheat the system there. What about you? That's actually really good. I was going to say free time because well, free time, but like filled, you know, not just like random free time, but free time with friends and family. That's my, that's my thing. There we go. That's a great answer. I'm

Starting point is 00:23:42 like money. Just give me all. I mean, I, everybody wants money. Let's be real. It's not like, it's not like I'm going, Oh no, I'm so noble. I would never want money. You know what I mean? Anyway, beach or mountains. I love both, but beach 100%. Yeah. What about you? I am so torn. I am such a mountain person, but I haven't been to the mountains in a long time. I do love the beach, but I'm very particular about the beach. I can't just go lay on a towel. I have to have the whole works of a chair or a hammock or something. So I feel like I'm high maintenance at the beach.

Starting point is 00:24:24 But mountains, I can just go anywhere and be happy. So kind of both, but leading mountains. Blog posts or video content, speaking of like marketing things. Yeah. Yeah. So if it were to do with me creating, I would say blog posts, but if it were to do with me consuming, I would say blog posts, but if it were to do with me consuming, I'd say video content. What about you? I think honestly, it just depends on the blog posts or the video content, because if it's video content, like love Island or like, or like things I'm interested in. Great other video content I'm like okay this is going on forever um blog posts though I have a few blogs that I like love that are tried and true

Starting point is 00:25:12 and I've followed from the beginning so I always love seeing those I don't know I know I'm not supposed to say both so blog posts okay um going back to the more fun weird questions no internet or no running water um so gosh this is so hard i could go on a whole dissertation about this i if i could leave my house i would choose no internet because i can go to a coffee shop, even though that would incredibly be very annoying. Um, when it'd be able to have coffee, if there was no one showers, no, no internet, no internet because no running water would be terrible. Yeah. Full on the train of no internet. I love it. if we had no internet, although I don't know what any of us would do for our jobs. And I don't know what any of us would do for fun. So figure it out.

Starting point is 00:26:11 Just like hang out and like go play outside. Like, yeah, that's what we would do. And at least we would be smelling fresh because we'd have showers. Exactly. Exactly. Okay. Bagel or donut? Bagel. No question. I don't even have an explanation for that. Honestly, same. I do love a good donut though. It just, again, very particular about the type of donut. Anyway, I'd still say bagel. Okay. Cheesecake or brownie? Brownie. How are these like opposites? I get the bagel or donut question. Cause it's like savory or sweet, but how is it? Brownies separate. They're both good, but what if we had a cheesecake with a brownie bottom? Like that would be perfect. Perfect. Both. I'm good with that. Okay. Uh, I think I know your answer to this one, but maybe I don't one direction or Jonas brothers.

Starting point is 00:27:01 Oh, Jonas brothers. 100 hundred percent. I just saw them last year. Like, love them. Yeah, I love them, too. But I would say One Direction. Like if they could get back together, that'd be amazing. I would love that. But I'm not like I was never one of those like kids that loved One Direction. I just like I don't know I like their music I love Harry Styles though so I do give it that yeah yeah I was more on like instead of like the boy bands I was all about like I don't know the time the girls of the time like Hilary Duff yes all that um okay breakfast or dinner dinner honestly people listening are gonna be so mad at me because I'm like both um I'm a breakfast person

Starting point is 00:27:55 I like breakfast for dinner if I'm like at home I'm a huge like breakfast sandwich person however a dinner out is my thing like that's A dinner out or a dinner party is my favorite thing in the world. So both, but leaning breakfast, honestly. Okay. Going back to some marketing things, influencer partnerships or UGC? That's interesting. To consume UGC, but gosh, see, this is so hard because I don't do this in my day-to-day from a professional standpoint. You do. I think UGC overall. I really love seeing creators jump on stuff on their own and share their own personal opinions. So I would say UGC. Yeah, I'm with you. And again, it's kind of both, but strategic influencer partnerships that go beyond the traditional like transaction of, Hey, talk about your brand on a social media page.

Starting point is 00:29:01 Like I'm all about like, you know, have an influencer curate a collection on your website or have an influencer work in tandem with you on a, an actual product. Like those type of influencer collaborations, that's like the future I feel like of influencer. However, you're right. I think UGC is more authentic and probably drives more actual sales just from like the traditional influencer partnership to like UGC I feel like UGC probably drives more sales because those creators typically have a like you know smaller audience that actually really trusts them and follows them for recommendations like this. Whereas like a traditional influencer, it obviously depends on like what tier you're speaking to, but you know, traditional influencers are, are just trying to share recommendations and put it out to their wider audience. So I'm kind of with you. Yeah. Okay. Call or text. And then we have one more.

Starting point is 00:30:08 Text I'm better at. I want to be better at phone calls. Here's my theory really quickly. I know this is supposed to be rapid fire, but I feel like for me, I do so many calls on a regular basis that taking another phone call, although it is very important for relationship building, I am not very good at initiating that. So I want to be better, but right now I'm better at text messaging. How about you? Um, I like phone calls better, but I understand like, as we get older, it's harder to do phone calls because everyone has like a separate schedule. Like you can't just like call someone up and they're going to be free to chat with you. So what I like to do is voice text.

Starting point is 00:30:49 Like the voicemail in a text is like my favorite thing. I mean, you and I do that back and forth all the time. Like that's kind of my main way to communicate with people at this point. And then I kind of just text like actual words in order to like make plans. That's kind of like, yes, I guess. Last thing, audio podcasts or visual video podcast.

Starting point is 00:31:16 So this depends. There are certain podcasts that I love watching the video of, i.e. Call Her Daddy is one of them, i.e. Small Plug, the Discover Universal podcast. But I am mostly an audio person, mostly because I listen to podcasts when I am driving. That's like my number one podcast time. What about you? Yeah, I'm the exact same except sub walking for driving and I can't really watch a video while I'm walking unless I want to get hit by a car. So which would not be good.

Starting point is 00:31:52 We don't want that. No, no, no, not at all. Oh my gosh. Well, that was great. Thanks for playing along with us. And if you are still listening, we really appreciate you. Thank you for actually hanging out actually hanging out with us. And if you have a fun answer to any of these questions, please let us know, like reach

Starting point is 00:32:11 out to us on Instagram or something. We'd love to chat with you about it. Your hot take. We love hot takes here on the podcast. So keep us posted. But yes, just want to thank you overall for three years of just listening and this amazing community. to thank you overall for three years of just listening and this amazing community, uh, truly grateful to do things like go to New York and just work on these amazing events like we did.

Starting point is 00:32:30 Um, but we would love for you to stay connected with us and we have an email list, uh, with job postings and social media updates and marketing updates and all the things we would love for you to join along with us and to stay tuned about future events that we have coming up and just resources we're creating. That really is the best place to do that. So we'd love to have you join us there. And also we work so hard on this podcast and we love doing it, but we'd love to hear your feedback and a review. So if you have not done so, head to your favorite podcast platform you are listening on right now and just drop us some feedback or even a couple stars and let us know what you think of the show just overall. We would truly be grateful for that. And that just really fuels our time and

Starting point is 00:33:15 drive and attention to create this show. But just overall, thank you so much. We're truly grateful for you. and marketing teams for the world's most disruptive startups. If you're looking for an excellent partner to assist you in searching for and hiring your next team member, head to creativepeople.com to get started. Don't forget to tell them you were referred by Marketing Happy Hour.

Marketing Happy Hour - 6 Key Career Insights from Our NYC Event (+ Celebrating 3 Years of MHH) | Cassie + Erica

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