As an in-house communications professional, Amy Snow, CM, focused on enhancing her skills, adopting new perspectives and learning from leaders alongside peers from different industries.

The Transformative Power of Storytelling

As a professional communicator, I have seen the transformative power of storytelling through the voices of those with lived experience. Part of being a good communicator includes understanding how to shape stories in a meaningful way to reach your audience. The Chartered Marketer (CM) program has helped me improve on that vital skill. I try to approach my work from curiosity, kindness, and determination, always committed to learning and gaining new perspectives.

The way I see it, marketing, and communications, although separate, come from the same place. These disciplines are driven by sharing knowledge and information with those who need it. But it doesn’t stop there; you must choose the right place and the right message to reach the audience. The CM program was an exciting opportunity to enhance my skills, adopt new perspectives and learn from leaders alongside peers from different industries. It was a unique experience that I was excited to explore.

Setting the Standards for Marketing in Canada

Other countries such as the United States and the United Kingdom already have accreditation programs for best practices in marketing. The CM program is the first of its kind in Canada. It intends to set a national benchmark for marketing excellence in ethics, behaviour, and quality for Canadian marketing professionals. While in the CM program, I found learning from peers who brought different professional backgrounds to the table the most interesting. Since we worked in other industries, I was surprised to discover our similarities.

Connecting Canada One Marketer at a Time

The CM program is delivered virtually, connecting participants in a digital learning environment. The curriculum includes reading material, video content, challenging assignments, and live presentations with instructors posting weekly updates. The coursework for each semester is broken down by week, with reading and submission assignments due regularly. Except for the final Summit course, most projects are individual, encouraging participation on discussion boards. At the same time, learners post comments and questions and begin building relationships.

Thinking Differently

Our increasingly virtual world has presented a shift in the way Communicators reach people and has given us both challenges and opportunities. People are experiencing virtual fatigue, and consumers demand more transparent content tailored to their unique needs while privacy concerns continue to grow. The opportunity lies in our ability to think differently and identify how to reach our audiences with the information they need and address those concerns. Data can provide insights, but the only way to honestly know if a message will resonate with the audience is to try it. Sometimes we succeed, sometimes we fail, but if we listen, learn, and continue to evaluate our approach, we will evolve.

Developing Innovative Skills and New Perspectives

Although I don’t work directly in the marketing space, the knowledge I’ve gained from the CM program enables me to be a better partner to my marketing colleagues. I can provide new perspectives and insights and support our collective efforts to drive the business. The CM program offers you more than learning and expanding your practical marketing knowledge and skills. For example, there is a strong emphasis on the importance of ethics in marketing, which is a crucial skill in marketing and any other industry.

Are you Up to the Chartered Marketer Challenge?

The CM program is challenging. To succeed, you must be dedicated and open to learning new perspectives and working with learners from different industries across the country. If you have a full-time job, get creative and complete your assignments, required reading and other coursework on time. Organizing projects and managing your time efficiently is the key to unlocking valuable content and knowledge and building relationships, which you will benefit from in the long run.

The most valuable takeaway for me has been the professional relationships I’ve gained along the way. My CM colleagues and I have shared so much knowledge and advice leaned on one another in so many ways. It was an experience for which I am very grateful.

 

Amy Snow
Communications Manager
Novo Nordisk

 

 

 

Tags: CM Graduates