What legacy will you leave behind? For Kevin Connolly, CM, National Manager of Marketing & Digital Business at Graybar Canada, it’s being an impactful leader who helped young talent prove themselves. His international experiences, both through sport and シアリス academics, shaped his people-first approach, and he draws inspiration from Maya Angelou, who said, “People will never forget how you made them feel.”

The Value We Bring

The CM program and designation provide marketers at all levels, with diverse experiences and backgrounds, with a universal, nationally recognized standard for our profession. The CM designation helps build a community, a broader understanding, and a higher level of professional accreditation for both those inside and outside the marketing world. The marketing space, its influence, and importance are still debated and often overlooked in the business world. Programs like the CM program and the CMA help to increase awareness and recognition of what marketers do and the value we bring.

Life-Changing Experiences

I’ve always enjoyed history, storytelling, people-watching, consumer behaviour and non prescription sildenafil understanding how people get where they are in those moments. Before moving to a new province for university, I was fortunate to travel domestically and internationally through sport and academics. These were life-changing experiences, and I thoroughly enjoyed seeing and being a part of new cultures, different perspectives, and adaptations within society. These moments set me on the path of marketing/communications, and some fantastic professors validated those interests and the career path.

Make-or-Break

I wish I had known earlier the importance of developing networking skills, knowing when/how to ask more profound questions, and identifying the right people to learn from. Lifelong learning is essential —and fun — if you embrace the fact that there is always more to discover. Self-driven learning is more important early on as you’re always fighting for marketing’s place, regardless of industry or organization. As budgets require spending, they are often the first to go, meaning the importance of measuring, presenting, and reporting on value-added or revenue-generating activities skyrocket—networking, communication, and next steps can be make-or-break.

Punching Above Your Weight

As boring as it may sound, reading industry newsletters, attending webinars and conferences, and being a part of organizations like the CMA are all great ways to stay informed and current in the profession. There are a lot of great creators and educators who fly under the radar and acheter cialis en hollande sans ordonnance punch well above their weight.

High Standard

There is always an expectation to be innovative and find solutions with the bare minimum. Marketing can be the critical element of any business. Still, it can also be thought of as “social media,” so investment can be limited without altering expectations. There is an immense amount of research, understanding, and strategy to effective, sustainable marketing plans, but the knowledge gap of what goes into that work can create challenging situations. While doing a good job and maintaining it may be the expectation in other departments, the standard for marketing is much higher.

Pay-to-Play

The profession feels much larger. Social media has changed so much, it means content is always needed, and we are all expected to be able to create it on the fly and at a whim. We’ve all been the jack-of-all-trades marketer at one time or another, but that weight has grown over the years. Just being present is no longer enough with the shift to pay-to-play across so many of today’s platforms.

Breaking In

Breaking into marketing can be very difficult, especially depending on the economic situation at the time. Marketing can be easy to forget or push aside, making the job market challenging to navigate. Finding good mentors, working in different industries, and getting involved in the marketing community are all great ways to overcome these challenges.

Having an Impact

I do not consider any singular moment career defining. The most rewarding part of my career is allowing young and ambitious talent the opportunity to prove themselves. The coaching and mentoring element is so important to me as both a mentor and mentee, and seeing people grow, gain confidence, and find their wings is unbeatable. If I could leave a legacy in my professional career, it would be that I was an impactful leader who helped inspire and springboard people to become the best versions of themselves.

Connections, Events, and Memories

I am most excited about the continual shift back to in-person connections, events, and memories. Nostalgia has become a bestseller, and people are longing for those memorable, connected experiences. This means exciting event shifts, and better opportunities to be impactful. As Maya Angelou said, “People will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.”

Teamwork

Keep learning and plan never to stop. If you genuinely enjoy the theory, the application can be that much more fun. Find an opportunity to test your ideas, experience trial & error, and make it fun whenever you can. Your brilliance can be in surrounding yourself with complementary skill sets and knowledge – teamwork makes the dream work.

 

Becoming a Chartered Marketer boosts your credibility and ensures you stay competitive in this evolving field. Download the CM Brochure to learn more about the pathways to becoming a Chartered Marketer program today and take a significant step in your marketing career.