Job seekers: 7 tips for getting noticed

With Bader Rutter’s recent appearance in the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel about the growing need for digital savvy workers, you might be wondering how you — a job-seeker — can make yourself more visible in this growing field. Since I’m a BR recruiter, I’d like to share my tips for getting noticed in the right ways.

1. Remember that thing called networking?
Yes, I know it gets old hearing about it, but it’s true. Since Jan. 1 of this year, more than 50 percent of our new hires have been employee referrals. It’s time to reconnect with people via LinkedIn, Twitter and even Facebook. You just never know whose friend, sister or brother can make the connection.

2. Google yourself
Make sure potential employers are seeing you in a positive light. After all, not everyone is as fortunate as Brangelina to have a publicity team, so make sure your brand makes the right statement about you.

 3. Show off your work (for free!)
Review your Linkedin profile and make sure it has the most up-to-date information. Whether in digital or creative, there is no better way to promote your brand (for free) than by attaching your portfolio or SlideShare account to your public LinkedIn profile. Recruiters not only look for experience but also what you are capable of doing on the job. Showcasing your work can be the extra piece of the puzzle that gets you in the door.

4. Don’t hesitate to make a good first impression
When inquiring about positions, it may feel uncomfortable reaching out to someone you don’t know via email or LinkedIn, but this kind of outreach can really pay off. Just remember, this is your first impression, and it counts, regardless of what the attached resume reflects. Craft your email as carefully as you’d write a cover letter. This email should include a high-level overview of your experience and express your personality. Give the recruiter a sense of who you are. Plus, don’t forget about the subject line. Be concise but creative. You want to get attention.

5. Do your research
Here at Bader Rutter, we have a very small recruitment team; don’t hesitate to pull up Google and find out who we are. “Dear Sir or Madam” just doesn’t cut it anymore with the vast amount of information at your fingertips.

6. Share your personal brand
If your outreach does lead to an interview, be prepared to talk about your personal brand. In the social-media-obsessed world we live in, your personal brand is everywhere. The strategy you have for building awareness about your personal brand says a lot about what you likely understand about building awareness for our clients’ brands.

7. Look the part
Dress to impress. Even if you’re interviewing at an agency where jeans are acceptable work attire, you want to dress professionally for your interview. No one says you have to wear a three-piece suit, but putting on the right outfit will prove that you’re serious about the position and the work that you do. 

These are a few suggestions for getting noticed, especially in an area of marketing that’s rapidly growing and changing. Refresh your presence and see where it takes you. Good luck!

Staying in The Loop

A mere 90 minutes separates Milwaukee and the Windy City, so it’s not surprising that our associates and other business commuters often find themselves traveling the I-94 corridor. Whether your destination is our Chicago service office or some other Windy City haunt, I’ve gathered some handy apps and websites to ensure you jump right into the swing of things during your next visit.

In today’s culture, the meaning of “social life” extends far beyond personal interaction and into the world of mobile and social media. Twitter, location-based applications such as foursquare and other mobile applications are the easiest way for visitors to stay up-to-date on the latest happenings around the city.

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Digital-savvy workers are in demand

If you visited JSOnline this weekend or flipped through the Sunday Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, you may have noticed the article “Digital-savvy workers are in demand,” which features commentary from our associates, such as John Komp, a new digital producer; Megan Rouleau, our recruitment director; and Greg Nickerson, our CEO. We’re so thrilled to have been given the opportunity to participate and offer our insight about the need for employees with digital experience.

If you’ve read through our career opportunities recently, you’d agree — Bader Rutter is looking for employees who have a digital understanding and can contribute to conversations about new media. And in the Journal Sentinel article, John sums up the reason why: “Digital is just becoming so pervasive across all communication channels.”

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Digital Roundup: Location-based marketing

Since it can be very difficult to keep up on the latest apps, tools and tech news, we’ve put together a Digital Roundup that highlights some noteworthy tidbits from the digital world. This time, let’s take a look at the location-based marketing trend.

Sites like Foursquare and Scvngr have gained industry buzz in recent years, and you can bet these types of location-based marketing tools will continue to gain momentum. In fact, marketers truly believe these tools can provide numerous benefits, but we have to be patient as consumers adapt to geo-fencing technologies.

But wait … what is geo-fencing? It’s a technology that allows users to opt in to receive various marketing messages, from sales information and coupons to branded messaging. But what’s unique about this technology is that a store has a radius or “fence” around it, and as soon as the user enters that zone (which is determined using the phone’s GPS), he or she receives the message. This is an effective way to market to consumers because the service is quiet until the message is truly meaningful.

ShopAlerts

With already more than a million users, ShopAlerts utilizes geo-fencing to target consumers with branded text messages. Why has this service been so successful? These users who have chosen to opt in are receptive and very likely to take action.

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Resurrecting and reimagining: The "Hilltop" Coke ad 40 years later

In the marketing communications world, we are always pushing for the new idea, latest concept and that fresh look. But there are times when we need to look at what has been successful in the past and “re-imagine” the wheel to garner strong consumer branding power. 

The “I’d like to buy the world a Coke” ad created four decades ago turned into a full-length song and quickly became a No. 1 hit single. Last year, I wrote about the 40th anniversary of the ad, noting the power of audio in advertising. The song was a brilliant marketing hug to the world and increased Coke’s presence among consumers.

And it’s back.

But this time, the ad has been spun with a modern audience in mind, using interactive digital technology in a new venue that could set the precedent for marketing campaigns in the next several years. With Google’s “Project Re: Brief,” the re-imagined ad enables a new generation of Coke-lovers to actually “buy the world a Coke” from their computer or phone.

At kiosks placed around the globe, users can select a location for delivery, attach a personal video or text message, and then watch as the Coke is “delivered” to a friend or stranger via a specially-designed vending machine on the other side of the world. The

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SXSW Interactive 2012 reevaluates business as usual

Change is inevitable, and nowhere is that more evident than in Austin, Texas, every March during the South by Southwest (SXSW) festival. Born a music festival with 700 registrants in 1987, then branching out in 1994 with the addition of film and interactive tracks, SXSW (“South-by” to locals and show vets) has established itself as the preeminent launching pad for what’s new, different and loaded with potential for real impact on our culture.

What truly stood out at this year’s SXSW Interactive is the importance to embrace and experiment with the latest and greatest. Be it a new mobile application, a startup social media platform or a fundamental shift in how we plan our marketing efforts, proactively evaluating how these tools and theories impact business puts us in a position to lead. Because once they take off and hit critical mass, it’s a giant game of catch-up. And in an era when marketing and communications moves at an unprecedented speed, it’s more important than ever to think forward and be on the front lines of what’s happening now.

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Your SXSW Interactive halftime report

Bader Rutter is at SXSW Interactive 2012, and we’ve managed to best the rain and channel our inner Shawshank Redemption to attend three days of sessions. With two days left and the sun finally deciding to show up yesterday afternoon, here’s a halftime report with business takeaways from some standout sessions:

Attending the session “The Visual Interface is Now Your Brand”Agile Marketing
SXSW seems to be the birthplace of buzzwords, and agile marketing is the talk of marketers as the industry continues to think through ways to plan and reach audiences in the same way they consume content — in real time. The sold-out Marketing’s Shift from Waterfall to Agile focused on the premise that “marketing’s traditionally slow, phased, methodical approach to researching and reaching consumers doesn’t work anymore.” While an A-list panel of marketers representing big B2C brands all admitted they’re still figuring it out, one takeaway for any marketer to consider stood out:   

• Leave air in your plans and budgets: Shiv Singh from PepsiCo hit the room’s a-ha moment when he pointed out that while consumers digest content in real time, the marketers that communicate the content often have to plan on three to 12 months in advance. He highlighted that disconnect by pointing at SXSW Interactive itself, where session and speaker applications for one of the most real-time events in the world are due 11 months in advance of next year’s show. During the Q and A, I asked the panel how marketers go about “planning on not planning” and committing to a budget with a malleable idea behind it. Jascha Kaykas-Wolff, CMO at Mindjet,

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Follow Bader Rutter for the latest from SXSW Interactive

The SXSW Interactive festival, an “incubator of cutting-edge technologies,” kicks off this afternoon. Yours truly will act as Bader Rutter’s embedded reporter, mining through the overwhelming amount of sessions and keynotes to relay key business takeaways and offer some marketing food for thought.

Starting this afternoon, follow @Bader_Rutter and @RickStoner for the latest from SXSW Interactive as I’ll be live-tweeting all weekend and through the festival’s wrapup on Tuesday. Also be on the lookout for blog posts on Converge, including a halftime report come Monday and a post-show recap. 

From emerging technologies to the latest in mobile, digital and social marketing trends, SXSW Interactive has developed a reputation for being the place to launch the digital marketing industry’s next big thing. Back in 2007, a small microblogging tool called Twitter had quite a show. So who knows what we’re in store for this year? Wednesday’s new iPad release already has nerds such as myself eager to get to Austin and get a sneak

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Deal: Google trades search results for your privacy

Digitally speaking, we love the convenience of all-in-one, such as email, calendar, social, photo, video and now screen sharing. After all, these already exist separately. Google has aligned these offerings with its mission to become a part of our everyday lives.

What has individuals creeped out is the privacy issue, even though the integration and custom search results are a potential advantage.

Google’s updated privacy policy states, “Our new Privacy Policy makes clear that, if you’re signed in, we may combine information you’ve provided from one service with information from other services. In short, we’ll treat you as a single user across all our products.”

These privacy changes have social networks like Twitter freaking out. Why?

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B2B losing the laggard label in digital marketing — leads use of Twitter

Rally all you B2B marketers around this nice infographic from the 2011 Webmarketing123 State of Digital Marketing Survey because it’s a great peek into the changing worlds of B2B and B2C. Notably, this is the second data set I’ve seen in the last week where B2B can be classified as in the lead for some digital marketing segments.

SEO is King
It’s interesting that arguably one of the oldest and most mature segments of digital marketing — SEO — is cited as the one that both B2B and B2C marketers agree has the biggest impact on

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Marcom A to Z ─ W for Work

I read Steve Jobs’ obituary this morning. The world should feel a little smaller today ─ less innovative ─ without him. And yet the legacy he built throughout his career, and his life, fills any void that might exist.

The article chronicled his life by milestones, work setbacks, and accomplishments. It got me thinking: We spend a quarter of our life (often more) working. Doing what? A task? Checking a mandatory box defined by someone else? Hopefully not. That’s the prerequisite only if

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So, what are your QR codes doing tonight?

In the past year, in large part due to its simplicity, low cost of implementation, and shiny-new-thing factor, QR codes have appeared everywhere. In marketing, we can use QR codes to our advantage in that critical blink of an eye we call conversion.

It seems everyone has been slapping QR codes on packaging, signage and collateral – even taking over entire buildings. But have they been effective? It depends.

Demystifying the QR code
QR codes actually date back to 1994, when they were developed by a Toyota subsidiary. They’re nothing more than one of the next generation bar code formats, with the ability to store more information. Their purpose is to simplify a request or transaction.

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Our 15 favorite iPad apps

Apps are a hot topic around Bader Rutter lately. We’re seeing more and more clients integrating mobile applications into their marketing mix and our tech-savvy associates are always discovering the newest devices and apps that enhance their personal and professional lives.

In fact, we have developed something of a digital lending library where associates can check out iPads and see for themselves what tablets have to offer.

With all this digital prowess, we took the chance to ask some of our associates what their favorite apps for the iPad were and why they would recommend them. Here is a list of the most recommended:

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Google+ Circles: Thoughts on fragmentation and social sharing

Google says G+ Circles equals privacy, and that privacy leads to an enhanced social experience. But does it?

Most people have many interests in their lives. Interests that have something to do with a career, or interests that many prefer to keep separate from work. Is who we are at work different from who we are at home? Maybe. Maybe not. It likely comes down to your own personality and how you prefer to reach out to people.

Entities like Facebook and Twitter make it difficult for one to selectively share within our networks. So if we decide to share something, it goes to all our “friends.” But what if your friends include your boss, your clients, your 79-year-old Aunt, your ex, your kid, your spouse, distant friends, your actual friends that you truly consider a friend and your neighbors?

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Engaging target audiences is good, connecting is better

Like a model train, creating connections is key in relationship-building with target audiences.
Train by Kato USA/Photo copyright 2011 Model Retailer “Engagement” is one of the biggest buzzwords in marketing communications today. Simply put, there are more and greater opportunities than ever before to exchange information with target audiences.

But while I agree that engaging target audiences in discussion is crucial to learning about their needs and heading off problems, I also think it’s just the beginning. There is an extra step that can further separate a business and a brand from the competition.

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