Free Google Ads for Local Businesses till September 2020
I’m pretty sure you’ve heard the term ‘Google Maps‘. I mean, you probably use it every day. From now, till September 2020, small and medium size businesses like restaurants, cafes, bookstores etc. will now be highlighted on Google Maps as a new square-shaped pins. This feature is part of Google’s Smart campaigns, targeted at helping SMEs and SMBs succeed in an increasingly digital market as COVID-19 has resulted to the closure of physical storefronts. New features also added to the Google Search Shopping tab include visibility of product availability, curbside pickup options. The Google Smart campaigns are now available in 150 countries. The feature is out there for free of charge to Smart campaign users until 2020. Promoted pins were initially revealed by Google as a part of its ongoing roll-out of latest advertising and marketing products—announcements that the corporate would have made in previous years at its annual Google Marketing Live, but which it’s this year revealing gradually over the course of several weeks. Recently, Google Canada committed $1 million to expand Digital Main Street’s ShopHERE program, an investment aimed toward supporting 50,000 Canadian businesses and artists as they build a stronger digital presence within the youth of the coronavirus lockdown.
Top Digital Marketing Careers in 2020
It doesn’t matter whether you’re in supervisory marketing role, or you just got out of university, or you’re looking at being a part of the digital marketing sector, there are endless career possibilities, which means that making a concrete decision on which area of digital marketing you’d like to focus on can be quite challenging. When choosing any job or position, it is critical to weigh all possibilities – the advantages, the disadvantages, the benefits, and the availability of the position. Nonetheless, specialist in digital marketing are so much in luck! Why? Because there is currently a high demand for experienced digital marketers. The truth is, digital marketing is highly lucrative, with the constant need for skilled professionals raising wages and the evidence of top-notch digital marketing strategies that have been generating massive profits for organizations and small business owners. Characteristics of a Successful Digital Marketer Indeed, a lot of people believe that marketing professionals are very creative. There are quite a number of traits that make digital marketers successful in their various roles. Some of the most critical characteristics that any digital marketer must possess are: Entrepreneurial mindset: One important skills of a digital marketing is having the ability of taking charge of your own future.As many careers are involved in adapting to a digital landscape, digital marketers keep teaching themselves the necessary expertise to create outstanding digital marketing strategies whenever an issue occurs. Dependability: Digital marketers are often tasked with hitting social media goals or creating successful digital marketing strategy. They must be able to deliver.If you’re the type of person that loves working towards achieving set goals and getting your work done in a timely manner, then a career in digital marketing is probably for you. Flexibility: Everything in digital marketing moves at an immeasurable speed and change is the only constant thing you can bank on.In order to have the best career in digital marketing, you need to be receptive to change and enjoy the unpredictable nature of the industry. Problem solving: As digital experts, you are at the front line of advancement. There will be times when you are faced with challenges that haven’t been solved before.You need to be someone who plans and sets realistic goals, but also have the expertise and mindset to adjust to whatever comes your way.Have it at the back of your mind that you should always be focused on how to improve and do things more effectively. Creativity: Digital marketers usually have a strong background in creating designs and copy writing.A very important part of digital marketing is creativity and innovation, and both are equally important as any other quality.Keeping up with your competition is good, but coming up with something way better and different with each and every project is better. Digital Marketing Careers As stated above, digital marketing is in high demand for organizations and brands. Digital marketers who choose to specialize in any area of interest are more likely to embark on a career path that is quite meaningful to them. The following roles are some of the top digital marketing careers for digital marketing professionals looking to specialize in 2020 and beyond: User Experience Designer: User experience designers (UX designers) oversee the creation of fantastic use experiences of products online and services that are digital. As the engagement of users online is increasing, users are prone to staying longer on website or apps.User experience designer must create experiences that keeps the users glued. From the design interface of web pages, to how customers interact with support. UX designers are an integral part of any digital marketing strategy The average salary earned by a user experience designer in the Canada is C$62,511. SEO Specialists: An SEO specialist has the expertise in search engine optimization.SEO specialists work to create implementable strategies that move websites on top of Google’s search engine result.This eventually increases the number of leads to the website. An SEO specialist must always think of technical and strategic ways of solving complex web issues. The average salary earned by a SEO Specialist in the Canada is C$48,847. Content Creator: Talking about digital marketing careers, content creators are able to use creative elements to come up with outstanding contents.Content is the most valuable asset of any marketing strategy, and content strategists create the processes for how content will reach customers and when. The average salary earned by a content creators in the Canada is C$40,483.
Brand Communications Strategist, Sophie Mokah, Talks About the Impact of Social Media in Canadas Fashion Industry
We recently caught up with the super smart Sophie Mokah, Brand Communications and Fashion Enthusiast. She is the Chief Creative Officer of Pinq Communications a Brand Communications and Creative Agency. She is a fashion connoisseur and a lover of all things creative. A Christian, a wife and a mom of two children. She is currently living with intention and navigating being a business owner and motherhood all at once. TFA: Please tell us a little bit about yourself SM: My name is Sophie Mokah, I am a Brand Communications Expert and a Fashionista. In 2019 I founded Pinq Communications a Brand Communications and Creative Agency. My agency has different sides to it, it touches every creative part of Marketing – Ibrand.ca. I have always loved creative arts as a little girl, I grew up with fashion, arts and music. My mom has always been my biggest fashion inspiration. She ran her own fashion and creative agency too, and that inspired me a lot. Three years ago, I stumbled on digital marketing while working as a Creative Director for a Fashion Company. I immediately fit into it, it was like I found the missing piece of the puzzle, and it was easier to merge both knowledge and experience to create masterpieces for my clients. One of my goals in life is to change lives and transform brands using people focused strategies that genuinely help people and solve everyday problems. This would make me happy. I am a happily married mom of two gorgeous children. I am family oriented but also an advocate for self-care – I mean you have to be mentally strong to care for your family. So a little me time is highly recommended. TFA: How do you describe your personal style? Who would you say are your inspirations? SM: I am an all fashion, trendy and chic kind of girl. My fashion is a mix of variety ranging from casual to semi-formal, formal, old school, luxurious, girly, sporty and clean- cut professional. I can wear it all, it all depends on the event, place and time. I love to accessorize a lot to compliment my outfits, I use belts, scarves, hats and jewelries. Most times I seem a bit over dressed at functions but I also love being conspicuous so I do not mind the attention Lol. My mom is my biggest fashion inspiration. Everything I know now about fashion, I learnt from her. I watched her dress up, we played dress up, I watched her design things and I just fell in love. I currently do not have any other fashion inspiration but I pick a little from everyone. I love to watch runway shows, because that tells you the latest trends and what to look out for the coming year. TFA: How is the fashion industry in Canada? Does social media and tech have a huge impact in the industry? SM: Before I moved to Canada, a friend that grew up here told me that once I get to Canada my fashion sense would evaporate Lol. It was funny at that time and I didn’t believe her, but now I see the reasons why. First of all, Canada is 100% different from Nigeria where I grew up. It is one of the coldest countries in the world. Sometimes fashion literally goes out the window when you are only thinking about staying warm, layering up and not getting the flu. It is hard to keep up with fashion here, but doing it with intention is the only way to keep up. When I first moved here, I started researching Canadian fashion. I found out that three provinces Toronto, Montreal and Vancouver are like the fashion hubs of Canada. So I figured I just moved to a non-fashion hub. I started attending fashion shows (there are like two fashion shows in Calgary where I live) to have a feel of what fashion looks like here and it sort of informed my own creativity. I would say the fashion industry is improving in Canada. Social media and tech has really upped the fashion game in Canada. Social media is merging the fashion world and designers are springing up in Canada every day. The Canadian Arts and Fashion Awards is a huge impact on the industry. It is putting Canadian fashion on the map and it has nurtured the love for fashion in more young people. Retailing aspect is still a bit dicey, because shopping for fashion is really expensive in Canada, so brands find it hard to make profit. I figured it has to do with taxing goods being imported into Canada (a little bit high), but yeah once that is sorted, fashion will make a huge impact to the Canadian economy. TFA: What are your favorite social media apps for lifestyle and fashion contents? SM: Instagram and Pinterest are two of my favorite social media apps when it comes to fashion and lifestyle content. They both cover every bit of fashion and lifestyle content either in motion or still pictures. These two social media platforms have been evolving and changing with the times. You can literally search for anything on Instagram and it gives you a sort of direct connection to your favorite brands. They carry you on a journey from sketching to actual finished designs which we didn’t have years back. I also like this new app called Like to Know It – it is a fashion app that links Instagram photos to an app that links the shopping website so you can directly shop any outfit in real time. TFA: What would be the notable trend for fashion in 2020? SM: Old school is coming back with a bang. I know we saw a little bit of old school in 2019 but it is coming in with a bang this year. I mean just look back at the last fashion shows in 2019, you sort of have an idea where the trend is heading. We
Canadian Ecologist, John Lieber, talks about sustainability and environmental change.
We had the opportunity and pleasure to interview the highly knowledgeable and delightful John Lieber. In addition to being an ecologist and urban planner, John is a LEED AP (BD+C) and ISA Certified Arborist. He has participated in wide range of environmental planning project across all sectors. He is currently working with the City of Toronto but also consults. TFA: Please tell us a little bit about yourself? JL: I’m an ecologist, urban planner, and sustainability advocate. I work with the City of Toronto but also consult with my firm Jungle Capital. TFA: What inspired you to become an ecologist? JL: The source of so much heartache in the world comes from the mismanagement of natural resources. I want to reduce that heartache and change the narrative of human beings from a destroyer of nature to a creator of it. TFA: What do you think a person can do to help the environment? JL: Fill every space they command with plants. Vote for environmental leaders. Donate to non profits. Be optimistic. TFA: What are some of the environmental projects you have taken up? JL: I have wrote Op-Ed’s such as my piece “Urban Ecology: A Bright Future for Sustainable Cities” in Revelator News, participated in high profile urban planning projects such as Toronto’s Parkland Strategy, and was invited to the United Nations Climate Action Summit by the Secretary General for my Natural Based Solution contribution titled “Ecology Positive Cities Framework” which incentivizes plants on and within buildings. TFA: In one statement, what message do you have to the coming generation? “Do what you can where you can. Care for life and create new life. Sacrifice consumption for discipline. Dream bigger. Out work those with bad intentions. Embrace positivity and self love. Learn how things around you operate. Get rich, Get powerful and then change what needs to be changed” – jOHn lieber Connect with John: Twitter: @jungle_capital LinkedIn: John Lieber Facebook Group: Environmental Professionals Instagram: @jungle_capital Podcast: Jungle Capital YouTube: Jungle Capital Tik Toc: Jungle_Capital
