What are you thankful for?
I’ve come to realize that so much of what I’m most grateful for has a thread connecting it:
I’m most grateful for second chances.
It’s so overwhelming when thinking about it, especially while preparing for another Thanksgiving week.
There’s a very simple formula for gratitude:
Second chances + appreciation = gratitude.
These second chances can materialize in all kinds of ways.
In January, my mom tested positive for Covid, but the first dose of the vaccine likely saved her, contributing to a mild case with no ‘long Covid’ after-effects. Despite all the lives lost, the quick development and rollout of the vaccines is one of the greatest scientific miracles any generation alive today has witnessed.
It doesn’t take a modern miracle to inspire gratitude though.
In March 2020, I was working with a company targeting brick-and-mortar retailers and had landed a contract with an event organizer; these were the kinds of businesses that were hit hard with the pandemic, so my business was affected in turn.
In 2021, I’ve spent most of the year working with the stellar team at WITHIN (see last week’s edition for more on that), and beyond enjoying the work that I do and the people I get to collaborate with, I appreciate the work even more given how last year went. You don’t take second chances at meaningful work for granted. You learn survival skills that you’ll never forget.
This year was a rebuilding year for personal relationships too. Winding up in a different family structure this Thanksgiving than I was in last year, it was a year of learning how to adapt. I came to appreciate the meaning of the word “partners” even when the partners aren’t living under the same roof.
That also meant recognizing what it means to fear failure, but that’s only because we’re culturally attuned to prioritizing consistency over change. When consistency is synonymous with complacency, that fear prevents opportunities for everyone involved to grow.
Such a rebuilding year requires relearning how to forge new relationships, all while taking time to better understand others and better understand yourself. There are opportunities to not make the mistakes you might have made in the past. Few forms of gratitude are more salient than the gratitude gained from overcoming fear, and few fears are harder to overcome than the fear of failure.
One of the downsides of being an experiential learner is that I feel like I’ve made all the mistakes – personal, professional, and every other kind. I’ve fallen so many times that I’ve wondered how I offended gravity so much. Is gravity determined to teach me a lesson?
The biggest mistakes that I’ve been able to avoid were those that I witnessed others make. I could course-correct. While I could have done without witnessing some of those – or being on the receiving end of a few that stand out – I’m grateful to have those mishaps as the teachers that gave me a shot at bettering myself and being a better person for those around me.
I’m a marketer writing for marketers, so I couldn’t help thinking about the tie-in to the profession, and a revelation struck me.
Marketing is the science of second chances.
We’re like Major League baseball players, but far worse. The best pro hitters in the world miss the ball most of the time. Marketers, by comparison, rarely even see the ball coming. We’d kill for a .275 batting average when we’re rocking a 0.8% click-through rate.
Even with the best plans, most of it won’t work. Most journalists won’t respond to our pitches. Most event attendees who bother to show up won’t care about what we do. Most people won’t open this very email – or any other, and very few will click anything in it.
I’d love to say prove me wrong by having you respond to this email with a simple “Hi,” but I already know that most of you who opened it and got this far won’t. I could get you a seat between Elon Musk and Taylor Swift on a trip to a space station, and most of you will be skimming over this while you wonder if this season of “Succession” is any good.
All marketers need to learn humility early and often. I may not love most of Musk’s tactics or tweets, but I would not call a Tesla or anything else a product that markets itself.
We’re so used to striking out that we need to spend more time appreciating the moments when what we’re doing works.
We can all benefit from gratitude.
This past weekend, I got to see Dave Matthews Band wrap their tour at Madison Square Garden. It was a packed house indoors with proof of vaccination and ID required; I know attending something like that does not suit everyone’s comfort level right now.
As the band jammed on into the night, I kept getting lost in the music and looking around.
I saw the nation’s largest city, a city that I stayed put in nearly every single day since March of last year, get a second chance at bringing people together.
When Dave Matthews thanked members of his crew, often by name, it sounded even more poignant given that the roadies could have lost their whole livelihood. The beer and t-shirt sellers, the Garden’s cleanup crew, the security staff – they all got second chances.
Being surrounded by 20,000 strangers while standing next to someone who brought so much levity and brightness to the evening, I was grateful that we all got the chance to be there that night. I looked around me and felt humbled. As I left the event, I told my friend who brought me, “I don’t ever want to forget the overwhelming feeling of gratitude I felt tonight.”
That’s not how I normally remember concerts feeling, but my first concert in years and my first event in years back at Madison Square Garden – a 10-minute walk from my home – felt anything but ordinary.
We’re here. We’re present. We get another crack at Thanksgiving.
We get a chance to remember thanksgiving is an activity we can choose to engage in.
The only American holiday name that’s a gerund is so powerful a reminder that it carries the weight of a commandment. Even if it could be so ordained, how we engage in thanksgiving is one of the most personal choices we can make.
First chances are harder to appreciate. I envy those who can get things right the first time. Most of us can’t most of the time, and when it happens, there usually isn’t as much we can learn from it.
There’s so much I wish I didn’t have to learn the past 600 or so days, but I’ll be damned if I won’t do something with that knowledge.
The first thing I’ll do with it is simple, but profound:
I’ll be grateful for it.
Happiest of Thanksgivings ahead to you, your families, and your friends. Even for those who may be on other shores, may you join us in raising a glass or a drumstick or green bean and sharing in our gratitude.
With my deepest thanks to you and appreciation for the second chances you’ve given me and my writing,
David
PS: Speaking of gratitude, I learned as I was publishing this about the passing of an industry icon, John Durham. I checked my contact file to see if I recorded where I met him. After a note about how he moderated my iMedia panel in 2016, I had added these words: “Class act, nice guy, and a very big deal.” He was way more than that to so many of us, and I look forward to hearing more of his Durhamisms as his friends celebrate his life.
Even those of us who barely knew John can be grateful for his wisdom, kindness, and generosity. My friend who I went to the concert with was talking about how everyone is special, but some have that extra spark, and those remarks keep echoing in my head as I see the tributes to John pour in.
|
- Social tokens promise fans a piece of the action by Tomio Geron
- Ways Non-Endemic Brands Can Succeed With The Game Viewing Audience by Lidia Vijga
- Tips and Tricks: 6 Ways to Advertise on TikTok by Bailey Hopp
- Toys ‘R’ Us debuts NFT collection by Adrianne Pasquarelli
- Content strategy guide by Michelle Hsu
——————————
HOW TO SHARE
——————————
Thanks to Mat Zucker, Nancy Harhut, E.B. Moss, Praveen Mishra, Amy Gittelman, Matthew Silverman, Jeremy Woolf, and Jason Gardner for spreading the word about the newsletter recently.
Share it with five others who subscribe and receive 10 $CMO coins, along with other rewards. Even one referral will net you a coin (try it out).
Here’s your own personalized link, with more referral rewards for sharing the newsletter. Visit https://referralhub.
Share via: Email | Twitter | Facebook | LinkedIn——————————
EVENTS
——————————
Please submit any events you’re hosting to our calendar at https://serialmarketers.net/
UPCOMING SERIAL MARKETERS EVENTS
- 11/17: Serial Marketers Salons: Member Mixer, 5pm
- 11/30: YieldStreet CMO Wittney Rachlin joins Serial Marketers Salons, 12:30pm
- 12/1: First Wednesday in-person NYC, Mason Jar on E 30th (vax proof required), 5-7pm
- 12/15: Serial Marketers Holiday Spectacular (virtual), 5pm
ASCENT SAAS: SPOTLIGHT ON STARTUPS
November 17
“Ascent’s Spotlight on Startups event will convene ~150 founders and C-level executives of seed round and Series A startups, as well as 100 investors. This event will also be invite-only with the content and agenda aligned to address the unique challenges faced by startups.”
Register
MASTERING GA4 LIVE COURSE
November 17, 12pm
“Universal Analytics hasn’t sunsetted yet, but if you aren’t using Google Analytics 4, you’re missing out on critical data collection as well as great new features. In our Google Analytics 4 course, we will teach you how to properly configure your GA4 property, set up powerful customizations, and explore its new reporting capabilities. You’ll complete the course with your own GA4 property complete with events, conversions and custom reporting Explorations tailored to your business goals and needs.”
Register
WIN BACK MORE ABANDONED CARTS
November 18, 1pm
Via Randy Levy in the community:
“This one is for the eCommerce Serial Marketers and those who wish to improve upon their abandoned cart:
– Strategies that go above and beyond your average abandoned cart email
– Ways to optimize your abandoned cart content with personalization and animations”
Register
FIRST WEDNESDAY IN-PERSON NYC
December 1, 5-7pm
“We will now meet at Mason Jar on E 30th. It’s an indoor event in NYC, so vax proof required. See you there!
RSVP
AD AGE NEXT: CMO
December 1-2
“Even as businesses try to get back to normal more than a year into the pandemic, there is still nothing normal about marketing in the current environment. In December, Ad Age delves into how CMOs continue to deal with interrupted marketing calendars as well as the industry’s response to broader topics such as privacy concerns, navigating the CMO-CEO relationship and building the marketing workforce of the future.”
Register
THE ANATOMY OF A WINNING PROPOSAL
December 3, 12:30pm
“Do you cringe when a prospect says, “Send me a proposal?” Cringe no more! In this presentation, Ilise Benun will teach you how to respond to that question so you don’t waste your time (or theirs) on a proposal that isn’t going anywhere. Plus, if it does make sense to write a proposal, you’ll learn exactly what to include — and what not to include — in a winning proposal that wins you the project.”
Register
SOCIAL TV DECEMBER NYC MEETUP (VIRTUAL)
December 9, 8:30am
“Join us VIRTUALLY for the 102nd installment of the revived SocialTV NYC meetup. December’s special guest will be David Berkowitz. The $5 attendance fee will be donated to the Food Bank for NYC. Their mission is to end hunger by organizing food, information and support for community survival and dignity. Food Bank For New York City has been working to end food poverty in our five boroughs for over 36 years. As the city’s largest hunger-relief organization, we employ a multifaceted approach centered on helping low-income New Yorkers overcome their circumstances and achieve greater independence.”
RSVP
CES 2022
January 5-8
“Tech has never been more important in our lives and CES 2022 will bring the industry back together to experience the next generation of innovation. Over 1600 companies from across the globe – with more being added every day – will showcase the latest in digital health, food tech, automotive tech, NFTs, gaming, smart home, and more.” (Serial Marketers is partnering with Mediaocean as a perk for our members to have a great spot to work and learn. Request lounge access here.)
Register
ASCENT SAAS: SPOTLIGHT ON MARKETING
January 19
“An all-virtual, intimate and exclusive gathering of the nation’s senior marketing leaders in SaaS. 150+ Senior CMOs & VPs of Marketing, 10 sessions, 3 industry keynotes, 3 interactive panels, endless networking…”
Register
VON3 SUMMIT
January 24-26
Via Jeff Pulver
“Historically my VON conferences helped accelerate the global growth of the Voice on the Net and Video on the Net worlds. VON helped usher in a new era in global communications. I envision similar opportunities at VON3. While elements of Web3 have been around for a few years, I believe now is the time to start pushing forward and explore the brave new opportunities available because of Web3.”
Register
——————————
JOBS
——————————
Keep checking out the #jobs channel in Serial Marketers for more. Better yet, subscribe to get updates from our job listing board. Here are some great opportunities shared in these places or sent to me directly.
WITHIN
Marketing Coordinator
Remote
“WITHIN is hiring a Marketing Coordinator to join the Marketing Team. In this role you will directly interface with clients, partners, and executive level team members, and will have the opportunity to take on new challenges and learn how to build a world-class marketing organization. You will constantly see and feel the impact of your work as you help the firm’s marketing team connect with some of the biggest and most exciting brands in the world.”
Apply
JUST GLOBAL
Manager, Marketing Communications
England-based
Via Meagan in the community
“This role is highly complex in nature as it functions across all departments within the agency and a successful candidate must be a dynamic learner with the ability to orchestrate and complete projects across teams and regions. You have high standards for your work. You’re not afraid to ask questions. You’re adept at delivering strategic, creative and effective marketing communications through multiple formats. You are constantly pushing to build and expand relationships, produce creative and effective communications and find ways to offer strategic value to the marketplace that will generate more opportunities for Just Global.”
Apply
COMPSTAK
VP Marketing
NY
Via Yuval in the community
“CompStak envisions a commercial real estate industry in which accurate and transparent data leads to better, faster deals for everyone. We gather critical information that is hard to access, then make it instantly and seamlessly available to our platform members. We are seeking a motivated, experienced and proven marketing leader to join CompStak as the VP, Marketing. In this position you will be responsible for the strategic planning, coordinating, and execution of Marketing efforts while leading the Marketing team.”
Apply
JOHN HARDY
Social Media and Content Manager
NYC (hybrid)
Via Stephane in the community
“The Social Media and Content Manager will be responsible for helping us continue to elevate John Hardy’s marketing programs into a best-in-class digital storytelling platform. The ideal candidate will relentlessly find creative ways to inspire our active and enthusiastic communities: developing our brand voice for social, pitching content ideas, building editorial calendars, cultivating and growing influencer relationships, and actively monitoring/participating in online conversations to build brand visibility, engagement and ultimately drive sales.”
Apply
SENTIENT DECISION SCIENCE
Several roles
Boston or NYC
Via Todd in the community:
“If you or someone you know have an interest in joining a team using the best data-based behavioral science tech in the MRX industry, we are hiring at Sentient Decision Science on our #Advertising #Creative evaluation product team for several roles.”
Apply
SV ACADEMY
Lead Performance Growth Marketer
Remote
“Join our growing Marketing team to launch and optimize top-of-funnel growth experiments that exponentially increase the number of highly motivated and diverse jobseeker communities interested in studying at SV Academy and working in tech. To own growth marketing, you will define, execute and optimize digital marketing campaigns (Facebook, PPC, display) and paid marketing channels (online and offline), form working relationships with external partners to drive awareness, and take many new ideas from 0-1.”
Apply
IMPERFECT FOODS
Social Media Manager
Remote
“Imperfect is seeking a savvy social media professional to engage and grow Imperfect’s community across our organic social media channels. The ideal candidate is someone who is not only passionate about food, sustainability, and Imperfect’s impact on the world but also understands the power of social media and delivering delightful brand experiences across platforms. We have a solid presence (close to 400K followers on IG!) that we’re looking to cultivate and enrich in 2021. As the Social Media Manager, you will fine-tune and manage Imperfect’s social media efforts in order to increase our acquisition and awareness efforts.”
Apply
CODE CLIMATE
Director of Product Marketing
New York
Via Dave Weinberg in the community
“We’re looking for a “customer first” focused leader who’s excited about growing business-critical product lines. In this role, you will develop strategic partnerships with your Sales, Customer Success, Marketing, Product, and Engineering peers, go deep in a problem space or domain, and translate your vision into a comprehensive go-to-market strategy. You will be expected to foster future leaders while building diverse and inclusive teams. This role will be a high-impact leadership position that will collaborate closely and strategically with other leaders across the company.”
Apply
EMPATHY
Social Media Manager
NYC
Via Lia Zneimer in the community
“In this role, you will:
* Own all of our social media channels.
* Plan and manage campaign executions, on time, on budget, to scope
* Create engaging content and maintain the cadence and voice of each of our channels.
* Source content from teams across the company, communicating new ideas and initiatives across channels.
* Lead the development of a wide range of content forms, including video, text, still imagery, animation, live action and other content forms that best utilize the technology available on any given social media/digital platform.”
Apply
PRODUCTIVE FLOURISHING
Marketing Assistant (Technical)
Portland, Oregon or remote
Via Cory Huff in the community
“Productive Flourishing helps people finish their most important projects by publishing some of the best articles, books, and courses on productivity and leadership. We are a Black-, veteran-, and woman-owned small business that intentionally cultivates diversity on our team and in the work we do. We encourage BIPOC, LGBTQIA2S+, people with disabilities, and veterans to apply. We’re looking for a Marketing Assistant (Technical) with experience providing technical support for a fast-paced online marketing team.”
Apply
LOCALS
Creator Acquisition Manager
Miami, Florida
Via Weston Armstrong Woodward in the community
“We are looking for a Creator Acquisition Manager to join our Community Success Team to support creator acquisition and onboarding to the Locals platform. The Creator Acquisition Manager will constantly be on the lookout for new opportunities to bring on new creators based on real-time events. It’s critical to understand the many social media platforms and how content creators distribute and monetize their content and their brand.”
Apply
WESTROCK
Director, Campaign Content Strategy
Remote US
“The Director, Campaign Content Strategy is responsible for developing content strategy and overseeing content execution for WRK’s content marketing team. You are responsible for managing and advancing our content marketing programs and projects. In addition to your extensive experience in content marketing, you should also be a creative and strategic thinker and have a keen eye for process. The services you will be overseeing range from written editorial work, creative visual assets across both traditional and digital media, creative briefs to strategy deliverables – and beyond!”
Apply
METAPROP
Head of Marketing
Via Chris Gorges in the community
“The Marketing Director will create a new marketing strategy and enjoy full accountability while leveraging a strong global brand and robust set of existing assets. The Marketing Director will own the entire marketing function, reporting to the MetaProp partnership.”
Apply
TROPIC
VP of Marketing
NYC
“Our VP of Marketing will define the new space we are creating and craft a strategy for making us a household name with finance and procurement leaders the world over. This includes end-to-end marketing initiatives in brand, product, content, and even performance marketing over time. You will also measure and communicate performance in a way that is digestible at the IC, executive, and board level. You will report directly to the CEO, and you will have lots of empowerment and autonomy to bring your vision to market.”
Apply
ARRAY
Acquisition Growth Marketer
Remote US
Via Dave Weinberg in the community
“Array is revolutionizing how businesses leverage and enhance consumer data. Our platform enables innovative companies and developers to seamlessly integrate credit and identity data into their apps, websites or workflows. As a remote-first company, we’re focused on providing opportunities for autonomous individuals to have high levels of impact at the forefront of the fintech space. If you’re looking for autonomy, impact, and cutting-edge FinTech, we’d love to hear from you.”
Apply
Find more open roles via Candidate.co. Refer yourself or your friends, and get rewarded for supporting your network.
Also, check out the Serial Marketers job board.
Other job resources:
- Advisable: Get instant access to top marketing freelancers
- AMA Job Board: Listings from the American Marketing Association (maybe you can also ask them anything)
- Beeler.Tech: Job listings for ad operations, programmatic account management, sales operations, and more.
- Before: A talent matching platform with the mission to end bias in the hiring process.
- Braintrust: A new freelance platform where you are the owner and where freelance talent keeps 100% of the bill rate.
- Built in NYC: Jobs at a range of levels and functions, as long as you’re okay working in this quaint, backwater hamlet.
- CareerList: Here’s a form for companies hiring and a form for job seekers; here’s the public list with tabs for both
- Content Writing Jobs: Content marketers, enjoy
- Creative Women of Color: List yourself in the database and find talent, via Women Who Create
- Demand Curve: Growth and marketing jobs
- DiscoverTheTalent: An initiative designed to build partnerships with businesses to advocate, train, and hire military spouses
- ExecThread: Senior roles spanning a range of verticals and cities; membership is free but fully vetted (this uses my referral ID to get you in faster)
- Ex-Equinox Media Talent: A spreadsheet of available talent (permission given by those listed) who are recent ex-Equinox media folks.
- Gently Ventures: Helps scale businesses by finding the right talent
- GLG: Get paid to share your topical expertise; it can lead to some interesting conversations at a potentially decent hourly rate
- Growth Collective: Apply to join this network of notable freelance marketers
- Grace Blue Transitions: A portal for hirers and seekers with resources from this exec recruiting firm
- The Hired Guns: An array of jobs in marketing and related fields at brands, agencies, and media companies
- Hue: Amplifying voices of people in color working in marketing
- Hunterz: A way for connectors to get paid to introduce startups to large enterprises
- Lead5: A paid service for executive roles, plus intel on changes with companies and PE investments; you can try a risk-free weeklong trial to see if it’s any good for your needs
- Lunch Club: Match 1:1 around predetermined goals with accomplished professionals (free)
- NYC Ad Jobs & Networking: A popular Facebook group
- One Club for Creativity: COVID-19 jobs Board
- #OpenToWork: There’s a channel in Serial Marketers where you can share what you’re looking for
- Pangea: Where you can hire college freelancers (and college students can get gigs)
- Pocit: A platform connecting people of color with jobs in the tech industry
- Questions to Ask for a Marketing Role: What questions should you ask when starting a new marketing role or job?
- Remotists: Remote startup jobs, chronicled weekly
- Sales Hustle Stack: Find platform-based gigs and other creative ways to earn some extra cash
- Serial Marketers Job Board: Post regular and featured listings and subscribe for updates.
- Startup.Jobs: There’s a section for marketing jobs
- Teal: One place to organize and manage your job search.
- TechNY Daily: While more technical, there are also some sales and marketing jobs at NY startups.
- VC Job Boards: Aleph, Eniac Ventures, Pear, Sequoia, Union Square Ventures
- VentureLoop: Free startup job listings; their paid option is $15/month and might surface more leads (but it might not).
- Venwise: Submit your job interests here and get in front of their roster of hiring leads; select “Serial Marketers” under “How did you find us”
- Wanted: Wanted helps top talent in tech and marketing find a job at your desired pay.
Do you run or enjoy other job listing sites? Let me know, and I’ll share them.
——————————
OFFERS
——————————
Below are offers extended to the Serial Marketers community. To share your own or access the Premium member discounts, review membership options here.
GPO: Generate at least 20% more organic traffic. Doing a strong job in SEO but wonder if more traffic can be had? GPO will custom-build an AWS instance that will become a subdomain of your site, and generate at least 20% more traffic the first year. Contact Cory Cox in the community to redeem.
ContactSmarter: ContactSmarter is an AI tool that generates over 40% call booking rates without requiring human intervention. More details.
Markman Speaker Management: Get 15% off the half-day customized virtual training session “Get Speaking Engagements” for individuals or corporate staff through Sept. 30, 2021. Contact Steve Markman to redeem.
Thece: Get 10% off their Getting Started Kit — just let them know Serial Marketers sent you.
FocusedFounder
Get 5% back on any bookings of the Focus, Growth, and ReFocus plan. To receive your rebate, please contact me after you book the course.
My Software Tutor
My Software Tutor is offering all Excel and PPT courses through December 2021 at 50% off listed price. Learn the practical skills you need to succeed. Use promo code: SERIAL50. This code can be shared with friends and family. Register today on the MST website.
ReverseAds
Get 10% discounts on campaigns. ReverseAds reverses the search ad process, outperforming Google at a fraction of the cost. To redeem, contact Thom Feltz by email.
Northarc Media
Marc Lefton is offering brands a free one-hour consultation on your media mix to show how you can integrate programmatic. For agencies, you can get a free one-hour consultation on how to add programmatic to your service offerings. To redeem, contact Marc by email.
Secret
Sign up and use the promo code SERIALMARKETERS to get 20% off on any membership plan. Membership enables you to access all deals with unlimited usage. One deal should more than pay for itself.
Marpipe
Create an account and start a 7-day free trial for $125 in ad spend credit toward your first experiment with this multivariate testing platform. Redeem here. (Premium members get $175 in credit with a custom code)
Copysmith
Following a 7-day trial of this AI-powered marketing tool to generate ads, product descriptions, and more, use code SERIALMARKETERS for 35% off any plan for 3 months (premium subscribers get 50% off for 4 months).
——————————
THE FOOTER YOU WON’T READ
——————————
SPREAD THE WORD
Share your personal link.
https://sparklp.co/823bcd55
SEND NEWSLETTER FEEDBACK
David Berkowitz, publisher
david@serialmarketer.net
JOIN SERIAL MARKETERS
www.serialmarketers.net
ENGAGE SERIAL MARKETERS ADVISORS
https://superpeer.com/
100+ TECH RECOMMENDATIONS
https://marketerfaves.com/
(previously mrktr.net/toptech)
BERKY’S MARKETING ENGLISH
www.berky.co (also in hardcover)
FOLLOW SERIAL MARKETER
LinkedIn / Facebook / Twitter / Meetup
FOLLOW SERIAL MARKETERS
LinkedIn / Facebook / Meetup /
The most important rights reserved. You can have the other ones.
(c) 2021 Serial Marketer
EDITED WITH 
No Comments
Leave a comment Cancel