Are You a WorkHacker?
“WorkHacker was established to serve the working community and those with career aspirations. We provide education, fast-paced learning about career opportunities in the North Texas area, and help unite top local business people, expert speakers, and businesses for the cause.
Networking, meet-ups and conferences are an important part of being a content marketer. Recently, I was pleased to attend the 1st annual WorkHacker’s Conference at the Naveen Jindal School of Business Management. More than 100 people attended the day-long event that served up innovative and informative ideas for using technology to ‘hack’ your career.
#workhackerconf if you are not learning new things in digital marketing you are falling behind the leaders in the industry.
— John J Nosal (@jnosal) April 11, 2016
The attendees were a good mix of students, freelancers, and local businessmen. The day started with the event organizers, Rob Garner (Author, “Search and Social: The Definitive Guide to Real-Time Content Marketing“) and Dan Sturdivant (founder of the DFW Jingle Mingle and Vice-Chairman of the Board of the DFW Search Engine Marketing Association) offering up tips and tricks on finding career opportunities in Digital Marketing.
#WorkHackerConf was produced, with the help of @UT_Dallas and our other sponsors, by @robgarner and @dansturdivant. pic.twitter.com/CwRkfXm9gE
— WorkHackerConf (@WorkHackerLLC) April 12, 2016
Dogpile: 20 Certificates in 20 Minutes
One of my favorite presentations was the review of 20 certificates you can use to specialize in a digital marketing career.
Did you know that Google, Hubspot, and others offer certification courses? Yes, you can take online digital marketing courses that will help boost your career. While some of these certification courses can costs up to $3000, quite a few of them are free.
HubSpot Academy
HubSpot Academy offers a FREE Inbound Marketing Course and Certification. That’s right I said FEEE! This course teaches the fundamentals of creating an inbound marketing strategy, such as blogging, conversion, landing pages, and SEO.
HubSpot Academy also offers an Email Marketing, Inbound Sales and , and other certifications. All for FREE.
Copyblogger Certified Content Marketer
Copyblogger, the folks behind so much great online education offers a certification course for content creators and strategists. Not only will you get an intensive course in content marketing and copywriting , but you will get the benefit of being recommended and listed on the Copyblogger website.
Google Ad Words and other Certifications
If you work with PPC and Google AdWords, this Google AdWords certification is a necessity. As a Google Partner, you can also benefit from many of their other training courses and certifications.
Others Digital Marketing Certifications include:
- Google Analytics
- Google Shopping (e-Commerce)
- Google Photographer
- Adobe Illustrator •IAB Media Sales
- Bings Ads
- Microsoft Office
- Constant Contact
- Search Engine Academy
- SalesForce
- Marketo
- Magento
Personal Branding: You Are Your Brand
“LinkedIn makes it super simple to show yourself as an expert.” — @seanthinks telling how at #workhackerconf pic.twitter.com/EwiMED6oAB
— WorkHackerConf (@WorkHackerLLC) April 11, 2016
Sean Jackson, host of The Missing Link podcast offered suggestions on how to use LinkedIn and other social media platforms to build your personal brand.
One important thing to remember social media is that much like Las Vegas, what happens on social media doesn’t stay on social media. Prospective employers and clients are likely to do a Google search of your name. They want to see if you are the kind of person they can work with and if you will fit in with their team.
You need to be in control of your online presence. These are a few things you can do to take control of you online brand.
1. Own your own domain name. www.johnwsmith.com. This can be a challenge when you have a common name, but you can start with an about.me page
2. Show your expertise with a complete Linkedin profile. Sean’s weekly podcast, TThe Missing Link offers actionable tips for making your LinkedIn profile more than simply an online resume.
3. Create authority by publishing articles/blog posts on Pulse multiple times per month. You can also share your PowerPoint presentations on SlideShare.
Others ways to increase your professional authority include public speaking, client projects, and volunteer work. These can be added to your Linkedin profile to give a fuller picture of you as professional.
From Freelancer to Founder: A Self-Employment Story
Yes, @julieewald has a great success story and some great slides in her deck. #workhackerconf pic.twitter.com/HgQDFCMPFi
— WorkHackerConf (@WorkHackerLLC) April 11, 2016
Julie Ewald’s presentation on how she went from a freelance copywriter to owning an agency was extremely interesting. Especially, since she used the online marketplace, Elance to find her clients. Julie presented a case study on how she started with one small client and build a copywriting agency business.
That’s Not All Folks!
You know it’s about to get real when the lab coat goes on. @bmassey moderates our morning panel. #workhackerconf pic.twitter.com/ryXraEVnE7
— WorkHackerConf (@WorkHackerLLC) April 11, 2016
These are just a few highlight from the WorkHacker Conference. The day was filled with so many useful presentations, including Tweet Like Pro from Lissa Duty, an informative panel discussion lead by Brian Massey, Giving Back to Get More and a lively closing keynote presentation by Mack McIngvale of Houston’s Gallery Furniture.
If you missed this event, don’t worry. They are keeping the excitement going with a monthly local meetup here in the Dallas-Fort Worth area.
Clara Mathews is a website content copywriter for hospitality and service-based businesses. You can find Clara at