Digital Marketing Interview Series with Talk Shop Media

Digital Marketing Interview Series with Talk Shop Media

We've interviewed Katie Reiach, Principal & Co-Founder of Talk Shop Media, a Vancouver-based PR agency, on her thoughts on the challenges and changes in the digital marketing field. Here are her insights:
 
  1. What excites you the most about recent content marketing trends?

    I am really encouraged by the adoption rate and results that are evolving in the content marketing space.  Public Relations practitioners have been some of earliest adopters of content marketing and many are at the forefront bridging the gap between earned and owned media, making it possible to show the direct dollar impact our work can have.  I like to think Talk Shop is at the forefront of this movement towards bigger-picture thinking on content.  We produce content that meets journalistic standards, but has mass appeal.  Our campaigns expand into video, through social media, through traditional news channels and even directly to consumers in the form of an event, PR stunt or street team.  It really feels like an exciting time to be in business.
  2. How have digital marketing technologies impacted your clients’ businesses?

     The digital world has pushed most of the PR and ad world in a good way.  We have all been forced into taking a long hard look at the metrics, the measurability and accountability we owe our client's bottom line.  Impressions and ad value equivalency simply don't suffice anymore, especially when you are competing with analytics that allow you to track click through and conversion rate to see exactly how a campaign performed.  While I don't believe we'll ever see a time when ad budgets go completely digital, it is creating fragmentation in the market place and forcing everyone to adapt their business model and service offerings.
  3. What are the biggest changes you’ve seen in marketing teams in recent years compared to ten years ago?

    In the PR world - gone are the days when you could build a thriving practice in one specialized area like crisis communications.  Certainly you can build a nice little consulting practice or maintain an industry specific focus - but the expectation placed on marketing teams is to do more, know more and adapt quicker than ever before.  It’s survival of the fittest out there and that is the kind of competitive landscape that truly promotes innovation and weeds out top talent. 
  4. What do you see as the biggest challenges for marketing professionals over the next year, 3 years, or 5 years?

     Keeping relevant to evolving technology feels like such a cliché thing to say, but I truly believe that it is fundamentally important. New technology and new ways of consuming information are coming at us every day.  At the same time, social and digital platforms are growing increasingly obsolete. I don't see the pace of this change slowing down.  In fact, I think it will actually speed up and weed out a lot of frustrated marketers and PR practitioners – the "good 'ol boys" - as I like to call them.  What that means for the next generation of marketing talent is that expectations are higher than ever and to truly succeed at a senior level you'll need to be able to operate strategically while grasping the tactical changes and evolving digital landscape around you.  
  5. What do you consider essential skills for a marketing team these days?

    Maybe it’s because I came from a news background where we are taught to assume our audience has the intelligence of a fifth grader, but I see far too many "marketing communications" professionals who are just plain bad communicators.  Speaking in jargon, missing the simple needs and wants of your clients; being able to communicate your value proposition and marketing strategy are all fundamental parts of the job and frankly just plain common sense.  But it’s something I see becoming increasingly rare.
  6. What do you feel are the most underrated skills in a marketing team these days?

    Confidence is something that I think is universally attractive - especially when it comes to marketing and PR talent.  Where you draw your confidence from is a deeply personal experience.  But for most of us, our confidence is often decided by the success or outcome of the work you produce. Being willing to stand behind an idea, and see it succeed or fail are ultimately a part of what builds a leader. Like the saying goes, “It's better to attempt something great and fail than attempt to do nothing and succeed.”

    (If you found this interview insightful, feel free to read our interview with Jim Joseph, President of Cohn & Wolfe North America, another global communications and public relations agency. You can also check out our interview with Diana Urban, Head of Conversion Marketing at HubSpot, to gain more expert insights on digital markteing.)
 
A Co-Founder of Vancouver PR firm Talk Shop Media, Katie is also a co-founder of the money mentorship concept, Smart Cookies.  With over a decade of experience in marketing communications, Katie brings a unique blend of experience gained working with some of Canada’s Best Managed Companies. In addition to her career in PR which began at 1-800-GOT-JUNK?, Katie's work with the Smart Cookies has lead her to be profiled on Oprah, CNN and in the New York Times. In anticipation of the 2008 economic crisis she was among the first to focus on making financial information accessible and relevant to a female audience. By 2009, Katie was co-hosting her the Smart Cookies W Network series and had co-authored the financial best seller- Smart Cookies Guide to Making More Dough.
 
Today, Katie is an enthusiastic leader of Talk Shop Media, an active financial contributor to Global News, CTV, the Globe and Mail and Best Health Magazine.  Katie is also among the youngest women to rank on Business in Vancouver’s 40 under 40 and volunteers with Canuck’s Autism Network and TEDxVancouver.
 
To learn more about Talk Shop Media and the fantastic work they've done, please visit their website ate www.talkshopmedia.com.

 


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