“So how’s work?”

We all hear it all the time. It’s a reliable small-talk thing to say when you run into someone in a parking lot and feel obliged to make conversation so it doesn’t turn completely awkward.

My response is usually not far off from the above (awesome cartoon compliments of an agency favorite, Hyperbole and a Half). While I have been learning lots of cool stuff at The Cyphers Agency, I try to not talk people’s ears off about the advertising industry. Still, the truth is, sometimes you (if you are anything like me) just have to toot your own horn. So lately, when I’m asked, “How’s work?”, instead of a pat answer that hurries our obligatory small talk session along, I turn into That Girl who blabbers about her awesome job when you are just trying to do your grocery shopping.

I Have A Sweet Gig.

It’s just that there is so much awesome stuff happening right now. For example – you may recall that we launched the “I Love Chicken” contest a couple months ago. From my first day here, I hit the ground running to make this contest a success and create buzz for The National Chicken Council. Our work to promote the contest ran the gamut from Facebook fan page outreach to online public relations. The contest has really taken off – the videos that people are sharing have been seriously great! Check out all the hilarious videos, and vote for your favorite.

The Power of Word of Mouth

This just proved to me again how powerful word of mouth can be. While we do a lot of integrated marketing at The Cyphers Agency, our marketing efforts for the “I Love Chicken” contest took place entirely online. That approach turned out to be perfect for finding fans of chicken who were excited to create their own awesome content and share it online. I’ve been able to experience firsthand the fruits of good online marketing practices – if you have a product or brand people love, all you have to do is create an inviting platform for them to participate in it, and they will come. The “Pull” side of “Push-n-Pull”, if you will.

It really does feel great to see that your hard work on a campaign is paying off. It’s been hugely validating and gets me amped up about what we do here. Every time a new video rolls in, I feel like a proud parent, and so yes, that’s why I can’t shut up about it. So next time you run into me somewhere, you might want to avoid asking about work.

So far, I’ve blogged mostly about what I’ve learned thus far during my time at The Cyphers Agency. But of course, I’m still new and there’s so much more I want to learn and do. I really am just getting my feet wet, and as I explore the world of advertising and become more confident in my work here, I’ve been thinking more and more about what I want to dive into next.

WOM’s The Bomb

“Push-n-Pull” is the division of our agency that I work in, and we do some really cool stuff. I occasionally joke with friends that I get to play on Facebook for my job. Of course, social media is definitely not the end-all, be-all of what we do. We engage in word of mouth marketing, which is essentially harnessing the marketing potential of conversations that are already going on, whether they are taking place online or offline.

Up until this point, the vast majority of the WOM I’ve been facilitating and encouraging has been online, but there is so much potential for awesome offline WOM, too. While the social web has become a hugely powerful platform for WOM, sometimes face-to-face can’t be beat.

A great example of this is The Cyphers Agency’s campaign for Robert Andrew Salon last year. We combined social media efforts with event marketing, which resulted in measurable buzz in just two weeks. Robert Andrew Salon hosted a “meet and greet” with the Redskins cheerleaders called “The Men’s Zone”. The event itself was memorable and created top of mind awareness for the salon, and The Cyphers Agency used photos from the event to continue generating buzz for Robert Andrew online after the event. I’m looking forward to the opportunity to work on a campaign like this where the client’s needs can be most effectively met with a comprehensive on- and offline WOM strategy.

Embracing All Kinds of WOM

Brands and businesses are beginning to really embrace social media, which makes it an exciting time for me to start my career. Hopefully, companies will soon embrace other word of mouth marketing techniques in the same way, making this type of communication exciting and indespensible. Can you imagine all the cool, effective stuff we could do?

Over the past few weeks I have been working at The Cyphers Agency, I’ve answered a lot of questions from friends and family about what I do here. Once I explain my role in the word of mouth marketing department, I frequently get the same response: “That sounds so cool! How’d you get that gig?”

When I tell them that I got to know Jocelyn, The Cyphers Agency’s social media coordinator, on Twitter and eventually DM’d (direct messaged, for those of you who don’t know) her to ask about fall internships, I’m surprised that they’re surprised! To me, it only makes sense that I got a job in social media by actually using social media!

Maybe its not so obvious to some. We’ve received a number of cold calls about open positions recently, and even though the people inquiring aren’t always focused on social media marketing, I still wonder why they are taking such a traditional route when trying to get hired at a pretty non-traditional advertising agency. Cold calls seem especially lame when the caller doesn’t even have a specific position or department in mind. In an industry where being proactive and passionate are paramount, coming across as lukewarm and unambitious will probably not serve you well.

Show Who You Are

I know plenty of folks who balk at the idea of sharing their online networks with potential employers, and in certain fields that may be appropriate. But at this agency, its important to be creative and enterprising, so using a platform like Twitter is definitely appropriate! It’s a chance to show who you are to people who you may not have any other opportunity to interact with. I connected with my future co-workers at The Cyphers Agency online before I ever stepped into an interview. Not only was I able to network with them, but we were both able to see if my personality would be a good fit for the workplace culture here. Through using social media to network with future employers, you can become a person they know and like, not just another resume.

Practice What You Preach

I’m not saying that just because I happen to share a love for funny cat videos with the rest of the team at The Cyphers Agency, I tweeted my way to a job interview. It’s not only about sharing your personality – its about showing that you can leverage social media to get results. If you can demonstrate your own value to an agency through social media, then you could also use social media to demonstrate the value of that agency’s clients to their customers. My point is, if you know how to use new media tools effectively, you shouldn’t just be putting it on your resume – you should prove it to the people you want to work for before they ever see your resume!

I think the biggest thing using social media in my job hunt did for me was show who I really am – someone who isn’t afraid to try something new, to be a little unorthodox, to take a chance. That kind of mentality is valued in organizations like The Cyphers Agency that always try to be ahead of the curve, and that’s the kind of place I wanted to work for!

Hello there – I’m Danielle Destrade Ali, and I’m the newest addition to The Cyphers Agency. Jocelyn introduced me earlier this week, and shared how I will be contributing to Push-n-Pull, the Word of Mouth division of the agency. As a social media devotee, working in this department is a great fit for me! For the next few months, I’ll be blogging about my experience as the newbie around here.

The Cyphers Agency is my first job at an advertising agency, and while I have experience in online marketing for various organizations, I had no idea what to expect at an agency. Would the workplace be like a modern day Mad Men? I hoped not – I’m not really in favor of smoking indoors. While I didn’t know what I was walking into, I did know that I would be working with people who had a lot more advertising experience than myself. I was more than a little nervous about being able to measure up to all the talent here.

My first day, I sat in on a brainstorming meeting, and expected to just observe and learn. I was a bit surprised when my colleagues were interested in my opinion! I quickly discovered that The Cyphers Agency has a friendly culture where the members of our team are constantly collaborating. Even the open layout of the office lends itself to teamwork. This lack of pretentiousness really allows everyone to share their great ideas freely. I’ve been invited to contribute my own suggestions from the very beginning, and I’ve helped come up with awesome plans for our clients. I love being a part of a team where everyone works together and supports each other, and its been exciting to get validation from my super talented co-workers.

Of course, I am still just getting my feet wet. While I’ve already had opportunities to contribute creatively, I know I will continue to grow and gain more responsibility. I’m excited to continue working, especially with our campaign for The National Chicken Council, which is an excellent example of how social media marketing can be fun, useful and effective all at once!

Keep checking back to read more about what I’m working on and learning about.

People love to be recognized as experts. This means you should tap the expertise of your customers. Ask them their opinions and reward them for it. They’ll appreciate you for realizing that they are experts and they’ll be free with their words of wisdom for you. Not only will you win another sale, you’ll increase the chances of them engaging in word of mouth marketing for you.

Many marketers offer incentives in order to gain ambassadors. By asking and appreciating their opinions, they’ll do the work for you on their own. By trusting in them, they’ll show their gratitude by buying more and recommending your products or services on the street and online.