“One of my core values, ‘beginner’s mind,’ is another way of expressing one of JUST’s main values, ‘growth mindset.’ To me, this means approaching each day with curiosity, a desire to understand and innovate, and an openness to always be learning from different perspectives.”
The vibrant culture here at JUST Media is fueled by the amazing people who we work with. In our Team Spotlight series, we feature a different member of the team, highlighting the individual’s contributions to our culture.
Meet Cory: Bay Area LGBTQI community organizer and socialite; devoted practitioner of Engaged Buddhism; Harry Potter fanatic.
What is your role at JUST Media?
Social Media Manager
How would you explain your job to your grandma?
You know when you see commercials when your scrolling through cat videos and Tiger King memes on Facebook? I do that!
What do you enjoy the most about working in Social Media?
My favorite thing about social is that I will NEVER BE BORED. It’s an ever-changing, constantly visible, immediate, and impactful way to reach a huge volume of people. Social can be entertaining, educational, and invaluable to its audience – and is an incredibly powerful tool for businesses to reach and nurture their relationship with consumers throughout the buyer’s journey.
How do you stay up to date with the latest news in media? Any favorite publications/blogs you follow?
I geek out on following industry trends through my favorite digital publications – mostly blogs (Top 5 – The Moz Blog, Social Media Examiner, Think With Google, Facebook News Room, and the Official LinkedIn Blog) and a few podcasts (Social Media Examiner, Convince and Convert, and Marketing School ) and regularly attend trainings both online, and in-person.
What are the latest trends or innovations are happening in your field?
The latest trends in social relate directly to the global response to COVID 19, and how it has impacted individual consumers as well as the economy in broad terms. As many companies are moving more of their money into digital, social media is a go-to channel as platform users and time on platforms have increased due to international shelter in place and work from home ordinances. Advertisers need to pay closer attention than usual to messaging during this time, making sure to be helpful and sensitive in their marketing efforts. Part of this includes increasing investment in brand awareness and full-funnel approaches since consumers are currently in an even less desirable place to be asked for their information without being nurtured first.
Another important development, especially for B2B is that LinkedIn Live and Events are really ramping up, and new functionality is being developed quickly as brands take their in-person events into the digital realm. We are likely to see more of this across platforms in the coming weeks/months depending on how long this global epidemic lasts.
How are you spending your quarantine time?
Unlike many people during this time, I feel incredibly fortunate to be working from home, and that has been keeping me very busy. I am grateful to be in constant touch and collaboration with my team at JUST. Although I am quite an extrovert, I’ve felt beyond lucky to be able to shelter in place with my beloved. We are enjoying simple pleasures (a glass of wine watching the sunset from our balcony, walks in the Eucalyptus forest right next to our home, cooking together, and meditating) and working on bigger projects (starting to learn Spanish, joining Toast Masters, and coming up with ways we can be helpful to our neighbors). It’s important to us to stay connected to friends and community, and we are both spending time taking LGBTQI community-building events into the digital world.
What have you learned & how have you grown at JUST Media?
A transition from an early career with small biz/mid-sized nonprofits into Bay Area agency life was an enormous shift. At JUST, I have learned to work with and manage enterprise client accounts, upped my strategy game tremendously, and have leaned into any opportunity I can to continue to develop my leadership skills.
What does it take to be successful at JUST Media?
One of my core values, “beginner’s mind”, is another way of expressing one of JUST’s main values, “growth mindset”. To me, this means approaching each day with curiosity, a desire to understand and innovate, and an openness to always be learning from different perspectives. Another critical value is kindness; JUST is made up of an incredible group of self-driven and collaborative team players who are kind to each other and have each other’s backs. Finally, I am constantly working to upgrade my ability to multitask, time manage, prioritize and research, in order to support my daily workflow and long-term growth at JUST Media.
What inspires you at JUST Media?
JUST Media’s “People First” priority, as well as the leadership and teams that turn this concept into actions. The company cares about and supports career development, gives back to our community, acknowledges and values hard work, and creates time for us to play together as a team. I am inspired by the way that JUST listens to and incorporates employee feedback and finds so many (small and large) ways to create a culture of appreciation and fun. My favorite programs include our Leadership Training, JUST Cares, and the special treats (JUST Retreat, happy hours, Bingo, Summer Fridays, catered lunches etc) that make us feel well taken care of.
What does “Growth with Purpose” mean to you?
To me, “growth with purpose” frames my intention to not just support the growth of JUST Media and our clients as numbers and metrics – it means understanding that our work supports the great and important things that we and our clients are doing in the world.
Is there a project or other achievement you’ve earned while working at JUST Media that you’re most proud of?
Being given the first-ever “Employee of the Month” award by my coworkers at JUST! I love the people I work with, which made the recognition a great honor. To even be nominated among such outstanding peers and company leaders was humbling to say the least. I am also very excited to have been accepted into the upcoming cohort of JUST Media’s Leadership Training program.
Finally, what advice would you give to someone who is just getting their career starting in digital marketing?
Embrace a “growth mindset”! Take advantage of all the free resources out there (including basic digital marketing courses online), play a strong self-education game, and share what you learn with your team if applicable. Know that you will always be in learning mode, so keep educating yourself and don’t give up!
Bonus Questions!
What’s the most relatable meme you’ve seen recently?
Favorite movies?
Harry Potter, Star Wars, Lord of the Rings
