Why I Work at Media Cause
There’s a question that I get asked a lot these days, most often by new colleagues, existing clients or when interviewing new candidates: Why do I like working at Media Cause? And why have I stayed here so long?
In the grand scheme of life, it may not seem like that long — but holding the same job for 5.5 years is an eternity in millennial speak. Instead of climbing the ladder within one company, we often make career steps through shorter stints at different companies, always seeking whether the grass might be greener somewhere else, or if there is another place where we’ll be more valued, make more money, learn a new skill, you name it.
I love answering this question, not only because I get to answer it truthfully and honestly, but because it often opens up a wider dialogue on why we should all love where we work and what we get up and do everyday.
My answer always centers around four main reasons:
1. Purpose-Driven Work
“Definiteness of purpose is the starting point of all achievement.” – W. Clement Stone
For me, selling shoes or peddling energy drinks was never going to cut it. (No offense to any shoe or drink sales people out there!). We all do our best work when we know there is a good reason behind it, some type of greater societal impact we’re making, something bigger that we’re contributing to. And in the field of digital marketing, we benefit even more from being able to track impact, often in real-time, and make the optimizations to realize even better and better results.
Since it’s easy to forget this and get caught up in the day-to-day, one exercise we do at Media Cause is create impact statements for each of our clients. These go beyond the standard KPI’s of website visits, click-through rates or conversion rates – they are tied back to our client’s mission, and the important work we do together. For example:
In just two months, we helped raise more than $750,000 to fund breakthrough cancer treatments that will help create a world where every cancer patient becomes a long-term survivor.
These serve as good reminders of how lucky we are to work with such powerful and meaningful organizations, and that the hard work we do results in tangible, remarkable impact. It’s what fuels us, and will continue to always be at the core of what we do.
2. An Ever-Evolving Industry
I made a promise to myself early on that if I ever stopped learning, I would move on. Luckily, that’s never happened, and so much of that has to do with the pace at which the field of digital marketing moves. Almost every week there’s a new tool being rolled out, a new theory to be tested, or new insights to be gleaned from the data we’re capturing, and that typically means better results for our clients.
As a company, we do our best to keep up with it all, as we know how important it is to always bring new, innovative ideas and solutions to our clients. Our internal Slack channels are buzzing every day with new discoveries, or with questions for colleagues around their experience with new platforms or tactics. We are technology nerds at heart, and when you pair that with passion for the clients and causes we work for, we become a force to be reckoned with.
3. (Really!) Incredible Talent
Media Cause’s own growth is also a factor; in the 5.5 years I’ve been here, we’ve expanded to four national offices, more than 30 people (and counting), worked with hundreds of amazing clients of all shapes and sizes, and expanded our service offerings to become a premier, full-service digital marketing agency.
I constantly find myself in awe of what we do for our clients, and it’s simply due to the incredibly smart, talented and likable people we’ve hired over the years. We make a point to share our work with each other in company-wide meetings we call Bi-Weekly, Bi-Coastals (BWBC), which gives everyone the space to learn from one another, ask questions, and be inspired.
We are all a product of our environment, and if you surround yourself with the best and the brightest, you will never go wrong.
4. Work/Life Philosophy
We’ve all heard the phrase “work/life balance” — at Media Cause, this isn’t just a buzzword, it’s more of a philosophy.
A flexible work-from-home schedule and good benefits are just the start. (You can read about all of that here). But one lesser known fact is that our teams actually get capped at 30 billable work hours a week, which means there is 10 extra hours a week for professional development, knowledge sharing, networking, or even self-care.
We know that to retain talented people, we need to treat them like, well, people. They need the time and space to explore their interests, to travel, to spend time with family, to exercise, to go home and let their dog out. They need to feel supported throughout life’s ups and downs, and know they have a team behind them that cares about their well-being. They need a good laugh (at least once a day) and a hug when the time is right.
If work is where we spend at least a third of our waking hours, then it should be a place that fills our cup up, not drains us dry. We are all human, after all.
—-
There are so many ways to answer the question of why I’m still here. But the easiest way comes from a few simple words I heard a colleague say recently: Media Cause just feels like home.
We should all be so lucky.
Interested in working with us? We’re hiring! Check out our open positions.