Article: Social media is endlessly fascinating - Meet IABC London Member Dorothy Downs

By: Jeannette PalmerMember since...Dorothy has been a member of IABC London since 2012, when she graduated from Fanshawe College with a graduate certificate in Corporate Communication & Public Relations.IABC benefitsAccording to Dorothy, there are some beneficial perks to being a member of IABC London. “Being involved with this organization is a great way to network and stay informed. I have gone to a few breakfast meetings which have been great! I have enjoyed the great information and enjoy the networking opportunities.”Business roleDorothy Downs is the Content Marketing Producer in Corporate Marketing at 3M Canada, a leading science-based company that produces thousands of innovative products for health care, highway safety and, of course, our favourite office supplies.“I am responsible for digital productions supporting all forms of content marketing assets across digital, social, and email marketing platforms on behalf of 3M Canada”, explains Dorothy. She is also tasked with delivering the new 3M Brand positioning and helping to ensure successful transformation of the digital marketing organization at 3M Canada.Work-life and passionDorothy is passionate about communication, especially with the explosion of instantaneous messaging that is social media. “Social media is endlessly fascinating. Determining how to reach out to people in compelling ways that draw them into an online conversation, is fascinating to me.”Sharing creative ideas and business learnings with others is often of interest to many business communicators and Dorothy knows this well. In her case, her on-stage passion (theatre) helps fuel her day-job; and both have contributed to her success in her current corporate role. The creativity on-stage helps inspire her to re-work technical information, so it’s accessible and more “fun and digestible” for a larger audience.After the 9-5 and hobbiesOutside of her day-job, Dorothy claims her most formative accomplishment was the creation of her first documentary television series. The experience helped her understand the pleasure of putting together solid, important information for people, and parcelling it in a package that made it easy (and enjoyable) for her audience to relate to.In the communityDorothy is also a busy volunteer in the community as she has helped with Heritage London, the Children’s Museum and the Palace Theatre. “My time spent with these organizations has been extremely valuable.I feel that helping in any way I can is one of the most rewarding activities I do,” said Downs.Right now, she’s the Communications and Public Relations VP on the Board of the Palace Theatre, where her fascination with social media really comes into play. “I have helped the Palace Theatre become more digitally aware, enhancing their Facebook presence, creating a YouTube page, creating Pinterest boards, and helping them to develop a new website with an eye on SEO and CRM.”Advice for new communicatorsAs a recent graduate herself, Dorothy has some great advice for new communicators:“Always think of your end result first. What do you want to accomplish with every task you do? Work to know your audience to learn how they engage, and what their goals are. If your end goal for your communication can be to help them with their goals, then you will have a successful communication.”Advice absolutely worthy to write out on a Post-It Note and to stick on your computer.Connect with Dorothy via Twitter and LinkedIn