Hey It's the AMA!

The American Marketing Association (AMA) began as early as 1915 and has evolved into an association that provides resources, education, career and professional development opportunities for marketing professionals. With over 75 chapters nationwide, they serve as a channel to "foster knowledge sharing" for marketing professionals and organizations. Recognizing ethical values such as responsibility, honesty, fairness, respect, transparency and citizenship, the AMA believes all marketers should hold these values in high esteem. The values should be adhered to in order to instill consumer confidence in the integrity of marketing professionals.

 The AMA's programming consists of a series of webcasts, podcast, on-site or location workshops, and face-to-face trainings such as brand marketing boot camps, social media marketing, brand measurement, etc. Some of their programs are sponsored by corporations offering complementary admissions, others are discounted based on membership but you do not have to be a member of AMA to reap the benefits of their awesome trainings and workshops. They also provide networking events such as monthly happy hours, luncheons and annual award ceremony. I have personally participated in the happy hours and webcasts for my own professional development and networking. You will be amazed to find that the networking events are open to all professionals and some the people you meet may be a resource for a future or current project.  

AMA also offers career development in the way of job postings and opportunities. Companies may post job descriptions with the association for a nominal fee weekly. This is an added-value to the members and non-members of AMA. The positions listed are from companies big and small and sometimes includes volunteer and intern opportunities. Personally, I received their job newsletter for the Houston chapter every Sunday and even though I may not be in the market for a new position, it’s good to know what is available in case someone else is searching. 

Even if you cannot attend a webcast, podcast, face-to-face training, or networking events the AMA keeps marketers abreast of the latest and trending marketing news. Supplying social media management, ROI, brand management, B2B marketing, direct mail campaigns, eCommerce articles and more. You can join a local chapter become active in events and programming, which can provide direct and hands-on experience. They also provide templates and tool-kits to boost your marketing skills i.e. marketing budget calculators, communications plans, brand assessment tools, advertisement effectiveness evaluations and more. The American Marketing Association is a great organization for any business professional who is interested in the benefits of marketing. 

Resources

http://www.marketingpower.com