In our member spotlight, Megan Scott, FSMPS, CPSM, sat down for a virtual chat with SMPS. Megan, who’s director of strategy at Etica Group, has been an SMPS member for 20 years and in the AEC industry for just as long.
Please share some recent professional-related news that you’re proud of. We recently won a small study for a new client based on an e-newsletter. It was so rewarding to know content marketing resonated with the decision-maker enough for them to reach out, meet with us for the first time, and hire us.
What has been one of your most meaningful projects? In preparation for moving our headquarters in 2022, I developed an in-depth brand awareness campaign about the growth of Etica Group over the years. It touched on the addition of services, staff size, key clients, and features of our new office. While at a non-industry event, someone knew who we were from our LinkedIn posts. It was such a great feeling.
What’s the best professional advice you’ve received? Do what you say you are going to do. Don’t make excuses, just get it done to the best of your ability.
What’s the best professional advice you’ve given? Don’t be afraid to delegate up. I don’t particularly care about hierarchy structures. If someone needs help with something, they need to ask for it. Even if that means asking your boss, or your boss’s boss; ask for help when you truly need it.
Why is SMPS membership important to you? I truly believe I would not be the professional I am today without SMPS. I was fortunate enough to have a boss when I entered the industry tell me membership, attending events, and joining a committee were requirements of the job. It helped me learn new skills, build a local, regional and Society-level network, and mold me into the person I am today. SMPS is a unicorn. The members all work to help one another learn and grow, despite being a competitor. It’s been so great to be a part of this group for 20 years now.
Which SMPS member benefits or resources have helped you? All of them! Volunteering at my local chapter helped me build a network immediately upon entering the industry. Many of those people have become friends. The CPSM program provided a major impact on my career growth. A constant for me over the years has been reading the Marketer. It always had great information in it and content I can share with a co-worker to help them understand something better.
Serving as an MCA juror has been inspirational to learn what other firms are doing, and the impact marketers have made at their firms. Learning labs (complimentary webinars for members) are a great way to get in some extra CEUs during the day.
Probably most important to me is the network I built when I served as SMPS Indiana’s president from 2013-2014. My President Leadership Symposium (PLS) class, the Conductors, still have a large group of us who stay in touch and serve as resources for one another. I love my fellow Conductors and seeing our growth and success.
How has the CPSM designation benefited you and your firm? When I heard of the CPSM program, I dove right in. I was 25 working at a small firm and the only marketing professional. Studying for the CPSM exam broadened my knowledge and skillset immensely. It helped me gain confidence to tackle projects I didn’t have experience in. I’m so thankful I invested in myself by earning my certification. Markendium, which I bought even though I already have my CPSM, is a wealth of information. It’s great to pull out as a resource for myself, or to have coworkers read certain sections. I would highly encourage anyone contemplating it to buy Markendium and start studying today.
How has becoming an SMPS Fellow changed or elevated your professional role? I’m regularly asked what my degree is in since I am a partner at Etica Group, and having credentials after my name demonstrates the value and expertise I bring. There’s more to the industry than just the regularly known technical professional suffixes, and I’m happy to help educate people about what it means to be a Fellow in SMPS. Beyond that, I have thoroughly enjoyed access to the Fellows programming and cohorts provided through SMPS and participating in technical organizations like AIA and ACE Mentors.
What would you like to accomplish as an SMPS Fellow as it relates to the Society or AEC industry? One of the letters of reference on the Fellows application is to be from someone the applicant has mentored. Many people I talk with have talked about how important a mentor was in their career growth, but not everyone has access to finding a mentor. I’ve been lucky the Indiana Chapter has had a highly successful mentorship program. As a Fellow, I would like to help take this to a larger scale. I’ve co-chaired a regional SMPS program with Cindy Culbertson, another Fellow from the Indiana chapter, these past 18 months in conjunction with SMPS Greater Cincinnati and Southeast Michigan. This has been a pilot program for how a regional mentorship group can work, and I’d like to use my role as a Fellow to help spearhead the growth of it to other regions as a model for increased participation in SMPS.
What would you still like to accomplish in your career? So many things. While I’m grateful to have made it to be a partner at my firm, I want to continue to see us grow and improve. I’m excited right now about working on our new five-year strategic plan and I am looking forward to being a part of guiding and executing the plan.
Within SMPS, I’m currently excited about finishing up as co-chair of a regional SMPS program (Indiana, Southeast Michigan and Greater Cincinnati). I’d love to continue to grow the model and possibly help take it to other regions.
Tell us something we’d be surprised to learn about you. I had an opportunity to swim in the U.S. Olympic Team Trials’ pool inside Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis in 2024. It was so cool to not only swim inside of a football stadium, but to be sharing the water with the Olympians. A former Olympian was on the deck talking with us and taking photos. Quite possibly a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.
What’s on your bucket list? I think my entire bucket list is about traveling! I want to see the northern lights, go to Alaska, the Mendoza Valley of Argentina, and Antarctica.
Guilty pleasure: what can you not live without? Chocolate.
