Eco-Friendly Digital Marketing Internship

The expanding digital industry, as Jonathan Gardner of Vibrant Media puts it, is “destined to affect what we discuss, buy and watch, who we friend, what we Like, and how we share — all year long.” Along with eMarketer’s projection of a 14.4% increase in U.S. online ad spending, there is no question digital will make an impact in the new year. The best practices with optimal results will be the ones that will carry into 2012, even for digital marketing agencies.

1. Take initiative into obtaining keywords using search engine optimization. Look to the future for insight on the next hot key term. Word ownership will do the work for you, setting the path for your brand to gain ownership of its voice around the web. Focus on your consumer when constructing your marketing strategy. What do they want, hope for, aspire to?
2. Focus on your the product’s value. Consumers are becoming more spending-conscious. Focus on what content your audience wants to watch and read. Deliver ads to people who actually want to see them.
3. Content is crucial. The most successful display ads connect content with the context of the page. The best digital marketing in 2012 will have to be dynamic.
4. The revolution in tracking consumer behavior continues. With all the content on the web, it is quality that will produce the results in the end.
5. Can you believe 98% of 18- to 24-year-olds use social media? More reason to develop new ways to make your social media assets deliver as seen by Best Buy and “Twelpforce” and Axe with their social toolbar.

We all know that the Internet has revolutionized the way companies do business. Companies used to build their reputation through employee to customer contact, this person-to-person to form of communication now seems sort of archaic. With corporate communication booming over social networks like Facebook and Twitter companies are now faced with the challenge of maintaining their reputation in a growing number of mediums. New analytical tools are coming on the scene in order to measure companies’ reputation, taking into account the influence they are having online.

Companies like PeerIndex, Twitalyzer, Talentag and PostRank, all owned by Google, use online analytics to determine an individuals or business’s influence online. These tools measure questions like, how many people are exposed to your messages, and who takes action as a result of your efforts? The results can determine the amount of “social capital” that you or your organization has.

A digital marketing agency can be very useful for companies that would like to utilize tools, like Google Analytics, to measure effectiveness and optimize their web sites. An agency measures the effectiveness of your web site based on keywords, landing pages, traffic sources, site visitors, time on site, bounce rate, and more.  If I were behind the helm of a start up company I would definitely want to have some data to work off of, and fortunately enough Google Analytics is a quick and easy way to measure your web site traffic.

More and more people are adopting smartphones in order to become fully connected to the world through their mobile device. Companies are also making moves to connect with employees by giving them smartphones and developing mobile applications as a way to increase employee engagement. At first glance, it is great to be able to access your work email 24/7, but this continuous feeling of being plugged in can also be draining. In fact, a new study from the University of Worcester has found that the feeling of being constantly connected without the ability to freely disconnect induces stress.

Companies, like Volkswagen, are now starting to react. The German automaker’s employees all use blackberries, and the company has decided to limit the email server to only be activated during business hours. This means that employees are free from constant communication with work once they leave the office. Roger Cohen, a reporter for The New York Times is one of the many who think that this is a smart move. Cohen says people often fall subject to a, “contemporary state of anxiety in which focus on any activity is interrupted by the irresistible urge to check email or texts.”

Remaining plugged in arguably increases employee productivity, but it is important to also address its potential downfalls. In the future, more and more companies will surely address this issue. As an intern, I have yet to feel the 24/7 pressure of having your phone connected to work. However, I have witnessed the poor effects this connection can have. For example, I have experienced many vacations when a family member gets their relaxation time derailed by incoming messages that blow up their smart phone. It is important that employees can be reached in the case of a work emergency while away from the office. On the other hand, I also think that employees deserve to have a feeling disconnect when they leave the office, if they so chose, especially during vacations. I would guess that Volkswagen employees appreciate this move and that the company is well on its way to having great employee satisfaction.

Research firm Chadwick Martin Bailey (CMB) recently published a study highlighting the purpose of interacting with a brand on Facebook. In a 15 minute web survey to 1,491 consumers, CMB found that 56% of users aged 18-35 interact with brands they use on Facebook. Overall about one in three users use Facebook to follow brands, where only 4% follow on Twitter and 1% on LinkedIn.

The main reason people “like” a brand is simply because they are a customer. Other popular reasons are to keep track of discounts or to show their support for the brand. A 77% majority consider the extent of their interaction to be reading posts on their newsfeed. However, a “like” could still mean good things for a business. 56% of respondents said they would be more likely to recommend a product after becoming a fan. About 51% said they would be more likely to purchase the product or service. Finally, 58% “like” fewer than five brands and 78% “like” fewer than ten. Therefore, for a majority of users a “like” is significant.

The first big takeaway from this is that Facebook should be the focus of a social media marketing strategy. A very small proportion of people in the study followed brands on other sites like Twitter and LinkedIn. Another thing to notice is that “liking” something is a fairly passive action. In order to make the most of a Facebook fan page businesses need to offer an incentive to be followed – like discounts, new product news, and interesting content – without being overaggressive.

It’s that time again for students to get back to the grind. But who says it has to be all work and no fun? Make this semester a little more interesting with some accessories that can add a little pick-me-up to each day.

Let’s start with your laptop. If you’re like me, you probably just throw your laptop in your backpack and go. Pick up a laptop carrier that suits your own lifestyle. Not only are these interesting little conversation starters, but you can also protect your laptop from damage better than in a backpack. What about protecting it from theft you ask? Check out these tips on what to do if yours gets lost or stolen. Most of them, after reading them, seem like they would be common sense. But when upset, our minds tend not to think as clearly as possible, so keep these tips handy, just in case. See how this guy got caught using a laptop he had stolen.

These are without a doubt, some of the coolest little laptop accessories I have seen. It would have been nice to stumble upon these little gems when I had a laptop that had only one USB port. Seriously, one?!  Keep these in mind when you’re looking for a USB hub. I think my favorite is the dog, but check out all ten of them.

Last but not least, here are some of the coolest little things to carry around in your bag with you. Take notes, “delete” notes, and most importantly, keep yourself entertained (between classes, not during)!

I hope everyone has a great semester!

If you’re interested in the rapidly growing world of online marketing, this is the perfect class for you! With Michigan State University’s New Media Driver’s License, you will learn all about the different aspects of online marketing from the experts. Derek Mehraban, CEO of Ingenex Digital Marketing, shows his students the many facets of the digital world in a fun, easy to learn way.

One of the greatest things about this class is that you are learning brand new things, but a lot of it is just expanding your knowledge of media you already use. Not everyone blogs, but it’s a pretty simple thing to do and you will learn the little extras that turn your good blog into a great blog. Most of the students who take this class already have accounts on at least one social media platform. Learn how to use platforms like Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter and YouTube to their full advantage.

Some things you may know little or nothing about are search engine optimization (SEO), search engine marketing (SEM) and Google and Yahoo! search rankings. When you successfully complete this class, you will have an understanding of these things and just how great of an impact they have on a business.

Another great thing about this class is that it is (mostly) online. From experience, I can say this is one of the most enjoyable and most useful classes I have ever taken. I loved the convenience of being able to do my work when it worked best for me.

Sign up now for the Fall 2011 New Media Driver’s License (ADV420) course!

THE NEW MEDIA DRIVERS LICENSE IS PROVIDED BY The Michigan State University Advertising, Public Relations & Retailing Deparment in Partnership with Derek Mehraban.

As it is getting closer to the beginning of the semester, many students are beginning to think about purchasing their textbooks for their classes. Every student dreads this time of year because, honestly, who wants to pay $500 for books?! If you have a Kindle, you’re in luck.

Kindle allows you to rent textbooks for up to 80% off the list price of printed textbooks. Sure, the list price is for the new, unused textbook, but if you’re a procrastinator when it comes to buying books (like myself), then you’ve probably gotten stuck buying a new book once or twice because you missed out on all of the used ones.

With Kindle’s textbook rentals, you can choose how long you would like to rent the book for from 30 to 360 days so you only pay for the time you need the book. You can also extend the rental from as little as one day, as many times as you want, or even convert your rental into a purchase.

One of the best things about this is that once you rent the book, you can access it from not only your Kindle, but your PC, Mac or mobile device.

After your rental is up, you can access your notes and highlights any time you want at kindle.amazon.com.