Eco-Friendly Digital Marketing Internship

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.

It is already December, and I am having a very hard time believing that the end of the semester is already here!  What’s more, the end of the semester signifies the completion of my public relations M.A. program at Michigan State University’s College of Communication Arts and Sciences, and provides another exciting opportunity to wear a cap (which, by the way, have not become any more fashionable since my graduation from Albion College in 2009, or even from my high school graduation in 2005) and gown. As I look back on my program, one of the most prominent memories is my wonderful experience in the New Media Drivers License (NMDL) course, taught by Derek Mehraban, CEO of Michigan Internet marketing firm Ingenex, at Michigan State University.  This class, offered at both the undergraduate and graduate level, strives to teach and train students in digital marketing and new media. I easily deem it as one of the most beneficial classes of my graduate career, considering our lessons revolved around topics like social media monitoring, blogging for business, online video strategy, Google AdWords, blogger outreach and Google Tools, just to name a few.  And while I honestly enjoyed each topic of discussion, one of my favorite lessons was about search engine optimization or SEO.

With search engine optimization, certain words on an organization’s website, blog, or other form of online presence are discovered by search engines like Google, Yahoo!, Bing, (insert favorite search engine here). The premise behind SEO is making the most of a website by using links composed heavily of keywords, while constructing “search engine friendly” content on the page.  The primary goal of search engine optimization is to attract more traffic to a website, while increasing the page rank of that site on search engine pages.  David Meerman Scott provides a very worthwhile discussion about search engine optimization in his book (our class textbook) called The New Rules of Marketing and PR.

If I had to pick out one overarching lesson from our discussion of SEO in class and in the book, it would have to be that using really broad and general terms when developing “keywords” will never work to an organization’s advantage when it comes to search engine optimization.  When we are thinking of “keyword rich links” for a site, it is important to remember that a lot of the time when conducting a search online, consumers typically look up information by phrases based on the information they are looking for (for example, “New Media Class at Michigan State University”). Having key words that are unique and special to the organization will provide more of a chance for consumers to find just what (or who) they are looking for in an effective and efficient search.

Classes coming to an end, especially the New Media Drivers License course, is bittersweet.  But I can say with all confidence that I look forward to applying all of the very worthwhile concepts from NMDL into real life situations.  If you are a student interested in public relations, marketing, advertising, etc. or you are an individual looking to become a master of all things social media and digital marketing from a personal or business standpoint, I highly recommend that you get your New Media Drivers License!  You will not regret it!

Derek Mehraban, Professor of Michigan State University’s New Media Driver’s License and CEO of Ingenex Digital Marketing in Ann Arbor, Michigan has been ranked as the #23 Top Marketing Professor on Twitter by the Social Media Marketing Magazine.

About the Top Marketing Professors on Twitter list:

The magazines Co-Publisher Kent Huffman, CMO at BearCom Wireless compiled the list as an exclusive for the magazine. To be considered as a top marketing professor on twitter, the professors, located all around the world, must meet the following criteria:

• Have at least 500 followers on Twitter
• Provide useful information and actively engage with those followers
• Demonstrate that they understand the best methods for social media marketing outlets such as Twitter

Derek Mehraban and the New Media Driver’s License at Michigan State University:

Derek Mehraban (@Mehraban) started this venture as a professor at Michigan State University in the spring of 2009, with the kick-off for the New Media Driver’s License class. He and Co-Instructor Dr Richard Cole, Chairman for the Department of Advertising, Public Relations & Retailing worked together to develop the class as an opportunity for students within the college to gain exposure to new media and its effect on marketing and advertising.

According to Mehraban, “The goal of the New Media Driver’s License is to certify students in new media so that they can go on after the conclusion of the course and use new media and digital marketing in their career, job search and everyday life. The course has proven itself as a great learning experience for college students, which is why we also offer it as a life long education course and for corporations.”

The semester-long class meets twice physically during the semester, with weekly assignments due on the New Media Driver’s License website. The assignments are submitted in blog format and teach students the ins and outs of blogging, rules for online public relations, digital presentation skills, search engine optimization techniques,  and how to build you personal online profile.

An innovative digital marketing professional at Ingenex Digital Marketing and new media professor at Michigan State University, it is no wonder that Derek Mehraban has the twitter following to place him in the ranks of Top Marketing Professors followed on Twitter.

A Special Thank You to Kent Huffman and the Social Media Marketing Magazine for publishing the Top Marketing Professors on Twitter.

Check out the New Media Driver’s License website, http://NewMediaDL.com

Follow Derek Mehraban on Twitter, @Mehraban

As Lauren mentioned in last Tuesday’s post, she and I visited a different kind of lunch spot today. This week’s trip took us inside Google’s Ann Arbor Office.

Now you may be wondering how Lauren and I were able to merit an invitation to one of Google’s private employee lunches. So here is the story…

While sitting at one of the Lunch Ann Arbor Marketing (LA2M) networking events, a non-profit educational organization dedicated to teaching about all things marketing, I met a guy named Rob. Rob works for the Google Adwords team and oddly enough knows my roommate’s sister- small world. While talking with Rob about his job at Google and my internship at Ingenex Digital Marketing, where I dabble in Adwords, we discussed the fun, laid-back, colorful work environment that has become synonymous with Google’s name. And being that we were at a lunch event, we discussed the fabulous lunches that are served at his office each day. Long story short Lauren and I headed to the Google office, located on South Division just a few minutes walk from our office, this afternoon.

Upon entering the reception area we were greeted with a warm welcome and hello, and were asked to sign in. Rob arrived a few minutes later and we walked through the brightly colored halls to the Google cafeteria. Inside we helped ourselves to the buffet style lunch that had been laid out by the office’s culinary crew. The spread was delicious with fresh salads, fruit, veggies, rice, salmon and lamb linguine pasta. After our meal, the general consensus was that Lauren and I could not leave without tasting the peach cobbler dessert. So we walked around the corner and to our great surprise the tray was being filled with a brand new peach cobbler- still warm and gooey, fresh from the oven.

After the meal Rob gave us a tour of the building. We got to check out the employee rec room- with games, tvs and loads of snacks; a few conference rooms- each named after cities in Michigan; the employee work stations- each decorated with colors and personalized themes; and so much more. But I think it’s safe to say that Lauren and I enjoyed viewing the Lansing room best of all; being that we are grads of Michigan State University (I graduated last May and Lauren will graduate this coming spring) and Lansing and MSU are near and dear to our hearts. So it was neat to see the Lansing room with its mural of the State Capitol, and photographs of the MSU football stadium and campus.

We’d like to thank Rob and the rest of the Ann Arbor Google Team for allowing us the chance to sit in and enjoy such an exclusive lunch with you.

Being a recent Michigan State University graduate, I have recently discovered the value of a strong alumni network. No matter what it states on that very expensive piece of paper I worked so hard to achieve, without the right connections and experience, very few job opportunities are open to myself and the rest of today’s graduates. And while joining an alumni network is no guarantee of employment, it can definitely open up the door to internship opportunities and other circumstances that help young, inexperienced grads gain much-needed “real world” experience.

I consider myself lucky enough to be a part of an alumni group that spans the nation, and to some degree the world, making it easy to find networking and support wherever life takes me.

The Michigan State University (MSU) Alumni Club of Washtenaw County, my current location, serves as a hub for networking, socializing and general relationship building for all MSU Alumni and supporters living and working in the Washtenaw Area of Ann Arbor, Ypsilanti, Saline, Chelsea and Milan. The main purpose of the group is to support the continued success of Washtenaw citizens and businesses, while also allowing them to become active in their community through networking and activities.

As the month of August approaches the Alumni Club prepares for two of its big events- its First Monday meeting, and Annual Spartan Golf Scramble and BBQ.

First Mondays are social events that bring the Washtenaw branch of MSU’s Alumni Club together on the first Monday of each month. These informal meetings usually start around 6 pm and last as long as people want to stay and network amongst the group. The August meeting will take place on August 2nd at the Corner Brewery in Ypsilanti, located at 720 Norris St. The Corner Brewery is known for its large outdoor beer garden and tasting room. Behind the scenes, it is a production brewery that produces and bottles beer for distribution throughout the state of Michigan.

The Alumni Club’s other big up-coming event is the Spartan Golf Scramble and BBQ. The Spartan Golf Scramble and BBQ is an event that is held each year to raise money for a scholarship endowment fund that benefits Spartans from the Washtenaw Area as they attend MSU. Each year the group looks for avid golfers and die-hard MSU alum to come out and enjoy an afternoon of Spartan fellowship and networking, while supporting future Spartans through financial contributions to the event. The event will include 18 holes of golf on the Lake Forest Golf Club green, with each participate golfing in teams of four. Single players are welcome to sign up for the event and will be placed in a foursome on the day of the outing. All skill levels are welcome to come out and play. The Spartan Golf Scramble and BBQ will be held on August 14th this year.

For more information or to look ahead to more club events, visit the club calendar.

Michigan State University is now offering, to both undergraduate and graduate students, a new course on social media entitled “New Media Drivers License.”

The New Media Drivers License course, or NMDL for short, provides students with a comprehensive overview of new media and digital marketing, and the relevance and importance of each for today’s businesses.  The course is taught by Ingenex Digital Marketing CEO and MSU alum, Derek Mehraban, as well as professor and Chair of Advertising, Public Relations, and Retailing at MSU, Dr. Richard Cole.

NMDL shows students how to take social media, like Facebook and Twitter, normally used to communicate with friends, and turn it into a valuable commodity for companies and clients.  In addition to social networks, the course covers the use of blogging, podcasting, search engine optimization, and a number of other digital marketing areas, including the never-ending uses of Google.

Paul Kanan (me), an MSU alum and a passenger on the maiden voyage of the NMDL ship during the 2009 Spring semester, says of the course, “This class rocks!  I recommend it to anyone going into public relations, advertising, or simply wants to have their finger on the pulse of the future.”

This summer marks the second offering of NMDL at MSU with three full sections.  The class meets at the beginning and end of the semester at Walsh College in Novi, MI, with everything in between taking place online.  For more information on the class, the course site can be found at http://newmediadl.com or follow along on Facebook and Twitter.

So that’s the official Eco-Friendly word, but like I said, this class rocks!  And another thing, it’s long overdue, so check it out!

David Meerman Scott’s “The New Rules of Marketing and PR: How to Use News Releases, Blogs, Podcasting, Viral Marketing and Online Media to Reach Buyers Directly” is being used as the lead text for Michigan State University’s New Media Drivers License course offered to Communication Arts and Science graduate students.

The New Media Drivers License (sm) is a graduate level course designed to provide its students with the tools and techniques to best use new media and digital communication tools which include: Facebook, Linkedin, Blogging, Podcasting, New Marketing, Digital Public Relations, Google Tools, Search Engine Optimization (SEO), Search Engine Marketing (SEM) including Google Adwords, and Presentation Zen techniques.

More information on David Meerman Scott and “The New Rules of Marketing and PR: How to Use News Releases, Blogs, Podcasting, Viral Marketing and Online Media to Reach Buyers Directly” can be found on Scott’s website.

Deepti Dewan Chowdhry

Ingenex Digital Marketing is looking for 5 or so quality interns for Summer 2009 Eco-Friendly Digital Marketing Internship. This internship is a combination of networking, real life experience, face time in a professional office, and training on digital media. It rocks! And it won’t take too much of your time.

You come to Ann Arbor once a week to work for 2.5 hours. You learn about all forms of digital media. You work for real clients and non-profits. And you do the rest from the comfort of your apartment, library or coffee shop. It’s a low emission, kind internship for people who want to grow in the digital space.

If you have the goods – apply to this post. We will accept applications through April 15. The next class of interns will begin May 18. Please apply to the internship in a variety of ways. Make a comment on this blog post with why you feel your a good candidate. Connect w/ me on Linkedin and ask for an intersnhip. Be creative online and get our attention. It may just pay off for you.

Also, if you’re not looking for an internship consider taking the New Media Drivers License course at Michigan State University. It will rock your world.

The Digital Marketing Internship at Ingenex will run again Spring 2009 for Michigan State University students. This intersnhip meets for two hours at Ingenex headquarters in Ann Arbor each week. You will have 5-10 hours of work on your own. You will learn Digital Marketing techniques including: Online Public Relations, Social Media Marketing, Search Engine Optimization, Blogging, Podcasting, Search Engine Marketing, and Google Tools.

I am looking for some talented students looking to start a career in digital marketing. This growing field is where the action is these days. This internship program has been growing since it began in Summer 2008. It has also evolved into a class at MSU – The New Media Drivers License. This two credit class begins on Saturday, January 10. I am taking less interns this semester as the class will take a lot of my time. However, I am looking for a few good men/women who want to learn and have some time this semester. This is non-paid, and can be done for credit.

If you’re a good candidate, respond quickly please. Submit in 200 words or less a comment on this blog why you are a good candidate for the Eco-Friendly Internship. Tell me your goals for the future. Why are you interested in this position. And a bit about yourself. I will pick 2-3 good candidates and you will know soon if you have been accepted. Ask some of our past interns their experience if you have questions.

Looking forward to hearing from you. Derek Mehraban – CEO Ingenex Digital Marketing

PS. Here are two interesting projects you will help on in Spring 2009. Social Harbor and Nudge Them.

Amanda Marandola in her own words on why she should be chosen for the Ingenex Digital Marketing Eco-Friendly Digital Marketing Internship:

Advertising and marketing have always been a great interest of mine. The two areas are exciting and fascinate me immensely both individually and together.
I feel that I am a good fit for the Ingenex eco-friendly digital marketing internship for various reasons. I am an advertising major and I have already taken and am also currently enrolled in courses geared toward creative advertising and managerial advertising. At the moment, I am taking a course specifically geared toward creating advertising campaigns which correlates with marketing a company’s product so that the consumer wants to purchase it.
Although my digital experience only extends to a digital camera and Photoshop, I learn fast and feel that I could easily grasp the digital skills needed for this internship. Digital advertising is also a field that I am currently studying. Actual hands on experience would give me a better understanding of the field and more experience going forward. Digital marketing is a significant part of the future of advertising. As we can see from the past few years, more people are utilizing the internet for personal and professional uses, including searching for information on products they wish to buy either in person or over the internet. Today, digital advertising is a key part of the process of advertising and marketing products. It reaches into the homes of everyday people and companies and should inspire the consumer to feel they must have that product. I believe this form of media will eventually become the key vehicle in which advertising agencies drive their ad campaigns.
I am a creative, hard-working and reliable person. I understand that there may be huge shoes to fill for this internship; however, I feel that my creativity, persistence and work ethic will contribute positivity to this position and your organization.