Assignment C - Online Marketing Campaign reflection

I have been involved in creating marketing campaign plans before but never an online marketing campaign plan, and this was quite a different experience. The online marketing campaign plan that I created for Shawn Adams Art differed from 'traditional' marketing campaigns that I have worked on in the past, in that I noticed that online marketing channels (web, email, mobile and social media) are not siloed channels, in the same way that 'traditional' marketing channels could be.

I learnt that online marketing audiences are no longer passive audiences receiving ads/information in a one-way system, they are interactive audiences giving feedback in real-time. These direct audience on social media don't supplant paid media entirely, but they give companies who develop a relationship with these audiences a much faster, lower cost means to reach a larger number of interested consumers. I also learnt that some of our online audiences have audiences of their own! These 'amplifiers' or 'influencers' are the fundamental building blocks of earned-media, and the people who make things "go viral". You can't force anyone to amplify your message, but you can incentivize or build relationships and experiences with your brand of such a caliber that people inherently want to share the experience (and hopefully purchase your product)! 

One should always include the following when marketing in the online environment?

• Research! Lots of research into your company, your product(s) and your targeted audience
• Make the process of navigating your website (and products), choosing a product, and purchasing it as easy and as enjoyable as possible. 
• Compelling and engaging content across all your online channels that can create meaningful interactions with your target audience(s)
• Mobile responsiveness, since most people view and buy on a mobile device.
• A clear, concise and effective CTA (Call to Action)
• Stand out visuals (images and video)
• Measure campaign results by monitoring your campaigns and referring back to analytics. Be prepared to make changes quickly in reaction to the results.

http://theultralinx.com/2013/01/carry-digital-marketing-infographic.html

Thanks for a great course Jess. I really enjoyed it and I hope to put what I have learnt into practice in my marketing of Shawn Adams Art.

Assignment C (Part 2) - Reflection Karl Kopan

Traditional marketing plans have been part of my past but never have they dealt with the start-up of a online business and all that entails. I kept thinking about the value of 'telling a story' when looking at the various options before me. I believe there is truth in that statement but it differed from past experiences because the online marketplace is for most marketing interconnected with traditional marketing strategies. To me there are vast differences but similarities as well. This article was helpful to my understanding of the basics:  http://www.hausmanmarketingletter.com/16-differences-between-social-media-and-traditional-media/

My greatest learning experience from this is you can never have enough planning. When one idea was figured out it created another five to work through and find solutions for. Online marketing for me will always include a variety of analytics to gauge who is looking, where from, and how they are doing it and more importantly who is buying! It will also help personalize what otherwise could be a very plutonic online transaction while keeping a high level of customer service.

Assignment C Reflection

In this reflection I'd like to be honest - it was way more work than I originally anticipated; however, the foundation of knowledge, skills, and insights I gained were well worth the effort. Never before have I created a marketing plan, yet I can 100% see the benefit. The best thing I learned - setting measurable goals. Sure, it seems so logical now, yet if your goals are measureable, or rather, if you understand your goals before you start out, then your plan will be that much more focused and goal-oriented. Plus, it'll probably be a success!

When marketing in an online environment, I believe, you must always refer back to your analytics, insights, or stats. Don't be afraid to change it up or to tweak the plan. Also, another important key when creating an online marketing plan - ensuring your plan includes the mobile user.

Also - you need to spend money even when using social media. Perhaps not a lot - yet using even a small budget will help you reach your goals. Overall, thank you so much for all the lessons - I'm so looking forward to putting this plan and future plans into action.

Thoughts on online marketing campaigns - Part 2 of Assignment C

I've worked in communications for nearly eight years, and I realized when working on the final assignment that I've never designed an online marketing campaign, nor have I been asked to prepare one. I think that many people overlook the necessity of having a solid plan, which is strange since I work at a post-secondary institution. You wouldn't teach a course without having a solid plan (i.e. syllabus), would you? 

In creating this online marketing campaign I've learned many things that will be beneficial to my future marketing projects. For example, you need to examine your target audience and determine the ways that they prefer to interact with your organization--adjust your strategy to fit with your customer, and not the other way around. For this project, my target audience was females aged 30-50 who had a Master of Nursing degree. Where do they spend their time online and how do they like to receive their information? You need to suss out specific information related to your target and create campaigns that they can relate to and deliver it to them in their preferred manner. As well, timelines are incredibly important. Give yourself a deadline for a task to ensure accountability and be specific; the more specific you are the clearer your vision. Finally, examine your analytics! See what's driving people to your website/product (and often!) and don't be afraid to tweak your campaign. 

As I examine what I've learned throughout this course and in completing the final project, I think that when you're marketing in the online environment you always need to track your efforts. Whether you rely on Google Analytics, Facebook Insights, Twitter Analytics, etc. you need to be able to measure your efforts so that you can analyze the results and make adjustments to the campaign--how else will you know whether you've run a good campaign or know where it all started to fall apart!

Reflective #Selfie

It has been an intensive two days with much learnt that hopefully I can put into practical use in the my work and personal life. I learnt to look much more closely at the various forms of mobile and online markerting that we are bombarded with on a daily basis, to figure out what works and what doesn't from the view-point of the seller/business/organization and the buyer/customer/viewer, and most importantly why.

Final Selfie!

It's been two short days and I've learned a lot! Many of the concepts that we've covered are things that I plan to implement in my work, such as sending out emails at certain times on certain days. 

I'm more confident on my skill set around social media thanks to this class!