Your future in digital marketing and other questions answered
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Howdy, all. Wanted to answer a few of your questions from last week below. Keep 'em coming!
- Graham
How does a company decide how much money it is going to allocate for online marketing and digital content?
It comes down to each company's specific financial situation and budget, really. There's no process that every business follows for this. Most companies look at their overall profit/loss for the year and what potential revenue/customers they might be able to bring in through marketing efforts to come up with this number. At the company where I work, we look at how a particular marketing effort has performed for us in the past to then figure out what the ROI will be in launching it again.
Is there any sort of community where new bloggers can post to gain more visibility from popular bloggers? Have you found other bloggers endorsing you to be a large part of generating a following?
You bet! Networking with other bloggers can be a great way to build a following. Each niche or interest has its own places where bloggers and other influencers congregate. In some instances, that's Twitter or Facebook. In other cases, bloggers and influencers meet at conferences or events. For example, the BlogHer network is a very powerful network of women in social media who also often meet for in-person events.
How do you convert a simple blog into a powerful brand ambassador and sales magnet for the business?
Make it interesting and useful for your customers/audience! David Meerman Scott has some powerful examples on this in his book. A blog won't be a powerful sales tool unless it really hooks your audience with creative, interesting posts that folks might want to share – building your brand's credibility and influence in the process.
In regards to creating a blog, are there "hot topics" that would be best to write about? In creating my own blog what would spark the most interest? What would be the next step after WordPress?
Writing about anything particularly current or in the news is a great way to find "hot topics." After all, so many news sources today just look for hot takes from blogs and social media to then excerpt (helping to spread your influence). Think also about topics that people care about and talk about, even if they're not in the news – or a topic you have a lot of expertise in that others don't. After setting up your blog with Wordpress, I'd advise to write, write, and write some more to develop your voice and concepts for future posts. Once you think you've gotten the hang of it, I'd start to publicize your blog more by talking it up on social media, engaging with other bloggers, and commenting on other sites.
Companies who are looking to really win the digital marketing game typically with hire someone who is a "digital strategist" to help them. In today's age, it seems like a majority of people who are tech-savvy and have an eye for business can become a pretty adept digital strategist. For someone who would like to really start looking into the field, what would you reccommend for them to learn first, and what processes must they know if they really want to win the "digital world"?
I know this class can sometimes be frustrating in not having an instructor in-person to ask questions to – but in a way, this is really useful for digital marketing. Tactics change so quickly week to week, with new tools always emerging. It's impossible to ever truly be "done" with learning this field. I think having a strong grasp of communications – whether offline or online – is the best first step to a successful career in this field. If you can't communicate well (whether through writing, graphic design/photography/videography, etc), it's going to be hard to make a go of it online. Second, really go deep on digital tools. Play around with them as much as you can. Experiment. Read what other people are doing online, and stay up on digital marketing news and information. Just like hard work drives success for MSU's basketball and football teams, so it does with digital marketing. Finally, don't be afraid to ask others for help or advice (including your instructors!)
Is owning/writing for a blog beneficial for future employers to see?
Absolutely! In fact, I got my first communications job with Gov. Granholm in large part due to a Michigan government and politics blog I kept up when I was at MSU (yeah, I was a nerd – but a nerd with a job before most of my friends!) ;-) Owning and writing for your own blog is a great way to show dedication, and to show off your digital media chops. Also, the longer you keep your blog up – and the more links you can drive to it – the better you can optimize your own name for search. Start your own website/blog today!
Comments & Feedback
For a small business with little funds to allocate toward social media, is it better to focus on perfecting/growing it's social media following on one platform (such as Facbook) or doing a little on every platform? All the eggs in one basket or spread them out in many baskets?
(for 12/01/15 particpation points)
What new trends do you see in the future of digital marketing?
In one week's assignment, it is outline how important for company to keep update its blog. My question is what makes people click inside company's website to check out their blog especially if it's a startup? could you provide further evidence to demonstrate the importance of the blog.
How can creating blogs benefit you in the long term?
If you had to eliminate one digital platform or tactic from your "ideal digital marketing plan" what would it be and why?
A lot of companies are trying to adapt to each generation by keeping up with the newest 'thing.' What are your thoughts about brands that use snapchat?
Does a company typically make a digital strategy for every campaign they execute via social media platforms? E.g. most advertising companies have a creative brief that is universal. Is a digital strategy similar in that sense?
What is the best way to make a name for yourself in the Marketing/Advertising/Sales world?
Do companys have back up plans, when certain projects that they come up with , dont work?
How do you come up with an efficient budget based off of your companys revenue?
What should be involved in the digital marketing strategy, what is the most important factor when determining the budget and what could make it more attractive?
I know our final presentation has to be exactly 10 slides. Is there a requirement on how much should be on each slide or how little?
When companies are actually hiring writers and content generators to keep their social media and online presence alive and active, do ghost writers stand a chance or is it a fad for them to not be ghost writers anymore and take over their identity? What would be more beneficial from a corporate stand point and from a product stand point? Will reviewers be considered ghost writers?
Are their some companies that don't need to place as much emphasis digitally? If there are, who are they? What are some reasons companies would use small amounts of digital marketing?
Does SEO work within the app store?
What are the best mobile blogging apps?
Would it be better to use videos instead of pictures when you're doing presentations?
How important is digital marketing to a company's success? Is it a concept that is still be improved upon? Or is there is a set plan to follow?
How much is an appropriate budget for implementing a new strategy for a major business like Coach, or Rolex?
Whare are company's who specialize in new media and digital marketing looking for in employees?
How effective can search engine optimizations be to growing a small business?
When presenting a digital strategy to a client, is it still best to use Presentation Zen tactics? More visuals and less words?
When presenting a digital strategy, is it best to show an outline and even a conclusion with reviewing main points you touched on?
When it comes to presenting a new strategy to clients, what are key things to touch on and what tips do you have?
When presenting full digital strategies to clients, what are some key tips when it comes to content and presentation style?
When presenting full digital strategies to clients, what are some key tips when it comes to content and presentation style?
As someone who just started both a website and a blog to increase my portfolio, what's the best way to go about putting that on my resume, or making my potential employers aware of them? Does having a website or a blog make you more attractive to employers?
For a company like Boeing, who doesn't sell products directly to consumers, what type of "Big Idea" should the company have to grow their business?
When it comes to breaking into the advertising industry, is it really about who you know? Or can a kick ass resume and cover letter get you the job?
How do I increase awareness with my campaign overseas?
When determining budget, I looked into competitor spending and took a percentage of my companies sales to get a total amount. What are some other important factors to look at when determining a budget?
Even after extensive research, I am having a really difficult time finding how to create my budget for a company that generates billions in revenue- any tips when you cannot find it online?
If you are a big company, how important is it to have a really strong social medai prescense? Even if they are doing fine without it, is it necessary?
How do you determin key points without leaving out important information when creating a digital strategy?
If you're a large business, is it essential for you to have a blog that you publish every week?
Is the presentation zen method probable (or practical) for every presentation?
With an advertising degree, what are some of the career pathways you've heard of people taking other than working directly for an advertising agency?
What factor do you see the most in the presentation? Creativity? Organized? Well- apply of Class material?
Is it more beneficial for one brands to create and successfully manage several individual social media profiles for seperate countries that carry their brand, or to create one large social media account where all consumers of every country can follow and subscribe to? Several small accounts or one large account?
Several small accounts would not have as high of metrics and won't be shared and wil have fewer followers; conversly, one larger social media account for all countries will have higher metrics but will be harder to communicate with specific target markets.
What are the various characteristics of presentation zen?
As we have been building our digital strategies for our companies, we have been asked to discuss the best ways to measure the success of our strategies. I find myself confused as to how to answer this question effectively. Is the strategy's success only based on increase in revenue or can the strategy be successful in different ways, such as increased attention/presence on social media?
How can a company allocate money via social media to in order to use the money to fund a start up? For an example, getting paid to blog. What is it about a blog that must stand out in order for someone to earn cash from blogging? How does it work? Would the blogger charge its readers a subscription fee, etc. ?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QFCFvhmwfHg
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MazCG3HCZYg
http://www.makealivingwriting.com/how-i-make-5k-blogging/
When starting a new marketing campaign, is there a budget that is a universal good place to start? Is it universal between the sizes of companies or is each company for themselves?
What is a reasonable marketing budget for a brand (Johnson's Baby) that generates billions in revenue?
What is the easiest wya to measure the success and effectiveness of a digital campaign?
Is the most effective way to create an online brand through using social media and social networking engagement? Or are there better ways to accomplish this? For example, esurance, an auto, homeowner, etc. insurance company allows consumers to find insurance quotes and purchase insurance online without the hassel of talking to an insurance agent. From what I know of the company, it does not have social media platforms. What do you think is their strategy?
What should be involved in the digital marketing, whiat is the most important factor and how could make it more attractive?
In regards to digital marketing campaigns in the past, what is a 'famous' example of a campaign/effort that has failed and what was the reasoning behind it?
What is the most benefitial thing we can do during college to gain the attention of a company we wish to work for in the future, say in their advertising or marketing department?
MSU New Media Drivers License Copyright 2017
How big of a budget would you suggest to have in order to offer people to promote your blog?