Through my MKTG 470 class I created a website which I would add to and optimize throughout the semester. By creating new posts, messing around with WordPress capabilities, and experimenting with SEO and PPC advertising I have learned first hand the vital relationship between the internet and marketing.
Google Analytics
Now that the end of the school year is upon us, it’s time to look back at what changes and trends my website has seen. Using Google Analytics I am able to quantitatively observe my websites traffic. To start off, I had a total of 48 visits with 25 unique visitors. Of my visitors, 39.58% were new visitors while 60.42% were returning visitors. These numbers are not too shabby since at first I thought my only visitors would be my professor and my blog partner. Looking at the graph I had several flat periods but no real trends other than my visitors are increasing lately (which likely has to do with my SEO efforts). Of my traffic sources 75% were direct, 16.67% were search, and 8.33% were referral (with the majority of these being from my professor’s site). In total I had 173 page views, with 71 of these being unique. I can hope that my unique visitors came from my internet marketing efforts.
In the end, my one regret is that I did not give enough attention to my PPC campaigns. I believe my SEO results were higher because I put more effort into them. We used Google AdWords to drive traffic to our sites. If I had better manipulated my budget I think my site would have received many more views. I am pleased in the end with my results, but like I have said I wish they had done better. Getting the attention that I have to my site has been fun though!
What I Learned
The most useful thing I have to take away from MKTG 470 is the growing power and presence of the internet. It is becoming intertwined in all of our lives, whether we like it or not. Aspiring to work in the marketing field I feel that having the knowledge of all these programs like WordPress, Google AdWords, Google Analytics, etc. will be vital in having a successful career.
Not So Bad, After All
When I was first enrolled in this class I was not exactly looking forward to it because technology and I have a had a history of mutual hatred. However, now that the class has ended I realized how much I really do like internet marketing. I now have even opened my mind to working in this area. It goes to show you that you can’t judge something until you’ve tried it. I suggest you too all look more into the many fascinating aspects of it today!
Tags : google analytics, mktg 470, SEO
Search engine optimization is used to generate more traffic towards a website. By making certain changes and improvements to a website it can be more easily detected by spiders crawling the web. In other words, it better connects someone making a search with more relevant results. For example, I made a few changes to my Why I Love JMU page in order to drive more traffic; hopefully those who are interested in hearing more about why I love JMU are shown this page.
I made numerous changes within WordPress to try to optimize this page. The first change I made was changing the title of the page from just JMU to Why I Love JMU. I also changed the permalink ending from jmu to lovejmu. By adding in the exact phrase ‘lovejmu’ I hoped to achieve more relevant results when searched. Additionally, through the SEO Pack (an add-on available through WordPress) I added the keywords lovejmu as well as the title ‘Reasons I Love JMU’. This also allows you to add a description; I chose ‘Insight as to why I love JMU so much’. Furthermore, I linked both the JMU home website and the JMU College of Business website within the text. The image within the page I also added a link as well as making the title of the image ‘lovejmu’. All of these alterations should help to better improve my positioning on search engine results.
According to free SEO tool WebpageFX there are still many improvements I have to make. Though this is true, it comments that the aforementioned changes are all very accurate and show promise for better optimization. Since my website is still very small listening to these recommendations should help spur my growth.
Google Webmaster Tools has proven itself as a key mechanism for one to learn more about their own website. It reveals the facts that are not obvious and perhaps cannot be seen at all. Some of the tools available are examining the links to your site, subscriber stats, keywords significance, and many more. Upon checking out my own stats for my website, I better understood what my relevance was on the web as well as what I can improve on.
For example, after using the search queries tool I was able to see what searches my site made impressions on. This can be key to manipulate through Google AdWords in order to increase my clicks as well as relevance to what searchers I want to reach. I also found out through the links to your site tab, that I had four total links from other sites. This fact actually surprised me and was kind of exciting to acknowledge. Knowing that other web authors are willing to link my site to theirs proves my credibility as well as attraction for searchers.
Google Webmaster Tools can be of major use to marketers. By examining the results of their websites they can get a better idea of who they need to reach. These tools can reveal what segments are profitable by seeing what people are searchimg as well as who is talking about their site. Tools like subscriber stats show who is interested enough to follow their moves on the web. Analyzing the data from Google Webmaster Tools can add great value for any company on the web (and for cheap!).
Deb Van Horn from Rockingham Group works in the areas of Human Resources, Facility Management, Information Technology, Marketing and Operations. That said, she is fully involved in many aspects of the company. In particular, she came to our MKTG 470 class to speak about how internet marketing is a valuable tool in today’s business world. Ms. Van Horn is available for contact through LinkedIn and Twitter.
One of the most stressed areas by Ms. Van Horn was the use of social media and its advantages. For example, she discussed how a company’s Facebook page can be beneficial through what comments are posted on their wall. Customers may post positive or negative items, but both are to be treasured equally. It is important for a company to address both success and failure points and accommodate accordingly. Additionally, it makes it more feasible to check your company’s fan base through Facebook Insights. This collects information from different areas of your Facebook page and helps to better target who your customer is.
Advertising is also a valuable way to use the Internet to enhance your company’s business and or reputation. Advertising in this outlet helps you stay visible to consumers. If you use a program like Google AdWords you can even better target who you want to be seeing your ads through certain options when establishing your campaigns.
Ms. Van Horn also addressed a pertinent topic for us as college students (and sadly, about to be graduates!) which is the importance of one’s social presence. She cautioned that we should be very aware of what is visible to the public eye. Though we use social media outlets such as Facebook and Twitter everyday it is important to have adequate privacy settings and to make sure to feel good about whatever is posted.
I want to personally thank Ms. Van Horn myself for the enlightening presentation. I took quite a lot from her words and know that I will be able to use some of the tactics demonstrated in my future marketing endeavors!
With the ever-growing presence of social media, it is inevitable that major firms need to establish some sort of policy regarding their employees’ use. I looked at three different companies who have stated their guidelines and decided to see how they differed. The first company was the Ford Motor Company, the second Intel, and the third Boy Scouts of America. I chose three very different companies to examine how social media policies would shift.
My first finding was that, with not much surprise, Ford and Intel shared more similarities. Since they are both firms with a myriad of employees that have access to inside information, social media guidelines and sharing must be monitored. Both companies stressed the importance of keeping intellectual property within the company. For example, Intel’s policy states:
“Never reveal Intel-classified or confidential information. If you’re unsure, check with Intel PR or Global Communications Group. Off-limit topics include: litigation, non-published financials, and unreleased product info. Also, please respect brand, trademark, copyright, fair use, and trade secrets. If it gives you pause…pause rather than publish.”
They both stress discretion quite a bit throughout these guidelines. Another similarity is that they prefer that employees write in their areas of expertise as opposed to something they are not as familiar with. They wish to see the company and the employees themselves in their best light in the social realm.
The Boy Scouts policies are more geared toward the privacy of those that belong as well as the reputation the company has worked so hard to uphold over many years. All share the common trend that it is best to think before you write and be aware that employees are representative of their companies.
Last May, I took a study abroad program in Barcelona, Spain for three weeks. It was through my school, James Madison University.Undoubtedly, it was one of the best times of my life. I went on the trip not knowing anyone or what to expect from the coursework. I took the class as credits for my Spanish minor,but mainly because I love to travel and have always wanted to visit Spain. This first spurred after I had heard all about how incredible Spain was from my best friend, who had studied abroad the previous semester in Seville.
The course of the trip was more than I could have ever wanted. I was lucky to have taken a course that didn’t trap you in a classroom but instead let us go out and experience the country with the guidance of our professor. We went to many museums, churches, the Olympics buildings and fields, restaurants, and much more. One weekend we went away to the beaches of Figueres and Costa Brava. Two of the most beautiful places I have visited in my life. You can’t argue with this:
I would have to say what impressed me most was the church Sagrada Familia that is still under construction and has been for many years. It is simply amazing and can only be truly experienced first hand. The unique styles and architecture that anchor the city are unforgettable.
Not only were the sites amazing, but I came out of the trip with new friends, memories, and a new take on life. To me, there is no better learning experience than putting yourself right into a situation. Anyone interested in study abroad I strongly urge you to do so!
You may or may not already know about the website Pinterest. It’s a virtual pin board that users or “pinners” can use to showcase their personal likes, interests, attitudes, products and beliefs. It’s a very visual medium with tons of fun options for users. You first create boards that contain different categories, for example, My Closet or Future Home. There are millions of options to pin, or you can even upload images of your own. Videos also are available for pinning. You can follow companies or specific people. If you’re interested, follow me!
So now that you understand what the site is all about, you are probably wondering what use it can be to companies. According to the article, “Pinterest for Brands: 5 Hot Tips” there is a myriad of ways a company can utilize this social media site. Creating an account for a brand can really give consumers what their name sponsors; the customers can familiarize themselves with the company in a fun element. This kind of background can help consumers choose if this is the kind of brand they are interested in.
The article stresses the idea that a Pinterest board can “promote a lifestyle.” By making their boards not merely a showcase for products (which is often the purpose a company website) people who can relate to their boards may take a deeper interest in the brand. Another good use for companies in the Pinterest realm is to “use it as a focus group.” Companies should check out their followers and in turn see what else they’re interested in. Pinterest opens up a new way to identify customer segments and their likes. I find this new idea of branding through pinterest very exciting! I hope I can be involved with a brand’s pinterest in the future and see it possibly being a very lucrative outlet. So get pinning!
Twitter has immense power in today’s world. This social platform has truly proven recently its presence in many different areas. Upon stumbling through many different accounts I found that it is most definitely a great source for news and even more important for us, marketing. I believe for many businesses in the future Twitter will prove a vital tool in marketing campaigns; particularly for means of PR. The Twitter universe is growing every day and becoming an integral form of communication. For example, through one account that I follow (Pete Cashmore from Mashable) it showed that Whitney Houston’s death was actually confirmed first by Twitter and television networks had not covered it until almost 30 minutes later! That to me is astonishing. I really am becoming more interested in Twitter, it feels like a much more updated way to find out what is going on not only in personal social circles, but also all around the globe.
So now that you have an idea of the impending presence of Twitter, spread your own influence! Let people know what you’re up to, what you care about. You can follow me at @jonessn49. Get tweeting!
I chose SimpCalar 2.6.3 for my new WordPress theme, which was created by Ruby. I found this theme by simply checking off the color pink in the color options section of theme search. I chose this theme because I personally find bright colors eye catching and also because the main background of light pink is relaxing and accepting. Pink is symbolic for love and compassion, which I think represents myself rather well. Since this blog is about me, I figured it would be appropriate to accurately reflect who I am.
Since the switch of themes, several changes did occur. The layout is definitely different, but the necessary options are all still there on my main page. I did, however, lose my favicon and the Twitter feed. This was a rather seamless transition.
Welcome to my blog. I am currently enrolled in Strategic Internet Marketing (MKTG 470) taught by Dr. Theresa B. Clarke at James Madison University. As one of the course requirements, all students will be completing some of the assignments as blog posts. This is my first official blog post for Dr. Clarke’s course in the JMU Department of Marketing.
