Blog Post #10- User Experience

    Every day online users surf the web and look at multiple websites. Whether to buy products, play games, read, learn, or book a service people look for easy-to-use websites. That is why the user experience is fundamental to consider when building a website. A user experience "user experience is how a user interacts with and experiences a product, system, or service. It includes a person's perceptions of utility, ease of use, and efficiency." When a consumer is looking at a website they are unaware of the tools in the website code to make their experience simple, efficient, and attractive.

    Heuristics are what make a user experience appealing. A heuristic on a website is "is a fast and practical way to solve problems or make decisions. In user experience (UX) design, professional evaluators use heuristic evaluation to systematically determine a design’s/product’s usability. As experts, they go through a checklist of criteria to find flaws which design teams overlooked." In my class presentation, I learned the ten heuristics to look for when evaluating a website. The ten heuristics include; Visibility of system status, match between system and the real world; user control and freedom, consistency, and standards, error prevention, recognition rather than recall, flexibility and efficiency of use, aesthetic and minimalist design; helping users recognize, diagnose, and recover from errors, and help and documentation.

    The most important piece of advice I learned when it comes to connecting the user experience with marketing is learning your audience. Being empathetic in the process to put yourself in your target audience's shoes and seeing what could make their experience easier. Websites have different target audiences and that is why they are not all created the same. Knowing how to use the heuristics to appeal to your target audience is important to keep them on the website and keep them coming back.

Blog Post #9- Bake More Pies

Bake More Pies has nothing to do with baking and all to do with marketing. BMP is an integrated digital marketing company based in Tampa, Florida. They focus on launching campaigns for their clients using the most up-to-date technology to get the best results. Last week, I visited BMP and was given a presentation about the company and the future of marketing. The presentation was very thorough and I learned what is needed to be successful in the digital marketing business. The most important things I learned were how to get a job and what to look for in your job search. As a fourth-year student graduating in two months, the BMP presentation gave me many tools in my job search.

Something to look for when applying to jobs is the culture of the company. A company's culture is referring to "describes the shared values, goals, attitudes and practices that characterize an organization. Aspects such as working environment, company policies and employee behavior can all contribute to company culture." The culture of marketing companies can make the work experience drastically different and it is important to figure out what work environment you are looking for when job hunting. Working in-house or for an agency is something that you should figure out first. The work and pace of the job are going to give you different experiences depending on where you are.

Another important factor is knowing how much you are worth salary-wise. Before interviewing for a job you should do research on the market you are applying in. A resource is PayScale which is a data program that gives you input on the different salaries in your area.  After the presentation, I looked up the salaries of the job positions I am applying for and now I have a realistic idea of what I should ask for when interviewing.

Blog Post 7: Digital Marketing and Entrepreneurship

 

ManticMedia.com

Andrew Mimault is the owner of a growth marketing firm named "Mantic Media Group." His company specializes in creating "successful paid search engine advertising campaigns, paid social advertising campaigns, attention-grabbing content, revenue-increasing processes, stunning branding, modern websites, and consulting." Mimault is very passionate about advertising and has always been an entrepreneur. He spoke about all the jobs and projects he did before being able to own his own business. A key takeaway I got from his presentation was that as an advertiser or someone in the business, you always have to keep evolving.

The marketing industry has evolved tremendously over the last decade. Mimault talked about the importance of being multifaceted in the industry. Having knowledge of Search engine optimization, social media, paid media, content marketing, programming, and data analytics. As an advertiser, studying and learning new skills is important to keep your career and servicing your clients. A useful tip I learned from his presentation was the resources for classes to expand your skill set. He spoke about the website called Hootsuite which is a social media management program that offers different classes to take on communication skills. Youtube, is also a free space where you're able to look up new skills and watch videos to learn.

Overall, Mimault inspired me to never stop learning and that hustling is a huge part of the advertising industry. Getting your foot in the door is hard, but the growth opportunities are worth it. Being able to sell yourself and your skills is very important in this business. There are always learning and growing opportunities, but it is up to you to take them.  Being successful also means you can never get comfortable because there is always evolution in the industry.

See photos

Blog Post 8: Moxie Digital

 Moxie Digital is an internet marketing company that focuses on creating digital marketing plans for smaller to medium-sized companies. The founder: Jenni Millis, has years of experience with social media, mobile, paid advertising, analytics, and search engine optimization. Millis spoke about giving offering a customized campaign for their clients to help them grow their businesses. This is a unique product for an advertising company because many times companies use a universal marketing plan for all of their clients.

Millis discussed the importance of Google Ads and how they are imperative to growing a company and reaching an audience. Knowing how to utilize Google Ads and all of the services they offer optimizes the reach a company can have. The key to a successful Google ad is the right size of the image. "Choosing the wrong size will effectively limit how much reach your campaigns have. And if you’re trying to target a specific niche, this could make your ads ineffective altogether." As an advertiser its important to understand how the ad you are creating will show up on the platform that is used. Typically, the ad space you are buying will give dimensions to what they are looking for you. The ad you create should look well-spaced and planned out to that specific size.

I learned that Google usually splits up its ad spaces into three categories- Leaderboard, skyscraper, and square. Once you know how those ads are laid out it is easier to figure out the look of your ad. If you don't create an ad that fits in the correct measurements then you lose out on the impression. Sizing is especially important for mobile ads. Mobile devices are how most people see digital media and the ad needs to be universal across all platforms. "Statista reported that in 2022, the mobile advertising expenditure worldwide reached over $288B. An overwhelming 60% of that enormous spend came from mobile digital ad spending." The mobile advertising industry is only growing and advertisers need to learn how to create an effective ad that can be impressionable on a mobile device.

Blog Post 4- SEO in Media Mix

Search engine optimization is essential because an online presence draws people to a company's website. An effective search engine optimization is having your website be on the top of the search result page. Being one of the first results can drive traffic and expand consumer reach. SEO is an organic digital marketing tool. An organic search result attracts people to a website because it is seen as more trustworthy. An SEO is effective because it connects you to your audience when they are in search of your product. It is when the customer is looking for you and not you looking for the customer.


Keywords are an important part of an effective SEO marketing plan. Keywords are words a company chooses that make it possible for people to find a sight on the search engine. A company chooses specific keywords that relate to its product. When people use any of the keywords on their search the more a website matches the word the higher on the page the website appears. You want to choose the most effective keywords that have heavy traffic, but a low keyword difficulty. "You can use various SEO analysis tools that can help you perform an in-depth SEO Analysis to understand how well your SEO efforts are helping you generate leads." Analyzing the success of your SEO can look like examining your spam rating, internal and broken links, primary keywords, etc...

"A media mix is a marketing term for the combination of channels a business uses to meet its marketing goals. It can include billboards, email, websites, and social media. Businesses might refer to their marketing mix when thinking about how to hit future campaign goals." Adding an SEO strategy to the marketing mix can optimize website traffic and a more natural relationship with your consumer.