Mindful Marketing - MKTG 476 - Digital Marketing
MINDFUL MARKETING ELECT TO EMPOWER YOUR FUTURE MKTG 476 - Digital Marketing
Digital marketing is the component of marketing that utilizes the internet and online-based digital technologies to promote products and services. It involves various digital channels such as social media, search engines, email, and mobile apps to connect with potential customers and individuals interested in products or services.
Digital marketing allows for personalized communication and the ability to track campaign performance, making it a vital aspect of business and brand awareness in today's digital age.
“What’s new in Digital Marketing?”
In the fast-paced world of digital marketing, staying up to date with the latest hot topics and strategies is important for success. Professor Mark Staton researches different job listings about what managers are looking for when hiring to keep the class topics relevant. Mark also has a vast network of alumni and connections who come to speak to the class about their roles and how this class helped them!
Here is a snippet of a few trending topics that will be discussed in class:
- A/B Testing
- SEO (Search Engine Optimization)
- PPC (Pay Per Click)
- Inbound Marketing
- IU/UX
- Generative AI
Why Take Digital Marketing?
- Students will be able to understand how search engines work and how this knowledge could be used to improve a website’s organic search ranking. You will also learn how to improve the conversion rates of individual marketing campaigns.
- Students will be able to understand how the information available to marketers allows for more fruitful segmentation and positioning development. You will also learn how the Internet has enhanced traditional marketing research techniques.
- Students will learn all the different parts of a good digital media plan and how it employs Paid, Earned, Owned, and Found media. You will also learn the ethnography and anthropology of today’s leading social media channels, invaluable knowledge for the development of a digital media plan.
Benefits & Skills
- Tools to help students stand out in the job market
- Learn diverse digital marketing methods and job areas to spark individual interests and potential jobs
- Some perspectives of digital marketing students can gain insight to
- The client
- Agency
- Consumer
- Producer
- Promoter
- Distributor
- Entrepreneur
- Creating a professional social media presence on LinkedIn through blogs enables students to be searchable, providing employers access to their work.
About Mark
Associate Professor of Marketing for the College of Business & Economics, Mark earned his Ph.D. in Marketing from the Foster School of Business at the University of Washington. During his time at UW, his research interests included consumer psychology, ethical standards of judgment, digital marketing, pedagogy, and consumer culture theory. Mark fun facts: Has a dog named Ruby, Majored in History Born in Boston Has an impressive shoe collection Into Pop Culture (he’s a Swiftie!) Deep appreciation for Spotify Wrapped- his #1 artist this year was Beyoncé! Mark is the former director of the MBA and graduate program at CBE and continues to be a professor for both undergraduate and graduate classes.
Mark Fun Facts:
- Has a dog named Ruby
- Majored in History
- Born in Boston
- Has an impressive shoe collection
- Into Pop Culture (he’s a Swiftie!)
- Deep appreciation for Spotify Wrapped- his #1 artist this year was Beyoncé!
- Mark is the former director of the MBA and graduate program at CBE and continues to be a professor for both undergraduate and graduate classes.
Some Digital Marketing with Mark
How Digital Marketing Ties In With Other Courses
In an increasingly digital world, topics of digital marketing are embedded in all other marketing classes.
One of the goals of Digital Marketing is to start students on the process of becoming a T-shaped marketer, which is a marketer who has a broad understanding of how all topics work together and deep knowledge in one. This class is an overview of numerous topics, providing that broad understanding for students.
Topics studied in this class are talked about often in other courses. Numerous courses cover paid versus organic social media, analytics, content creation, AI, and more. But just because they are discussed in other courses doesn’t mean you don’t get to hear unique perspectives and have a chance to develop your skills in all of these topics through this course!
Previous Student Perspective
Students have found this to be an incredibly useful course, and many have gone into careers centered around at least one of the topics covered in this course.
June 2023 Marketing graduate Sara Slone uses “the concepts in [her] working life to understand what coworkers are doing” as “it lends a bird's eye view of digital marketing.”
She also notes that one of the best ways to succeed in the class is to “look up the speakers ahead of time and come with prepared questions.”
Numerous students also have expressed appreciation to Mark for the experience of writing blog posts. The experience of putting articles on LinkedIn allows students to not only get the chance to distill the information they learn into a digestible format, but it differentiates them professionally.
Current Student Perspective
Bethany Payne, a current senior, recognizes the relevance of MKTG 476 as she gets ready to build her professional career post-college.
She notes, "Digital Marketing is the perfect class to get hands-on experience to expand your network, stay on top of current marketing trends, and stand out on LinkedIn. While trying to create an online marketing presence, DigiMark has been an excellent stepping stone to do so. Each week, students are given guidance on prompts for a blog that expands knowledge on a specific marketing field/interest and allows the student to immerse themselves further amongst alumni experiences and how they got to where they are today.”
What To Expect
- Students can expect an engaging and immersive class experience in MKTG 476. This course is an exceptional tool to grow academically, professionally, and personally.
- The instructor, Mark Staton, shows a commitment to the student learning experience. His passion for Digital Marketing was evident in every class period, bringing excitement and engaging content for students every day.
- What truly makes MKTG 476 stand out is its emphasis on practical application and personal asset building. Students are required to create blog posts for LinkedIn and complete various online certifications to add to a resume.
Resources For Success
- Students must have a social media presence. Which
means having a LinkedIn account, X account, Instagram,
and a personal blog.
- Certifications are important which are one-third of the
student's grade, which involves HubSpot certification,
Google Analytics and Google Ads, TradeDesk, and
Hootsuite.
- Students are expected to come prepared for class
discussions every class session. Participation points are a
way students can gain better grades and get more out of
this course. While also being one-third of student’s
grades.
Other Marketing Elective Blogs
Brand marketing blog: Marketing 475
People & Money blog: Marketing 499
For additional help, seek out the Professor via...
Office Hours: Monday / Wednesday 3:20 – 5:20 PM
Location: Parks Hall 449; and by appointment via ZOOM
Email: mark.staton@wwu.edu