Benjamin Tomes's Blog: Recalcitrance: An Unapologetic Free Thinking Forum, page 23

Waukesha MMA: A Digital Marketing Case Study, Step 1

See the Doc: A Free Clinic in Google Docs

Over the last year, I’ve become a huge fan of Google Docs.  Between the cost factor of zero and ease of use, it’s become a staple of the Digital Marketing and General Educaton courses I lead at our Wisconsin-based business college. 

One great aspect of Google Docs (located in Google Drive) is the ability to share a file so that it can be seen or edited by others.  With four of us working on this project, sharing was a big part of it.  To start the project out, I created a spreadsheet and immediately shared it with the others in class.  

To some, using things like Google Docs might seem a bit odd, but I wouldn’t have it any other way.  Our students take marketing automation courses, but it comes later in the program.  The HubSpot training they receive follows mastery of more basic resources.  I’ve become a fan of this order.  Social media and digital marketing jobs are often directed by automated marketing programs. To be successful in inbound marketing jobs, manual application is crucial.  This allows our students to gain knowledge depth in different platforms during the formative stages of their marketing training.

As we discuss topics, ideas and information pertaining to the project, it can be entered by any of us in live-time.  Our initial pages in the spreadsheet included Plan, Keyword Searches and Content.  Ultimately, we’d add three more as the project progressed.  (Video, Summary and one for a specific event they were planning.)

Our plan page was a conglomeration of ideas and notes we made during initial discussions.  The keyword searches charted every conceivable combination of words that we felt would be used to find a business such as the one we were helping.  The content tab was used to formulate a definitive plan of specific digital material we would create.  

This document is the center of our project universe.  The accessibility of it allows our students to contribute to it in class and out, as well as from their mobile devices with ease.  In addition to making this project easier to plan, it also serves as a way for us to delegate work and chart progress.  The ability to do this without email has fostered efficiency and teamwork.

Waukesha MMA: A Digital Marketing Case Study

As an instructor in the Digital Marketing program at Brensten Education, I often go home feeling like I have the most fun job in the world.  While it is time consuming, it’s a blast having the chance to see the class progress over time.  

My favorite aspect of my position is that it blends the teaching aspect with real world application of internet marketing for real companies.  Each track that starts here has the chance to work with a handful of real businesses; typically small ones with limited budgets for advertising.  This is as rewarding as it is fun.  

To date, the largest project we’ve taken on is Waukesha Mixed Martial Arts.  They’re a local company, located just a few miles from campus.  When they approached us for help, they were at a crossroads.  Memberships were down, and a quick check of their online presence revealed that they were not quickly found when searched for on Google. 

For them to thrive, this had to change.

I am now working with my students on issuing a series of blog posts that highlight each step of the process, and the results of our work.  I hope you enjoy keeping track of the work we have done.  

Twitter Releases Analytics for Everyone

Twitter Releases Analytics for Everyone:

You can’t access the info through the site itself yet, but there is a way.  Log in and open a second tab with the url included here. This way you can see some great statistics on your Twitter account.  What a great advancement in the Twittersphere!  

For people who work in digital marketing without a marketing automation program, this is really helpful.  This is a great advancement in social media marketing.  

Ugly ass birds always got beef. #thuglife

Ugly ass birds always got beef. #thuglife

Coors Field in Denver. Saw #Brewers climb to 15 games over .500.

Coors Field in Denver. Saw #Brewers climb to 15 games over .500.

At Ilitch Gardens in Denver.

At Ilitch Gardens in Denver.

IT Job Growth Looking Good in WI

IT Job Growth Looking Good in WI:

As an IT student in Wisconsin, this excites me.  It’s good to know there are jobs out there for Microsoft Certified personnel. 

Didn ‘t have the day I expected to have today. All is...

Didn ‘t have the day I expected to have today. All is well now, but ended up having an unplanned surgery. Was in unbelievable pain, but still couldn’t squash my sense of humor. (at Waukesha Memorial Hospital)

Beat This Meat, Casey

Beat This Meat, Casey:

Zoiks, what the hell is going on at the Kasem household?  I don’t think Revalations even suggests tossing your meat.

Measles Hits Amish; They Don't Hit Back

Measles Hits Amish; They Don't Hit Back:

The #Amish never hit back, even when it’s measles.