Tuesday, July 20, 2010

SEO intern Will Johnson Uses IM Program Skills

Will Johnson, a current IM student writes, "As a search marketing intern at Zebra Technologies in Vernon Hills, I work with the global web team to optimize the Zebra website for search engines. During the two months I have been here, I have researched hundreds of keywords, optimized dozens of web pages, measured change in search engine rankings and organic click-through-rate, and changed the strategy based on the results.

Zebra has given me the opportunity to expand more on my Search Engine Optimization (SEO) knowledge by encouraging me to keep on current events through blogs and examining past paid search reports from search marketing agencies. Also in this internship, I have been the resident SEO expert and taught several of my co-workers the basics of SEO.

While SEO has been my primary focus, my time never seems to stay focused on one task. Projects from other areas of marketing seem to pull me in as I act as an online marketing guru. Early on in my internship, I was involved in helping to expose web analytics to a database marketer and explaining how to use the application as well as showing what revelations can be discovered through website data. Using Google Analytics and WebTrends, I showed insight into prospect behavior on the website to this seasoned database marketer. It’s a great experience to be able to help someone who has over ten years of experience in marketing to learn something new.

The information I learned from NIU’s Interactive Marketing program on Social Media and SEO helped me become a resource for the PR team as they developed a new blog focusing on the various industries that Zebra products service. I explained SEO best practices for blogging (e.g. keywords in the title, headers and body text, focusing on only a few core keywords, using semantic keywords) to the team and analyzed their past blog entries for an SEO update.
Overall I have had an amazing experience at Zebra and I’m incredibly thankful for the Interactive Marketing program’s curriculum as well as the support from the professors. Without them, I would not have even heard of this opportunity."

Tuesday, July 13, 2010

NIU IM Grad Veronica Weinberger uses skills in auto industry

A recent grad, Veronica Weinberger, writes the following...thanks to today's guest blogger!

"It's incredible how much I apply the things is learned from my Interactive Marketing classes at NIU. Being the marketing coordinator at Continental Honda and Continental Nissan, I have had to control and monitor PPC campaigns, go through media buying procedures and create and maintain social media strategies and cross-channel marketing strategies on a regular basis.

Some other things that are emerging for the company are viral video and blogging, all of which I have been introduced to before starting my job, which puts me at an incredible advantage over many marketers, especially in the automotive field which tends to lag and put a lot of faith in old media.

Many of my colleagues do not have anywhere near the knowledge that an average NIU IM grad would have, as some are still asking for the full meaning of PPC and are wondering if social media is actually worth the time. Although my boss is also my father, he is amazed on a regular basis because of the advanced knowledge I possess, largely because of NIU’s Interactive Marketing Program and the IM faculty, Mrs. Domagalski and Dr. Zahay.

I can’t thank Mrs. D. enough for drilling into my head that marketers have to beg for every penny they would like to spend for a company, as I live it to the fullest. I cannot count for many times managers ask me if there is any way that I can get people in the door ready to buy cars… for FREE. A marketer’s job is never easy, but I have to say that I love every minute of doing exactly what I went to school for, something that I have such a passion for. I was a born Interactive Marketer."

Thanks Veronica and continued good luck!

Friday, July 2, 2010

Diane Dietz from Safeway, NIU grad, is media marketer!

Just got back from the Online Marketing Summit where the talk was all about content creation and curation. Now an NIU grad, Diane Dietz, CMO at Safeway, says even the grocery chain is seen as a media company today.
http://adage.com/cmostrategy/article?article_id=144515

Thursday, July 1, 2010

IM grad takes social media intership at Tilbury Corp via Linkedin!

Katrina Jefferson from my Interactive Marketing class of May 2009 writes, "This is Katrina Jefferson. I would like to take the time to personally thank you for the job posting for Tilbury Corp. After communicating with Tilbury via Linkedin, I was scheduled for an interview to discuss the position and later was offered an internship! I am excited to learn more about social media in this internship position and expect to make the most of this great opportunity!"