I recently came across an article that predicted this would be the year that not-for-profit universities begin offering a degree in Internet Marketing. Now, this stopped me in my tracks and baffled me for two reasons:
1. Ciceron has been in business, doing 'internet marketing' everyday for the last 20 years. How is it that this much time has passed and universities have not met this external demand more head on? It wasn't that long ago that I was in college and I remember in one class, in one section, within one chapter, I read about paid search and SEO. That's it. It's a good thing I received my Ciceron MBA after I graduated from college since my actual coursework didn't quite prepare me for the work I am doing now. I know more recent college grads have received a little more digital training, but seriously, how is it not yet an option to specialize in this field?
2. BA in Internet Marketing. What would that even mean? I can barely explain to my own mother what I do, let alone think about how a university would define this line of work.
So this got me thinking, what would a college student's coursework look like when taking on this degree? Maybe something like this:
Prerequisites
- The History of Marketing and The Internet:
Think about it, kids entering college are 18 years old. They have no knowledge of what things were like when you didn't have the world at your fingertips. They should have a better sense of how we got to where we are today. I want them to understand traditional marketing, how it has evolved, as well as the importance of how and why it should integrate with digital components to be the most successful. - Google Analytics 101
Accountability of performance is something that will follow you in your digital career. Everything can be tracked, analyzed and optimized. Google Analytics, and all similar platforms, will be the cornerstone of your success. You are so much more valuable to an employer if you know your way around an analytics tool and can pull out actionable insights. - Digital Channels 101
What is internet marketing? What are the channels you have to work with? What purpose does each channel serve? And, how do they work together? This course is all about the basics. If you don't have a good understanding about how SEO, Paid Search, Email, Social and Website Usability work at their core, how do you expect to know what to do with them when it really counts? - Speech
Yes, internet marketing implies all things online, but there is nothing more important than being able to interact face-to-face. I honestly hated speech because it was difficult for me to get over the fear of being the center of attention, but in the end it was one of my most valued courses. Especially now more than ever kids grow up communicating digitally, so this is a skill that will be invaluable for an internet marketing career.
Core Classes
- Integrated Campaigns
If there was one thing I hated about college, it was group projects. However, looking back, they are imperative in your everyday life. I guess those professors knew what they were doing after all. A class dedicated toward developing an integrated campaign from start to finish brings your basic training to a whole new level and allows you to work as a team while doing it. - Social - Rules of Engagement
Social will play a huge role in any internet marketing career, but just because you have a personal Facebook, Twitter and Instagram account doesn't mean you know social. This class will need to provide insights about the purpose of each social channel, how to communicate, how NOT to communicate, social listening and how to engage, advertising opportunities, and actively planning for and tracking success. - Customer ROI
What is the ROI on that initiative? That is a question we will always face, and have to answer as marketers. ROI can mean a lot of things, so ultimately this class would help you understand how to define objectives, goals and KPIs, and track against progress. It would also touch on the lifetime value of customers and how a happy customer can introduce you to new customers (Advocacy!). - SEO - Beyond the Basics
SEO at its core is keyword analysis and on-site optimization, but there is so much more to it that it needs to have its own course. This would include purposeful writing with SEO in mind, technical requirements, linking strategies / influencer relationships, and reviews and recommendations. All of these elements need to work together to achieve SEO success.
Electives
- Writing HTML - You don't need to be a coding genius, but having the ability to find your way around some basic HTML will go a long way for things such as building emails, making basic website updates, and setting tracking capabilities.
- Intro to Photoshop - It's amazing how helpful it is to have a few people that can find their way around Photoshop.
- Video/Photography Production & Editing - This just sounds like fun, right? So many stories are now told in a more visual manner. These skills are always going to be a hit.
So what did I miss? Which class would you sign up for, or wish they would have taught when you were in school? Comment below or tweet me @jodybiagini.