Digital Marketing Client Case

As I’ve approach the end of another semester, most of my courses are asking me to write research reports or complete a simple programming project.  My digital marketing course is the exception however, as I am actually acquiring real world experience with a client case.  For this project I interviewed a local company about their digital marketing strategy, so that I can offer suggestions regarding how they could improve it within their resources.

I’ve been assigned to work with Cityfolk here in Dayton, and they are already doing a great job of regularly maintaining their website and social media channels.  After meeting with them last week I was not sure what more they could be doing, but I’m now ready to follow up with them to discuss the growing number of tools related to web analytics and social media management.  Google Analytics would be useful for tracking the results to of modifications to their website, blog, or any ad campaign.  A tool like HootSuite would be a great way to manage all of their accounts and track mentions so that they can actively respond and foster conversation.

While their overall target market is very broad, they also still have opportunities to target individual groups in smaller ad campaigns on Facebook.  Facebook is packed with statistics that you can use to specifically target individual campaigns toward regional fans of performing bands or their musical genres.  Facebook lets you see how many people any campaign would potentially reach, so you have instant feedback whether you are being too specific in your marketing.  With both Facebook and Google it is the actual advertising that costs you money, so it’s important for companies to consider their target markets and experiment with the powerful statistics that are being handed to them free of charge.

The key to digital marketing is to be engaged and constantly adapt your efforts in order to connect and form a bond with potential customers.  Unlike traditional means of advertising we have the power to actually see how people are reacting to us and use that information in order optimize that response in our favor.  We are rapidly reaching the point where a company might as well not exist if it does not have adequate and positive web presence.

Learning Ruby

In the past months I’ve made a habit of attending as many of the Meetups related to web development around Dayton as I can and I’ve noted a growing number of local firms that specialize in Ruby.  That being said, I’ve only taken the time to skim through a handful of tutorials and stumble through writing a few programs for Project Euler challenges.  So I’ve purchased a number of textbooks to get better acquainted with both Ruby and Rails.

• The Ruby Programming Language by David Flanagan and Yukihiro Matsumoto
• Programming Ruby 1.9 by Dave Thomas
• Ruby Best Practices by Gregory T. Brown
• Ruby Cookbook by Lucas Carlson and Leonard Richardson
• Ruby on Rails Tutorial Second Edition by Michael Hartl

Skimming over the structure of each text I’m concerned that they serve more as quick primers and references than structured learning tools like the Java and C++ text that I’ve previously studied.  (The main difference being the lack of programming exercises at the end of each chapter offering actual direction for practice.)  That being said I plan to read them one by one and take the time to experiment with the concepts presented in each chapter so that I’ll have my own code to reference.

My Independent Studies in Information Technology

Hello and welcome to my blog.  I’m using this blog to track my progress and document my efforts in a self guided crash course in web and software development.

For my studies I intend to respond to the lectures I attend through local technology related groups, tackle programming challenges with multiple languages, and maintain a reading log to pace myself through the pile of textbooks that I’m accumulating.  As I grow more confident in my skills I plan to build a portfolio with open-source work and by reaching out to non-profits to help them improve their web presence.