Self+Reflection

Self-Reflection Through the length of this course I feel that I have obtained valuable knowledge on the field of online marketing. Through the various assignments I was able to apply these skills and tactics such as the online ad campaign design and the marketing plan for the final project. First in my online ad design I chose to do a local salon, which was a fun and difficult task. The salon already had an existing brand which had to stay consistent throughout the images and I also had to consider the ads not going too viral, as they can only accomodate so many clients and only the toronto region would be interested anyways. A similar dilemma arose when developing the marketing plan and strategy for the final project when my group chose to do a local not-for-profit organization. For both assignments I found email marketing was an effective online market tactic which could be used as it targets the already existing customers and gives them the potential to pass it on the others they know whom would also be within the area of the local companies. Also the internet's ability to select and target people based on their demographics and location can also be immensely useful to a local company as they save time not advertising to the wrong people. This issue really sparked my interest, wondering how small local businesses may not see the benefits of online marketing as they see it primarily used for marketing global or other online companies. The truth is that online marketing can aid the success of any business if the right strategies are put into place which consider the market they want to reach (whether big or small) and exactly how the internet can help the business in attracting as many of these people as possible A new concept from this course which I found interesting was the idea of personal branding. Although I understand that every product being sold (including people to potential employers) needs a strong brand, with a positive reputation and popularity connotation, I had never considered how to brand myself. It made me realize how powerful a tool online marketing can be for not only companies selling something, but also for me as a student who will soon be looking for a career. This is something I will continue to work on and consider when I am doing anything online which has my name attached to it. One unique feature of the internet is its search-ability. I must ensure to keep my brand positive and professional throughout everything I participate in online. Another topic touched upon in the course which I found interesting was mobile marketing. I think that this is a very new, but quickly growing form of online marketing which we will really see take off within the next few years. It's ability to target and reach people instantly is an extremely powerful tool for marketers. What will be interesting to see is how marketers get around the privacy issues involved with mobile marketing as it is considered much more personal to people opposed to their computers. Overall this course has exposed me to just how vast the online marketing field really is, how beneficial it can be to any company and especially how many careers are available in and through it.