Mobile Ad Targeting

Check out this interesting article: Ads Will Soon Follow You From One Device to the Next @ Mashable.com

How others see SEO...

Best of the Internet Directory

Submit your site to the Best of the Internet Directory for free. This site is listed under the Education and Training Directory.

Instagram Explosion

Maybe you've heard that Instagram experienced the largest flood of photos ever shared on a given day, peaking at 226 photos per second on Thanksgiving Day. Yes, you read that right. 226 per second. In comparison, users of the popular social platform uploaded more than 1.3 million photos during and in the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy with hashtags such as #sandy, #frankenstorm and #hurricanesandy. Instagram released a report on the morning of Black Friday stating that over 10 million photos tagged with “Thanksgiving” and related terms had been shared throughout the day on Thursday.

It has been said that  "A picture is worth a thousand words", and with Facebook's recent acquisition of Instagram, it is quickly becoming clear that sharing images might soon replace messages and status updates. Images are quickly becoming the new platform for social media and digital marketing, expanding into new and emerging market segments. These images are a powerful communication tool used to convey a wealth of information, including what someone is doing, who they are with, and how they feel, without ever writing a single word.

Google AdWords Certification

If you're interested in becoming an SEO, or just interested in learning more about digital marketing in general, then you may want to check out digital marketing curriculum within the UM-Dearborn College of Business. Currently, each student is in the process of becoming individually qualified through the Google AdWords Certification Program.

Now, you'll need to create a Google account to join the program, but who doesn't like a free e-mail account with over 10 gigabytes of storage space available? In order to become individually qualified, you'll need to pass both the Advertising Fundamentals exam and one of the other three advanced-level exams that Google offers, including:

• Search Advertising 
• Reporting and Analysis 
• Display Exams. 

Each exam currently costs $50 USD, and study materials can be found here.

Marketing and Advertising Backlinks

You can add your site here to increase website traffic. This site is added under the Marketing and Advertising Directory.

So what is Digital Marketing, anyway?

Digital marketing is where marketing meets the internet and other forms of new media, such as cell phones, viral videos and even video games.  Digital marketing covers a wide range of activities such as:

• Social network marketing: utilize websites like Facebook, Google+ and Twitter to spread the word about their products, or learn more about the needs, wants and interests of their customers
• Search engine optimization: optimize a website so it ranks high in search engine results
• Open source innovation: collaborate with customers or independent product designers to create new products
• Viral marketing: videos etc. that are so much fun people want to see them and share them with their friends
• Experiment based market research: learn about consumer behavior by conducting controlled experiments on line, such as testing two versions of a product description on a website to see which results in more sales
• Web analytics: analyze data collected through websites in order to set prices, create better ads, make decisions about product distribution, and improve product design
• Reputation management: track what people are saying about a brand online, and help companies manage their brand image.

The University of Michigan's College of Business is just one of several undergraduate degree programs in the U.S. that can provide you with the education and experience you need to be successful in the competitive digital marketing workplace. Please visit the link above for more information about this program. 

Top Digital Marketing Schools

Colleges and Universities are beginning to offer majors and degree programs in digital marketing, where marketing connects with new media such as the internet, cell phones and even video games.This means that starting in fall 2011, students interested in marketing will have a choice of majoring in Digital Marketing, or the current general Marketing program which will also continue to exist. Their new Digital Marketing major is the second such program in the U.S., and is the only major of its kind in the Midwest.

Career Opportunities

The Digital Marketing major was created to prepare students for one of the fastest growing professional areas. Job growth in social media marketing is on the rise, and is just one of many areas within digital marketing where demand for qualified graduates greatly exceeds supply. Emerging career areas include:

• Media Buyer
• SEO Strategist
• Internet Copywriter
• Director of Marketing
• E-commerce Manager 
• Web Analytics Expert
• Social Media Manager
• Media Marketing Analyst
• Digital Marketing Manager
• Internet Public Relations Strategist

Courses

•  MKT 352 Marketing Principles and Policies, which can be taken as early as your sophomore year. The Digital Marketing Degree Program combines courses specifically on digital marketing, with courses that provide core knowledge needed by all marketing professionals.for the digital marketing major.

• MKT 363 Digital Consumer Search & Marketing will give you a hands-on experience with digital marketing, so you can better decide if this career area is right for you. More information about the digital marketing major or degree program can be found by visiting the following link to the College of Business @ the University of Michigan-Dearborn .