Businesses Need Internet Marketing Degree Graduates
Article by Natasha Bright
It takes more than a website these days for businesses on the Internet to get noticed. The Internet is also becoming more and more the place where people turn to for information, which could make Internet marketing degrees and Internet marketing programs that lead to certificates valuable.
Some Internet marketing degree programs might actually be business degrees that come with specializations in online marketing. In either instance, students might expect to gain the skills and knowledge that can help them manage websites and plan campaigns that go well beyond print brochures and the yellow pages. Here’s a glimpse at what students in some Internet marketing degree programs, specializations and certificate programs might learn about:
Web 2.0. This is the same version of the World Wide Web with which everyone is familiar. It is simply the interactive elements of that web – social networking sites and video sharing, for instance, and blogs, mashups, hosted services and folksonomies.
Search engine marketing. SEM, as it’s known, involves promoting websites at least in part by paying to make them more visible on the pages that provide search engine results. With SEM, for example, students in Internet marketing degree programs might learn how professionals pay for placement on Google or Bing search engine result pages (SERPs) as well as rely upon popular keywords that can improve their placement in other SERPs. Another form of SEM is Social Media Marketing, or SMM, whereby the social media pages of a website might also appear on SERPs.
Search engine optimization. Coding and content, rather than paid advertisements, are a part of search engine optimization, which involves enhancing the visibility of a website by understanding the search words that people use, the way that search engines operate and the specific search engines that certain audiences might prefer. As search engine optimization becomes more sophisticated, students in Internet marketing degree programs might learn about how search engine pros have come to frown upon – and get around – techniques such as link farms, article spinning and keyword stuffing.
Web analytics. Web analytics is a form of market research. It tells Internet marketers how a website’s traffic – the views its pages receive and the time spent on those pages, for instance – might change as a result of marketing promotions or campaigns. Web analytics isn’t only for existing websites, however. With off-site, rather than on-site web analytics, Internet marketing professionals might come to understand, based on what’s happening on the Internet as a whole, what a potential website’s performance could be.
Email, mobile and viral marketing. E-mail marketing in a sense is direct mail marketing through use of e-mail letters, newsletters and the like. Mobile marketing, which is sometimes referred to as wireless marketing, often involving the use of a mobile device. Viral marketing can include video clips, ebooks, text messages, flash games and more. Its mission: To appeal to web users who have strong social networking potential and who are likely to spread the message.
Internet marketing is one of the most cost-effective ways for a company to boost its income. Online marketing programs might cover topics such as budget management, e-commerce and pay-per-click advertising. Visit eLearners Online to locate online classes and learn to use the Internet most effectively.
