Week 4 - Websites Recap

We are one fourth of the way through the semester! Wow!

This week we reviewed push and pull techniques, and how websites play a role in IMC. As you can see from your assignments this week, social media is just one multimedia channel in the grand marketing plan. Although social media engages, the website is where you want your customers to go to be fully immersed in your brand at every turn with no distractions popping up on a news feed! It is the home base for content delivery.

Websites can improve a brand with content, items to engage the customer such as chat or contests, cross-promoting social sites, and they should pull in a customer by having them sign up for an e-newsletter, text alerts, anything to capture their info (pull) so they can push info to them. A coupon code never hurts!

This week, I'd like to highlight these blogs for some great writing and insight into brands' websites. There were some great blogs this week, and I can't highlight them all, but I encourage you to check out your classmates' blogs. All I know is after this week, I want to go to the mall and hit up Kate Spade, Anthro, Pottery Barn and more!!

When it comes to push marketing, Oreo's website crumbles

BarackObama.com: A Brief Discussion

Google Marketing 101

Alexis also brought up a good point in the e-discussion that our own Florida Gators do a wonderful job at posting on social networks to direct followers back to gatorzone.com which houses some meaty articles for sports enthusiasts.

Looking forward to your responses this week as we look at some more multimedia channels that help reinforce the brand message -- emails and blogs.

Online teaching requires planning

My former professor, yet always a mentor, Dr. Julie Dodd wrote about how my UF class was developed this summer. There was a lot of planning that took place in my first-ever online class and she goes into step-by-step detail. Her blog is also just a great overall resource for educators.

Check out her blog, Thoughts On Teaching/Teaching, Jobs and Internships to read more!

Welcome!

Welcome UF Social Media Grad Students!

For those of you who are new to the program, welcome to UF and Go Gators! For those of you who are in your second semester and beyond, welcome back and Go Gators!

I am really excited to teach this course and provide you with what I think is a well-rounded approach to multimedia communications. What we'll cover is content I have encountered in my career "out there," what new technologies there are and what you need to consider from said technologies, as well as general information a mass comm/social media professional needs to know.

More details on the course are listed on the syllabus and in the e-learning platform (Sakai).

This new medium that is social media is constantly evolving. That being said, look here for posts that supplement your course materials. You won't be quizzed on these items etc. but they will be important for you to know about as you delve into your social media career or even could be great points to discuss in interviews. Just think of them as "Tips of the Day."

Anyways, welcome again. If you are enrolled in the course, you should receive a welcome email from me the first week of class.

Here's to a wonderful semester!
~Jaclyn