MDIA 4902 - Blog Post #4

While it is clear that online businesses are thriving and have many advantages, I also feel that brick and mortar stores are still going to be a mainstay in the marketing world. It is certainly tempting to establish an online business due to the lack of expenses such as rent and utilities, but I feel as though pigeonholing all businesses as being better off in an online setting is a bad idea in the marketing world. There are also advantages to brick and mortar stores as well, such as the ability to create an atmosphere in your stores and the possibility of face-to-face interactions. Also, many individuals simply don't prefer to shop online, and would rather have their goods in-hand at purchase.

If I were to operate a business, I would try to take measures to optimize the business to tap into both the online and brick and mortar markets. Many businesses have been successful in doing just this. For example, Apple products can be purchased online and in Apple retail locations. I feel as though this allows Apple to tap into the online shopping market with the ability to order and customize your product from your living room, but they also do a great job taking advantage of the things a physical location offers as well, as their retail stores are the epitome of great branding. If I were to run a business, I would follow suit and try to appeal to both business models.

MDIA 4902 - Blog Post #3

If I were to redesign my blog to make it more marketable, I would try to make my design look more professional and business-related, as I am both a business and media student. In the future I will be searching for a place to start my career, and as we all know, a person's online presence is becoming an important part of the job search process with the ease of searching out someone online during the interview process. I would be sure to include a professional image of myself wearing clothing appropriate for the job I would like to be considered for (and possibly overdress for the job). Also, I would be sure my layout, content, and messages on the blog were professional in nature and were related to the field that I would like to start a career in. The more I related the blog to my career goals, the more likely it would be that the blog could serve as an asset in marketing myself to potential employers. I would also be sure that my blog is highly organized and easy to navigate, as common sense tells us that easily navigated websites are more likely to keep visitors enthused than one that is confusing and hard to manage. As we have seen with many of the top blogs we examined in Module 3, organization and navigation are certainly key in the success of a blog.

MDIA 4902 - Blog Post #2

As an example of a business who has shown the importance of online marketing, I have chosen Angie's List, which takes advantage of the marketing concept that states that information and referrals gained from our peers (word of mouth) can be the most powerful tool for researching a business. Angie's list focuses on the experience someone has with a particular business and sharing it with others who are potential customers for the same business. This shows that online information, whether good or bad, can have an impact on the purchases of consumers and can be a very powerful tool in marketing.

MDIA 4902 - Blog Post #1

1. How many social networking sites are you using.

I am currently using 2 social networks regularly (Facebook and LinkedIn), one every so often (Twitter), and others I browse every so often.

2. How often do you use them?

I use Facebook every day, LinkedIn once a week or so, and Twitter is only used at random times.

3. What is your favorite and why?

My favorite is Facebook, simply because I use it the most often and it is the most useful to me. I like to connect with my friends, and it also serves a professional purpose as well. I'm the Promotions Director for the All-Campus Radio Network (ACRN), and Facebook allows me to contact performing artists and other people in the local music scene in order to promote and organize events for ACRN.