As an interactive marketing intern at Forthea, I have picked up a lot of knowledge about the basics of digital marketing. I thought the visual marketing world was the only one that existed, but when I walked through Forthea’s doors, my idea of marketing completely changed. As a business student from St. Edward’s University, I strongly believe that more students studying business and marketing should learn about the impact digital marketing has on the business world. SEO and PPC work helps to better understand trends in the marketplace and gives insight into the constantly changing digital world. During my internship, I learned about the importance of utilizing search engine optimization, enhancing blog post, using Google tools, optimizing social media, and auditing. So what are the basics of digital marketing? I’m glad you asked!

Utilizing Search Engine Optimization

I learned that using search engine optimization is an effective way to help a company gain more exposure to current and potential customers. After sitting in on several marketing meetings, I began to realize that visual marketing produces more tangible products, but digital marketing generates more concrete data. That data gives a clear vision as to how customers are communicating with a specific company’s products or services. When this data is taken, organized, and reviewed, it can be used to help a website’s natural online exposure by improving a website on-page and off-page.

Blog Post Optimization

Before I joined Forthea, I casually scrolled through blog post thinking that a person simply wrote a blog post on Microsoft Word, posted it, and went on with life. Now, I look at blog post a lot differently! I learned about the importance of implementing target keywords, header tags, meta descriptions, and meta titles. All are important components for that perfect blog post “recipe” but keywords are the key ingredients to creating a well optimized blog post that can drive organic traffic a company or a blogger.

Google AdWords and Analytics

How to people use Google? Before, I thought that list was simply answering questions, locating a store, sending emails, and finding images. After becoming an intern, I was exposed to Google AdWords and Google Analytics. These two tools helped me to understand keyword research, user activity, SEO, and PPC. I gained a lot of knowledge about how Google Analytics can be used to track new and returning users, bounce rate, pages visited, and overall website traffic. Utilizing these tools gave me deeper insight into how to improve a website based off of the data Google AdWords and Analytics provided me.

What is SMO?

This was a lingering question in my head after hearing the acronym “SMO” over and over again until I learned it stood for Social Media Optimization. I honestly did not think that optimization could get any better! I never knew that Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, Instagram, Google+, and Yelp could be optimized to help a business rank higher in Google. Learning about SMO was really enjoyable because I got the chance to look at clients social media accounts and preform audits.

Auditing Social Media

Preforming an audit for clients’ social media gave me more insight into how important social media is for a company. I learned that a company’s name, address, and phone number has to be consistent throughout all of their social media profiles. If not, this affects how a business’ information is displayed online. As I stated before, I did not know that all social media platforms could be optimized. By completing a thorough audit of several social media profiles, I was able to see how businesses should maintain consistent information across all of their social media accounts to improve their online presence.

Interning at Forthea Interactive

I came to Forthea with one objective – to learn. Thanks to the talented and knowledgeable marketing team at Forthea, I got the opportunity to learn the basics of digital marketing. Forthea has five core values: continuous improvement, a drive for measureable results, high professionalism, deliver excellence, and put clients first. I have witnessed Forthea exhibit all five of these core values when it comes to helping their clients and working as a team. I have learned the importance of executing all five through the client work I do as an intern and I apply them to my personal life as well!

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About the Author Holly

Holly leads the strategic and creative direction of building and managing the brand of the agency, demand generation, and pipeline forecasting. She specializes in account-based marketing, digital marketing, analytics, and customer engagement. Holly brings over a decade of omnichannel marketing experience with a background in technology and business services industries.

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