6 College Courses to Help You Better Understand Online Marketing

Even decades after its debut, the Internet continues to be a booming source of professional opportunities. This rings true for the marketing profession, which turns more and more frequently to the Internet as a tool for success. If you’re looking to learn more about how to effectively use the Web, consider enrolling in a college course – or even a certificate program – to brush up on your marketing 2.0 skills.

Keep in mind that some courses listed require applying to and enrolling in the university, and may even require lower-level pre-requisite classes.

Globe University
This brick-and-mortar university in Minnesota offers on-campus and online courses from its School of Business, including Internet marketing, which is worth four credits. The website describes this course as providing an overview of various Internet marketing strategies. The school also offers courses in Internet marketing, social media, and, of course, basic marketing technique.

Ashworth College
This online-only school offers an Internet marketing training course that aims to lay the foundation for a successful career in e-commerce. The course consists of 11 lessons that you can complete at your own pace; they focus on key topics such as elements of a successful advertising campaign, tools for marketing, and user-friendly web designer.

UC Berkeley Extension
As part of its certificate program in marketing, UC Berkeley Extension offers a course called “Strategic Marketing 2.0 – Social Media and Other Innovative Technologies.” It focuses on mastering the next generation of strategic marketing planning and tactics by using the newest media channels and technologies.


An Internet marketing course can fill your head with tons of ideas.

Hondros College of Business
If you’re looking for a full-fledged program to jump start your career, Hondros College of Business offers an online marketing specialist program designed for business owners to learn more about digital marketing skills. The college also offers certification packages. The courses, which are all online and self-paced, include Facebook marketing, the fundamentals of Internet marketing for small businesses, search engine optimization, and Web analytics. There are 13 courses total.

University of California Irvine Extension
Choose one of three related Internet marketing courses at University of California Irvine Extension. The most basic, overview of Internet marketing, is targeted toward business people and marketers who want to learn more about the value of Internet marketing. Other courses include email marketing, which offers the tools needed to optimize your email campaigns, as well as social media and Internet audience profiling, which will help you identify the social media applications and strategies to reach your intended audience.

Benedictine University
Another full-fledged Internet marketing certification program is offered entirely online by Benedictine University. If you’re interested in obtaining an MBA, these courses can fold into that program, as well. Classes offered include social media marketing, online advertising, Web analytics, and search engine optimization.

Although the digital world is changing rapidly, you don’t have to feel like marketing opportunities are passing you by. A refresher course – or an entire certification program – might be just the ticket to seizing those opportunities and making the most of your business.

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10 Questions to Ask a Blog Copywriter Before Hiring

There are lots of questions to ask before you hire someone to write for your blog or website. The first question you have to ask, though, is:

1. What Type of Writer Do I Need?



What type of writer do you need – a copywriter or a content writer? What’s the difference?
A copywriter writes with a goal in mind. Typically that goal is getting you to take some sort of specific action. A lot of the time, the goal is to get you to buy something. Sometimes she will want you to sign up for something or do something. Every word of their copy is written to subtly persuade you to take the action they want you to take. The best copywriters can make you think that taking action is your own idea!

A content writer, on the other hand, just wants you to know and feel something when you’re done reading her work. Content typically has an educational slant and is meant to inform and entertain. That’s it.

Most blogs are content based, not copy based. This is because, from an entrepreneurial perspective, the rest of the site does the selling. The blog is supplemental material to endear the seller to her traffic, keep the Google bots crawling the site’s pages, and to establish the seller’s expertise within her niche.

For example, let’s say you’re an insurance salesperson. On the front page of your site, you’ll want to have copy that talks about insurance and ultimately gets the reader to call you for a quote or to sign up for your email list. On your blog, you talk about the nuances of an insurance policy. You talk about how California car insurance quotes differ from those in Arizona or New Jersey. You share pictures that showcase your participation in your community’s clothing drive for needy families.

See the difference?

So let’s assume you want to hire a content writer for your blog. You’re too busy serving your clients to come up with blog content on a regular basis and are ready to bring in some help. How do you find the right writer for you?

2. What Is Your Relationship with and Expertise Level in My Niche?

Anybody can do the research and learn about a niche or audience. It’s best, though, to find a writer who already has some practical expertise in your field. This way the blog posts will feel like wisdom and less like “Here’s what I just learned!”

You want to hire a blogger who keeps up with your industry of his or her own volition. Understanding industry trends and how they relate to past issues and what they could mean for the future of a niche is important.

3. How Much Writing Experience Do You Have?

Anybody can say that he or she is a great content writer or blogger. Always ask for samples of a potential writer’s work before deciding whether or not to hire that person.

Note: If the writer does not have any applicable samples (and some don’t; everybody has to start somewhere), it is completely okay to ask that writer to complete a sample or two just for you. Make sure, though, that you offer to pay for the sample. Asking people to write samples for free makes you look like a scam artist.

4. What Other Types of Writing Do You Do?

These days pretty much everybody has at least a little bit of blogging experience, even if it is just personal blogging. Asking about other writing experience is a good idea.

Having professional experience with other types of writing (like, say, copywriting) can prove beneficial to you later on. It also shows versatility in style and adaptability to different working environments. Both of these are important! The last thing you want is to hire someone who is going to showcase your style and voice over their own.

5. Do You Feel Comfortable Doing Interviews?

A good blog writer will be able to get content from lots of different sources – including other people. Being able to conduct and write up interviews is a great asset for your blog and is something you want your writer to be able to do.

6. What Is Your Research Style?

Anybody can regurgitate Google. You want someone who can find information anywhere. We’ve talked about interviewing skills being important. Being able to track down information via other sources is important, too. You want a writer who won’t blink at the idea of using the library. You want a writer who understands how to do periodical searches, how to search records, etc.

7. How Much SEO Experience Do You Have?

Good blog writers know how to contextually incorporate keywords and links in a way that pleases both readers and search bots.

8. What Is Your Relationship with Images?

Most bloggers understand that blog posts need to have at least a couple of images within them. Not all bloggers know how to include images that are contextual to what they are writing. You want a blogger who knows how to track legally usable images and build them into a post in a way that enhances the written content instead of detracting from it.

9. What Is Your Availability?

Most professional and full-time bloggers write for a few clients at the same time. It’s important that the person you hire actually have the time to create quality posts for your blog – however many you hope to publish each week.

10. What Are Your Rates?

Blogging rates vary wildly, but here is a universal truth: you get what you pay for. You might balk at someone charging $0.06 per word, especially when you will likely have applicants quoting rates as low as $0.005 per word (a.k.a. $2.50 per 500-word blog post), but remember: You get what you pay for. The super cheap writers tend to have style and context issues. The return you’ll get from a more expensive writer, if that writer is genuinely good enough to warrant the higher rate, makes those higher rates worth paying.

Another common and highly applicable “rule” of hiring a writer is this: Your options are good, fast, and cheap. Pick two.

Note: Throw out any cover letter or resume that includes any variation of the phrase “I write real good for real cheap!”

Hiring a great writer for your blog is going to take time. Everybody looks good in a cover letter or resume, but, like every other employee, it’s more a matter of how someone performs day to day and what kind of working relationship you can build with that person that matters most. Be prepared to work with a few people before you find the perfect fit.

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