COMSTRAT 310 / Spring 2020 / Goertz 1

DIGITAL CONTENT

MURROW COLLEGE

PROMOTION

M

REBECCA L. COONEY, MSClinical Associate Professor

CHELSEA NEWMAN, MSClinical Assistant Professor

CARA HAWKINS-JEDLICKA, MAInstructor

WHAT IS 310?

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• This is a course centered on digital marketing. You will learn key ideas, principles and tactics for writing for digital content, creating and executing digital campaigns and understanding core concepts in tracking and measuring the effectiveness of digital communications.

• Goal – teach you what it means to be a digital communications professional including strategy, design, implementation, and metrics, as well as user experience design and meeting the customer where they are

• Focus – digital media (blogs, web content, email, social media), customer decision process, brand and core messaging, campaign design/implementation/delivery/metrics, lead management process, UX design principles

• Other stuff – team dynamics, project management, traffic management, user-centered design, presenting and reporting, visual design

• Preparing you for – internships in roles in digital communication, user experience design, media sales, account management, campaign management, visual communications, customer interface + prepping your for your 400-level courses that require use of digital tools and tactics

310 WEEKLY SNAPSHOT

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310 is broken up into SIX lessons. Each lesson is 2-3 weeks long where students can expect the following standard formula:

Micro-Certifications

Creative Activities

Team ReportsTeam ProjectReading and

Retention

Expect to read 1-2 chapters/lesson

and complete end-of-chapter quizzes

Each lesson your team will complete one phase of the

semester-long project

Every other lesson (or so) teams will share their work and progress on

the semester-long project with the

class

Each lesson students will individually

complete tutorials and gain new

digital competencies

Students are guided through

three opportunities to earn

professional certifications in

Google Analytics & Google Ads

310 Close-Outs

Campaign #2

Campaign #1

Digital Campaign Strategy

Digital Marketing

Tools & Tactics

Integrated Marketing

Comm.

Foundation in Digital Outreach

COURSE TOPICS & LESSONS

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LESSON 0 LESSON 1 LESSON 2 LESSON 3 LESSON 4 LESSON 5 LESSON 6Jan 13-24 Jan 27 – Feb 7 Feb 10-21 Feb 24 – Mar 2 Mar 9 – Apr 3 Apr 6-24 Apr 27 – May 8

SUCCESS IN 310

Students will be allowed two

excused absences this semester.

Each additional absence may

result in a loss of 3 points from your

grade

COME TO CLASS

310 meets in Goertzen 1. Classroom is

equipped with computers so bringing your

laptop is optional

COURSE MATERIALS

Find everything you need to know

about what is happening in 310 on the COURSE BLOG including

assignment info, announcements,

calendar, etc.

TURN STUFF IN

Turn all of your work in on

BLACKBOARD. For team work, one team member

submits on behalf of the group.

Individual work will be submitted individually.

OFFICE HOURS

Meet with your instructor

during office hours, during

class, or arrange a separate

appointment

ATTENDANCE

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LEARNING OBJECTIVES

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• Develop and manage online content promotion and branded digital campaigns

• Master the skill of resourcefulness – demonstrating the ability to critically think, research, draft and ultimately craft clear messages and digital materials that are organized, properly cited and apply correct grammar, punctuation, and spelling

• Ability to develop and execute social media engagement and user-oriented content strategies

• Evaluate campaign success in execution using key performance indicators and online tools for web development, email, metrics, and multimedia management

• Practice, make mistakes, correct, and learn valuable, transferable skills

COURSE EXPECTATIONS• Students work independently on creative activities and readings and in

teams aligned with a fictional organization for the duration of the semester.

• Students are expected to conceptualize and create specified elements of a promotional campaign, which includes brand platform, website, social media channels, HTML email, and digital assets.

• Students are expected to be accountable, show up to class, engage with their team and class activities, and embrace the excitement of learning new vocabulary, tools, and technology.

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COURSE MATERIALS• To be successful in 310, students need access to a computer with

Internet access and a Google account for various purposes.

• All required software and tools used in the course are free and web-based. 310 is held in Goertzen 1 – a computer lab setting equipped with 40 work stations.

• Students are encouraged to bring materials to take notes and capture images of collaborative work completed in class.

• All lecture and resource material is posted on the course blog.

• Students use Blackboard solely for submitting assignments.

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STUFF YOU’LL DO

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• Read and retain – between topics covered in class and in the textbook – you will do a deep-dive into specific topics integrated marketing, careers in digital, digital marketing tools, digital metrics and reporting, campaign design and implementation

• Become digitally-literate, gaining valuable, transferable vocabulary, tools, and experience

• Collaborate with your team to write, create, and publish digital content and assets through 6 phases of the semester-long project

• Practice what you are learning through tutorials in Adobe Spark, Canva, online survey design, social media post creation, curation of content, and infographic design

• Create showcase-worthy materials to include in your LinkedIn profiles or online portfolio

TOOLS YOU WILL LEARN & PRACTICE

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• Google Drive with emphasis on Docs, Sheets & Slides

• Canva

• Adobe Spark

• Weebly

• Adobe Creative Cloud tools

• Facebook and Instagram for Business

• Constant Contact html email manager

• Google Analytics

• Facebook and Instagram Ads

• Google Ads

• Facebook Groups, Trello, Slack, etc.

• Micro-Certifications in Google Analytics and Google Ads (text and display)

THE BOOK

Required Textbook: Cooney, R. L. (2016). “Integrated Digital Marketing Campaigns,” Dubuque, IA: Great River Learning. ISBN 9781680757965

Required reading tasks (end of chapter quizzes) are designed to coincide directly with the curriculum and in-class activities.

The e-Textbook can be purchased at The Bookie via access card or directly from the publisher.

Learn more

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SEMESTER-LONG PROJECT

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PART 0

• Forming teams survey

• Team orientation

• Team setup

• Team charter

PART 1 PART 2 PART 3 PART 4 PART 5 PART 6

• Creative brief

• Brand and messaging

• Visual identity package

• Status report #1

• Setup of website and social channels

• Campaign #1 delivery, monitoring, metrics

• Status report #2

• Campaign #1 planning

• Status report #3

• Campaign #2 delivery, monitoring, and metrics

• Final showcase and presentations

GRADING• Phases of the semester-long project will be

completed in teams

• Students work independently for reading and retention, creative activities, micro-certifications, and other select tasks

• Students will have the opportunity to edit and rewrite the semester-long project after receiving feedback from the instructor. Any lost points can be made up with revision(s)

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* Individual contribution = 45% of your grade (281 pts) Team contribution = 55% of your grade (345pts)

Category Individual vs. Team Points % of Grade

Other Stuff Individual 20 3%

Creative Activities Individual 60 10%

Status Reports (x3) Team 60 10%

Readings Individual 96 15%

Micro-certifications Individual 105 16%

Team Project Team 285 46%

Total Points 626

• There is no midterm exam or final exam

• There are no exams other than self-paced end-of-chapter quizzes

• Members in your team may not get the same grade on the semester-long project. Rather, your grades will be weighted by your own performance and can be impacted if your individual performance grade is less than 90% (as determined by team member final evaluations). The purpose of this is to reduce the chance that someone in the group will slack off and still receive the full benefit of the others’ work.