Month 2: Digital Marketing Fundamentals

I’d like to preface this post by mentioning that when I reviewed the course catalog in order to create my Mastery timeline, I didn’t really know what the course content would be. The description in the catalog is very broad which makes it difficult to come up with three separate goals.

Goal #1: Gain clarity as to what it means to become a strategic force on the internet.
I believe I have received a good introduction to collecting the data that needs to be interpreted in order to learn how to target customers. I do not think I will learn how to become a strategic force on the internet until further into this master’s program.

Goal #2: Learn how to analyze methods for success in the digital realm
I have gained insight on what software and web-based programs are available to me for analysis. I’ve even used Google’s Analytics Academy in my research and plan to continue using the free resources available to me to ensure that I know what data I should collect and how to interpret the data.

Goal #3: Evaluate which areas I am strongest and weakest in
This is more of a personal goal and it’s something I will have to work on throughout my education and into my profession. I know that one of the things I struggle most with is time-management. I will continue to search for strategies that can help with this so that I have a system that works for me as soon as possible.

Inspiration

When you work full-time, are a caregiver to your parents, and decide to take on a  master’s degree program, you shouldn’t be surprised when you struggle to get everything completed in time.

I  am late with my assignments for the week and I am struggling to find the inspiration to accept this, forgive myself, and move forward. This week, we had an insanely busy week at work which means that I worked through lunch and didn’t have time to get schoolwork done during my lunch hour. On top of that, one of the weeknights was my mom’s 70th birthday. Mix all of that in with the fact that I’m a perfectionist about deliverables and you have a recipe for failure disaster. I have been working on my assignments, in my room (I don’t have a desk, so I work on my bed) the entire weekend, and I now have a killer backache.

I’m dreading seeing the outcome of my assignments, but perhaps this can turn out to be a lesson for me. Today, this long post is meant to provide me with some inspiration. It’s a photo of my mom and I at Disney World last year. I love it because she was really smiling and was incredibly happy.

I have been putting so much pressure on myself to be the same girl I was when I graduated with my bachelor’s degree, but the truth is that I am not her anymore. I have had to adjust to this new life in which instead of being the baby of the house I am now the parent to my 919 month-old father (he will by 77 in November), and my 839 month-old mother. He has advanced Parkinson’s disease and she is diabetic and has glaucoma which has made here completely blind from one eye and really narrowed her field of vision in the other.
I’m only saying all of this to remind myself that I am not lazy, or stupid, or unworthy, or any of the other things I like to tell myself when I do something that isn’t in line with who I am/want to be – like submit assignments even a few minutes past the deadline. I am doing the best I can with what I’ve got and I will get better with practice and discipline. Everything will work out as it should in due time and minor setbacks will not make me quit on myself! 💪
If you’ve made it through this entire post (that I am just now finishing at 1:14 AM,) thank you for reading. I hope you give yourself the credit you deserve as often as possible!

Month 1: Mastery Timeline

Mastery: Personal Learning Network

 

Papaly

The first thing I learned this week was also something very new to me. I had never heard of the social bookmarking site, Papaly. This will definitely help me throughout the program when I do any research, case studies, or look for examples of things.

 

Feedly

The next assignment for week 3 was joining Feedly, an RSS reader. I was already familiar with this service as I had used it during my undergraduate degree. This should also aid in my research and can help me stay up-to-date with current industry practices.

 

Logo

I struggled a bit when creating my logo because I wanted it to look appropriate for my Mastery Journal, but still be representative of me. I created the logo below using Adobe Illustrator since it is part of the software package we receive, but I have no doubt I will eventually make changes to it.

LinkedIn

I occasionally update my LinkedIn profile and will continue to add any new skills I learn, whether it be through my job or through my degree program.

 

Inspirational Post

If you have not heard of Richard Branson, you have definitely seen him or one of his businesses. He dropped out of school at the age of 16 and started a magazine called Student(Biography.com Editors, 2019). While living in London, he was surrounded by the music scene and decided to create a mail-order record company to help fund Student. The company was called Virgin (Biography.com Editors, 2019). Due to good performance, Branson expanded the business to include a record shop. The store was such a success that he was able to open a recording studio in 1972 (Biography.com Editors, 2019).

Eventually, Virgin Records signed artists and Virgin Music became one of the top six record companies in the world (Biography.com Editors, 2019). Branson, with his entrepreneurial spirit, expanded his reach and had the Voyager Group travel company, Virgin Atlantic, and Virgin Megastores. According to biography.com, Virgin was struggling financially, and the company was sold to Thorn EMI for $1 billion, but Branson was crushed and wanted to stay in the music business. This led him to start V2, another record company, and founded Virgin Radio (Biography.com Editors, 2019).

“The Virgin Group eventually reached 35 countries around the world, with nearly 70,000 employees handling affairs in the United Kingdom, the United States, Australia, Canada, Asia, Europe, South Africa and beyond. He has expanded his businesses to include a train company, a luxury game preserve, a mobile phone company and a space-tourism company, Virgin Galactic” (Biography.com Editors, 2019). He also has Virgin Voyages, his first cruise line, and Virgin Hotels.

It’s evident that Richard Branson never gave up and continues to live by. In spite of failures and catastrophic events, such as a fire at his private island and residence, Necker Island, he has continued trying and I believe that is what has allowed him immeasurable success. This quote is actually on one of the walls at the Virgin Voyages headquarters in Plantation, Fl.

 

References

Biography.com Editors. (2019, May 14). Richard Branson Biography. Retrieved from Biography.com: https://www.biography.com/business-figure/richard-branson

 

Inspirational Quote

Walter Elias Disney, best known as Walt Disney, is the founder of Disneyland and Walt Disney World. Prior to the theme parks, he co-founded a Walt Disney Productions with his brother and it became one of the best known in the world (Biography.com Editors, 2014).

I love this quote because I truly believe Disney lived by it. His first cartoon business went bankrupt, bankers rejected Mickey Mouse over 300 times, he was overworked, and his animators went on strike during World War II. When Disneyland opened, counterfeit tickets brought more visitors than anticipated to the opening. There was a line that was seven miles long, due to the high temperatures the asphalt was melting women’s heels, the water fountains were not in operation due to a plumber’s strike, and some of the rides malfunctioned. Critics dubbed the opening of Disneyland “Black Sunday” (Pak, 2019).

This quote, and the story of Walt Disney, has always been a favorite of mine because it is a reminder that in spite of trials and tribulations you can achieve your dreams. Perseverance makes all the difference.

 

 

References

Biography.com Editors. (2014, April 2). Walt Disney Biography. Retrieved June 2019, from

The Biography.com website: https://www.biography.com/business-figure/walt-disney

Pak, E. (2019, March 6). Walt Disney’s Rocky Road to Success. Retrieved June 2019, from

Biography.com: https://www.biography.com/news/walt-disney-failures