Lorrie Walker asked:


Rasmussen College is believed to be the only higher education institution in the world to devote a degree program to teaching students how to reach consumers through Internet marketing-based tactics.

ORLANDO, FLA. — The advent of the Internet is changing the face of advertising and marketing by opening up a new world of opportunities to reach consumers of myriad products and services.

To address these new demands, Rasmussen College recently introduced a bachelor’s degree in Internet Marketing . “After conducting extensive research, we found that Rasmussen is the first college in the world to introduce a degree program dedicated solely to the field of Internet marketing,” said Brandon Steele, Online Marketing Manager for Rasmussen College.

Two other schools offer similar programs, but neither matches the depth of Rasmussen’s Internet Marketing degree, Steele said. The University of Virginia offers a certificate program in eMarketing. The University of British Columbia offers a Diploma in Web Analytics, a subset of Internet Marketing .

“Our degree program is much more encompassing,” Steele said. “It teaches all of the different aspects of Internet Marketing.”

Rasmussen’s Internet Marketing program combines traditional marketing skill sets with cutting-edge “e-strategies” and Web skills. It covers topics including Internet consumer behavior, search engine marketing and Web media marketing, among others.

The program was created in response to the growing need for education in this field, Steele said.

When the first banner ads appeared on www.hotwired.com in October 1994, the Internet Marketing craze began. Until now, those interested in learning Internet marketing relied on website chat rooms, books and trial and error tactics. A great deal of contradictory information exists on this topic, and the fact that this is a skill set which continues to evolve made learning the ropes more difficult, Steele said. “This is the program I wish had been around when I first started out.”

In the United States, 68.5 percent of the population uses the Internet, according to the Internet World Stats Web site.

“Internet Marketing is becoming so important because so many people are on the Internet today,” Steele said. “At this moment there are more web-pages than people in the world.”

The growing number of web-pages and websites means that companies must make concerted efforts to market themselves online and avoid being lost in the vast sea of information. “The Internet Marketer is the difference between a website ranked high in a search engine and one lost in cyberspace,” Steele said.

Students who earn bachelor’s degrees in Internet Marketing will be equipped to help companies set themselves apart on the Internet.

They will learn to assist companies in designing sites that are navigable and user friendly.

“On the Web, content is king,” Steele added “and if people can’t easily find that content, they will leave the site.”

Besides optimizing a website, graduates of this program also will learn the best ways to bring people to a site, the latest strategies in social marketing and the importance of relevant content.

Preparing for an Internet Marketing Degree

There are some steps students can take to prepare for a degree in Internet Marketing, Steele said.

High school students should take computer courses and learn basics, such as Microsoft Word and Excel. Basic web programming such as HTML or CSS is also good to know, Steele said. Good writing skills are a plus for writing Web copy and blogging, both of which are important Internet Marketing elements. Introductory business courses and marketing courses also are helpful.

One important item to remember is that Internet Marketing continues to evolve as technology improves and marketing professionals learn more about the Internet’s possibilities in reaching target audiences.

“This degree program will help you learn the fundamentals,” Steele said. “Graduates can branch out and specialize, but this will provide the solid foundation needed to succeed in Internet Marketing.”

The constant changes are one of the exciting aspects of this growing career field.

“You can never rest on your laurels,” Steele said. “In this field, you will be constantly learning. That is part of what makes this career so challenging and exciting.”

Learn More

If you would like more information on Rasmussen College’s Internet marketing program, visit their Web site: www.rasmussen.edu or call 888-572-6877 .

About Rasmussen College

Rasmussen College is a private institute of higher learning founded in St. Paul, Minn. on Sept. 1, 1900. The school serves students through its network of 12 campuses in the Midwest and Southeast and its virtual campus. It is regionally accredited by the Higher Learning Commission, a Commission of the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools, to award associate’s and bachelor’s degrees and diplomas and certificates in a variety of program areas.



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Marketing Guy asked:


Not two weeks ago I had a chat with someone (an SEO) about some online media buying and although the figures made an infinite amount of sense (6 figure monthly page views – prime location banner purchase for less than £90 per month!), he said, “but there is no SEO value from the banner link” (it was JavaScript)! Astonished, I spent the next hour arguing the case for buying the coverage, but it would seem that the majority of SEOs just don’t see the value of applying traditional marketing techniques to the web – they just don’t “fit” into the SEO mindset.

What is really bizarre though is that while the optimisation industry doesn’t see the value in some less search engine focused marketing techniques, they will pay a veritable fortune for paid links. The likes of ReviewMe (www.reviewme.com) change up to $250 for a single “review” (which is SEO speak for a plain text link not so subtly hidden in a purpose written article). One text link. One! Not just that, but a single text link on a new page that has no PR (and will maybe only will ever receive minimal PR filtered through from other page links)!

For that $250 (around £150) there are so many different options you could aim for. While a lot won’t have any direct SEO benefit, we still need to consider traffic and branding benefits.

$250 would allow me to buy banner advertising on a niche site / forum / blog for a limited amount of time. Depending on the type of site and its subject area you could be looking at a decent amount of traffic, enquiries and exposure – certainly enough to justify the cost.

An alternative would be to spend the money on a directory listing on a site such as TheBestOf (www.thebestof.co.uk) – £10 per month for a year and you get a full page listing (written by your local contact), an audio advert where you can pitch your service, inclusion in a high traffic site and a direct (SEO friendly!) link back to your site. A link AND qualified traffic – that’s like SEO Christmas!

Online marketing professionals do focus on SEO a lot and that isn’t a bad thing – it just isn’t the only thing and you should be looking to spend your budget wisely and spread your marketing scope.



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Colin Meunier asked:


Copyright (c) 2008 Colin Meunier

Internet marketing is an efficient and economical way to market your product. The reach of the Internet is too vast for any business to ignore. Simply put, Internet Marketing is a very good option as regards traditional marketing.

However, to take full advantage of Internet marketing, one has to know the ins and outs of Internet marketing. It may take you a lot of time to research and take risks in the Internet market business, in fact, some people may never succeed in Internet marketing ever.

Therefore, an Internet marketing coach and mentor is the best bet for anyone who is new to Internet marketing. A good Internet marketing coach will have a lot of experience and expertise in the Internet market, and your business can make good use of a mentor’s qualities.

Internet marketing coaches are a good way to ensure your Internet marketing success. A capable Internet marketing coach can give you a quick analysis of what is wrong and what is right with your sales plan just by looking at it. And if the coach has done Internet marketing themselves, they will be able to tell you what exactly is right with your marketing and more importantly, what is wrong.

Of course, you need to have a clear idea about what is the coach’s turnaround time when you have a problem in your Internet marketing. One way of doing this is by interacting some of the Internet coach’s current clients. You can also gauge the turnaround time by finding out the exact number of his clients, and whether it is possible for one person to cater to so many, even if they work 24/7.

Apart from this, you have to know how much time you have to spend with the coach, what would be your turnaround time, what kind of contact would you have with him, would it only email, via the telephone or meet them personally.

Therefore, one of the first things you should look into before deciding on a Internet marketing coach is his/her own standing in the Internet marketing business is your Internet marketing coach’s way of making money on the Internet. There are a lot many people on the Internet who wish to make money, and the ‘how’ is not exactly important for them. If you are not comfortable with their strategies now, they will become simply intolerable in some time.

You also have to look at the kind of system they promote. Some Internet marketing coaches use all kinds of media to promote their product, like email, eBook and even CDs and DVDs.

One other thing to look into is whether the Internet marketing coach is a full time coach, or are they pursuing this only as a part time business.

These and other aspects will ensure that you get a good enough Internet marketing coach. There are a number of internet marketing coaches who are available on the Internet itself. Do a research on them and if possible, contact them. Before you start searching for a internet marketing coach, be sure to set up an amount that you are ready to pay for their coaching.



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