A blog created by UMSL Marketing B.A. and MBA students.
By: Dan Feeherty
Among the many minds and companies spearheading innovation in St. Louis is none other than St. Louis Makes. Acting as an innovation help desk, St. Louis Makes provides resources to the products and ideas that need it most. UMSL MBA student Dan Feeherty recently interviewed Marc Bowers, founder and director about growing innovation within the community:
St. Louis Makes will be on hand at #MDMC16 to showcase and chat with attendees. Follow @StLouisMakes on Twitter!
By: Matteo Fialdini
The Midwest Digital Marketing Conference 2016 is delighted to have Erin Moloney, a native of St. Louis return to MDMC to provide us with further insights into the evolving field of Digital Marketing. Erin is the Director of Digital Marketing and Social Media for Perficient, Inc., Continue reading “#MDMC16 Speaker Feature: Erin Moloney”
By: Hanni Alomare
Mr. Todd Budin specializes in product strategy and marketing and advertising for Nielson, where he is the Senior Vice President of Ad Effectiveness, as well as Talkbox, and Techstars. As an UMSL alum, Todd works with Colorado’s tech and natural foods start-up community. Continue reading “#MDMC16 Speaker Feature: Todd Budin”
By: Amy Cabanas, Matteo Fialdini, Kathrin Hanke, Andrew McClure and Jacqueline Williams
Sarah Dalton works as both a Marketing professor at UMSL, where she graduated with her MBA in digital marketing, as well as in the marketing field. She describes herself as organized and creative, and is an active user across social media platforms, as well as, a blogger on her personal blog www.socialseconds.com.
When Sarah found out about the opening for a social media professor, she took the opportunity to spread her passion about social media to UMSL students. Sarah is excited to be contributing to the UMSL Digital Marketing Conference which will be held on April 21, 2016. We caught up with Sarah to ask her about her career, her love for social media, and her thoughts on St. Louis’ growing digital marketing scene.
Check out the interview below!
1. Do you feel UMSL’s digital marketing MBA program helped in preparation for your current job and teaching?
I don’t think I would be anywhere without my Digital Marketing Certificate. Those classes really took me to another level. When I went to school we didn’t have those classes in undergrad. So, they really rounded out my marketing education and taught me things like blogging, digital marketing, digital strategies, measurement of digital media and of course more social media. Without those subjects I don’t think I would be where I am today.
2. Where do you see St. Louis going in the digital marketing scene, and how does UMSL fit into that?
We are in the Midwest so we might not always be in all the trends like they are on the east and west coast, but I think we are definitely getting much closer. With all the great people around, it’s so easy to collaborate on ideas and with local agencies. I see the digital scene getting stronger and stronger in St. Louis, and UMSL could not be doing any better. You don’t see these kinds of classes at other schools. As UMSL continues to grow these programs and add classes, the UMSL digital marketing students will continue to be a step ahead!
3. You have your own blog, www.socialseconds.com. Do you think having a personal blog is essential for social and digital marketers?
Yes, I think a blog is a great way to spread the word about what you think about social. Even if you don’t necessarily know what to say, you could talk about things you see other people do, provide recaps, or blog about guest speakers. It’s a great place to showcase your writing style and what you care about in social media. If you are too afraid to start a blog or don’t think you have the time to maintain it, you can always publish on LinkedIn Pulse.
Sarah also shared some other interesting thoughts and advice with us marketing students. “Having your own blog really shows companies that you know how to build a WordPress site, that you understand content, and that you have written a few blogs. It’s just a really easy way to showcase yourself,” Sarah said.
Sarah also often references her own marketing guru Gary Vaynerchuk, author of Jab, Jab, Jab, Right Hook – “Gary started from the bottom and built up his social media enterprise into what it is today,” said Sarah.
Lastly, Sarah highly recommends marketing students get involved with the AMA St. Louis-The American Marketing Association, and attend the UMSL Digital Marketing conference on April 21, 2016. “MDMC16 will be a full day event of all things digital marketing. People come in from all over the country to speak to us. It’s a better value than any other conference I can think of,” she said. “And it is FREE for UMSL students (but unfortunately now sold out)!”
Follow Sarah on Twitter: Sdaltonstl
By: Dan Feeherty
UMSL Digital recently visited the St. Louis Science Center to talk innovation & the Youth Exploring Science (YES) Program. The YES program works with underprivileged youth in the metro St. Louis area to collaborate and peruse careers and innovation within STEAM fields (Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, Mathematics).
Among the 1200+ attendees at MDMC this year will be none other than Jesse Kemling, Senior Educator of Technology for the YES program. Listen to the informational interview below:
Follow @YESslsc on Twitter!
By: Nicole Atencio, Minji Choi, Je Ewing, Chase Kohler, & Tiara Wilkerson
On April 21st, the Midwest’s largest digital marketing conference will be held at Union Station in St. Louis. On our journey to discover how marketing has shaped this community we were introduced to Brianna Smith, a thought leader in the digital marketing industry and a local supporter of UMSL. She is the Director of Marketing and Communications for the 2016 Midwest Digital Marketing Conference. Continue reading “#STL Thought Leader Brianna Smith Talks All Things Digital Media”
By: Amy Cabanas
Eateria is a digital loyalty marketing tool designed specifically for restaurant, food and hospitality businesses. They have a strong mission to empower their customers by giving them the tools they need to run successful establishments. Continue reading “Redeeming Smart: Eateria Coming to #MDMC16!”
By: Kathrin Hanke
Cast is one of the startups in St. Louis that are supported by Arch Grants, a nonprofit organization that accelerates economic development and community revitalization. Being four of the most innovative entrepreneurs in St. Louis, Continue reading “Meet the Cast Team at #MDMC16!”
By Chase Kohler
You could say Dan Curran has done it all. From serving as Ad club president and partner at Manifest Digital, to launching the leading marketing agency 10X Studios. This St. Louis based entrepreneur has consistently defined the digital landscape. Naturally, Dan was a perfect fit for MDMC16.
10X Studios was founded by the merging of Twist and Evolutionize. These two local firms have redefined the borders between earned and owned-media while providing unique marketing concepts for their clients. While the transition has just started, the local digital scene has already felt the impact- with employment from 10X expected to double in both St. Louis and Chicago.
In addition to his passion with brand activation, Dan is also an accomplished film director. His recent documentary ‘Saving St. Louis’ was met with warm reviews and screened on PBS. So what’s next for Mr. Curran and digital marketing? You can hear his thoughts during the ‘Social Media Strategy on a Dime for Small to Medium Sized Businesses” breakout session at 3:30 P.M.
Follow @ManvsAgency on Twitter!
By: Jacob Bryant
Invisible Applications formed after winning a start-up competition in November of 2013. The initial application they launched was the Invisible Girlfriend/Boyfriend the application would use information provided by you to craft a fake significant other to convince others that you are currently in a relationship. The concept took off, and just shy of 2 years after its birth the website has nearly half a million visitors that logged on from 193 customers!
The founders of Invisible Applications are Kyle Tabor, Matthew Homann, and Bredon Jones. Kyle is an MBA graduate of Washington University. Matthew earned a Political Science degree from the University of Illinois in 1990 and a J.D. from Washington University. Bredon Jones earned a degree in Spanish from the University of Kentucky in 1998. The original service was conceived by Matt based on his own experience after going through a divorce and wanting to end prying questions from family and friends.Invisible Applications says that thousands take advantage of their service for a variety of different reasons. Reasons include:
“Hoping to buy some time and convince my parents I’m in a relationship until I’m ready to come out.”
“Getting a clingy coworker off my case”
“I’m in the army and want someone to write to”
The Invisible Girlfriend/Boyfriend experience offers 100 texts, 10 voicemails, and a handwritten note from a faux partner who interacts with the customer in real time at a cost of $25 per month.
Invisible Applications will be at the MDMC in the Tech Alley, come talk to them and learn more about their story and experiences!