Early Bird Registration Now Open for UMSL Digital 2016 Conference

We’re thrilled to announce that registration is now open for this year’s State of Digital Media Marketing Conference, a production of the University of Missouri – St. Louis, College of Business. This coming April 21, 2016 marks our 4th year and we are going to be bigger and better than ever. Here are just a few of the highlights: Continue reading “Early Bird Registration Now Open for UMSL Digital 2016 Conference”

December 14, 2015January 4, 2023

How I managed to embrace the shift to digital marketing

By: Sarah Dalton, UMSL Digital Mindshare Editor-in-Chief and UMSL MBA Student
As a 2009 graduate with a degree in Business Administration, a concentration in Marketing and a minor in Communications, I really thought I was ready to take on the marketing world. Or, maybe I had just drank too much of the liberal arts kool-aid (#GoBulldogs).
The first few years of my career were great. I started as a Marketing Analyst, learning the ins-and-outs of the client experience, calculating MANY a cost-per-sale analyses and making recommendations as to which campaigns needed to be accelerated and which needed to be trashed.
As I progressed into marketing generalist roles, all things digital quickly became part of my daily responsibilities. I was creating banners, landing pages and social assets on the fly. Even though YouTube and blogs proved to be fantastic resources for learning more about my new responsibilities, I felt like I had a GAPING hole in my skill set and education in regards to all things digital marketing. Yes, I could brief a designer on how to create an appealing banner, write a clever social post or develop drip email campaigns… but what did this all mean? How did this all work together, and what the heck were we really spending our resources on?
I realized that even graduating in 2009 (wow – less than 7 years ago) was still TOO EARLY to have any formal education on digital strategy. I knew all about consumer behavior, retail marketing and integrated campaigns, but there wasn’t a single digital course or project to speak to from my undergraduate transcript. And not at the fault of my alma mater – this digital takeover just happened so fast.

After a lot of research and networking with the best minds in St. Louis digital, I discovered that Digital Marketing Certificates from universities are starting to be “a thing.” They usually landed in the Professional Studies or Schools of Continuing Education in my research experience. In true Sarah fashion, I jumped right in and decided since I was starting a Digital Certificate, I might as well just complete a full-on MBA in the process since many of the classes could be credit toward an MBA anyway.
This education has completely changed both my skill set and overall confidence in digital tactics. There are still things I don’t know that come up, but I now feel like I have the right base level understanding to attack these issues head-on. Here’s a sample of the coursework I recently completed to acquire my certificate:
-Digital Media Marketing Strategy & Measurement
-Clinical Study in Digital and Social Media Marketing (this was like a mini-internship to help non-profits with their digital strategies)
-Social Media Strategies
-Mobile Marketing
-Blogs to Buzz
-Digital Media Buying
Going back to school or fitting in classes on the weekends is definitely not the answer for everyone. It’s about timing. Here are additional non-school resources I have used to round out this new knowledge:
1. Digital Marketing Conferences | Here’s a sample of ones I attend in St. Louis and one I attended in New York this year. Google what’s happening in your city.
Social Recruiting Summit
Digital Marketing Conference
2. HubSpot.com Blogs | One of my best and most visited friends. Search for anything social or digital, and you’ll find very tactical descriptions and tips.
3. Lynda.com | Did you Lynda.com is now a LinkedIn company? Great (and cost effective) resource to pick up more “formalized” training.
4. Hootsuite University | I cannot say enough about how much Hootsuite makes the lives of social media managers easier. As an added bonus, they now offer an entire suite of classes that teach you not only how to best use their platform, but also how to effectively build, target and deploy social campaigns.
5. Networking | Meet with the best digital talent that will reply to your emails. Is there a local Social Media or Digital Marketing Club? I know St. Louis has several. Admit you’re clueless and talk to the experts about how they “figured it all out” in the city you are in. And, these are awesome connections for later when you “get it.”
Digital and social are not only here, they are speeding away. It’s part of our jobs as effective marketers to keep up.
How do you stay ahead?

November 2, 2015January 4, 2023

Better Your Marketing Skills With These November Events

By: Ricky Cheers, Lingru Kong, Lyndsey McKinney, Akeeva Pork
Welcome to Part 2 of our Digital Marketing Events Series! Here are some events that you may want to attend in November to get ahead or beef up your professional skills – especially if you are working in Digital Marketing or majoring in Marketing or Digital communication.

#1 UMSL Marketing Club Site Visit: Fleishman Hillard
When: 11/05/15, 4pm
Where: 200 N Broadway, St. Louis, MO 63102
Named as PRWeek’s 2013 “Best Places to Work,” Fleishman Hillard is definitely a dream company for many people to pursue a career at. The company offers many opportunities including internships, scholarships, and a diversity fellowship. Join us for a once in a lifetime opportunity to receive an exclusive tour of Fleishman Hillard! To register or for more details visit here.

#2 TEDxGatewayarch: Catalyst – A Full Day of Speakers and Networking
When: 11/7/15
Where: Harris-Stowe State University
3026 Laclede Avenue, St. Louis, MO 63103
Enjoy a full day of great speakers and great comp any. Spend time between speakers mingling with TED-focused exhibitors and enjoying our delicious local snacks and drinks. Don’t miss our third annual event – tickets sell out every year, so don’t wait! To purchase tickets or for more details and information please visit here.
#3 UMSL Marketing Club Meeting
When: 11/19/15, 3:30pm-6:30pm
Where: University of Missouri-St. Louis SSB room 133
This is the last Marketing Club Meeting of the Fall 2015 semester. We are thrilled to have two guest speakers! Melissa Hamilton is the Executive Producer, Integrated Production STL, at Momentum Worldwide. She began her professional career working in traditional marketing and transitioned into digital marketing. Additionally, Douglas Chris, the Director of Digital will, will also be speaking. They will share their experience and tips concerning professionalism and digital marketing.
#4 AMA monthly Luncheons – Digital Insights: Media Trends + Emerging Opportunities
When: 11/19/15, 11:30am
Where: Kirkwood Station Restaurant & Brewery, 105 East Jefferson, Kirkwood, MO 63122
Join Centro’s head of Digital Innovations as he shares key trends in digital advertising, with a focus on the evolving new media landscape, the convergence of ad tech and mar tech, the enormous influence and unique characteristics of the maturing
millennials, and what digital strategies need to be adopted for marketing success in 2016 and beyond. To register or for more details please visit here.
#5 Flaunt’s “ready+willing”
When: 11/18/15, 5:30pm-7:30pm
Where: The Vino Gallery: 4701 McPherson Avenue, St. Louis, MO 63108
Join ready+willing at Flaunt, our semiannual event that celebrates the outstanding work our pro bono marketing teams created for our nonprofit clients. For 12 weeks, marketing teams assembled by ready+willing have been creating marketing campaigns. The work will be unveiled to the public at Flaunt. The marketing assistance provided to these charities will help them reach a larger audience and further their mission. Stronger charities make for a stronger St. Louis! They will also be announcing the four nonprofit organizations that will be receiving pro bono services for the fall session of ready+willing. To RSVP or for more information please visit here.
#6 Thought Leadership: The Next Wave of B2B Marketing from Forrester Research/ Business Marketing Association – Kansas City
When: 11/18/15, 11:30am-1:00pm
Where: Google Fiber Space, 1814 Westport Rd, Kansas City, MO 64111
From medical devices to heavy equipment, commercial products, technology, and financial and professional services, business-to-business (B2B) marketing professionals need to position their firms as thought leaders on the issues their buyers face. However, most firms don’t have a process or framework for managing thought leadership marketing initiatives, so they push out product brochures and white papers disguised as thought-leading content. Laura will discuss Forrester’s four-step methodology to develop a thought leadership platform and mobilize the experts in your firm to deliver these ideas through digital, social, mobile, and offline channels. To purchase tickets or for more details please visit here.
And a Great Ongoing Networking Event
#7 Venture Cafe St. Louis
Every Thursday 3:00 p.m.- 8:00 p.m. at the @4240 Building in the Cortex Innovation District
Innovators and entrepreneurs alike gather each week in order to exchange ideas and inspire one another. For more information, click here.
What other Digital Marketing events are going on in November in #STL?

October 5, 2015January 4, 2023

Better Your Marketing Skills With These October Events

By: Ricky Cheers, Lingru Kong, Lyndsey McKinney, Akeeva Pork
October and November are known as the busiest months for most companies and schools across the nation. School is well underway and summer vacation is behind us all. Here are some events that you may want to attend to get ahead or beef up your professional skills – especially if you are working in Digital Marketing or majoring in Marketing or Digital communication. Check back with us in November for the top November events.
#1 AMA Monthly Luncheon – Matt Kamp of Influence & Co.
When: 10/15/15, 11:30am
Where: Maggiano’s Little Italy, 2 The Blvd, Richmond Heights, MO 63117
Educational luncheons cover a variety of topics under the marketing umbrella, and offer time for networking and lively Q&A. To register or for more detailed information click here.
#2 Gateway to the Future: A St. Louis Young Professionals Summit
When: 10/09/15, 8:00a.m. – 12:00p.m.
Where: Missouri History Museum
Presented by Launch St. Louis, this 3rd annual conference will feature notable young St. Louisans discussing contemporary issues that impact the city and its young professionals. This event will provide with the opportunity to acquire knowledge, network and get involved within the St. Louis community. To purchase tickets or for more information click he re.
#3 UMSL Marketing Club Golf Outing
When: 10/10/15 and 10/11/15, 12:30pm
Where: Creve Coeur Golf Course
Sign up for the UMSL Marketing Club’s Annual Golf Outing and enjoy some outdoor fun before the winter comes. Everyone is invited to play – high handicappers, weekend warriors, scratch golfers, members and guests welcome. Join us for lunch and stay for an afternoon round and networking. Make your reservations early, space is limited!
#4 Public Relations Society of America – St. Louis
Crisis Communications: Perspectives on Race Relations
When: 10/13/15, 7:30am – 9:00am
Where: Missouri History Museum
Join us at the Missouri History Museum on Tuesday, October 13, 2015 from 7:30 until 9:00 a.m. for a panel discussion moderated by Reena Hajat Carroll, MSW, executive director of Diversity Awareness Partnership with panelists Denise Bentele, president of Common Ground Public Relations, Johnny Little, president of eLittle Communications Group, and social media expert Liz Sharpe-Taylor. Advance registration is required for this event. No walk-ins will be permitted and all students will need to show their student ID at the door. To purchase tickets or for more details please visit here.
#5 Brand-Building Workshop with Roberto Garcia of Listo Claim Academy
When: 10/10/15, 10:00am and 10/11/15 5:00pm
Where: 515 Olive Street #600 St. Louis
From Roberto Garcia, founder of Listo and former brand manager for Anheuser-Busch, comes a full weekend of interactive workshops focusing on the beginning stages of a brand. How do you build a brand from scratch? How do you break into existing markets or create markets of your own? What are the best, most cost-effective tools for extending your next promotional dollar? Find out during Roberto’s 10-hour seminar. Sign-ups will open soon, so mark your calendars!
To purchase tickets or for more information please click here.
#6 Mid-Missouri PRSA Annual Fall Conference
When: 10/22/15, 9:00am-4:00pm
Where: Columbia, MO
The annual Mid-Missouri PRSA Conference brings communication and marketing professionals together for networking and to learn top trends affecting the industry. Whether your day is spent in state government, healthcare, education or at a local startup, you will take away key points for successful marketing, social content and new tools used to engage your target audience. Meet and learn from other mid-Missouri professionals to gain relevant insight from those sharing similar career challenges and experiences. To purchase tickets or for more details please visit here.
#7 Agile Marketing / Content Marketing Bootcamp – Kansas City, MO
When: 10/06/2015, 8:30am-4:30pm
Where: AJi – IdeaLoft, 210 West 5th Street, #103, Kansas City, MO 64105
AJi Software is hosting a one-day Agile Marketing and Content Marketing bootcamp for marketing professionals in Kansas City, MO on October 6th, 2015. This bootcamp will help you and your team answer these questions and others you might have about agile planning and execution. We will break the content planning process down throughout the entire day and split up into groups for more interaction with the tools to ensure you have the time to harness your skills before the day is over. To purchase tickets or for more detailed information please visit here.
What other Digital Events are going on in #STL in October?

September 15, 2015January 4, 2023

2015 St. Louis Design Week Preview: September 19-25

St. Louis Design Week originated from a want to inspire and promote the practice of design in St. Louis. From September 19-25, you have 45 chances to “Learn something. Make something. Do Something.” With events all over town, every creative or non-creative can find something up their alley. Here is a small sampling of some of the events you can attend. For the full schedule, visit http://stldesignweek.com/.
St. Louis Design Week Opening Party | Converge with all of the creatives, designers, principals, entrepreneurs, and design fans to celebrate the unfolding of an entire week of all things design! Join us for music, interactive exhibits, installations in the space and schmooze with design luminaries from the community at World Chess Hall of Fame. More Info.
The Sunday Story | The Sunday Story breathes life into one person’s untold story, bringing to life the important lessons and meaningful impacts. The storyteller partners with a team to elevate their story through design, public speaking coaching, and experiential event planning. Think of it as a blend of a religious sermon (with all the lessons but without all the religion), TED (with the same emotional impact but less speakers and data), and an Apple keynote (without the sales pitch). Join us for the Sunday Story and connect with St. Louis’ untold stories. More Info.
The Business of Creativity Panel | We’ve assembled a panel of leaders from a spectrum of design-related businesses to discuss the joys and hangover-inducing challenges of running a creative company. Panelists will share stories of their successes and failures related to attracting new clients, defining expertise, growing a successful business, hiring disgruntled liberal arts majors and more. More Info.
Design’s Role in Social Innovation Panel | Although design’s role is so prevalent in society through day-to-day interactions and global innovations, it can be argued that design is one of the most invisible fields of innovation. Through design thinking and social entrepreneurism, design has the potential to improve global difficulties and challenge human rights and social justice issues. Hear local designers and entrepreneurs discuss how design entrepreneurship can change the social sector, redefine the notion of social entrepreneurship, and be a catalyst for social innovation. More Info.
Women in Design Panel | How does the female perspective help define design today? Join us in celebrating and discussing the many roles women take on in the world of design, from creators to consumers. This one hour panel will bring together several local women from a variety of fields, including fashion, interiors and digital strategy, who will share how their diverse backgrounds, experiences and disciplines have helped shape their careers, their local community and their creations. More Info.

August 28, 2015January 4, 2023

3-D Printing: A Brief Overview

By: John Schmitt

In August 2015, the FDA gave approval to Aprecia Pharmaceuticals to start distributing the first 3D printed pill. WinSun Decoration Design Engineering Company, a Chinese construction firm, used 3D printed materials to construct the walls for a five story apartment block this past Spring. Currently Local Motors Manufacturing is producing 3D printed car bodies. Drawn is
a French furniture company which only designs and sells products that are 3D printed. And if you see your dentist and need a tooth repaired, the repair material will likely be 3D printed.
This article provides an introduction and overview to 3D printing, a subject that covers a broad range of technologies and equipment. “3D printing” and “Additive Manufacturing” (AM) are terms used to describe the same process that is, fundamentally, using a machine to build an object from a series of added layers. This is a distinctly new form of manufacturing since traditionally objects were created by a subtractive process. Subtractive manufacturing starts with a material that is then cut, drilled or shaped into the finished product. 3D printing adds material as needed to create the product. To accomplish this, designers and manufacturers use different types of 3D printers and various types of additive material.
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IS4Xw8f9LCc?list=PL1_l433M5-L1a43UuwgiqvMhftDf9eCsd]
A current list of additive manufacturing processes include:

FDM – Fused Deposition Modeling
EBM – Electron Beam Melting
DLP – Digital Light Processing
LOM – Laminate Object Manufacturing
SLS – Selective Laser Sintering
MJM – Multi Jet Modeling

The different types of additive process relate to the variety of materials that can be used to print. Plastic is the most common substance, but ceramic, metal, wood, concrete, food and skin cells are all being used to make 3D printed objects. Some of these printers are small enough for a desktop environment while some need the space of a large factory to operate. Price aligns with the scale and sophistication of additive manufacturing machines. Desktop printers start around $1,000, while large factory printers can cost millions of dollars. The variety of machines allows for adaptability to the needs of a work flow. A small design firm could use a mid-range priced in-house printer ($2,000-$8,000) to make an initial design and print it in plastic. After several iterations when the final design is ready, the files can be uploaded to a service bureau with more expensive machines to complete the finished design in whatever material is needed.
3D printing is an exciting and rapidly developing field with a wide impact on design, manufacturing and marketing. One of the main advantages is that it allows the designer to go from concept to actualization quicker and more directly. For example, Nike has greatly shortened the time from the concept stage for a new shoe design. To quote a Nike designer, “A new shoe design has been reduced from years to hours”. It’s not just the speed of the 3D printer that allows this, but that there are less steps between the idea and the manufacturing process. The impact of faster product design and finished manufacturing results in a more responsive marketing environment. In addition to images shown to focus groups, hand-held, fully functioning 3D printed prototypes can be utilized. Also, the same 3D designs that are used for printing can be used in commercials and in web and mobile sites for review and modification.
A good analogy of the impact that 3D printing will have on product marketing and sales is what happened with the music industry and the introduction of digital file formats. Instead of sharing digital music, people will be able to share object files; files that can be modified to an individual’s desire. Companies will have the advantage with specific customization of products tailored to an event or promotion. A dynamic between the consumer and company can be established. Say you’re looking for a new watch to purchase. You bring up a company’s mobile app, browse their basic selections and pick one to start. At this point, using a 3D design interface, you modify the design to your specific needs. That file you create is used in a 3D printer to produce the new watch. The watch company could then share your design with others and promote it on social networking sites.
The buzz about 3D printing is not unwarranted. It is customization at lower cost. Distance between design and production is shortened. Leveraging open source software and social networking to build an engaged community. An almost unlimited choice of printable materials. This impact will effect both large and small producers. One hope is that production of parts will become more localized. I cannot imagine any industry that will not be affected by additive manufacturing.
For more information:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/3D_printing
https://cults3d.com/
http://news.thomasnet.com/imt/2012/08/29/additive-manufacturing-puts-its-clean-tech-face-forward-in-federally-funded-development-program

June 22, 2015January 4, 2023

Personal Branding Checkup

By Breanna Menendez-Phillips
Brand building is not just for businesses or corporations. Branding can also be personal – this type of branding is all about YOU. Personal marketing is not just about the way you present yourself, but also the way you behave within your networks.
Continue reading “Personal Branding Checkup”

April 13, 2015January 4, 2023

The Changing Content Marketing Landscape: An Interview With Matt Kamp

As every marketer knows, “Content is King”. This phrase continues to be more true each year as both search engines and consumer expectations of brands change. To help us take a deep dive into the importance and power of having a strong content strategy, we sat down with a St. Louis specialist, Matt Kamp. Continue reading “The Changing Content Marketing Landscape: An Interview With Matt Kamp”

April 10, 2015January 4, 2023

Digital Marketing for Non-Profits: An Interview with Emily McNew

By Kathryn Todd
With the 2015 State of Digital Media Marketing Conference taking place at UMSL Campus next week, we began to think about all the amazing marketing talent residing in our hometown of St. Louis. One St. Louis marketer who is blazing the way for how non-profits leverage digital and social media is Emily McNew. Emily is currently the Digital Marketing Manager at United Way of Greater St. Louis, where she is responsible for implementing the overall vision for United Way’s digital experience; including website and mobile, social media, email marketing and other digital and online marketing. In addition to her work at United Way, Emily is also the Marketing Communications Manager at STL Up Late, St. Louis’ only live late night talk show featuring the most talented and engaging guests that St. Louis has to offer. Recently we had the chance to catch up with Emily to discuss digital marketing, St. Louis, and more! Check out the full interview below: Continue reading “Digital Marketing for Non-Profits: An Interview with Emily McNew”