ÂÜÀòÉç¹ÙÍø

 : : : Essay

---

Call To Action for Marketing Academia
By G. Allen Westra

Few traditional colleges and universities offer the e-marketing curriculum required to prepare undergraduate marketing majors for success in business today. In fact, the curriculum for undergraduate marketing majors remains much the same as it was in the last century, except for a token Introduction to Internet Marketing course now being offered. Rare exceptions include a Bachelor of Science degree in Internet Marketing at Maryville University in St. Louis and an Internet Marketing concentration at George Mason University.

American companies are feeling the impact resulting from the lack of formal e-marketing education. The 2010 Trends in Marketing: Salaries, Strategies, and Beyond research study by the ÂÜÀòÉç¹ÙÍø and Aquent surveyed over 5,000 marketing professionals of which 32% were marketing managers / team leaders and 18% were senior / C-level marketing managers. The study found that “fewer than 20% of marketers believe they have the people on their team to meet the organization’s marketing objectives, or that their team is well equipped to handle new trends and technologies that affect their business.”

The informal educational path for aspiring e-marketing managers over the past 10 years has primarily been attending conferences, searching the Internet for collaboration on best practices, and experimentation by trial and error. Through this arduous process, many e-marketing practitioners have now mastered the art and science of Internet marketing. However, a Bachelor’s degree in e-Marketing remains elusive for marketing majors.

e-Marketing Functional Roles in Business Today

I am one of these e-marketing practitioners and also a university adjunct marketing instructor. My goal here is to provide foundational support for the formal educational requirements needed to prepare marketing majors for success in a digital marketing world.

B2C e-business departments are comprised of three cross-functional teams which include e-marketers, designers, and developers / programmers. The cross-functional working knowledge required in e-marketing often presents a barrier to entry for marketing generalists and must be addressed through cross-disciplinary study in the areas of e-marketing and information systems course work.

Highlighted below are seven e-marketing functional roles within today’s e-business departments and the cross-functional working knowledge required to succeed in each position.

1. Search Engine Optimization (SEO) Manager

Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is the process of maximizing organic Search Engine Results Page (SERP) rank for each page of a web site. In depth knowledge of each targeted market segment is required and provides the foundation for SEO strategy and implementation. Expertise in the areas of keyword research methodology, web site navigational hierarchy, and intra-site link strategy is needed to write keyword-relevant creative content for each market segment. Responsibility includes integrating optimization strategies with company blogs, videos, and social media. The SEO Manager must also have cross-functional working knowledge of HTML source code, CSS, and JavaScript.

2. Search Engine Marketing (SEM) Manager

Search Engine Marketing is the process of managing Pay-Per-Click (PPC) and contextual / semantic advertising campaigns. The SEM Manager is responsible for online advertising campaign design, writing compelling creative content for each keyword ad group, bid management, ad placement, and performance tracking. SEM Performance tracking metrics are derived by quantifying return on investment at the keyword level for click-through-rate, cost-per-click, cost-per-acquisition, etc. Working knowledge of bid management tools (e.g., Google Adwords, Yahoo Search Marketing, and MSN AdCenter), pixel tracking code development, web page quality scores, and A/B testing methodology is essential.

3. Usability Analyst

While SEO and SEM managers drive prospective customers to the web site, the Usability Analyst is responsible for tracking logistical paths, measuring actionable completion rates, maximizing sales funnel conversion, and minimizing premature drop-off for visitors on the site. A formal educational requirement for this position often includes Certified Usability Analyst (CUA) course work in the area of user-centered analysis, including A/B, multivariate, and behavioral targeting testing. Working knowledge of web analytics software (e.g., Omniture, Autonomy, Google Analytics), usability testing software (e.g., Morae, LEOtrace), and enterprise search software (e.g., Apache, SLI Systems) is needed to enhance user experience and maximize sequential conversion performance.

4. eMail Marketing (eMM) Manager

Subscriber databases ranging from six to seven digits are the norm for today’s eMail Marketing Manager. Formal education in brand marketing, product / service promotion, and multivariate testing is essential to achieve incremental gains via key performance metrics like open, click-through, and conversion rates. Considering the fact that each webmail service (e.g., GMAIL, YMAIL, LIVE) and ISP (e.g., AOL, AT&T, Comcast, Cox, Road Runner, Verizon) has unique delivery requirements and penalties, in-depth knowledge is needed just to reach a subscriber’s inbox. Core competencies in the areas of database management, CAN-Spam regulations, CertifiedEmail, DKIM signatures, and subscriber list management / hygiene are fundamental to this position. Cross-functional working knowledge of HTML, pixel tracking code development, and Photoshop is utilized daily.

5. Mobile Web Marketing (MWM) Manager

The Mobile Web Marketing Manager is responsible for all marketing initiatives via the Mobile Commerce (m-Commerce) web site, which is unique and often hosted independently from a company’s e-Commerce web site due to disparate technology and usability challenges. Broad e-marketing expertise is required to deliver an all-inclusive, interactive web experience via mobile devices. Working knowledge of Smartphone operating system (OS) platforms (e.g., iOS, Symbian OS, BlackBerry OS, Android, Windows Mobile) is needed to manage cross-platform app development.

6. Social Media Marketing (SMM) Manager

The Social Media Marketing Manager’s role requires course work in journalism and e-marketing. Without this combined knowledge, a company’s SMM efforts often result in lackluster revenue performance. The SMM manager works via a comprehensive social media calendar with input from marketing, sales, and customer relationship management stakeholders. The calendar’s Y axis highlights each social media campaign by theme, keywords, calls-to-action, link / tracking requirements, publishing dates, and conversion goals. With the company’s blog serving as the social media hub for each campaign, the calendar’s X axis identifies distribution by social media channel (e.g., company blog, Facebook, Twitter, Linkedin, YouTube).

7. Web Analytics Manager

Today’s Web Analytics Manager is required to track and quantify conversion / actionable results down to the keyword level for each e-marketing channel (e.g., direct, organic search, paid search, email, mobile, social media, affiliates). Working knowledge of web analytics software (e.g., Omniture, Autonomy, Google Analytics) is essential, and econometrics course work is recommended for this data-intensive position. Analysis and reporting includes channel performance measurement of conversion rates, average order values, gross margins, new customer acquisitions, days between purchase, etc. The Web Analytics Manager works closely with each e-marketing channel manager to establish performance benchmarks and set incremental revenue growth targets.

e-Marketing Curriculum Development

The e-marketing functional roles presented above represent the real-world career opportunities and challenges facing undergraduate marketing majors entering the work force in 2010 and beyond. While the performance metric examples may be skewed toward e-commerce, the job functions highlighted do apply to most B2C e-business models (e.g., banking, insurance, financial services, hospitality, etc.) and are intended to provide a starting point for collaborative discussion among marketing academia about e-marketing curriculum development at traditional colleges and universities.

G. Allen Westra
westrag@peacocks.uiu.edu

---