Class Introduction, Presentation Skills, and Principles of Digital Marketing Design

Class Logistics and Chapter Overviews

The class must finalize the class list today.
Chapter 2 is described as "super long," but the instructor hopes to cover most of it in the current session.
Chapter 3 focuses on Google Analytics and is relatively shorter, providing some flexibility if Chapter 2 is not completed today.
Assignment Context: By the third assignment, students will work in groups to develop marketing plans. These teams require diverse skills, including technical aspects like graphic design, accounting backgrounds for data analysis, digital marketing expertise, and project management.

Professional Presentation Strategies

Mindset: Students are encouraged to "fall in love with presenting." This skill is critical for job interviews, requesting resources from employers, and making a strong first impression for one's ideas in a cogent, easy-to-understand manner.
Presentation Context: The current introductory assignment is only $45\,s$ long. Despite its short duration, it takes approximately $1\,h$ to get through a class of $35$ students.
Practical Presentation Tips: - Spatial Positioning: Presenters should come to the front but avoid standing directly in front of the screen, as it is distracting and blocks the PowerPoint. - Audience Focus: Present to classmates, not the instructor. Focus on the people in the room rather than looking back at the screen. - Body Language: Avoid "getting small" or covering oneself up (defensive postures). If unsure what to do with hands, keep them at the sides. - Notes: Avoid using paper or laptop notes. Being tethered to a piece of paper is a "giant flag" for nerves. College is a safe environment for practice. - Managing Nerves: It is normal to feel nervous; even the instructor gets nervous and uses tools like Toastmasters to practice. - The Power of the Pause: If you forget a point, do not apologize (e.g., "Sorry, I forgot what I was going to say"). Instead, pause and own the space. A pause can create a perception of intelligence and reflection. Named example: Elon Musk often pauses or stutters but owns the silence, sometimes for up to $30\,s$ .
Timing Mechanics: A timer will be set. If the instructor's phone makes "funny noises" or if the instructor gives a "shut it down" hand signal, the presenter should wrap up immediately.

Student Introductions and Peer Networking

Colin: Marketing diploma student. Aims to work in sales and start businesses. Hobbies include skiing (specifically at Cypress) and hiking at Mt. Cheam in Chilliwack. Works in a restaurant.
Kevin: Accounting student (not marketing). Interests: Playing "Go," making pixel art, reading fantasy books, and participating in family bake-offs. Plays Final Fantasy XIV (an MMO) and attends local meetups in the city.
Daniel: Originally from Cali, Colombia. Background includes experience with world-famous kiteboarding at Lago Calima.
Sabrina: Background in finance; worked at Scotiabank for $3$ years and received the "best of best" award in $2022$ . Hobbies: Reading (uses a Kindle), wine, modeling, bingo, camping, and hiking. Resided in Canada for $10$ years.
Nathan (Nate): Originally from Edmonton. Runs an ERP (Enterprise Resource Planner) implementation business with his brother. - Business Detail: The business helps companies (e.g., a furniture staging company) track assets, costs, accounting, and payroll. - AI Integration: His brother uses AI for custom software development. The instructor noted that software that used to cost millions to develop ten years ago can now be built by a two-man operation using modern tools.
Michalia: Recommended to the course by others. Discussion sparked about a student-started makeup business that reached over $\$1,000,000$ in sales in the first two years using "white label" products.
Samsat: Enjoys reading, skiing, and video games.
Carmen: Interests include curling, building Lego, baking, and sushi.
Noah: Bachelor of Administration (Accounting). Collects Pokémon cards (noted the issue with scalpers).
Valeria: Interested in general marketing media.
Nico Miguel de Pareto: $19$ years old, in the Bachelor of Business Administration Marketing program. Enjoys social media trends and has traveled to Banff and Japan twice.
Michael: Helps his father with a packaging business.
Daisy: Marketing program student. Worked for a music label in marketing. Hobbies: Dancing, singing, and a nail tech business (largely promoted via Instagram and word-of-mouth).
Jimmy: Artist specializing in natural pencil drawings.

Questions & Discussion

Student Question: "What were the criteria for the presentation?"
Instructor Response: The criteria are essentially a "glorified 'Doug is awesome' slide," referencing an example from the previous week. It is a simple introduction to get to know students' technical skills and interests before they form groups.
Policy Note: Laptops and phones must be put away during colleague presentations as a matter of respect. Exceptions are made only for those actively finalizing their own presentation for the immediate session.

The Evolution of Web Design and AI Integration

Accessibility: Creating a professional website is easier than ever because coding knowledge is no longer strictly required. This shift has occurred primarily over the last $10$ years.
AI Utility in Marketing: - Imagery and Video: AI can generate product shots and videos. In the past, the instructor paid $\$350$ for professional white-background product shots for Amazon. Now, AI tools can create these in seconds for free or low cost. - Branding Continuity: AI ensures advertisements, banners, and landing pages share the same aesthetic to prevent "scammy" looks and lower bounce rates. - Technical Troubleshooting: AI can write or analyze source code. The instructor uses Gemini to troubleshoot technical questions for Facebook chatbot support. - Copywriting and Brainstorming: AI helps write copy and identifies potential target audiences. - Expertise as "General Contractor": As AI takes over manual tasks in digital marketing, the marketer's role evolves into being a "general contractor" who operates and manages these specialized AI tools.

Websites and Landing Pages

Conventions: Marketing websites should follow "conventions"—trained user behaviors. For example, clicking a logo at the top usually returns the user to the home page. Templates leverage these existing user expectations.
Common Web Pages: Students should be familiar with Home pages, About pages, Contact pages, Blogs (for SEO lead generation), Product pages, and Checkout pages.
Defining the Landing Page: - Unlike a general browsing website, a landing page is built for focus. - Usually contains only one product or service and one specific Call to Action (CTA). - Targeted at a very niche audience rather than a broad market.

Marketing Funnels and Conversion Data

AIDA Model: Attention, Interest, Desire, Action.
AARRR (Pirate Metrics): 1. Acquisition 2. Activation 3. Retention 4. Referral 5. Revenue (Often called the "Third R").
Hypothesis vs. Data: Marketing research initially provides a hypothesis of who the customer is. Digital marketing allows for measuring everything via analytics (Chapter 3) to see if that hypothesis is correct.
The Value of Testing: - Conversions can happen at any level (email sign-ups, sales, or referrals). - Marketing goals must be SMART goals (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, Time-bound).
Case Study: Kickstarter Campaign: - The instructor ran a campaign for a "nerdy comic book escape room board game." - They used $96$ different advertisements and approximately $30$ different landing pages. - Segmentation: They targeted "couples for date night" and "escape room enthusiasts" separately. - Result: The "escape room" audience converted at a third of the cost ( $1/3$ ) of the "date night" audience. While "date night" customers were good, the marketing budget was reallocated to the "escape room" segment to maximize ROI (Return on Investment).