Sometimes, when I introduce my company, D. Cohn Communications, with “We specialize in Digital Marketing,” business owners and non-profits alike react with excitement and puzzlement. What is that? Do I make websites?
Digital marketing is a brand new field. It includes creating websites, but it’s so much more. It encompasses the full range of Internet marketing and PR tools: social media (yes, all of it!), blogs, newsletters, photographs, videos, logos, and articles for online and print publications (like ValpoLife.com.) But one of the most unusual and valuable services we offer is education. We don’t just create online marketing plans. We teach organizations how to use these tools themselves. Not every business wants, or can afford, to have D. Cohn Communications maintain their social media accounts or blogs on an ongoing basis, so I teach them how to do it instead.
For example, in late June, I wrapped up a six-week digital marketing workshop offered through the Purdue University North Central Office of Graduate and Extended Learning. Attendees represented a diverse range of fields: health insurance, career development, religious leadership, HR, and more. Everyone was there to learn how to use digital marketing to their organization’s advantage. It was a wonderful time. It will be offered again this Fall, followed by an all-day advanced digital marketing retreat.
So how does one break into digital marketing? I have a very eclectic professional background that turns out to be the perfect combination. I’ve always been a writer, and I studied journalism and English in college. I earned two Master’s Degrees in English and Education. After graduate school, I taught high school English, and then was a Composition Instructor at Purdue University North Central for more than ten years. Along the way, I also held several professional and volunteer positions which involved community relations, PR, marketing, and freelance journalism. Out of personal interest, I also taught myself HTML and how to blog. I was an early adopter of digital media from the days of Geocities, Friendster, LiveJournal, and bulletin board chat rooms. I had a Twitter account before there was anyone there to talk to. I have always found online communication fascinating.
So when a friend asked for help creating his new business website, Facebook page, and writing his marketing posts, I happily jumped in. Why not? Word quickly got out that I knew tech, marketing, and writing. After just three months, I had enough people asking for help that I left my position at PNC, and D. Cohn Communications was born. Not quite two years later, I have a team of writers, web developers, and graphic artists to help me keep up.
I live and breathe digital marketing. I read and study a lot, of course. But the first thing I do in the morning is check my clients’ accounts and the last thing I do before turning off my light at night is check my clients’ accounts. (The Internet may not sleep, but I have to – occasionally, anyway.) My team and I strategize, create digital marketing tools, and optimize them all day long. We don’t just talk about digital marketing, we make it for others. And when our clients want to learn how to do it, I teach them, because I am an experienced educator.
D. Cohn Communications’ slogan is “Exceptional Digital Marketing for All” and that’s truly what we are all about. Big organization or small, computer savvy or still rocking dial-up, we help our clients look brilliant online. That’s what digital marketing is all about.