The first time I heard about the word, Multi-Channel Network, was two weeks ago when we decided to choose Broadband TV as our client for the final project. This is a brand new field that I never really got a chance to learn about. A Multi-Channel Network (MCN) is, by the definition,  an organization that works wit video platforms such as YouTube, to offer assistance in area such as “product, programming, funding, promotion, partner management…”. I didn’t read the whole thing as it was still too abstract. After checking some recent news about our client BBTV and its main competitors, I kind of get a sense of it. It is kind of  a marketing company that help creators such as Youtubers to promote and built brand awarenesses.

Doing a digital marketing project for a digital marketing company will be a really challenging job, especially our client, BBTV, is the second largest MCN  in the world, which means it is experienced in dealing with internet and marketing. On the other hand, this is a precious chance for us  to learn about this new industry with one of its best.

Last week we discussed about the designs of websites, wether to be functional or elegant. We found from the discussion that it really depends on the properties of companies. Luxury brands’ websites are usually very beautiful but less functional. Retail companies with online shopping service usually have very clean and functional designed websites. However, the property is not the only factor.

Here are two screenshots of different websites:

These two websites both have online shopping service, however, the first one is really artistic and the IKEA one is just clean and concise. How do we determine which one is better? Normally, being functional and oriented is easier for customers to find everything and go through the process. However, young and edgy brands usually use  stylish and unique websites to impress people. It is actually very easy to find stuffs but you just have to get used to it first. As a result, these two websites are all very good for their targeting customers.

It is the company’s choice wether to be unique or to be clean. As long as a company designs its website based on its targeting customers’ preferences, the website is success.

I never heard about Hootsuite before taking this course, so I spend some time searching. The idea of managing multiple social networks from one dashboard is really in need. Even as a normal person, I find it useful for me to check my different social accounts from one site.

We are surrounded by many different social networks, like Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and Snapchat. Companies may want to built relationships with and make itself accessible for users of all these different apps to maximize its influence. Then Hootsuite is a really good way for companies to unify the information, tracking users’ mentions and send out posts. At the same time, I find that the Hootsuite is really helpful on comparing users’ preferences from different medias horizontally . As a result, companies can post different types of messages on different medias to better communicate with the users.

This interview made by CBC news was about the CEO of the Hootsuite, Ryan Holmes. He is a smart and target-oriented person. He grown from a farm with no digital tech but now is a successful CEO in the tech industry. He said that the idea behind the Hootsuite is trying to keep things simple and this is still the goal. I really agree upon this idea. The social media is becoming more and more hard to control as there are too many of them. By simplify the using, companies can better incorporate different social medias with marketing.

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/ryan-holmes-hootsuite-ceo-tries-to-keep-things-simple-1.2793387

Internet is and will always be an important element of our society as we are living in the global information age. Traditional marketing strategies are not sufficient enough to catch young generation’s attention and the costs of physical advertisements are relatively high. E-marketing is now necessary to learn. This is a elective course for me and I chose this because I see that internet’s economic and social importance has grown.

online-marketing is not restricted by timing and regions. the potential customers for a Vancouver based company are not only people who live nearby, they can be people who live in France or China. Also, online-marketing is more efficient than physical advertisements. companies can track how many people really look at their ads, click into their website and therefore make adjustments to their marketing strategy.

Thinking about myself as a customer, I use cell phone more than computers and I barely texting or calling. Facebook and instagram are where I spend most of my spare time. A popular instagram account is way more attractive than a pice of ads. Social network is a good place for companies to build relationships with millions followers.

E-marketing is a wild range of activities. I find it interesting and familiar because it is already part of my daily life and I would like to turn it into a skill.