{"id":97,"date":"2025-09-22T02:10:14","date_gmt":"2025-09-22T02:10:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/web.sou.edu\/engelgaus\/?p=97"},"modified":"2025-09-22T02:10:14","modified_gmt":"2025-09-22T02:10:14","slug":"key-takeaways","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/web.sou.edu\/engelgaus\/2025\/09\/22\/key-takeaways\/","title":{"rendered":"Key Takeaways"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<div class=\"wp-block-media-text has-media-on-the-right is-stacked-on-mobile\"><div class=\"wp-block-media-text__content\">\n<p>The ability to learn how to enhance digital marketing techniques is critical in today\u2019s business world. The course taught different areas to grow in skills to use outside of the class in future projects. The five major takeaways from the course include:<\/p>\n<\/div><figure class=\"wp-block-media-text__media\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"612\" height=\"459\" src=\"https:\/\/web.sou.edu\/engelgaus\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/159\/2025\/09\/istockphoto-2211635602-612x612-2.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-99 size-full\" srcset=\"https:\/\/web.sou.edu\/engelgaus\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/159\/2025\/09\/istockphoto-2211635602-612x612-2.jpg 612w, https:\/\/web.sou.edu\/engelgaus\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/159\/2025\/09\/istockphoto-2211635602-612x612-2-300x225.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 612px) 100vw, 612px\" \/><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Google Analytics (who would have known the number of certifications available on Google?)<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Building a website, post blogs, and organization on image use and text.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Identifying target market (creating a persona to view it in a more realistic manner)<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>E-Commerce platforms and identifying differences<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Looker Studio\u2014Navigating the endless tools included to personalize reports and sharing data. \u00a0<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Google Analytics<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Understanding how to track and interpret user behavior is crucial. The course introduced the depth of Google Analytics and how to gain different certifications. These tools help marketing by making data-driven decisions and optimize performance. Additionally, Google Analytics creates an opportunity to learn about data types and structures, how to analyze data, data storytelling and using data to solve problems (Google Data Analytics Certificate, 2025).<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"577\" src=\"https:\/\/web.sou.edu\/engelgaus\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/159\/2025\/09\/Google-Analytics-4-Blog-Post-Header-2096x1182.width-1300_O3uqryV-1024x577.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-100\" srcset=\"https:\/\/web.sou.edu\/engelgaus\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/159\/2025\/09\/Google-Analytics-4-Blog-Post-Header-2096x1182.width-1300_O3uqryV-1024x577.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/web.sou.edu\/engelgaus\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/159\/2025\/09\/Google-Analytics-4-Blog-Post-Header-2096x1182.width-1300_O3uqryV-300x169.jpg 300w, https:\/\/web.sou.edu\/engelgaus\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/159\/2025\/09\/Google-Analytics-4-Blog-Post-Header-2096x1182.width-1300_O3uqryV-768x433.jpg 768w, https:\/\/web.sou.edu\/engelgaus\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/159\/2025\/09\/Google-Analytics-4-Blog-Post-Header-2096x1182.width-1300_O3uqryV.jpg 1300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Building a Website<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>From the structuring of pages to posting blogs, the course identified the importance of organizing content by text and visuals to create engagement and clarity. Learning how to build and manage a website equips marketers with a practical skill set for digital presence. It creates an understanding of user experience, navigation flow, responsive design and how the influence of how audience may interact with online platforms. Additionally, the course also emphasized the strategic role of storytelling branding, and sharing how important design and messaging can strengthen a company\u2019s identity and connect more effectively.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Identifying Target Market<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Creating detailed customer persona helped bring target market to life. The exercise made it easier to tailor messaging to specific demographics, answer questions from a customer perspective and improve relevance and impact. By identifying attributes, such as age, interests, buying behaviors, personal behaviors, marketers gained a clear understanding of what motivates their audience. Overall, the persona project became a real life situation used to align marketing efforts with customer expectations and driving meaningful engagement. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"546\" src=\"https:\/\/web.sou.edu\/engelgaus\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/159\/2025\/09\/AdobeStock_166541103-scaled-1-1024x546.jpeg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-101\" srcset=\"https:\/\/web.sou.edu\/engelgaus\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/159\/2025\/09\/AdobeStock_166541103-scaled-1-1024x546.jpeg 1024w, https:\/\/web.sou.edu\/engelgaus\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/159\/2025\/09\/AdobeStock_166541103-scaled-1-300x160.jpeg 300w, https:\/\/web.sou.edu\/engelgaus\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/159\/2025\/09\/AdobeStock_166541103-scaled-1-768x409.jpeg 768w, https:\/\/web.sou.edu\/engelgaus\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/159\/2025\/09\/AdobeStock_166541103-scaled-1-1536x819.jpeg 1536w, https:\/\/web.sou.edu\/engelgaus\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/159\/2025\/09\/AdobeStock_166541103-scaled-1.jpeg 2000w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>E-Commerce Platforms and Identifying Differences<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The course explored various e-commerce platforms, highlighting their unique features and differences. This knowledge is vital for selecting the right platform based on business goals, customers needs and product types. By comparing different e-Commerce options, learners gained a deeper understanding of customization capabilities, payment integration, user design and other features.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Looker Studio<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-media-text is-stacked-on-mobile\"><figure class=\"wp-block-media-text__media\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"261\" height=\"193\" src=\"https:\/\/web.sou.edu\/engelgaus\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/159\/2025\/09\/images.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-102 size-full\" \/><\/figure><div class=\"wp-block-media-text__content\">\n<p>Navigating Looker Studio revealed a powerful suite of tools for customizing reports and sharing specific data insights. It is a valuable resource for visualizing performance metrics and communicating results effectively. Looker Studio allows an opportunity to connect by accessing a wide variety of data, visualize by creating a story with data and sharing the reports with individuals critical in decision making (Overview, 2025).<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>Technical proficiency is critical; the course focused on the importance of adaptability and continuous learning in the digital marketing field. Identifying tools and platforms and knowing they constantly evolve, and staying current is essential for long-term success. The projects throughout the course encourage ways to have a proactive mindset and one that embraces experimentations, sharing feedback and seeks out continuous growth.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The course created an understanding of the solid foundation for navigating the digital marketing techniques with confidence and the use of individual creativity. This included the mastering of Google Analytics and introduction to Looker Studio to build websites and knowing the difference between e-commerce platforms. Each lesson offered practical insights that can be applied to future projects and professional development. Most importantly, learning how to identify and connect with target audience has reinforced the value of strategic thinking in every aspect of digital engagement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h1 class=\"wp-block-heading\">References<\/h1>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Google Data Analytics Certificate<\/em>. (2025). Retrieved from Grow With Google: https:\/\/grow.google\/certificates\/data-analytics\/#:~:text=After%20you%20complete%20the%20Google,you%20with%20your%20job%20search.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Overview<\/em>. (2025). Retrieved from Looker Studio: https:\/\/lookerstudio.google.com\/overview<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The ability to learn how to enhance digital marketing techniques is critical in today\u2019s business world. The course taught different areas to grow in skills<a href=\"https:\/\/web.sou.edu\/engelgaus\/2025\/09\/22\/key-takeaways\/\" class=\"more-link\"><span class=\"screen-reader-text\"> &#8220;Key Takeaways&#8221;<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":189,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-97","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/web.sou.edu\/engelgaus\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/97","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/web.sou.edu\/engelgaus\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/web.sou.edu\/engelgaus\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/web.sou.edu\/engelgaus\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/189"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/web.sou.edu\/engelgaus\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=97"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/web.sou.edu\/engelgaus\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/97\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/web.sou.edu\/engelgaus\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=97"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/web.sou.edu\/engelgaus\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=97"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/web.sou.edu\/engelgaus\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=97"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}