The Direct Marketing Association of Northern California Announces Two New Facebook and Instagram (Meta) Advertising Courses

August 27, 2024
By Kineta Kelsall
DMAnc.org Instructor

Take Your Campaigns to the Next Level with Winning Strategies & the Latest Techniques

Facebook, Instagram Courses image.

The Direct Marketing Association of Northern California announces two new courses: Facebook & Instagram (Meta) Advertising Fundamentals and Advanced Facebook & Instagram (Meta) Advertising Masterclass.

The Facebook and Instagram (Meta) Fundamentals course is the best and most useful introduction offered anywhere if you’re new to advertising on Facebook and Instagram. If you’ve experimented with Meta advertising in the past but felt you never got past the basics, this one-module course will instantly ramp up your confidence and skill level.

Facebook and Instagram (Meta) Fundamentals replaces hours of muddling through on your own with clear, step-by-step guidance. Social media ad strategist and Meta Certified Trainer Kineta Kelsall will take you from the beginning—navigating the Ads Manager interface—through setting up ad campaigns, budgeting, scheduling, targeting audiences, understanding ad formats, and launching your campaign. A recorded class is available if you can’t attend the live presentation, but we encourage you to attend live if you can so you can ask questions.

As with all DMAnc courses, upon completion, you’ll get links to both the recorded video and the slide deck, so you can re-watch and review them anytime.

Once you’ve had some experience advertising on Facebook and Instagram, you’re ready to take advantage of the advanced tools available on the Meta platform to elevate your campaigns far beyond what you’re doing now. In the two-module Advanced Facebook & Instagram (Meta) Advertising Masterclass, you’ll learn to create campaigns more precisely targeting audiences and measuring results, more sophisticated creative strategy and optimization, and better insights to inform your decision-making. When you’re finished, you’ll understand the tools and techniques you need to refine your campaigns, scale campaigns effectively, and continually amplify your results. In Module 1, you’ll get an update on changes to the platform and advanced strategies for planning and setting up campaigns. In Module 2, we’ll take a deep, detailed, and exciting dive into creative strategy, measurement, and optimizations that can take your campaigns to another level of success.

This course is led by an experienced practitioner who not only advises and manages campaigns for a diverse range of clients but also excels in training professionals like you. You’ll gain access to a robust set of tools and best practices derived from extensive testing, Meta’s recommendations, and insights from top industry thought leaders. The content is packed with valuable information to keep you ahead of the curve and is continuously updated to reflect the latest platform changes. This training will equip you with the most current strategies and techniques to drive campaign success.

Register now for Facebook & Instagram (Meta) Advertising Fundamentals and Advanced Facebook & Instagram (Meta) Advertising Masterclass or Contact us for more information.

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The Direct Marketing Association of Northern California Announces a New Course, LinkedIn Profile Optimization for Job-Seekers

August 27, 2024
By Andreas Ramos
DMAnc.org Instructor

Unlock Your Career Potential with LinkedIn Profile Optimization

Linkedin Profile Optimization for Job Seekers image.

The Direct Marketing Association of Northern California announces a new course, LinkedIn Profile Optimization for Job Seekers.  If you’re seeking to make the most of your career opportunities, there’s no question that you need an effective presence on LinkedIn. But that’s easier said than done—unless you know the secrets behind the algorithm that can raise your visibility with the employers, recruiters, and colleagues you most want to attract.

In this quick one-module, two-hour workshop, you’ll learn all the steps, tricks, and details you need to boost your LinkedIn score, rise to the top of search results, and confidently navigate LinkedIn’s vast sea of connections and opportunities.

We’ll show you how to improve your profile, section by section, to showcase your unique value, and explore LinkedIn’s many little-known tools to help you find your dream job. From seeing how you compare to other applicants to setting up one-click apply buttons, we’ll arm you with the knowledge to make your job search more accessible, less stressful, and more effective. And we’ll explain how you can leverage AI to simplify and improve your LinkedIn efforts.

New this year:

  • Special sections for those looking to change careers, for those re-entering the workforce after a break, for freelancers, consultants, and other indie professionals and students. You’ll learn how to showcase the value of your experiences, highlight transferable skills, connect with professionals, join relevant associations and groups, and even find social connections based on shared interests.
  • New tips to keep you at the forefront of LinkedIn optimization trends.

At the end of this workshop, you’ll have a clear idea of the path ahead and the steps you can take immediately to improve your prospects.

The author of a best-selling book on LinkedIn and a LinkedIn insider since 2002, instructor Andreas Ramos has helped thousands to use the platform to get the jobs they want. His experience includes exclusive tips and strategies you won’t find anywhere else.

In this workshop, you’ll learn how to:

  • Master the LinkedIn algorithm.
    • See your secret LinkedIn score and how to improve it. You can track your progress as you see it rise.
    • Expand your network strategically with LinkedIn’s powerful but little-known tools. For example, we’ll show you how to use LinkedIn Sales Navigator to identify the best connections among LinkedIn’s one billion users.
    • Stay up to date with LinkedIn’s latest posting guidelines.
  • Edit your profile for maximum impact.
    • Craft a compelling headline.
    • How to use AI to improve your profile photo.
    • Harness AI to improve your profile description and write engaging posts.
    • See what others see when they view your profile.
    • Add eye-catching features to your profile, like custom banners tailored to your role.
    • Tailor your profile for career changes, and present yourself as a strong candidate in your new field.
    • See a list of additional sections to add to your profile.
    • We also include a list of 97 soft skills you can add to your profile.
  • Make it easier to find and apply for jobs.
    • Find your ideal work environment, whether on-site, remote, flexible, or in an organization that aligns with your values.
    • See how you compare with other applicants.
    • Set up a one-click job application.
    • Understand the recruiter’s perspective: gain insights into how recruiters use LinkedIn to filter and review candidates.
  • Position yourself for the career change you want.
    • Reframe career breaks to showcase the value of your experiences and reenter the workforce with confidence.
    • Build your visibility as a student within your desired industry.

A well-maintained LinkedIn profile acts as your digital business card, making it easier for colleagues, peers, and potential employers to find and connect with you. According to a survey by Jobvite, 87% of recruiters use LinkedIn to search for candidates. Thus, a well-optimized profile can increase your visibility in the job market. Act now to register for LinkedIn Profile Optimization for Job Seekers, or for more information, contact us.

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Direct Marketing Association of Northern California Announces a New Course, Social Media Trends for 2024-2025

August 27, 2024
By Kineta Kelsall
DMAnc.org Instructor

A New Course on How to Maximize Social Media Success with the Latest Insights, Tools, and Techniques

Social Media Trends class image.

The Direct Marketing Association of Northern California announces an innovative new course, Social Media Trends for 2024-2025.  Changes happen every year in the universe of social media marketing. But with rapidly changing algorithms, shifting consumer trends, and the tsunami of AI, this year feels like an especially large period of upheaval. For marketers who need to navigate their brands through these uncertain waters while continuing to deliver on KPIs, your smartest strategy is to arm yourself with up-to-date knowledge and insights that can help you plan and manage with confidence.

This cutting-edge, one-module course on social trends and innovation, led by Kineta Kelsall, a social media strategist for leading global brands, is the ultimate guide to mastering social media success in 2024 and beyond.

In an efficient two hours packed with information you can put to immediate use, we will delve into the fundamentals everyone is discussing, including social search, e-commerce integration with social media platforms, and the evolving role of creators and influencers in full-funnel activation across Instagram, TikTok, and LinkedIn, among other key topics.

By the end of this course, your toolbox will be packed with new platform updates and innovative strategies to enhance your brand’s social presence.

We will discuss:

  • Search on Social Media. Understand the growing importance of social search, leverage search features, and utilize tools that capture user intent. This is critical information about how you can bridge the gap between traditional search and social search.
  • The Role of Creators and Influencers. We will examine their changing roles in full-funnel marketing. You’ll also learn how to use influencers to drive sales through partnership ads on Meta and how to integrate influencers into your community and extended team. We will also explore how the role of influence is shifting from brand-centric to people-centric marketing.
  • Social Commerce. We will discover critical products and features on TikTok and Instagram that can drive sales and engagement. You’ll learn best practices for activating shopping on social platforms, such as TikTok Shop and Spark Ads, and understand how creators play a crucial role.
  • Thought Leadership on LinkedIn. Finally, we will review LinkedIn’s evolution, and you’ll learn how to leverage personal branding on LinkedIn for your clients or business.

Consumers have fully embraced social media shopping. It is up almost 40% yearly, and nearly half of Gen Zers and Millennials report buying a product directly on social media in the past three months*. This course will help you set up a strategy for social commerce.  Consumers primarily do research via social media and video, not search engines. The brand research and product discovery process is now closely linked to influencer reviews, brand videos, and which product is the most searchable and most accessible to buy. This course will help you implement strategies for integrating influencers into your brand.

You can register now for this course or contact us for more information.

*Hubspot Social Trends Report 2024

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The Direct Marketing Association of Northern California Announces a New Course, B2B Demand Generation Masterclass

August 27, 2024
By Komal Helyer
DMAnc.org Instructor

The Digital Revolution Has Changed the Shape of the Sales Funnel. In This Course, You’ll Learn How To Own It.

B2B Demand Generation image.

The Direct Marketing Association of Northern California announces a new B2B Demand Generation Masterclass course. Changes in the B2B landscape represent a fundamental shift in how business buyers interact with suppliers. Prospects have different expectations. They follow different decision-making processes, are responsible to different stakeholders, and are motivated by different behaviors. And they use technology in transformational ways. Gartner predicts that by 2025, 80% of supplier and buyer interactions will happen through digital channels. This is changing the shape of the sales funnel—sometimes subtly, sometimes dramatically, and almost certainly permanently.

The potential is exciting for those who understand the new dynamics of demand marketing. Marketers have more tools to extend their reach and effectiveness and more ways to meet the challenges of change. Even better, the new focus on revenue as a KPI, not just a response, is a more tangible and powerful way to prove your value.

Taught by Martech and CRM expert, and fractional CMO Komal Helyer, this masterclass is a comprehensive three-module series designed to equip B2B marketers with the tools, tactics, and insights needed to build and execute demand-generation plans that help your organization soar. Packed with methodologies, models, and real-life examples, this course gives you knowledge and skills to immediately return to your business and put to work on Day One.

Key takeaways:

  • Together, we will map out the steps to identify the key stakeholders in your Decision-Making Unit and their roles in the buying process so that we can effectively target them.
  • Learn how buyer motivations and behaviors have shifted in the last couple of years and what B2B Buyers now expect from suppliers.
  • Revamp your sales and marketing funnel. Learn how to modify your traditional funnel to accommodate the impact of the pandemic and digital transformation.
  • Understand how to develop a comprehensive touchpoint map that outlines all prospect interactions.
  • Learn how to read visitors’ purchasing signals and readiness in their intent data so you can identify the best moments to convert visitors into buyers.
  • Master the art and science of defining your Ideal Customer Profile to better target and engage your prospects.
  • Understand the core principles of demand generation for B2B.
  • Discover how to deploy effective demand-generation tactics across digital channels such as email, social media, and paid ads to increase visibility and engagement.
  • Discover the evolving Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) crucial for measuring your demand-generation efforts. Use insights to optimize your approach continually.
  • Learn how to build a marketing tech stack that aligns with your business needs. Figure out what you need and what you don’t, and learn how to implement it in a sane, sensible, and sustainable way.
  • Discover the generative AI tools that can enhance your marketing efforts, from content creation to predictive analytics.

By the end of this course, you’ll be well-equipped with the knowledge, skills, and tools to excel as a B2B marketer in 2025 and beyond, driving demand generation and leveraging the latest technologies to achieve your business goals.

To register, go here, or contact us for more information.

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The Direct Marketing Association of Northern California Announces a New Certified AI Digital Marketer (CAIDM) Program

August 17, 2024
By Laurie Beasley
President, Direct Marketing Association of Northern California

Gain New AI Skills for Your Marketing Career

Certified AI Digital Marketer.

The Direct Marketing Association of Northern California announces a new Certified AI Digital Marketer (CAIDM) Program. Now is the time to master marketing AI skills to improve your job satisfaction or get a better job by taking advantage of the many AI for digital marketing courses available through the Direct Marketing Association of Northern California. Then, become a Certified AI Digital Marketer (CAIDM) to set your skills apart in the marketplace.

The demand for AI skills permeates every aspect of marketing, from content creation, SEO, Google Ads, and social media to analytics.  Increasingly, new job descriptions require applicants to work with AI.

According to Hubspot*, 90% of marketers say AI and automation help them spend less time on manual tasks, more time on the parts of their job they enjoy most (80%), and more time on the creative aspects of their role (79%). Gaining AI skills and an AI certification with just a few courses can reduce job stress and improve your job prospects.

How to become a Certified AI Digital Marketer (CAIDM):

The Certified AI Digital Marketer program is structured very simply.  All you need to do is take any 8 AI course modules from the AI courses available within 2 years, and you will be granted the certification.  We keep track of the course modules you’re taking, and we’ll grant you the Certified AI Digital Marketer certificate and digital badge when you’ve completed them.

You decide which courses you want to take. You can take them live online or order prerecorded classes, or take a hybrid of both.  Customize a certificate that works for you.  We keep track of the courses you take, and we will grant you the certificate when we see that you have completed 8 course modules. Another huge bonus is that you can also apply to any of the AI social media classes to become a Certified Digital Marketer (CDM) and get a dual certificate.

If you’ve already taken some of the classes listed on our AI course list before we announced this certification program, the good news is that those classes will qualify for this certification.

What You Will Receive:

When you’ve completed your certificate, you’ll receive a digital badge you can use on LinkedIn, your resume, or anywhere you’d like to show it off. Plus, a digital and frame-able printed certificate to post on LinkedIn and hang on your office wall.

Certified Digital Marketer badge  Certified Digital Marketer certificate for wall mount

Obtaining an AI marketing certification can significantly enhance the effectiveness of campaigns and improve ROI by equipping professionals like yourself with advanced skills and knowledge of the latest industry trends and tools. Certified AI marketers are better prepared to analyze data, understand consumer behavior, and implement strategic plans that resonate with target audiences. This expertise leads to more efficient resource allocation, optimized marketing strategies, and, ultimately, higher returns on investment.  Learn more about becoming a Certifed AI Digital Marketer here or Contact Us if you have more detailed questions.

* Hubspot 2023 AI Trends for Marketers report

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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The Direct Marketing Association of Northern California Announces a New Certified Social Media Marketer (CSMM) Program

August 17, 2024
By Laurie Beasley
President, Direct Marketing Association of Northern California

Stay Ahead of Algorithm and AI Changes with a Social Media Certification

Certified Social Media Marketer (CSSM).

The average social media marketer does eight or more social tasks simultaneously—building strategies, writing copy, shooting and editing photos and videos, scheduling posts, creating ads, tracking analytics, monitoring and responding to comments, and managing influencer partnerships. Some of these tasks involve a serious learning curve. The platforms and algorithms are constantly changing, especially for paid advertising. And yet, according to the Hootsuite 2023 Social Media Career Report, Social Media Marketers are 25% more likely to say they’re happy with their jobs than the average marketer.

To help you stay ahead of the learning curve and platform algorithm changes, the Direct Marketing Association of Northern California has a robust offering of social media courses to help marketers quickly learn new tactics, as well as time-saving AI tools. Additionally, you can apply our social media courses to become a Certified Social Media Marketer (CSMM). Becoming a Certified Social Media Marketer will not only give you the skills to manage the many challenging and evolving tasks of your job but also boost your confidence in negotiating a better salary,  promotion, or a new job in a competitive marketplace.

Obtaining a marketing certification can significantly enhance the effectiveness of campaigns and improve ROI by equipping professionals like yourself with advanced skills and knowledge of the latest industry trends and AI tools. Certified marketers are better prepared to analyze data, understand consumer behavior, and implement strategic plans that resonate with target audiences. This expertise leads to more efficient resource allocation, optimized marketing strategies, and, ultimately, higher returns on investment.

How to become a Certified Social Media Marketer (CSMM):

All you need to do is complete 8 modules from any of our social media courses within two years.  You decide which courses you want to take. You can take them live online or order pre-recorded courses, or take a hybrid of both.  Customize a certificate that works for you.  We keep track of the courses you take, and we will grant you the certificate when you have completed 8 course modules from the social media course offerings within the two years.  Another huge bonus is that you can apply to any of the social media classes to also become a Certified Digital Marketer (CDM) and get a dual certificate.

If you took some of the classes listed on our social media course list before we announced this certification program, the good news is that those classes will qualify for this certification.

What You Will Receive:

When you’ve completed your certificate, you’ll receive a digital badge that you can use on LinkedIn, your resume, or anywhere else you’d like to show off.  Plus, you’ll receive a digital and frame-able printed certificate to post on LinkedIn and hang on your office wall.

Certified Sustainable Marketer badgeSustainable Marketer Certificate

What Makes Our Training Unique?

There are not many Certified Social Media Marketer marketing certifications available right now, and the ones that are (think HubSpot or Hootsuite) are designed to teach you to use mainly their tools for implementation. Our instructors will help you evaluate social media tools using best practices and advanced AI tactics and are platform agnostic. Our training also offers many advantages over other online training organizations, such as:

  • LIVE ONLINE TRAINING/ASK QUESTIONS: We offer all our courses as live online, interactive sessions, during which you can ask questions as the instructor teaches. You can also continue asking the instructor questions after the masterclass ends. Most other digital training programs are available only as recorded classes.
  • EASY TO ACHIEVE/FLEXIBLE CHOICE IN CLASSES: We only require you to complete 8 course modules within a two-year period, which is 16 hours of study and no tests. Plus, you can choose which course topics to focus on. Most certificates require a minimum of 30-60 hours and frequent tests, and they determine the topics.
  • UPDATED EVERY QUARTER: We know that marketing technology never stays the same, so we update our courses every quarter to offer the very latest information. That is essential for social media since the platforms are constantly updating. If you look at the “Last Updated” date on some online training websites, you’ll be surprised.
  • RECEIVE COURSE UPDATES: When was the last time you heard from an instructor or institution from which you took a class? Um, never? Not us!! A unique feature of our offering is that we will send you updated versions of your masterclasses for at least a year (as long as we have your up‑to‑date contact information). The only exception is the few masterclasses where there are work projects students shared in the class.

In the Marketing Week 2023 Career and Salary Survey, close to a third (30.1%) of marketers said that training is a very important job characteristic.  This is important for employers to note as they consider budget priorities for employee enhancement and recruitment. Social media marketing training will make you and your employees more productive, help you learn the latest AI techniques, and stay ahead of algorithm changes.   The Direct Marketing Association of Northern California offers four certifications to choose from. Contact Us for more information.

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SearchGPT: A New Search Engine?

August 05, 2024
By Andreas Ramos
Andreas Ramos teaches courses at DMAnc.org in AI for Digital Marketing, SEO, Google Ads, Google Analytics 4.0, and LinkedIn Profile Optimization.

SearchGPT blog image

On July 25th, OpenAI announced SearchGPT. In plain English, it’s a search engine. It combines LLM AI with web pages to create answers to searches. The answers include links to the source pages. Additional results appear in a sidebar.

OpenAI is testing this prototype and may add the best features to ChatGPT.

OpenAI wants to offer a user-friendly search experience that combines LLMs and search without relying on advertising.

OpenAI says websites (also called “publishers”) will be able to manage their appearance in SearchGPT. No details yet, but I assume websites may be able opt out. (BTW, you may have opted out of ChatGPT AI, but SearchGPT is different so your webpage may show up in SearchGPT.)

OpenAI says SearchGPT will be available to only 10,000 people. You can join the SearchGPT Waitlist at https://chatgpt.com/search. (I signed up immediately, but it hasn’t been added to my paid account yet.)

SearchGPT Isn’t Google Search

Many are saying that OpenAI will compete with Google and that SearchGPT will be a “Google killer.”

  • Google isn’t just a search engine; it’s the main global platform with a 90% world market share in advertisers and publishers. Google produces $300B per year. Nobody can compete against something that big.
  • The future of LLM AI isn’t to be another Google, and Google’s own future won’t be Google. These companies are looking to build new platforms and services.
  • If anything, SearchGPT competes with the Perplexity.ai search (which I strongly recommend over Google). Perplexity works. It’s not a prototype.

What to Do

For now, watch to see what happens. SearchGPT is a prototype in testing. OpenAI may (note the “may”) roll features into future versions of ChatGPT-4o. Or they may shut the whole thing down altogether.

Watch Perplexity.ai and Google as well. These are evolving.

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