April 2024 Update: This post has been revised to reference the combined Marketing & Advertising bachelor of science program, which will start in Fall 2024.
Creating exciting social media posts using the latest viral trends, crafting digital campaigns to connect with your target audience, and telling your company’s story through advertising are just a few marketing strategies that can help grow a business or brand. If you’re interested in studying marketing, you may be wondering what concentration to pursue. From social media to digital marketing to advertising, there are numerous marketing strategies you can focus on. Let’s explore some popular areas in marketing to help you discover where you’ll thrive.
Social media has become instrumental when it comes to brand awareness and engagement, attracting new customers and keeping current customers engaged. More and more people are using channels like Facebook, TikTok and Instagram to research brands, shop for products and explore services. When using social media for digital marketing, you can analyze, evaluate and redesign social media strategies to optimize an organization’s online presence. Launching YouTube videos and creating Instagram reels are another thoughtful way to showcase a brand’s products and services.
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SEM is an important strategy that many businesses are using to set themselves as leaders in their industry and surpass competitors. Marketers using SEM are able to deliver ads to their target audiences by bidding on keywords and terms related to their business. When users enter queries using these terms, the business now has the opportunity to appear in search results.
Similar to search engine marketing, SEO focuses on getting businesses at the top of search results. While SEM uses paid ads to increase website visibility across search engines, SEO is completely free. This strategy relies on keyword research and implementation across your company website, crafting new content surrounding targeted keywords and researching competitor keyword rankings, to name a few. Through numerous SEO strategies, businesses are able to increase their organic visibility in search engines and drive traffic to their sites.
Storytelling in commercials, delivering bold messages on billboards and evoking emotion through visuals in magazines are just a few ways marketers use advertising to captivate an audience. By investing in advertising, companies can attract new customers, build long-term relationships with current customers, keep their brand top of mind and build a story that resonates with their audience to keep them engaged.
If strengthening your communication skills and gaining insight into consumer behavior piques your interest then you’ll want to consider JWU’s Marketing & Advertising program. Learn from industry professionals about marketing campaigns, marketing strategies and global marketing to help you prepare for a career in advertising. Once you sharpen your advertising and marketing skills, you can get resume boosting certifications in Google Ads and Google Search Advertising.
Some of the courses in this program include:
Are you interested in both digital marketing and social media? In JWU’s Digital Marketing & Social Media program, you’ll learn how to reach specific audiences through various social media platforms including SnapChat, Instagram, Facebook and YouTube. Not only will you get to take a deep dive into the world of SEM and SEO, but you’ll gain hands-on experience in web design, digital media planning, data visualization and more.
Some of the courses you can experience at JWU include:
JWU’s Marketing & Advertising program, offered at both our Providence and Charlotte campuses, can set you up for success in a number of areas ranging from blogging and copywriting to art direction. Through this program you can work on obtaining professional certifications like Sales Management from SalesForce and Social Media Marketing from Hootsuite, helping you stand out to potential employers. You can also narrow your focus down to Digital Marketing and Research or Creative Advertising.
Go beyond the realm of social media marketing, digital marketing and advertising with some of other marketing programs. Learn about image editing and design, typography and 3D design in our graphic design program or discover marketing from a completely different lens in JWU's Fashion Merchandising & Retailing program, offered at JWU Providence and JWU Charlotte. In this program, you'll connect social media marketing and brand communication with fashion, develope your expertise in public relations and explore the world of visual merchandising.
Internships, study abroad, and networking opportunities are encouraged so students can gain real-world experience. Industry partners include AAA, Amazon, Proctor & Gamble and Hill Holiday. The Advertising Lab is also widely utilized among advertising students where they hone their skills in copywriting, art direction and marketing strategy.