MKT4900 – Course Syllabus
Online Marketing Strategies | Fall 2013-2014
Instructor: @nateriggs
Course Description
GENERAL COURSE INFO
Instructor: Nate Riggs
Twitter: @nateriggs
Email: nate@nateriggs.com
Google+: plus.ly/nateriggs
Facebook: facebook.com/nateriggs
iPhone: 614-348-2646
Skype: nateriggs
Our Class Meets
Every Thursday, 6:00PM - 8:45PM
Copeland Hall, Room 118
Nate’s Office Hours
This course has been designed to help you understand how to develop, launch,
execute and report the results of a full-scale content marketing program.
In short, you and your class mates will learn in the trenches by working as a
content marketing agency with the goal of raising awareness for this course at Ohio
University, and filling the next semesters class with talented young marketers.
My approach to teaching is fast-paced, immersive and collaborative. While we’ll
do some reading and discuss theory, the course work is designed to provide you
with a hands-on learning experience that will engage you in the classroom and
online.
What You Will Learn
1.
You will gain an understanding of the content marketing industry. We
will explore marketing thought leadership, the latest online consumer
research, multiple disruptive technologies and current internet trends.
2.
You will learn to design and build new habits, both as a marketer and as
an internet user. We will immerse ourselves in blogging, social media
distribution and engagement, email marketing and other online tools. You’ll
gain an understanding of how to recognize and build the habits that will make
you a successful content marketer.
3.
You will learn the strategic process by experiencing it, first hand. We will
work in small mastermind groups to gather data, develop insights, build and
execute a strategic digital market plan to launch a content product that your
group will develop. We will also measure and report on the results of the
launch.
4.
You will use and become familiar with a variety of disruptive
technologies. We will explore multiple SaaS marketing tools, tactics and
applications that help digital marketers plan and execute strategies for brands.
Thursday: 3PM – 5:30PM
@ Courtstreet Coffee
Friday: 3PM – 4PM
via Skype or Hangout
*Office hours by 24 hour advance request
Class Backchannel: Facebook Group
http://bit.ly/fall13fbgroup
MKT4900 – Fall 2013
@nateriggs | #ContentMarketingHabits
MKT4900 FALL 2013 - CONTENT MATKETING HABITS
All Course Reading Is Required
In order to cover the full breadth of coursework, we’ll be
reading intensely throughout the semester. We will
begin each class session with a ‘book club’ discussion,
and I will be grading your participation as well as your
comprehension of the material.
Additional Course Reading Materials
We will be reading and discussing specific chapters from
the eBooks, studies, white papers, podcasts, interviews,
etc. See the reading schedule later in this syllabus for
more details.
>> Order Content Chemistry
>> Order Contagious
How You Will Be Graded
Official Course Books
•
Marketing in the Round: How to Develop an
Integrated Marketing Campaign in the Digital Era
by Gini Dietrich & Geoff Livingston
You’re final class grade will reflect my evaluation of
your performance in the following areas:
1.
25%: Class Participation:
Attendance, book club, class agency participation
•
Contagious: Why Things Catch On
by Jonah Berger
*Please make sure to have each of these books no later
that week 2
MKT4900 – Fall 2013
2.
25%: Blog Contribution:
Execution of the week’s blog post style, quality of the
blog content, implementation of editorial feedback
3.
4.
25%: Midterm & Final Exam
Book tests, midterm, final
25%: Agency Performance
Individual performance in role, peer evaluations,
overall agency performance against KPI’s
@nateriggs | #ContentMarketingHabits
MKT4900 FALL 2013 – CONTENT MARKETING HABITS
Attendance Policy
Grading Scale
•
•
•
•
•
•
94% - 100% = A
90% - 93% = A87% - 89% = B+
84% - 86% = B
80% - 83% = B77% - 79% = C+
•
•
•
•
•
•
74% - 76%
70% - 73%
67% - 69%
64% - 66%
60% - 63%
Below 59%
=C
= c= D+
=D
= D= Fail
About Academic Dishonesty
Don’t cheat. Ohio University has a policy about plagiarism
and cheating that has severe consequences. See your
handbook for details. In all of your work, it’s a best
practice to mention and backlink to all of your sources.
You will be graded on your demonstrated adherence to
creative commons attribution license. My advice? Go
back to that link and make sure you are familiar.
We only have class once per week, so it’s critical that
you show up for class, ready to participate and learn.
Unexcused absences will effect your overall letter grade
for the course as follows:
1.
2.
3.
Final course grade drops 1 full letter
Final course grade drops 2 full letters
Fail the course
Extenuating circumstances and emergences do happen.
If you need to be excused for a class, it’s your
responsibility to let me know at least 24 hours in
advance. If you are missing due to an Ohio University
activity, you will need to provide documentation for
approval.
Likewise, I will be using online tools to monitor your online
engagement. Your peers will also have a part in grading
your classroom participation. Be able to fake it, you will
not…
MKT4900 – Fall 2013
@nateriggs | #ContentMarketingHabits
MKT4900 FALL 2013 – CONTENT MARKETING HABITS
How to Prepare for Class
Congratulations! You’ve signed up for a course in digital marketing strategies! Part of learning how to use the
Interwebz strategically is learning the practice of engaging online. So that we can get to work, you will need to have the
following elements set up, prior to the second week of class:
•
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Fill out the information gathering form with all requested info.
Make sure you have profiles on Facebook, Google+, Twitter and LinkedIn. Then, find and connect with me on each
network.
Find and request to join the class Facebook Group
Like the class Facebook page
Have your log in info to your Wordpress contributor account to OhioMarketingStudents.com
Always bring an internet-enabled device to class. Laptop, tablet, iPhone, whatever – just make sure you can get
work done online with whatever you choose.
Our Mutual Promises
In order to get the most out of our experience together, we promise to:
•
•
•
•
•
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Come to class ready to learn – attitude is everything
Read all course materials and be prepared for discussions, team participation and agency work
Participate online in the Facebook Group
Complete all assignments, on time
Show up on time to class, hangouts, office hour appointments and team meetings
Stay awake (or you might end up on Instagram).
MKT4900 – Fall 2013
@nateriggs | #ContentMarketingHabits
COURSE UNITS
September
October
• Understanding Content
marketing
November
December
• Building Habits
• Agency Games
• Agency Games
• The Strategic Process
• Agency Reporting
• Midterm
• Exam
• Audience Insights
TYPICAL CLASS FLOW
6:00PM – 6:30PM
Book Club
6:30PM – 7:00PM
7:00PM – 7:15PM
Weekly Lesson
Break for Caffeine &
Latrines
(Individual Coaching)
7:15PM – 8:15PM
Agency Workshop
8:15PM – 8:45PM
Wrap Up &
Homework/Project
Assignments
* Nate reserves the right to change the format of class as needed for the current unit
MKT4900 – Fall 2013
@nateriggs | #ContentMarketingHabits
READING SCHEDULE: CONTENT MARKETING HABITS
Week
Class
Date
Unit
Reading for Discussion
All reading assignments are expected to be completed by class. Be ready…
Be familiar with course syllabus. We will review and spend some time
setting expectations for the course
1
8/29
Course Intro
2
9/5
Understanding
content marketing
Chemistry: intro and Part 1, http://bit.ly/whatiscm,
http://bit.ly/cmwikipedia
3
9/12
Understanding
content marketing
Chemistry: Part 2, Field Guide to CM Metrics: http://bit.ly/4cmmetrics
4
9/19
Audience Insights
Zero Moment of Truth: Ch. 1-5. Also be familiar w/ The Social Habit: Q4
5
9/26
Audience Insights
Youtility: Ch. 3, 7 and 8, Ultimate Guide to Corporate Blogging
6
10/3
Audience Insights
Off
7
10/10
Social Business
Habits
The Power of Habit: Quicklet Download
How to Help Your CEO Rewire Their Brain Post http://bit.ly/rewirebrains
8
10/17
Social Business
Habits
NO READING - MIDTERMS
9
10/24
Social Business
Habits
MIDTERM and BREAK WEEK: No Reading Assignments Due. Only
blog posts are due per the editorial calendar
MKT4900 – Fall 2013
@nateriggs | #ContentMarketingHabits
CLASS SCHEDULE & READING ASSIGNMENTS
Week
Class
Date
Unit
Reading for Discussion
All reading assignments are expected to be completed by class. Be ready…
10
10/31
Agency Games
Contagious: Introduction: Why Things Catch On, Ch. 1 Social Currency
11
11/7
Agency Games
Contagious: Ch. 2 Triggers
12
11/14
Agency Games
Contagious: Ch. 3 Emotion
13
11/21
Thanksgiving Break
No Class
14
11/28
Agency Games
Contagious: Ch. 6 Stories, Epilogue
15
12/5
Agency Games
No assignments. Course Wrap Up & Agency Reporting
16
12/12
Exam Day
MKT4900 – Fall 2013
Contagious: Ch. 4 Public, Ch 5, Practical Value
Post Exam Happy Hour to ensue…
@nateriggs | #ContentMarketingHabits
Agency Games
Ever seen the movie War Games?
Now you and your classmates are the
stars of the show.
CEO: Nate Riggs
Shameless self-promotion, I know. But, someone has to be the chief,
right?
For the purpose of our Agency Games unit, I will be the CEO and
founder of the agency and while you may report to individual managers,
ultimately, the buck stops at my desk.
Welcome to Agency Games!
Client: THIS Content Marketing Habits Course
Over the duration of the semester, you
and your classmates will be required to
collaborate, self-organize and manage
operations and develop, maintain and
execute a content marketing program
and campaign that will help get more
student butts in seats for the next
semester’s class.
As a brand new, student-operated content marketing agency your very
first client is the exact course your are taking.
Your grade on this project will be tied to
your active participation as a member of
the agency, your success in your role
which will be judged in peer evaluations,
my personal assessment of your
individual and department performance
and most importantly – the results of your
semester campaign.
1.
Agency Goals:
Over the course of this semester, you and your fellow agency mates will
further define and then design and execute strategies that use both
offline and online content to achieve the following:
2.
3.
Launch OhioMarketingStudents.com among Ohio University
students and Faculty. Grow the subscriber list
Raise awareness for the Spring semester Content Marketing
Habits Course
Pre-Register at least 35 students for the Spring Semester class of
Content Marketing Habits
Agency Reporting
You wanted real world experience? You
got it!
MKT4900 – Fall 2013
During the final week of class, you and your fellow classmates will
present your full campaign and the results to date to a panel of judges
that I will assemble. Chances are, you’ll be presenting to some of the
authors who’s books we will read during the semester. No Pressure.
@nateriggs | #ContentMarketingHabits
Multi-Author Blogging
Contributor Requirements
OhioMarketingStudents.com
Welcome to the editorial team for
Ohio Marketing Students. My partners
and I have designed this platform to
be the epicenter or “hub” of this and
ongoing semester content marketing
projects. While I will remain the
managing editor of the blog, you and
your classmates will each take roles as
contributors or editors of this
platform.
OMS.com sits on a self-hosted
Wordpress CMS. You will be set up
with a user account during our class
period in week 2.
Post Frameworks
1.
2.
3.
Lists
Narratives
Interviews
4.
5.
6.
7.
Integrated Medias
Compilations
Videos
Podcasts
MKT4900 – Fall 2013
About Your Multi-Author Blogging Requirement
Blogging is a foundational part of any content marketing program.
As part of your coursework in developing your content marketing habits,
you will be required to adhere to editorial calendar and meet your
posting commitment deadlines, research, write and submit posts in
various frameworks and respond to any attention that your content
receives from the audience.
How Assignments Work
You will be expected to commit to post contributions a few times each
month, and will be responsible for hitting draft, editing and final
publishing deadlines as well as participating in individual editorial
coaching.
At first, I will be your main coach, but as contributors grow in their skills,
opportunities for extra credit towards your final grade will be awarded
to editors who volunteer for and are approved to fill the role.
You’ll be graded on your ability to meet editorial deadlines, the quality
of your post content, your adherence to the post frameworks, execution
of blogging and web writing tactics like linking, SEO, etc., as well as your
individual growth as a blogger throughout the semester.
@nateriggs | #ContentMarketingHabits
Signature Required
I attest that I ____________________
have received and read, and
understand the requirements,
expectations of MKT4900 Content
Marketing Habits as outlined by the
instructor, Nate Riggs.
I also acknowledge that I will be
expected to adhere to the mutual
promises, attendance requirements,
reading and homework deadlines as a
class participant.
Student
Instructor
Signature:
Signature:
Name:
Name: Nate Riggs
Level:
Level: Instructor
Date:
Date:
I agree to give my best working effort
as a participant in this course.
Initials _________________________
Date ___________________________
MKT4900 – Fall 2013
@nateriggs | #ContentMarketingHabits
About Nate Riggs
I'm a marketing strategist in the Midwest, specializing in content and
social business design programs. Over the past decade, I've helped a
variety of companies that include national chain restaurants, technology
companies and Fortune 500 brands, grow their business by adopting
new processes, tools and the cultural habits that allow them to use the
web to turn customers into raving brand advocates.
Blog: http://nateriggs.com
Twitter: @nateriggs
Email: nate@nateriggs.com
Google+: http://plus.ly/nateriggs
Facebook: facebook.com/nateriggs
Podcast: http://naterig.gs/srp
Phone or Text: 614-348-2646
Firm
Nate Riggs LLC
I produce and host The Social Restaurant Podcast, a weekly show for
restaurant marketers innovating with technology. I speak at around 50
events each year and have also published thought-leading content in
business publications that include the Wall Street Journal, USA Today,
CCO Magazine, FastCasual.com, the Content Marketing Institute and
many popular blogs and podcasts.
I've been blogging consistently on {nateriggs.com} since 2006, and both
Junta42 and AdAge rank the site among the top social media marketing
blogs in the world. On the side, I teach as adjunct marketing faculty at
the Ohio University College of Business and run a course I’ve entitled
Content Marketing Habits. At age 30, my first consulting business was
acquired by The Karcher Group, a digital agency based in North East
Ohio. I spent a year as their director of social business during the
transition.
I enjoy all kinds of live music, cross training and camping, I play around
on the mandolin a bit and I love spending time with my wife and three
boys.
MKT4900 – Fall 2013
@nateriggs | #ContentMarketingHabits