We train corporate executives and managers regularly but training the first digital marketing batch of IIFT was altogether a different experience. The focus was on introducing them to the digital landscape and a whole myriad of options it offers to those planning to go digital career-wise.
MBA 1b 2012-2014- the first digital marketing batch of IIFT, is a special batch to talk about. The students were upbeat about the course and we were equally enthusiastic. The course included – theoretical and practical sessions. From classes on digital mix to practical sessions that included exploring keywords, running Google adwords campaign to create blogs and doing SEO.
The sessions were the right mix of fun and learning – students did experiment on keywords having 0 search results (for instance, “Abratratacaruka”) in Google and other search engines. They also created Facebook pages and conducted social media campaigns. It was a competition for them – each of them wanted to do the best.
However, we missed the Google global level competition (GOOGLE ONLINE MARKETING CHALLENGE). It would have given the students an exciting opportunity to experience and create online marketing campaigns using Google AdWords and Google+. We will make sure that they participate in such global level competitions next year and more often.
What was really special about this batch? Well, they took the SEO and Google Adwords competition damn seriously. After every class, many of them had questions – and that too very advanced and serious types. Also, it was surprising to see that many of them had prior experience in exploring digital platforms including IRCTC.
Some students actively participated in competitions organized by larger brands (for instance, they participated in the (“Mahindra War Room 2013”) and other online competitions where they did really well.
The last day of the class was memorable. We had presentation where marks were allocated based on the questions asked by the teams to other presenters. The class ended although but the process didn’t; many students are now exploring different digital marketing channels and showing interest in opting for a career in digital marketing.
We want to provide the students at IIFT an educational training through Google and Facebook partnership. We are planning to send letters to Google and Facebook to know whether they provide such trainings.