Author: Candace Carter

Good Ol’ N’awlins Cookin’ and Drinkin’

Posted on by Candace Carter

After reading my first two blogs, I’m sure you are now super excited and currently making plans for a trip to New Orleans! However, with all of the sightseeing and exploring that you do in NOLA, you will be working up a big appetite. So, why not check out some of these very well known places to eat and drink.

Food

I honestly don’t think you could go wrong eating anywhere when it comes to New Orleans. All of the food is extremely delicious. During my trip, I went to multiple places and ate a lot of great food.

Here are some of the places I went to:

Out of all of these, my favorite by far was the famous, Café Du Monde. This is probably because I have a big sweet tooth and strong love for coffee. Regardless, this place has the tastiest beignets. The line is always long at all hours of the day. However, I recommend finding a spot in line because the wait is well worth it.

Bars

As you probably already know, New Orleans is known for not only the great food, music, and festivities but also their bars. While in the city, I went to a few bars and saw some great live music. Listed below are places that I recommend checking out while on your trip.

Fun fact: You can stop to get a drink and take it on the go while you tour the city. 

If you plan to incorporate any of my suggested New Orleans activities within your trip itinerary, you’ll be able to conveniently make a stop to a couple of these suggested bars. For example, if you take a ghost tour with French Quarter Phantoms, you will begin your journey at the Voodoo Lounge. Similarly, if you catch a show at Preservation Hall, you can treat yourself to some delicious hurricanes from Pat O’Briens located just next door.

These are all just a few recommendations of places to go when adventuring the Big Easy. If you have any other suggestions of great places to eat and drink in NOLA, feel free to leave them in the comments below! I told you my ultimate favorite place and thing to eat in New Orleans, now it’s your turn. I can’t wait to hear your favorites!

 

Take a look at the pictures I took on my trip to NOLA.

Exploring NOLA and Its Many Sightseeing Adventures

Posted on by Candace Carter

After reading my previous post, Experiencing the Artsy Culture of New Orleans, you now understand the unique atmosphere of the city known as, “The Big Easy.” It’s hard not to fall in love with this spectacular city as it is so different than most of us are typically used to. With that being said, if you are planning to travel to New Orleans, I can assure you that you will never be bored. There are tons of places to go and adventures to embark on.

Places to See

During my recent trip to NOLA, I went to a lot of notable places that I highly recommend visiting if you are in the area. To start, you must take a stroll through Jackson Square Garden. This historic garden is absolutely beautiful and a “must see” tourist spot.

While you’re in the French Quarter, walk around the block to admire all of the local artwork and stop to see a few street performers. Within that same area, you can walk over to the riverfront and view the Mississippi River. Not only are these some great historical sights to see during your trip to New Orleans, but they are also completely free of charge which makes the experience even better!

Outside of these key spots, I also recommend checking out Royal Street and of course, Bourbon Street. These two are both located within the French Quarter and are some of the most famous streets in New Orleans. Royal Street is known for its many places to shop as well as its entertaining street performers. Bourbon Stree, on the other hand, is universally recognized for its nightlife activities. .

So, if you aren’t sure what to do at night in NOLA, jst head down to Bourbon Street, and you will have many options to chose from. However, before heading out, take a look at Chicken on the Bone’s schedule, figure out where they are playing, and go listen to their awesome band for a few minutes. If you’re lucky, they may even invite you up on stage!

Things to Do

There is always something to do in New Orleans. For instance, you can go to one of the many museums that the city has to offer. In fact, there are over 45 museums, and they all are different types. You also can take a free, self-guided tour of the beautiful St. Louis Cathedral.

Or, if you’re in the mood for something spooky, you could go on a ghost tour like our group did. We decided to take a walking ghost tour with French Quarter Phantoms. We had an awesome guide who told us many New Orleans vampire and ghost stories and showed us the “haunted” houses associated with each. He even showed us the house that was featured in American Horror Story.

Another cool thing to do while touring the city is visit the French Market. I loved smelling the delicious New Orleans food and seeing all of the handmade items people were selling at the market. As a memento of my trip, I purchased a couple of handmade rings that a local designed for me right on the spot. At her booth, there was a box filled with hundreds of stones to pick from. Once I chose a stone, she matched it with wire, measured my finger, and created the ring.

My final recommendation for you is to purchase some show tickets at Preservation Hall. This place holds multiple live jazz concerts every single night. Being the birthplace of jazz, it’s only right for you to enjoy some of this fabulous music while on your New Orleans trip.

There is an endless amount of activities to do and things to see in this city. These are just a few of my favorite things to do while in NOLA, but I hope they give you a great start when planning your next trip. However, if you’ve already been and have some other great recommendations of sightseeing adventures or places to explore in New Orleans, leave them in the comments below!

Experiencing the Artsy Culture of New Orleans

Posted on by Candace Carter

Recently, I took a trip to New Orleans, Louisiana, with some friends from East Carolina University. I have always heard that NOLA was a great “bucket list” traveling spot, and I was so ecstatic to be blessed with the opportunity to explore this city firsthand. I really enjoyed experiencing the one of a kind culture and unique atmosphere of New Orleans, or as my Uber driver pronounced it, “N’awlins.”

A City of Talent

Upon arriving in the city on the first day of my trip, I was in awe of how much raw talent lies within the streets of NOLA. Almost every street was filled with talented individuals showcasing their own personal niche to the crowds of people walking by. The talents varied from art to entertainment, but regardless, they all made you want to stop and admire what they were doing.

All forms of remarkable art were for sale along the streets. The art ranged from beautiful canvas paintings to locally found sheet metal that was transformed into hand drawn and cut designs. Some even used their creative content writing skills to formulate on the spot poetry for tourists walking by.

As for the entertainment, there were many street performers throughout the city. Some displayed their musical abilities through singing, dancing, and playing instruments while others used different methods of entertainment to attract a crowd. For example, I saw multiple magicians, palm readers, tarot card readers, comedians, face painters, human statues, and much more.

Tourist tip: Depending on their talent, if they catch you taking a picture (like of a human statue), they will expect you to tip! 

There’s Always a Reason to Celebrate in NOLA

Outside of the stationed artists and performers that are out daily, you may even catch some wonderful celebrations parading through the streets. There are always festivities occurring in New Orleans, and I was lucky enough to witness two different types of parades. The first was like any other. It was a parade performance centered around the current holiday. In this case, I went down the week of St. Patrick’s Day and saw a couple of really neat parades.

I also got the unique experience of witnessing a famous New Orleans second line parade. These historic parades are used for all types of events. They can range all the way from funerals to weddings. The funeral parades are not meant to symbolize sadness, but instead, a celebration of a loved one’s life. As for weddings, these are used to recognize and congratulate newlyweds on the beginning of a wonderful journey that they will share with each other. When I was in NOLA, I saw a wedding second line parade, and it was by far an awesome experience.

The Big Easy

I quickly learned the reason behind the city’s beloved nickname, “The Big Easy.” New Orleans is filled with carefree souls who love to have a good time and embrace every aspect of the joys of life. The atmosphere held a constant vibe of positivity and passion for art that radiated among the people of New Orleans.

I instantly admired the easygoing attitude of the locals and the lack of judgment that they had for one another. Being in this city opened my eyes to how a lot of cultures are so caught up in their own ways. We easily forget to embrace who we truly are, and we care too much about what our peers think of us.

New Orleans showed me that anything in this world is worth celebrating, whether it’s for the good times or bad.  It also reminded me to fully enjoy life, be who I am, and always do what makes me happy despite what others may think. I would love to go back to this artsy, full of life city again one day soon. Until then, I look forward to embracing the next adventure that life throws at me.

 

Stay tuned to read more about my exciting trip in New Orleans, Louisiana!

 

ECU-Class

From A Student’s Perspective: A Class About Digital Marketing

Posted on by Candace Carter

This blog post was written for East Carolina University. 

This blog was written by ECU ‘17 marketing major, Candace Carter.

ECU-COB-ClassIt’s my senior year, and these past four years at East Carolina University have flown by in the blink of an eye. As I began my last year as an undergrad, I created a list of companies that I wanted to apply for prior to graduation. However, that was just the beginning of my preparation work for the job hunting process that I was about to embark on. I started researching job descriptions for the career path that I was about to begin and noticed a lot of similar qualities and work experience that hiring managers look for in their applicants.

Being a marketing major, I knew that there are many valuable skills that are highly recommended to obtain in order to land the dream job which I have been searching for. Specifically, there are multiple certifications that could help me stand out amongst my peers who are also applying for the same type of entry level positions that I am. Upon hearing of the new Marketing Technology and Automation course offered at ECU, I knew that this was a class that would provide me with real marketing experience that I desired.

“This is a fast paced class. I feel like it adds value to your resume. You learn something new every day. I’m hungry for more information about Marketing Tech & Automation.” –Thomas Mincer

Marketing Technology and Automation

Although this is just the beginning of the semester, I can already tell that the style of this course is completely different from any other marketing class that I have taken. The purpose of the course is to provide students, like me, with the skills to utilize digital marketing tactics and the opportunity to not only obtain two highly desired certifications in Google Analytics and Act-On Marketing Automation but to also learn how to use the tools in real marketing situations.

The design of this course uses a hands-on approach. For instance, during the first week of class we were instructed on how to purchase a domain unique to our names, set up hosting, implement WordPress, and link Google Analytics and Act-On to our new websites. Outside of class, we were given the task to create an appealing display and customize our websites that will present our own personal brand.

“MKTG 4972 gives students an exceptional, hands-on opportunity to learn and use the marketing tools that companies want employees to have. It creates an opportunity for students to have the upper hand in the job market and understand the importance of digital marketing.” –Stephanie Maines

Personal Brand

As a marketer, it is essential to understand how branding works and to establish a specific “brand” for yourself. Within this class, we have been assigned with the task to construct a personal website that informs the public of who we are as our own personal brand and exhibits the talents that we have as well as skills that we have acquired over our time spent at ECU.

Each of us purchased a domain name as well as hosting through either GoDaddy or TigerTech. We then hooked up WordPress to our new domain where we have been able to establish our brand and use the site as a portfolio. After everything was set up, we linked Google Analytics and Act-On to our websites.

“To me, building a website seemed like making a sandwich, when actually it’s like making 1000 sandwiches, and each is a custom order” –Alex Charlton

Google Analytics

The semester is broken up into two sections. The first consists of learning the ins and outs of using Google Analytics. During this section, we are going to learn the fundamentals of the tool and how to use the different features through our newly created website. Also, we will become certified in Google Analytics which will be a great addition to all of our resumes and LinkedIn profiles.

“I love how this class is not set up to be a conventional class, but instead more like a job training class.” –Hunter Jackson

Act-On

The second section of the semester revolves around Act-On Marketing Automation. In this part of the course, we will learn how to navigate through the software and will gain experience in concepts such as creating email marketing campaigns, building landing pages, and posting on social media through Act-On.

“This course if full of hands-on, real-world experience that will no doubt be valuable in the future.” –Nolan Tubb

I look forward to learning more about digital marketing and having the opportunity to apply all of the knowledge, skills, and certifications that I gain from this class within my future career.

ECU-Class

Front Row: Hunter Jackson, Leanna Smith, Candace Carter
Second Row: Nolan Tubb, Alex Charlton, Michael Khidhathong, Thomas Mincer
Third Row: Angela McLain, Matthew Hrycenko, Jimmy Kunkle, Chris Foley, Stephanie Maines
Back Row: Zackari Gogulski, Devonne Maughn, Danny Gutierrez

This blog post was written for East Carolina University. 

The Purpose Behind the Product

Posted on by Candace Carter

I recently ordered and received a set of silicon wine cups. These cups have an adorable message painted on them that says, “I just want to rescue dogs and drink wine.” Along with the quote, it also has a wine glass picture that resembles a dog.

I first saw these cups on a Facebook ad. Although, I didn’t purchase them just yet. It wasn’t until a few days later when a sponsored advertisement displaying these same adorable silicone wine cups popped up on my Instagram feed.

Being a marketer, I know it isn’t a coincidence that the advertisements cater to the types of products that I like, which in this case happens to be dogs and wine. These social media advertisements track what I view on the internet and my recent searches. However, I just couldn’t resist the consistent call to action that lured me into clicking the company’s link.

The Purpose Behind the Product

Once I visited their social media page, I learned more about the company and realized that they stand for a much bigger cause than just trying to profit off of their products. Instead, all of their products support animal shelters and dogs in need. I journeyed on to their website and was really impressed with what I saw.

On the website, each item is priced and labeled with what your specific purchase will support. For instance, a t-shirt on the site that costs around $24 feeds eight shelter dogs while an autism awareness bracelet that costs $17 will donate 20% of its sales towards training a rescue service dog to help a child with Autism. There are dozens of products on this website, and each item supports a specific dog cause.

I read about the company’s mission, watched the video below, and instantly wanted to support this company. Not only would I receive a neat product, a set of cute silicon wine cups, but most importantly, my purchase would help feed five shelter dogs.

Receiving the Package

Being a big animal lover that enjoys the delicious taste of wine, I was thrilled to receive my package in the mail with these awesome cups. I was even more excited to be able to share this purchase on social media and hopefully influence people to check out the site for themselves and become a part of this movement to help these animals.

This company does a great job expressing their appreciation of their customers for purchasing from their site. Not only do they send emails thanking the customer and letting them know what their purchase specifically supports, but they also send a thank you card with each package.

I know in the future I will be purchasing more items for myself and my sweet dogs through this site, and I encourage you to do the same to support this great cause. I absolutely love my new wine cups and the purpose behind this company’s products, and I’m sure you will too! Even if you aren’t a dog person, they have similar sites for other animals such as cats, horses, and birds!

So, what products do you get behind? I’d love to hear about companies that you love to buy from who support a specific cause. Leave a comment on this post with some of your all-time favorites!

Triangle-Marketing-Club

How Triangle Marketing Club Can Help You

Posted on by Candace Carter

In a previous blog that I wrote, I discussed why you should be attending the Triangle Marketing Club, TMC, events and listed multiple characteristics that contribute to the success of the events and benefits of attending. The purpose of this post is to really point out all of the ways that TMC can help you.    

At TMC, we love our members and our goal is to help them in any way that we can. Our goal is to create a relaxing atmosphere for you to network and learn once a month. No matter where you are currently at in your career path, TMC can help you. Our motto at Triangle Marketing Club is, “Learn, Network, and Mentor.”

Learn

Triangle Marketing Club prides itself on introducing awesome speakers at every event. These talented individuals have years of experience and a lot of advice to share. Their goal is to educate the TMC members on important and relevant business related topics. Through their presentations, they provide valuable knowledge and allow time at the end of their discussion to answer any questions that the audience may have.

Regardless of where you are at in your career, you are guaranteed to leave the events with new information and tips on great topics. However, the learning doesn’t stop after the presentation concludes. Our TMC interns are continuously learning new skills to add to their resumes and expanding on their learning of marketing and business concepts.

Network

Whether you are looking for a job, searching for talent to add to your team, or just wanting to grow your network, Triangle Marketing Club provides members with the monthly opportunity to meet some of the best professionals in the Triangle. At TMC, we want to help you excel and build connections. So, whichever your intent may be, let us know. We’d be glad to introduce you to someone that fits the description you are looking for.

The great part about TMC is that there is an event every single month. This means that you can maintain the relationships that you are creating through these monthly meet-ups, and you can always meet a new connection at each event.

Mentor

Not only do we want to help you network, but we want to help you build strong relationships with one another. For instance, if you are interested in mentoring the upcoming generation of marketers, let us know. We have a large number of students who would love the opportunity to learn about your career and accept any advice you may have for them. These students are the future of marketing, so why not lend a helping hand and teach them what you wished you knew when you were in their position.

On the other hand, if you are looking for someone to be a mentor for you, we can also introduce you to some of the Triangle’s most talented marketers. These mentors would love to share their knowledge with you and introduce you to some of their personal connections.

TMC-Event

Overall, there are many reasons to attend these great events. Not only are they a lot of fun, but you will gain a lot as a result. So, if you haven’t already, go ahead and RSVP for the next event on Meetup.

Hope to see you there! #TMCtonight

This blog was written for Triangle Marketing Club.

TMC-logo

5 Certifications Marketing Students Should Consider Completing Prior to Graduation

Posted on by Candace Carter

As a student, we strive to stand out among our peers. Especially when we have begun the stressful, but exciting job hunt. Many of us have even been told that continuing education will not stop once we have secured a job after graduation. So, why not go ahead and acquire some of that extra knowledge and skills that could potentially help land you in the resume pile that might actually reach the hands of the hiring manager at your dream company. In fact, it also might give you a head start and an easier transition from being a full-time student to beginning your new professional career in the marketing.

Outside of my own research on certifications, I’ve networked with multiple marketing professionals over the past year and asked for their advice. Many of them have recommended certain certifications that they believe would be a great addition to any future marketer’s skill set that would set them apart from the average student.

Google Analytics

Google Analytics is a great tool that all digital marketers should understand how to use. Using Google Analytics will help you better understand your customers and learn their behaviors. It tracks the traffic for your website using metrics and gives you a better understanding of how effective your website is.

Obtaining this certification is free of charge. In fact, if you create a Google Analytics account and link it to your personal website, you can practice implementing the skills that you learn while studying for the certification exam.

Google Adwords

You know that little green box that says “Ad” when you Google something? Well, that is a great example of Google Adwords. Businesses pay Google to display their ads on the search engine. Here is the catch, they only pay Google when someone actually clicks on their ad.

This is such a great tool for businesses to use to reach out to potential online customers. It’s pretty effective because the people who are searching for those specific keywords that relate to your business really want your service and will most likely click your ad because it’s what they are already searching for.

So why not get certified in this as well? It’s also free to take the certification and to practice for this exam.

Act-On

Act-On is a marketing automation tool used by marketers who want to provide a great experience to their customers while measuring the results that can help provide insights on who their customers are and understand their descriptive attributes. You can also create automated campaigns through this software that your whole team will love.

I became certified in this software over the summer through my work with DCD Marketing. I received my certification through Brainshark and really learned a lot about Act-On.

Hubspot

Another certification that I recommend is with Hubspot. According to their website, “Hubspot is inbound marketing and sales software that helps companies attract visitors, convert leads, and close customers.” This tool is all about engaging with the customer.

This certification is free of charge, and you can begin preparing for the course here. Similar to the other tools, all you have to do is create an account, study, and then take the exam.

Hootsuite

As businesses are becoming more familiar with the use of popular social media platforms, it is vital for them to not only provide relevant content on these channels but also remain active. Hootsuite allows users to easily manage their social media accounts and schedule posts in advance. The company provides five free online courses on their website for individuals to use at their discretion. However, in order to become certified, you must pay a one-time fee to take the certification exam. Each fee varies depending on which test you are taking.

Hootsuite also provides other resources to help further the social media knowledge among their users. For instance, their blog consists of learning topics such as Facebook Marketing, Twitter Marketing, Instagram Marketing, and Video Marketing. Another great source of learning assistance comes from the Hootsuite Help Center. This resource is designed to display common questions and answers as well as accept specific questions that you may have.

My Call to Action for You

Get certified as soon as possible! Of course, there are many more great tools that marketers can get certified in, but these are the top 5 that in my opinion are worthwhile to obtain prior to graduation. If you are currently enrolled in a college degree program, I highly recommend researching the courses that your university offers. For example, this semester at East Carolina University I am taking a class called Marketing Technology and Automation, and I will leave this course with certifications in Google Analytics and Act-On.

So, research your classes and take advantage of the opportunities that your university offers. If you can’t find one that offers certifications, then be proactive and dedicate a weekend to getting certified in something that would enhance your resume.

This blog was written for Triangle Marketing Club.

TMC-logo

Dog-Class

My Dog Walking Class at ECU

Posted on by Candace Carter

dog-walkingYes, you read the title correctly. I am talking a dog walking class at East Carolina University. It sounds silly, but I can assure you it is more valuable that you may initially think.

It’s my senior year at ECU, and on top of the required courses I need to complete prior to graduation, I also had a few extra hours to fill. In previous semesters, I heard rumors about a dog walking class at ECU. As most of you may know, dogs hold a huge place in my heart. So naturally, when I had the opportunity to pick any class that I would like to take during my last semester in college, I picked this course.

What We Do

Animal-ShelterEvery Monday, Wednesday, and sometimes even on Friday mornings, I meet with a group of ECU students at the Pitt County Animal Shelter. There are always many dogs at the shelter that are ready to get out of their kennels to go on a walk. Some dogs have been at the shelter for a while and others are new arrivals that came in as a stray or an owner surrender.

Every morning when I arrive at the shelter, I always pet each dog before going to the back of the building to grab a collar and leash. Each student has the opportunity to pick one of the dogs to walk for the day. We take the dogs out for an hour long walk and spend time with the individual dog that we chose for the duration of the class. After the walk is complete, we then give the dogs a treat.

Sometimes, if there are puppies at the shelter, we get to play with them after we complete our walk with the other dogs. As you can see, this class is a lot of fun. Especially if you are a big dog person like I am.

Why It’s Important

To some, this class is just another opportunity to obtain credit hours. However, for me, it is so much more. Not only do I get the opportunity to spend time with these sweet animals, but I also get to make a difference in their lives.

Shelter dogs tend to become “kennel crazy” when they are confined too long, especially in a stressful shelter environment. So, the more exercise they receive, the better they behave and the higher the chance that they will be adopted. This is why shelter volunteers are so crucial because these individuals are able to give the dogs a break from their shelter confinement and have genuinely caring human interactions.

Check out this video to learn more about Pitt County Animal Shelter and their mission.

As you can see, volunteers can make a huge difference in the lives of these animals. If not for us, these dogs wouldn’t obtain the proper exercise, love, and care that they truly need in order to find their fur-ever home. Now you know why this dog walking class is so much more valuable than just a few extra course credit hours.

I always look forward to going to the shelter so I can walk these precious animals. If you’re looking for a good service opportunity that is very rewarding, I highly recommend volunteering at your closest animal shelter.

Sponsorship Spotlight: Brasco///

Posted on by Candace Carter

As a member of Triangle Marketing Club, you probably now know how much we love our sponsors and appreciate all of their dedication to our organization. It’s truly because of them that we are able to have such successful events every month. This week we’d like to recognize our sponsor, Brasco ///.

In order to learn more and to properly introduce them to our members, we asked Brasco /// a few questions about their great agency. So, stick around to read what they had to say.

 

Could you give me a brief description of your company?

“Brasco /// is an award-winning, creative branding and digital marketing agency located in the Warehouse District of downtown Raleigh. Since 2007, Brasco /// has focused on providing marketing and branding expertise to a wide variety of clients including Fortune 500 companies, young technology start-ups, government agencies, and non-profits. For the past two years, Brasco /// has been voted one of the top Raleigh marketing agencies, and top 20 in North Carolina.”


What services do you offer?

“Brasco /// offers a long list of marketing and creative ad services, both online and offline, to include: branding, strategy, creative design, web development, search engine marketing, advertising, video, PR communications, interactive media, and much more.”

 

What makes your company different from the rest?

“What makes Brasco /// unique is our ability to find creative ways to engage audiences through purposeful marketing. Over the years, we’ve developed an effective, metrics driven strategy to develop campaigns that achieve results through a creative approach. Another differentiator is our team, which is made up of talented specialists that range from branding and marketing strategists to creative designers, web and app developers, and digital marketing experts. Each person comes from a different background bringing different unique perspectives that help us when developing campaigns for our clients. We are driven by the mantra, “Be Authentic” which motivates us to seek real connections and innovative experiences for the brands we represent.”


What’s the story behind the beginning of your company?


“Brasco /// began as a few friends coming together, sharing their talents, to deliver quality design and web projects. We took a boutique agency approach during the first couple of years, focused in branding, design and web development. In 2010 Brasco /// rebranded to become the agency we are today, taking a brand and marketing strategy approach, to continually lift the quality of our work. Brasco /// is now in a high growth stage, developing an all-star team of talent to deliver a fully integrated suite of marketing and advertising services. Brasco /// has grown to become one of the top agencies in the region.”

What kinds of customers do you look for?

“Brasco /// has worked with a wide range of companies (B2B & B2C), large and small. As we continue to grow we believe we add the most value to companies looking for creative ideas and a brand centric strategy to reach an audience. We are looking to continue to adding new clients, ranging from medium to large brands, stretching verticals from technology to healthcare, food services, manufacturing, and consumer goods.”

Does your company have a mission statement?

“We engage audiences to tell brand stories through purposeful marketing. We exist to add value to our clients through creative ideas and marketing expertise that helps our clients solve their problems.”


What are the overall goals for your company?

“Our vision is to build a unique creative ad agency that effectively delivers on our mission of engaging audiences and adding value to our clients. We want to add great people who are talented and want to help our team grow. We will grow over the next five years (2020) to approximately 25-30 people, in two to three offices. We are working toward being able to open a new office in 2017.”

Is there anything else that you would like the TMC audience to know about your company?

“We are always looking for talented marketers, designers, web geeks, and all around smart people. Feel free to share your expertise with us >> JoinOurTeam@brascomarketing.com”

 

Thank you so much for being a loyal sponsor, Brasco ///. We are so grateful to have you as part of the Triangle Marketing Club family, and we look forward to continue working with your agency.

Brasco-Logo

This blog was written for Triangle Marketing Club.

TMC-logo

The Ultimate Google Analytics Dashboard

Posted on by Candace Carter

As you now know from one of my previous blogs, I am enrolled in a Digital Marketing course this semester at East Carolina University. During our Google Analytics portion of the class, we had a very talented guest speaker, Jenny Halasz, travel to Greenville so she could teach us more about utilizing this tool. Her presentation included the topic of accounts, properties, tagging, KPIs, reports, filters, managing dashboards, and understanding what all of the data that we receive in Google Analytics represents.

Not only did she share her knowledge on these topics, but she also gave us a link to a Google Analytics dashboard that she created. As soon as I got home from class that afternoon, I opened up my Google Analytics account and followed her step-by-step directions on how to add the dashboard. However, before I added it, I first created a new view called, “JLH Dashboard.”

Creating-View

Once the new view was created, I pasted the link that Jenny gave our class into my browser. After it loaded, the page displayed a box that allowed me to select the new view I just created to apply the dashboard’s settings. I then titled the dashboard, “Dashboard – JLH,” and hit the create button.

Dashboard-Configuration

Once the creation process was complete, I shared my website to all of my social media platforms, and the traffic to my site began to flow in. After I gave it some time, I logged back into my account the next morning to review all the data that was collected. From the home tab, I selected the new view that I created the afternoon before and began exploring the dashboard.

As a new user of Google Analytics, this dashboard made everything so much easier to understand. The configuration of the dashboard was really straightforward and provided relevant information. For instance, I could see in the form of a pie chart whether my traffic was coming from social or direct, which city the viewer was in at the time they visited, the social network that brought them to my site, the number of pages they looked at, the bounce rate, the pageviews for high traffic pages, exits, and more.

Here is the dashboard and the results that I obtained after I shared my website on social to my friends and family:

Google-Analytics-Dashboard

Google-Analytics-Dashboard

As you can see, this dashboard is very user-friendly and is a great tool to have. For example, I could easily tell from the results that the majority of my traffic came from social media, specifically Facebook with 72 sessions and 151 pageviews. Also, the viewers of my site were located in mostly Greenville, Raleigh, and Charlotte, North Carolina. Outside of the quick view in the dashboard, I could even dig deeper into each widget by clicking on the blue link at the top.

Deeper-Look

As Jenny told us, “This is your ultimate weapon.” I’m grateful that Jenny shared these awesome dashboard settings with us and shared her knowledge on the ins and outs of Google Analytics. I can honestly say that her presentation and applying what we learned has really helped me with navigating through my Google Analytics account.

Thanks again, Jenny!