Kelsey Soderberg
The Innovative Digital Marketing Association (IDMA) is the on-campus organization for online and social media marketing. The students involved in the organization are focused on learning more about marketing in the online world and working together to collaborate on projects. Their focus is “connecting students with industry professionals to provide hands-on education in many areas of digital marketing, as well as to show them many career opportunities in one of the most thrilling and rapidly expanding fields in business,” according to IDMA president and co-founder Kate Travis. The members of IDMA attend digital marketing events, host their own panels and workshops and work with companies to create new digital marketing ideas.
This month, the group is beginning a project with Click n Curl, a blowout brush set company. They are helping the company with their digital marketing strategy and will soon be posting content for them across their social media platforms. “There is a lot of potential to show others what the IDMA group is capable of as far as handling a real company’s social media and marketing content,” IDMA vice-president Lauren Yocum says. She explains that the organization is examining Click n Curl’s website and social media accounts and developing a digital marketing strategy to present to the company. “Working on a product that’s been featured on Oprah, the Wendy Williams Show, InStyle and all over YouTube is a better first project for our org than I could ever dream of,” says Travis.
IDMA also attends conferences and panels based on the topic of digital marketing. The most recent was hosted by MnSearch entitled “Optimizing Yourself: A Practical Career Panel.” This panel spoke about developing your career in digital marketing and how to ensure you stand out to future employers. The panelists also answered questions students had about how to do well in an interview and what certifications would aid them in getting a desired job. “I think the career panel was a great introductory event for our students to attend! I found the question-and-answer portion of the event to be really valuable and interactive for our students,” says Travis.
The organization currently has 12 industry partners including MnSearch, Thomson Reuters and Olive & Company. These partnerships allow students to work with professionals in the digital marketing industry and gives the organization resources for when they host events. “IDMA is able to find partners by reaching out and networking at different events, like MnSearch, as well as [reaching out to] alumni and other companies,” Yocum says. “The digital marketing industry creates such a strong sense of community and a great network of support, that it’s very rare for anyone to say no to supporting a student group,” Travis adds.
The organization’s members are diverse in their majors, ranging from Professional Communications and Emerging Media (PCEM) to Graphic Design. “Anyone with a passion for social media, internet and technology can call us home,” Travis says. IDMA is a unique organization because of the real world experience. Yocum explains that she has never been part of an organization that has the opportunity to work with companies so closely and hands on.
IDMA has their meetings every Wednesday at 6 p.m. in Communication Technologies, room 236. Each meeting is different and will cover a variety of topics based on what project IDMA is currently working on and what members are interested in doing.
Presently, IDMA is focused on developing a digital marketing strategy for Click n Curl, but, they are also planning an industry networking panel to be held later this month. The date and time are still to be determined. To keep up with IDMA or for more information, go to their OrgSync page.