Passed the Google Analytics Certification Exam

About 20 minutes ago, I passed the Google Analytics Certification exam on my second try. The score for passing sits at a manageable 80% and I was fortunate to have scored an 85%. After studying for a few weeks, I am pleased to say that this portion of my internship requirements is complete. My certification is valid for the next 18 months before I need to be recertified.

Week 5 Recap

Searching for influencers can be a daunting task especially with the vastness of blogs, open forums, and twitter hashtags. Though my first search was successful, I have decided to broaden my outlook and move focus to professional publications. Having a knowledge base of what the employees of potential clients for this product are saying and where they are talking is important-- but so is knowing where the CEOs and corporation owners are looking. All of these factors determine who sees my client's product and, ultimately, how effectively the information comes across to them.

Week 5 In Review

This past weekend I moved onto the first phase of my next project: identifying influencers. With this, an important point of clarification was brought up. What exactly is an "influencer?" In any work environment, communication is extremely valuable and necessary for productivity and efficiency. So not to waste valuable time researching in a direction that ultimately had nothing to do with the "influencers" my clients were looking for, we had in depth conversation about the subject. We classified an influencer as anyone who had a voice on issues that my clients were looking to work with. Anyone from employees to employers to casual individuals interested the specific topics we are covering. The goal is to identify who is doing the talking and where these conversations are being had. All of this work allows my clients to find their specific audience so they can more accurately tailor their product to those who will use it and spread the word about it.

Week 4 Recap

With busy schedules, finding a time to chat last week was not possible. Thus, my scheduled projects were extended. Submitting my final work for analyzing competitor social media platforms was positively received. Though the list is ongoing, so far I have researched 30 possible competitors and all forms of social media they possess. I took this list and compressed it into an Excel spreadsheet with interactive hyperlinks. The clients now have easy access to their competitors through one structured platform.

Week 4 in Review

After the clinic meeting Wednesday night, I was able to connect with one of my fellow interns and receive a lead on how to implement a professional social media strategy. Members of the internship have spoken highly of the book called "Social Media: How to Enrage, Share, and Connect" written by Regina Luttrell to gain insight on how to develop a social media strategy. Having guidance with this area will prove beneficial to my final project and the work that is required from this point on.

Google Analytics Studying

My first attempt at taking the Google Analytics Certification without completing all the available study material ended in failure-- but, fortunately not by much. This was to be expected as I am currently finishing unit two of Analytics Academy. The exam asks very specific questions about the tools that can be used in Google Analytics but it also asks application questions. I will need to focus more of my attention on going through the study material and physically matching what is being presented to what I see in my own tracking of this blog. On another note, the presentation of the exam was not as I had expected. Once a person answers a question they then unable to return back to a previous question the change an answer. Knowing this now will help me to better prepare for the next attempt in seven days.

Week Three Recap

Though my Independence Day holiday break was fulfilling, Tuesday marked the day to dive back into projects and responsibilities. Last night, I had a long over due progress report chat with the owners of the company. We discussed the second list of competitors/influencers I had researched the previous week and defined my projects moving forward. There are three main areas of focus I plan to tackle over the course of the next four weeks: Influencer identification, measurement and analytics of competitor social media presence, and social media mapping for the future use of my clients. To more clearly layout my thoughts I plan to compare and contrast the list of competitors by using a variety of graphs and visual aids. I believe these mediums will help make the data concise and highlight areas of importance for my clients to make quick references to.

On a side note, I plan to take my first attempt at the Google Analytics Certification later today to get a better understanding of how the exam is presented and the material that is covered. This will help me to more efficiently study and hone in on key concepts.