Drew University Business Students Build Websites in Digital Marketing Course

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Drew University Business Students Build Websites in Digital Marketing Course

Semester-long projects build on brand ideas

December 2021 – Students enrolled in Drew University’s digital marketing course built their own WordPress sites around a brand or company idea as part of a semester-long project.

Twenty five students in the course, taken as part of Drew’s new marketing major, also created a social media strategy, a social+ community-building plan, and a targeted email campaign around their website concepts.

Through the University’s participation in the Domain of One’s Own program, students are permitted one free domain and web hosting package while at Drew, which provided the in-house tools to jump straight into their projects. Students employed key marketing concepts like search engine optimization (SEO), social media strategy, content creation, and marketing analytics to inform their final projects.

For many students, the challenge of building a website from scratch presented a unique opportunity to delve into an area of personal interest or pursue a passion project. Here are a few highlights:

Matthew Agudelo C’24 – Quality Pixels

Major: Finance | Project URL: matthewagudelo.com

Matt chose to showcase his brother’s photography and built a website featuring striking images reflective of his brother’s versatile portfolio. “I wanted the website to mean something. I didn’t want the website to just be a project for school,” he said during his final presentation. The photographs included glimpses of Matt on the soccer field for Drew, the Brooklyn Bridge, and the New York City skyline. Matt manages the website, marketing efforts, and social channels for Quality Pixels.

Samantha Haase C’25 – SJH Marketing

Major: Undecided | Project URL: sjhmark.com

A talented musician, Samantha created a website around a concept company, Musical Marketing, one of the businesses that will be part of SJH Marketing. Musical Marketing will assist independent artists with the marketing of their music and help aspiring artists improve their skills so they can break into the music industry. Musical Marketing offers different level group classes as well as individual courses in songwriting, composition, production, and release and marketing.

Nicholas Panarin C’23 – Nick’s Blog

Major: Marketing | Project URL: nicholaspanarin.com

Nick was born and raised in Vladivostok, Russia, where he developed a love of hockey. A professional, part-time esports player on the Prodigy Esports team, Nick created a blog about hockey and video games in the hopes that it would be a space where people can discuss and learn more about his two passions. His first two blogs highlight the start of the 2021 National Hockey League season. Already active on Discord, Twitch, and Twitter, Nick wanted to build a website that could grow into an active, enthusiastic community. He has added a comment option after each of his blogs to encourage discussion and questions by site visitors.

Autumn Scarcella C’22 – Fitness with Aut

Majors: Business and Psychology | Project URL: autfitness.com

Autumn created a concept website inspired by her own fitness journey, which she began in earnest at the beginning of the pandemic. Unsure of where to start or what to do, she thought other people might experience some of the same challenges she confronted. In addition to a fitness blog, motivational reminders, and high-quality, customized exercise plans, the “Fitness with Aut” website includes a forum to establish a welcoming and inclusive community that values a fitness-oriented lifestyle.

Ethan Trent C’24 – Mythic Skateboard

Major: Business | Project URL: mythicskateboards.com

Ethan grew up skateboarding and created a concept website for other skateboard enthusiasts and artists hoping to have their unique designs featured on Mythic Skateboard’s skateboard decks. In the FAQ section of the website, Ethan posts about how artists can supply work samples for consideration and inquire about working with the company. A family-run business, Mythic Skateboard seeks to “make the amazing hobby and sport of skateboards affordable for everyone” while supporting small artists.