Dungarvan Enterprise Centre

Do You Know Someone That Wants To Learn How To Use The Internet?

Past particpants of Basic Internet Training who are now online

Do you know anyone that could benefit from a basic internet training course?

Does your Mam or Dad or grandparents know how to use Skype and email? Are they confident enough on the internet to book their own flights without your help? Do they know how to pay their motor tax online? Would they like to learn?

Dungarvan Enterprise Centre will be running a basic internet training course for beginners that will run for four weeks, starting on Wednesday, October 15th.

The course is called Benefit 4 and is a government based initiative and therefore will cost participants just €10.

After completing the course, participants will be able to use search engines, email, Skype, pay their motor tax online, and book flights online.

Unfortunately, the government scheme that provides this cost effective course is coming to an end so this is the last time Dungarvan Enterprise Centre will be hosting this course. So, if you know someone who could benefit from partaking in this course don't let them miss out on this final opportunity. We have already put 70 people through this programme!

For more information on this basic internet computer course contact Dungarvan Enterprise Centre on 058 23598 or email dungarvanec@gmail.com.

How Good are You at Digital Marketing?

In the latest Digital Marketing Institute blog post they discuss the release of their free tool to measure your Digital Marketing skills.

In 2014, businesses simply need to be online because that is now where their customer base resides.

Did you know:

The amount of time adults spend using digital media surpassed the amount of time they spent watching TV in 2013.
77% of the time we spend watching TV we are using another device simultaneously.
The average person now spends one in 12 waking minutes online.
The average person checks their Facebook page 14 times a day.
72 hours of content are updated to YouTube every minute.
There are more mobile phones in the world than there are toothbrushes.
Companies that blog more than about 15 times per month, get 5 times more traffic.
The amount of e-mail that that is opened on smartphones and tablets has increased by 80% globally in the last 6 months.
The average consumer reads 11 different reviews along the way to completing the purchase.

From these facts, it is obvious to see that businesses that refuse to adapt to digital marketing will be left behind by competitors who choose to engage with consumers online.

Now, the Digital Marketing Institute has created the Digital Diagnostic!

The free Diagnostic will test your digital skills. You can retest yourself as many times as you want and, importantly, can benchmark your progress over time as you become more adept at different marketing skills.

The Diagnostic questions are based entirely on the Digital Marketing Institute’s exam for its industry validated Professional Diploma in Digital Marketing.

Test your Digital Marketing skills today with the free Digital Marketing Institute Diagnostic.

Reinvent Your Career Through Digital Marketing

In the Digital Marketing Institute's latest blog offering, Pierce Ivory, a former participant of the Professional Diploma in Digital Marketing course, talks about how Digital Marketing can reinvent your career.

Prior to participating in the Diploma course, Ivory worked in Production Management in a print company in Dublin. However, as the economic downturn put pressure on the print industry Ivory began to see the need for an online presence.

After upskilling with the Professional Diploma in Digital Marketing, Ivory set up his own business - a Digital Marketing Consultancy, Rivelino Digital! He is now currently undertaking a Masters in Digital Marketing, again through the Digital Marketing Institute.

Here are Ivory's tips for those interested in developing Digital Marketing skills:

Educate yourself with as much reading material as possible.
Sign up for a Digital Marketing course.
Network through Google+ and LinkedIn.
Keep up to date with the industry by attending seminars.

With the starting date, September 25, fast approaching for the Professional Diploma in Digital Marketing being hosted in Dungarvan Enterprise Centre, maybe Digital Marketing can propel your career to the next level too?

How to Stay on Top of the Digital Wave

Digital marketing is one of the most exciting and innovative industries at present. It is a constantly developing field.

Therefore, the big question is: How does on stay on top of the ever rising crest of digital marketing?

In the Digital Marketing Institute's latest blog post they interviewed four of their lecturers to answer the question.

Below is a summary of what leading experts Laura Grant, Steve Dalgleish, Pete Doyle and Andy Coleman divulged.

Keep up with new software, practices and trends in the key areas that are vital to your business' digital strategy.
Be selective and be strict with your time management.
Read news articles and stories from reliable and professional sources.
Join online communities as a way of monitoring trends.
Keep learning whether it is by taking courses, reading or getting hands on practical experience.

The experts also recommended numerous sources and tools that can prove both time and cost effective in helping you stay ahead of the curve:

Trends that they expect to dominate the digital landscape throughout 2014 and 2015 include:

Mobile optimised ad campaigns.
GEO location and local SEO.
Simpler mobile payments for app purchasing.
Measured ROI in campaigns through custom analytics.

In summary, the Digital Marketing Institute's leading experts believe if you read all of the resources can and are constantly aware of what is going on in the digital world, you will be on top of your game!

Another Successful Coding Camp at Dungarvan Enterprise Centre!

Dungarvan's Coding Camp for Kids most recent graduates!

Dungarvan Enterprise Centre would once again like to congratulate the 15 young minds who recently finished a fantastic, fun filled, five day Coding Camp hosted at the Centre.

During the week long camp the kids learned how to create themes, code websites and build apps, as well as much much more; all in a fun and interactive manner.

The turnout for the camp was brilliant to witness and the calibre of youngsters involved certainly bodes well for the future. The energetic presence and buzz of excitement created from their attitude and passion to learn made it a week to remember at Dungarvan Enterprise Centre.

Each of the participants received a graduation certificate to acknowledge their hard work and achievements in developing their skills in computer coding.

A special thanks to everyone who made the five day camp possible, especially to Darock Media who were excellent educators to the kids throughout the week.

Parents are reminded that in September, the non-profit programme, DEC Coder Dojo, will be returning to Dungarvan Enterprise Centre.

Coder Dojo is a global movement that teaches children coding skills. There are over 420 Dojos in 43 countries.

The programme is free and runs on Saturday mornings throughout the school year.

For further updates stay tuned to the DEC Coder Dojo Facebook page.

5 Top Traits of Successful Digital Entrepreneurs

In a recent blog post the Digital Marketing Institute outlined the top five traits they believe are necessary to make it as an entrepreneur.

Do you have what it takes? See if you check off any or all of the qualities listed in the list below!

1. Clarity

Having ambition and vision are important drives when trying to break the mould to entrepreneur "status" but having clarity of that ambition and vision is even more vital. Obstacles will try and demount you. The road to success will be long and at times unwelcoming. You will need a clear eye of your ambition and vision to reach the summit of your journey.

Ask yourself continously:

What do you want to achieve?
What do you want to achieve by it?
How will you go about achieving it?

2. Communication

You need to be able to communicate - both verbally and in writing - decisively. What idea are you trying to sell to the market? If people don't understand your product why would they waste their time engaging with it? Communication is key. Communication is the gateway to success.

3. Motivation

Match your ambition with your work ethic. What separates the talented individual from the successful individual is hard work.

4. Persistence

Success doesn't happen overnight. You will fall. You will fail. You will wonder is it worth getting back up. Yes it is. Persistence always pays off, eventually. Achieving your goal, fulfilling your dream; the reward will be worth it.

5. Passion

The Digital Marketing Institute blog post lists passion as the most important trait on their list. Passion will beat money and ideas all day, everyday. This is because passion is belief in yourself, your goal, and your capabilities. You need passion because you need to be able to sell your ideas or make a success out of them.

The passionate entrepreneur is always thinking about new ideas, reading resources, and looking for new opportunites.

For more information on what it takes to be a successful entrepreneur check out this YouTube clip of Mike Stelzner talking about what he considers to be important traits in a budding entrepreneur.

3 Essential Tips for Staying Ahead in Digital Marketing

In a recent blog post the Digital Marketing Institute recommended the following three steps as essential components in maximising the benefits of your digital marketing use.

1. Familiarise yourself with Digital Marketing publications

Websites such as Econsultancy and The Drum are excellent sources of knowledge to keep your company's digital edge sharpened.

Regarding more specific channels, check the following for a more focused insight:

- Search Marketing: Moz, Koozai, PPC Hero, Search Engine Land and Search Engine Watch.

- Content Marketing: Hubspot, Content Marketing Institute and Find My Blog Way.

- Social Media: Social Media Today, ClickZ and Mashable.

2. Form a Digital Marketing strategy

A solid strategy for a digital marketing campaign is vital for your business and the Digital Marketing Institute recommends focusing on social media, mobile and search as this allows you to have a two-pronged approach, both desktop and mobile devices, in your strategy.

Given that so many people have their mobile phone within an arm’s reach at any given time (91%, according to Forbes), mobile marketing is key. This also ties into social media marketing; with well over 1.2 billion between them, Facebook and Twitter have a massive reach for digital marketing strategies.

Customer Minds has a list of the best practices for digital marketing strategies.

3. Keep up with your competitors

You are in direct competition with so many businesses now that you need to optimise your digital marketing strategy. If you don’t, they will. If they do, they’re stealing your customers.

Digital marketing is essential for the longevity of a business. Utilising it will offer you a measurable, solid basis to develop any new marketing strategies.

Don't forget, Dungarvan Enterprise Centre is hosting a Professional Diploma in Digital Marketing course ran by the Digital Marketing Institute, starting on September 25th! The course will run for ten weeks, every Thursday night from 18:30 to 21:30.

Check out further course information here: http://digitalmarketinginstitute.ie/courses/type/professional-diploma-in-digital-marketing/.

The cost of the course is €1,500 per person but as part of a special offer on the Diploma, the Local Enterprise Office is running a competition that will sponsor one free place on the course.

To avail of the competition applicants must fill in an application form along with a short, two page strategy document outlining their business' case for taking this course. To receive an application form, email Dungarvan Enterprise Centre at dungarvanec@gmail.com.

Closing dates for entries to the competition is July 24^th and the winner will be announced on July 28^th.

Dungarvan Enterprise Centre is also offering an early bird discount of €250 for all bookings made before July 31^st.

To avail of this discount, payment must be made in full when booking.