While studying business at Flinders University, you’ll have the opportunity to take part in an industry project, partnering with a South Australian business to transform their approach to sales and marketing. You can consider them your first client.
In these projects, students become business consultants, working in teams to conduct research and develop strategic insight.
One recent project made a splash in the sustainable product marketplace.
Students from the Digital Marketing and Analysis Business Marketing degree revamped the digital marketing strategy of Eco Patch, an ethical ecommerce store based out of the Barossa Valley.
Eco Patch‘s founder, Laura Mudge, engaged Flinders University students to discover ways of unlocking future business growth, overcome challenges and meet sales objectives.
While the business already has a substantial digital presence, with a number of social media channels on which to promote itself, there is always more that can be done to see even stronger results — as the team discovered over the course of the project.
The large team broke off into small groups in order to complete specific types of analysis before regrouping to present an in-depth report packed with actionable insight.
Students undertook the first phase of the project, a customer acquisition analysis, to discover how Eco Patch is currently perceived in the market and how the business can reach a larger audience.
The students provided detailed buyer personas, as well as templates that Eco Patch can use to develop new and engaging content for a variety of digital channels.
The second group completed a customer conversion analysis. This group uncovered practical conversion marketing tactics (using specific communication strategies to convert more website visitors into paying customers) that Mudge and the Eco Patch team could use to really grow their business.
The third group completed a customer retention analysis. This group analysed ways in which Eco Patch can increase customer loyalty as a way of growing and sustaining the business. This involved recommending strategies for customers to visit the website repeatedly, make regular purchases, remain loyal to the brand and spread positive word of mouth.
Finally, a customer experience analysis was performed by students. This group identified a range of tactics that the business could use to improve the shopping experience of existing and potential customers.
Together, these four groups have provided an invaluable service to Eco Patch, opening up new possibilities to grow the business and deliver more for its customers.
“It was clear that the students had really spent time understanding my business and the values that form a large part of the operations of the business,” says Laura Mudge.
It was fantastic having students that were in my ideal customer group working on the project. They gave such great insight into the marketing to be used and the tools and charts that were created were such a valuable addition.
I do feel like the student's recommendations and the report are valuable documents and will be referred to often in the next 12 months.”
Industry projects are offered to all second year, third year and masters level business students, providing hands on experience in management, marketing, entrepreneurship and leadership.
Students looking to undertake one of these projects can expect to work with one of several small to medium sized businesses in the for profit, not for profit and charity space, operating in industries such as:
- education
- wine and hospitality
- construction
- manufacturing
- retail
- finance and
- professional services.
This experience is invaluable to those looking to build a career in marketing or sales and can be the highlight of a truly impressive portfolio.
It’s all about giving Flinders University students a real advantage in the evolving job market.
Want to impact your favourite industry with your creativity? Learn more about studying business at Flinders University.
