Prompt question from Official ETS Teacher Resource 5
Task: You recently attended a workshop on digital marketing and found it very informative. You want to thank the presenter, Ms. Clark, and ask for additional resources to further your understanding of the topic. Write an email to Ms. Clark. In your email, you should:
Thank her for the workshop.
Provide a detailed explanation of why you found the workshop informative.
Ask for additional resources or recommendations for further study.
The subject line is already given:
Subject: Appreciation and Request for Additional Resources.
The hard part is the second step: providing a detailed explanation of why the workshop was informative. To give a substantial explanation, you need some understanding of what digital marketing is. Let’s review the basics.
Digital Marketing 101
1. The Target: “Everyone” vs. “Just You”
Traditional: Marketing tools like billboards, TV, or newspapers reach a wide and generic audience—everyone sees the message, whether they need the product or not. It’s like shouting to a huge crowd.
Digital: Digital marketing allows companies to reach narrow and specific audiences. Using data, they can show ads only to people who are interested in the product, like a “Pizza Nearby” sign appearing for someone who just searched “I’m hungry.” This precision reduces waste and improves effectiveness.
2. The Delivery Method: “The Mailbox” vs. “The Personal Store”
Traditional: Flyers or junk mail are sent to every house, regardless of who lives there. It’s expensive and often ignored.
Digital: Ads can be delivered directly to the person most likely to respond, through social media, email, or search engines. For example, if someone likes running, they may receive a discount for running shoes rather than unrelated products. This feels personal and tailored, which makes it more engaging.
3. Measurement: “Guessing” vs. “Knowing”
Traditional: After a TV commercial or billboard campaign, companies can only guess how many people saw it or whether it influenced purchases. Feedback is slow and imprecise.
Digital: Digital tools provide instant data and results. Companies can see exactly who clicked an ad, what time they clicked, and whether they bought something. This allows businesses to optimize campaigns and stop wasting money on strategies that don’t work.
Email Based on digital marketing experience
By thinking about digital marketing in these three areas—target, delivery, and measurement—we can clearly see why it is more efficient, precise, and cost-effective compared to traditional marketing.
In your email, you can use one or more of these three areas to provide a detailed explanation of why you found the workshop informative.
When composing your email, there are different possible scenarios depending on how much you already know about digital marketing concepts. If you have a strong understanding, you can include more specific terms such as SEO, search engine ranking, analytics, or other advanced strategies, and you may request higher-level materials. However, if you are unfamiliar with digital marketing, you would instead ask for more introductory resources while explaining how the presentation helped you better understand the fundamentals.
Dear Ms. Clark,
I am writing to thank you for the digital marketing workshop. I truly enjoyed your presentation and found it very informative.
Although I am familiar with traditional marketing, I did not know much about digital marketing before attending the workshop. I was not sure whether it would be useful for my business, but you explained the concepts in a very clear and simple way.
Before the workshop, I thought marketing was mostly broad advertising, such as TV commercials or flyers. However, your analogy of a “personal store in your inbox” helped me understand the concept much better. I now see how digital marketing uses data to reach the right audience and deliver more personalized messages. This really changed my perspective.
Since I am still a beginner, could you recommend any introductory books or websites to help me continue learning?
Thank you again for your time and guidance.
Mr. Apprentice of Awesomeness
If you have mid-level experience (you are not a beginner, but not yet an expert), you want to show that you already understand the basics, but that her specific explanations gave you a new perspective.
If you are writing from an advanced-level perspective, your focus should shift. At this level, you are not learning the basics—you already understand the core concepts and apply them professionally. Instead of saying the workshop helped you understand digital marketing, you might want to mention how her explanations helped you better communicate complex concepts to clients or colleagues. When asking for resources, you would request high-level materials such as industry research, advanced case studies, or professional strategy reports rather than beginner guides.
Dear Ms. Clark,
I am writing to thank you for the digital marketing workshop you presented. Having worked in this field for some time, I truly appreciated how you refreshed my perspective on several core concepts.
Even with my experience, I found your analogies extremely helpful in simplifying complex strategies. Your example of the “Personal Store in Your Inbox” was an effective way to contrast traditional mass marketing with modern, data-driven personalization. It reminded me that although we use sophisticated data tools, the ultimate goal is still to make customers feel that we are speaking directly to their specific needs.
I am hoping to develop a more advanced understanding of these strategies. Do you have any recommendations for intermediate or advanced resources? I am particularly interested in case studies or in-depth articles that go beyond the basics.
Thank you again for a thought-provoking session and for sharing your expertise.
Best regards,
Mr. Rising Star
If you are writing from an advanced-level perspective, your focus should shift. At this level, you are not learning the basics—you already understand the core concepts and apply them professionally. Instead of saying the workshop helped you understand digital marketing, you might want to mention how her explanations helped you better communicate complex concepts to clients or colleagues. When asking for resources, you would request high-level materials such as industry research, advanced case studies, or professional strategy reports rather than beginner guides.
Dear Ms. Clark,
Thank you for the excellent digital marketing workshop. Having spent the past several years in this industry, I truly appreciated your ability to distill high-level strategies into such clear and relatable concepts.
Even as a seasoned professional, I found your analogies to be a powerful reminder of the purpose behind our work. I particularly liked your “Personal Store in Your Inbox” comparison. It is one of the most effective explanations I have heard for the shift from traditional “spray and pray” marketing to the sophisticated, data-driven personalization strategies we rely on today. I plan to borrow that analogy when explaining these concepts to my own clients and stakeholders.
I am always looking to refine my expertise and explore new perspectives. Do you have any advanced resources, white papers, or industry groups that you would recommend? I would especially appreciate materials related to the strategic frameworks you mentioned during the session.
Thank you again for an engaging and insightful workshop.
Best regards,
Mr. Pro, But Humble