The BSc in Digital Marketing and Social Media is an innovative program that aims to fill the gap identified in modern firms in the field of marketing. Specifically, the advancement of technologies in communication as well as development and ubiquity of digital media generate new challenges as well as opportunities that need to be addressed by contemporary marketers.
This unique program aims to provide the necessary knowledge and practical experience to meet the contemporary needs. The program has a strong foundation in business and marketing but its delivery is also heavily influenced with the input from other fields, namely, information technology so as to understand and appreciate the current information ecosystem, including the WWW and smart mobile devices, and media communication so as to understand and appreciate how digital content and information can be constructed and used.
Introduction to Digital Marketing
This module introduces the core principles and purpose of digital marketing. It will enable you to develop clear and actionable business objectives for a digital marketing plan, gain audience and industry insight by conducting digital research, and to prepare the foundations for a fully integrated 360 campaign by connecting effectively with your customers and targets. Through this module you will be able to differentiate between inbound and outbound marketing strategies and distinguish between examples of digital media. It will also explore the difference between traditional and digital marketing helping you realize the benefits of using them in combination. At the end of the module, you will know how to develop clear and actionable objectives for a digital marketing plan using SMART objectives and use digital research and social listening to gain insights into your competitors, audience and industry.
Content Marketing
This module introduces you to the key principles of content marketing to enable you to align content effectively with the buyer journey.
You will explore the knowledge and skills required to plan and execute a content marketing strategy in a persona-oriented, data driven way. It also covers content creation and curation, along with how to extend its value using scheduling tools and promotion methods.
The Content Marketing module concludes by examining the key metrics and tools for measuring the performance of a content marketing strategy.
Social Media Marketing
The Social Media module introduces the key platforms for digital marketing and demonstrates how to set up a social media experience for a business. You will be able to identify the benefits of social media marketing and differentiate between the most influential networks and their advantages. As a result, you will understand the techniques and best practices for growing and engaging an audience and demonstrate how to create effective paid advertising campaigns on key social platforms. In addition, you will understand how to build, manage, and sustain an active social media community.
The module also covers how to extract and report on data from the platforms’ native analytics tools to derive deeper audience and campaign insights.
Search Engine Optimization (SEO)
The SEO module begins with the fundamentals of search engine optimization and how search engines work.
It explains why it is vital to align SEO objectives with overarching business objectives and how to use keyword and competitor research to build a content plan that attracts and engages the right kind of visitors.
The module also explores how to boost online conversions to help stand out in today’s fiercely competitive online marketplace and ensure the best possible Return on Investment (ROI).
Paid Search (PPC) using Google Ads
This module begins with the fundamentals of paid search and it’s benefits and demonstrates how to implement and manage Pay-Per Click (PPC) campaigns using Google Ads.
Through the Paid Search Module, you will understand the key concepts underpinning bid auctions, how to manage paid advertising budgets, and how to optimize paid search campaigns.
It also covers conversion tracking and how to measure and report on the performance of paid search campaigns using Google Analytics and Google Search Console.
Display and Video Advertising
The Display and Video Advertising module begins with the fundamentals of display and video advertising and demonstrates how to set up and manage a YouTube channel.
It covers the ad formats available within Google Display Network and YouTube and shows you how to set up and manage campaigns.
You will also understand how to apply audience and contextual targeting, exclusions, remarketing, and bid adjustments to target display and video ads at the right audience.
By the end of the module, you will be able to identify the key metrics and tools to use to analyze and optimize the effectiveness of campaigns.
Email Marketing
The Email Marketing module begins with the fundamentals of email marketing and how the concepts of segmentation, personalization, timing, and engagement along with the legislation and regulations surrounding data protection underpin an effective email marketing strategy.
The module introduces key email marketing tools and techniques and explores subscriber list and email design best practices.
It also comprehensively explores how to create, test, and optimize an email campaign that maximizes open and Click-Through-Rates (CTR) and provides an overview of the value provided by marketing automation tools.
By the end of this module, you will have a comprehensive understanding of all the elements involved in an email marketing strategy.
Website Optimization
This module introduces key concepts underpinning effective website design and the purpose of website optimization.
It will enable you to build and publish a simple, well-designed, and optimized website using WordPress that is aligned to specific business goals.
Additionally, you will understand design principles and best practices for copy and A/B testing along with exploring User Experience and User Interface as part of user centric design.
The Website Optimization module also covers how to use metrics to capture, track, and measure website activity to develop deeper insights.
Analytics with Google Analytics
The Analytics module begins with the fundamentals of web analytics and the associated legal responsibilities and best practices concerning data collection, consent, and privacy that enable a digital marketer to draw actionable conclusions from website or marketing channel data.
It demonstrates how to setup and configure Google Analytics and install tracking codes to glean insights about traffic and audience.
In this module, you will also explore setting campaign goals to analyze performance and customer conversion journeys.
At the end of the module, you will be able to use Google Analytics reports and features to monitor and analyze digital campaigns.
Digital Marketing Strategy
The Digital Marketing Strategy module identifies the core components of an effective digital marketing strategy and explains how to develop a successful budget plan and measure the ROI for digital activities.
It demonstrates how to set clear and actionable objectives and measurable Key Performance Indicators (KPI’s) as well as the key research activities to undertake to guide channel selection and messaging.
It also explains how to develop a creative strategy based on campaign research to engage an audience and deliver on campaign goals.
By the end of the module, you will know how to execute a digital marketing strategy supported by a channel plan, a paid media plan, a campaign action plan, and succinct strategy documentation.
The specific objectives of the program are as follows:
- Provide students with the fundamental principles and practices of digital marketing and social media.
- Equip students with specialized knowledge in the areas of digital marketing, digital media, and information technology.
- Have basic knowledge in computer systems and skills in web design and development.
- Introduce students to basic knowledge on the production of digital media including text, images, video and audio and the use of this knowledge within the context of digital marketing
- Introduce students to methodologies, tools and technologies involved in digital marketing.
- Introduce students to methodologies, tools and technologies involved in the analysis and visualization of online data to extract useful information for real-time strategic decision making.
- To combine marketing and digital media in a unified program that will allow graduates to seek employment in the areas of Marketing and Digital Marketing
The program is designed to provide students with the qualifications needed to pursue a career as Digital Marketing and Social Media Experts. They will be able to design and implement effective Digital Marketing and Social Media Campaigns for products and services in a variety of industry settings in both the private and public sectors. They will also be trained to work effectively with IT specialists and graphic designers maximizing the synergies between marketing, media, and information technology.
