Essentials of Marketing

This program equips learners to develop a comprehensive marketing strategy, select optimal marketing tactics based on sound data analytics and customer insights, deliver persuasive recommendations using a structured and disciplined framework, and communicate in a common marketing language. Successful completion of the full program is required to earn this Certificate of Completion. Program content includes: Module 1: Understanding the Role of Marketing Discover what is critical to marketing success Learn why beginning with tactics often fails Explore the 3 C’s and understand their importance in achieving your marketing goals Understand why the customer is the foundation for all marketing decisions Module 2: Identifying Customer Insights Pinpoint what a customer insight is, how to access it and why it’s important Understand how to develop customer empathy and identify mindsets Use a consumer index to determine which customers are more or less likely to purchase Module 3: Developing Marketing Goals Define the elements of a comprehensive marketing goal Learn to utilize consumer behavioral goals to grow revenue Perform a breakeven analysis Module 4: Segmenting Markets Discover how segmentation helps align organizational strengths with customers’ needs Identify characteristics that may be used to classify consumers Determine consumers’ needs within each segment Understand how matching offerings to a segment differs between and among competitors Explore the elements of an effective segmentation study Module 5: Selecting Target Customers Understand why targeting is important Learn how the concepts of measurability, actionability and substantiability apply to target selection Explore how big data can improve Customer Lifetime Value Module 6: Positioning Your Brand Understand what constitutes brand positioning and the fundamentals of a strong brand positioning statement Identify a frame of reference and point of difference in the marketplace Analyze a brand position by applying the value equation Discover why and how a brand position may be refined over time Module 7: Making Product Development Decisions Identify the best path that leads to business growth for your organization through volume growth, new product expansion in existing markets, expansion into new markets, or new-to-the-world product and services development Learn the basic methods and pitfalls of forecasting market penetration for existing and new products Module 8: Making Brand Management Decisions Understand the role of brands and the benefits they bring to an organization Explore the concept of brand design and its relationship to the customer journey Learn the advantages and risks associated with extending a brand Define and calculate the impact of cannibalization Module 9: Making Pricing Decisions Understand the concept of Willingness to Pay (WTP) and its importance in determining pricing strategy Explore the WTP demand curve and its representation of customers Learn how positioning affects WTP and pricing strategy Analyze opportunities for segmented pricing Module 10: Making Distribution Decisions Utilize market segmentation analysis for distribution channel design Learn how to use channel benefits and channel segmentation analysis to evaluate a major market decision Determine the value and functions of intermediaries and the role of incentives in channel design Module 11: Making Marketing Communications Decisions Utilize the creative brief as the foundation of your creative strategy Understand the concept, value and issues associated with sustaining your position through laddering Learn to apply the ADPLAN framework to evaluate advertising Discover how to choose appropriate media forms for promoting your product or service Gain insight into creating and managing successful client-agency relationships Module 12: Making Digital Marketing Decisions Explore the modern digital marketing eco-system Gain insight into how marketing platforms mature and how each stage of maturation presents benefits and risks to marketers Learn to leverage customer journey mapping as a tool for customer touchpoint identification and prioritization Discuss the term “experience,” describe why it matters, and use it to create differentiating value for your customers Participants must earn a passing score of at least 80% to earn this Certificate of Completion.