Diploma in Business with Digital Marketing via Online Distance Learning

Introduction to Business Management

The nature of business; Business plans and start-ups; Legalities – sole traders and partnerships; Limited companies, non-profit organisations, public sector organisations;

Strategic Management

Vision and mission; Objectives; Planning and strategy; Contingency planning, implementation, change control;

Operations Management

Production methods, cost, revenue and break-even analysis; Quality assurance; Production planning; Project management;

Marketing

Marketing concepts; Market research: Market segmentation, positioning and targeting; New product development and the product life cycle; Brand awareness; The Marketing Mix (product, price, place, promotion); Competitor analysis; Marketing strategies; E-commerce;

Mathematics and Statistics for Business

Financial Mathematics; Calculus and Profit Maximisation; Descriptive Statistics; Measure of Association; Probability; Statistical Inference;

Financial Accounting

Introduction to financial accounting; Users of financial information; Key accounting models; Terminology; Need for financial statements; The balance sheet; Balance sheet layouts, ratio and the balance sheet; Income statement and layout; Ratios, revenues and trade receivables; Owners equity; Cash flow measurement and documentation; Inventories and cost of sales; Tangible and intangible assets; Liabilities; Financial statements and recording transactions; Preparing financial statements; Analysing and interpreting financial statements; Analysis tools; Auditing;

Macroeconomics

Introduction to macroeconomics; Understanding macroeconomics; Principles of economics; How the market works; Gross domestic product; International trade; Open economy; Labour market; Income, expenditure and the circular flow; The consumer price index; Cost of taxation, employment, cost of living; The Philips Curve; National income, supply and demand for goods and services; Money and inflation; the Quantity theory of money; Interest rates; Social costs of inflation; Hyperinflation; Exchange rates; Economic fluctuations; Economic growth; Economy in the long run; Accumulation of capital; Population growth; Policies to promote growth; The Solow model; The business cycle; Aggregate demand and supply; The IS-LM model; The money market; How fiscal and monetary policies shift the LM curve; Floating and fixed exchange rates; The Mundell-Fleming model; Policy debates; Investment; Government policies;

Microeconomics

Introduction to microeconomics; Trade, trade-offs and government policy; Production and supply; Elasticities; Individual choice in supply and demand; Production and cost analysis; Competitive markets; Oligopoly and monopolistic competition and strategic pricing; Uncertainty;

Leadership and Communication in the Workplace

Effective communication skills; Leadership styles; Information gathering and interpretation; Problem solving; Decision making; Workforce planning; Conflict resolution; Time management; Delegation;

Effective Performance in the Workplace

Company organisational culture and structures; Building an effective workforce – recruitment, team selection; Appointment and termination; Training and appraisal; Motivational strategies; Competition in the workplace; Wage and salary administration; Job restructuring;

Employee Relations and the Law

Human resources management; Employee representation; Industrial democracy including bargaining, consultation and participation; Industrial relations - action and disputes; Government policy (including EU and other industrial blocs); Consumer protection, workforce protection, equal opportunities legislation, pressure groups; Taxation;

Business Ethics

Business ethics; Business and the environment; Corporate social responsibility; Commercial Law; Company Law; Contract Law; Employment Law; Law of Tort;

Entrepreneurial Skills

Innovation, research and new product development;

Spreadsheets

Introduction to spreadsheets; Step by step instructions on using the features, functions and applications for spreadsheets; Customizing the spreadsheet software; Installing the spreadsheet software; Security; Platforms; Operating system compatibility;

Setting Up & Marketing Your Own Consultancy

The Business Plan; Legalities; Setting Up; The Marketing Strategy; Knowing Your Competitors; Promotional Tools;

Presentation Skills

Preparation and Research; Speech Content; Subject Matter and Objectives; Speech Delivery and Variety; Body Language; Eye Contact; Presentation Aids; Management of locations and audiences; Presentation structure;

DIGITAL MARKETING

Introduction to Digital Marketing

Digital Marketing; How the internet works; What is HTML & CSS; Servers & CMS;

Digital Marketing Communications

The Marketing Mix; Inbound vs. Outbound; Overview of marketing communications; How Marketing has changed in the digital world; The changing consumer journey; The buying funnel; The changing organisation and the changing marketing mix; Market segmentation and the importance of understanding the customer;  Market research  and collecting and analysing the data; The importance of branding and brand development; Marketing communications in a digital world; Promotional activities including advertising, sales promotion, events, sponsorship, personal selling, sponsorship, direct marketing and public relations.

Segmentation & Targeting

Defining your target audience; Understanding your customer; Segmentation; Personas;

Strategy & Planning

A simple plan; Adoption of Planning Frameworks; Situational Analysis; Planning using personas; Audience segmentation; Value proposition; Setting objectives; Developing a strategy;  Engaging throughout the customer lifecycle; Prioritising digital tactics; Evaluating success and optimising strategy; The SOSTAC Strategy Framework; RACE Digital Marketing Planning Framework; Budgets; Digital Storytelling;

Developing a Core Search Engine Optimisation Strategy

On-Site SEO: SEO Engines and content strategies; Overview of global search engine market; How search engines work; Search engine behaviour; Obtaining visibility in search engines; Robots/spiders for different content;  Ranking factors; Importance of URL’s;  White hat optimisation; Optimum approach to website architecture for SEO; Importance of your websites content quality and engagement;  Search engine algorithms; Recent Google algorithm updates; Choosing keywords and content topics; Long tail keywords; Semantic indexing; Influences in click through rates in organic listings; Meta data; Content strategies for local listings; Multi-region /Multi-lingual content; Image/ Video/pdf optimisation for SEO;

Offsite SEO: Link building strategies & tools; What is anchor text; External links vs internal links; Quality vs number of links; Link recency; Link directories; Link spam; Offsite SEO and trust; Domain authority; Open-site explorer; Social media and SEO; Personalisation; Free and Enterprise SEO tools; Keyword strategies; Google keyword planner; Webmaster tools; Ranking by ethical means;

Keyword Management: Key - genetic modifiers; Location; Price; Types; Industry Specific; Keyword tools; Keyword phrase research; Keyword buying phrases; Focused product related pages; The tier system and keyword evolution; Choosing keyword density; Effective keywords; Regionalisation of keywords;

Landing Page Optimisation: Spiders, Crawlers and Robots; Principals of attracting robots; Maximising your title tag; Head and Meta Tag content; Opening paragraphs; Use of formatting tags to attract robots; Posting your site to search engines; Reposting after changes;

Google Analytics

Benefits of tracking; Tracking methods; How to set up a google analytics account; Adding tracking code to your website; Webmaster tools; GA profile settings; User management; Goals;  Filters; Events;  Custom alerts; Reports; Analysing your website audience using Google Analytics; Understanding visitor flows; Acquisition;  SEO;  Analysing user behaviour;  Reporting on site content; In-page analytics; Conversions; Funnels; eCommerce; Multi-channel funnels; Google Analytics tools;

Google AdWords and AdSense

Google AdWords:  Introduction to AdWords; Setting up a Google AdWords account; AdWords account structure; Managing multiple accounts; building an AdWords campaign; Keyword tools, networks and devices;  Bidding types; Ad text guidelines;  Writing good ad text;  Managing your PPC campaign; Common Google AdWords mistakes;

Google AdSense: Introduction to Google AdSense; Factors that affect revenue earnings; The range of AdSense products; Targeting options; The AdSense interface;  Creating an ad unit; Custom channels; Allow and block ads; Block sites and categories ad networks;  Ad review centre;  Performance reports;

Social Media

Social Media: Using social media to market and communicate online; Facts and figures for social media adoption in Ireland; Creating a social media strategy; Finding your customers online; How to market your business on Facebook, How to use Twitter to reach customers and influencers; How to find leads on LinkedIn; Instagram; Snapchat; Pinterest; Brand personality and tone of voice; Creating a content calendar; Measuring social media success; Social media tips;

Video: Choosing the right type of video; Viral videos; Tips on video planning; Optimising for better search results; How to get your video seen;

Blogging: Introduction to blogging; The benefits of blogging for business; Blogging platforms and tools; Golden rules of ideas for blog content; Structure of a blog post; How to drive traffic to your blog; Commenting on other blogs; Getting more readers;