Diploma in Digital Marketing for the Sport Sector via Online Distance Learning

Introduction to Digital Marketing

About Digital Marketing; How the internet works;

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;

Content marketing

Definition of Content Marketing; Inbound marketing; Content creation lifecycle;  Content types (Infographics, Audio-Visual); Google  hangouts; Webinars, graders & widgets; Content and event promotion; Undertaking a content audit; Mapping content to target audiences and buying cycle; Content planning; Content syndication and social sharing; Google  authorship;  Content atomisation;

Website Analytics

Website hits; Page view analytics; Recording online visitor statistics; Time of visit to website; Keyword phrase used; IP address information; Web arrival and exit pages; LogFile versus page tagging; Web click tracks and Google Analytics; Benefits of web analytics;

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 Ads and AdSense

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

Writing for the Web

Creative writing for the web; Writing for your client; Relevant marketing content;  Importance of marketing messages; Simple versus complex marketing messages; Keeping a natural flow to your marketing content; Keyword management; When to use keywords; Ratio of prose to keywords; Importance of homepage content; Importance of spell checking; Using a copywriter;

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;

Interactive Tools & Data Collection

Interactive tools: Facebook social plugins – Like/Share/Send Buttons; Twitter widgets – Profile/Favorite/Search Widgets; Pinterest; LinkedIn; Instagram; Snapchat; Video Galleries; Flicker Libraries; Creating community with forums and blogs; Geographical elements – maps and currency converters; Feeds; Flash uses and considerations; Information quest; Adding value;

Data collection: Survey & polls; Lead generation; Sign Up form; Feedback form; Website optimiser; Newsletter Sign Up; Diary & RSVP;

Email/Direct Marketing

Facts & Figures re Email Effectiveness; Best Practice in Building Your Email List, Defining Your Email Marketing Objectives and Content; Email Heading Tips; Segmenting Your List; Benefits of Using Email Software; Examples of Email Software; Measuring Success; Rules and Regulations of Email;

Mobile Marketing

Why Mobile, SMS Marketing, QR Codes, Augmented Reality, Branded Apps, Mobile Sites, Proximity Marketing (Beacons, Bluetooth, NFC and Location SMS), Mobile Advertising, Mobile Search, Mobile Behaviour, Legal Concerns.

Affiliate Marketing

Introduction to Affiliate Marketing, Irish Affiliate Landscape, Affiliate Networks, Affiliate Marketing as Part of the Marketing Mix, Affiliate Marketing SWOT, Reasons to Use Affiliate Marketing, Traits of a Successful Affiliate Marketing Programme, Types and Examples of Affiliates, Relationship Between Search and Affiliate Marketing, Direct-Linking Search, Strategic Search,  Examples of Affiliate Marketing Lead Generation.

Traditional Marketing

Overview of Traditional: Marketing and the Marketing Concepts; Barriers to Marketing Implementation; The Marketing Environment: Political, Economic, Social and Technical Factors; The Market Information System; The Market Research Process:  Collecting and Analysing Data; Reporting the Findings.

Marketing Management: Marketing Management and Planning; Organisation and Management of the Marketing Department; Corporate Planning; SWOT Analysis, Competitor Assessment and Business Strategy; Product Portfolio Planning - Models and Management; Developing a Marketing Plan - Implementation and Control; Market Segmentation, Targeting and Positioning.

Brand Management: Brand Management; Strategy and Competitive Advantage; Consumer - Brand Relationship; The Branding Cycle; Brand Positioning and Stretching; Brand Equity and Valuation; Research Methodologies and Tracking Studies;

Public Relations

PR Defined; Its role within the promotional mix; PR techniques and methodologies - press relations, public affairs, lobbying, press releases, broadcasting, photography, literature and printing; Crisis management, Contingency planning and corporate image; PR planning - setting objectives, budgets, proposals; Fundamentals of sponsorship; Types of sponsorship - sports, cultural, education and charity; The sponsorship management programme - objectives, selection, budget, agency and event management; Measurement of effectiveness;

Online PR / Writing for the Web

Online PR building blocks: Online communications platforms, online communication channels, online communication mediums, interactivity and application of communication channels, policy, optimisation, monitoring and evaluation of online communications channels, online communications channels planning and implementation;
Social Media and PR strategy: Local versus global communication, landscaping platforms, channels and context, Online PR organisational analysis and segmentation, developing Online PR strategies, Online PR tactics and SEO considerations, Online PR planning, managing Online PR risk and opportunities;

The Social Media Landscape: Blogs, microblogs, chatrooms, delicious, email, Flickr, Twitter, instant messaging, message boards, mobile internet, new media releases, online conferencing, online surveys, Pay per Click, podcasts, RSS, search engines, SEO, social networking service sites, video sharing, virtual worlds, VoIP, Wiki and widgets.
The Internet as a Media: Commercial implications of the internet; Social interaction with the Internet; Web 2.0 and its implications; Internet convergence; The network effect;  Internet information exchange; Internet audience: size and exposure; Internet culture and communication; Transparency and the Internet;
Online Influences on present PR practices: Internet influence on news, internet journalists, economics of online news production, internet critics and other influences, the PR practitioner as an online publisher, ethical internet PR, truthfulness and duty of care, online ethics, debate, guidelines and best practice; Monitoring and evaluation of social media discourse, trends and value; Policy influences, corporate speak; Implications of social media for corporate social responsibility.

E-Commerce

Characteristics of ecommerce; Waves of ecommerce; Advantages and disadvantages of ecommerce; Methods of accepting payments online; SSL; ecommerce categories; Methods of accepting payments online; ecommerce platforms and their features; Traits of successful ecommerce websites; ecommerce conversion rates by device; Shopping carts and dropout rates; Multichannel commerce; Challenge of integrating online and offline; Online personalisation;  Google shopping; Analysing ecommerce website user behaviour; Social media and ecommerce; commerce; Considerations when implementing an ecommerce project;

Web Site Architecture, Design & Usability

Introduction to HTML and CSS; Website hosting options; ftp; Web content management systems and features; Principals of good web design;  The importance of usability; User focused approach to design; How to measure usability and build a business case for improving it; Website accessibility; How to ensure your website is accessible;

Setting Up and Marketing Your Own Digital Marketing Consultancy

The Business Plan; Legalities; Setting Up: Set up a workplace; Organise your insurance; Understand the options available to you for financing your business; Marketing Strategy: Create a marketing strategy; Develop a marketing plan; Knowing Your Competitors; Promotional Tools: Understand and utilise the range of promotional tools;

Presentation Skills

Creating and Delivering a Presentation; Client Presentations: create an effective presentation (e.g. an event pitch); Tailor your presentation to your audience; Demonstrate an awareness of the appropriate use of visual aids (including design considerations); Understand the vocal, verbal and visual aspects of a presentation (including the use of body language); Presentation Rules and Characteristics;