Postgraduate 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;

The External Environment

The nature of business; Economic systems; Structure of the industry; Sources of finance; Share capital, stock exchange, institutions providing finance;

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;

Doing Business on the Internet

The Benefits of Digital Marketing; Doing Business on the Internet; Online Marketing Planning; Key Concepts in Internet Technology; Online Market Research;

Doing Business on a Global Scale

International management; Globalisation and multinational companies; Exportation; International marketing;

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;

Business Administration

Objectives; The office – planning and organisation; Equipping the office; The future of office administration;

Business Information Systems

Human aspects of computer interaction; Security, data protection and auditing; Electronic Data Interchange;

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;

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;

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;

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.

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;