Curriculum
- 9 Sections
- 70 Lessons
- 10 Weeks
Expand all sectionsCollapse all sections
- Course OpeningCourse introduction, study preparation and safe AI foundations.17
- 1.1Lesson 1: Welcome to the Foundation Certificate in Digital Marketing
- 1.2How you will learn and practise
- 1.3What you will earn after completion
- 1.4What the course will help you understand
- 1.5Lesson 2: Study and Assessment Preparation
- 1.6How the course is organised
- 1.7Planning your study time
- 1.8Using activities and feedback
- 1.9Preparing for knowledge checks and the final project
- 1.10Lesson 3: Introduction to AI for Learning and Marketing
- 1.11What generative AI is
- 1.12What AI can help with
- 1.13What AI cannot reliably do
- 1.14Why AI can sound confident and still be wrong
- 1.15Protecting personal and business information
- 1.16Safe and responsible AI use
- 1.17How to review an AI response
- Module 1: Marketing FundamentalsCore marketing ideas needed before working with digital channels.42
- 2.1Lesson 1: What Marketing Does30 Minutes
- 2.2What marketing means
- 2.3Why businesses use marketing
- 2.4Marketing as a business activity
- 2.5Lesson 2: Marketing and Selling
- 2.6The role of marketing
- 2.7The role of selling
- 2.8How marketing and selling support each other
- 2.9Lesson 3: Customer Needs, Wants and Value
- 2.10Understanding customer needs
- 2.11Understanding customer wants
- 2.12How customers judge value
- 2.13Lesson 4: The Marketing Mix
- 2.14Product
- 2.15Price
- 2.16Place
- 2.17Promotion
- 2.18Lesson 5: Understanding Customer Groups
- 2.19Why businesses group customers
- 2.20Demographic segmentation
- 2.21Geographic segmentation
- 2.22Lesson 6: Branding and Customer Perception
- 2.23What a brand is
- 2.24How branding shapes expectations
- 2.25Why consistency matters
- 2.26Lesson 7: Marketing Objectives and Business Goals
- 2.27The difference between a business goal and a marketing objective
- 2.28Common Foundation-stage marketing objectives
- 2.29Linking marketing activity to a clear result
- 2.30Lesson 8: Value Propositions and Simple Campaign Planning
- 2.31What a value proposition is
- 2.32Explaining value clearly
- 2.33Using AIDA to plan a message
- 2.34Using the 5Ws to plan a campaign
- 2.35Lesson 9: AI in Practice: Exploring Customer Value
- 2.36Use a prompt to explore customer needs
- 2.37Draft a simple value proposition
- 2.38Improve the prompt and compare the output
- 2.39Module 1 Practice and Reflection
- 2.40Marketing Decision Scenario
- 2.41Knowledge Check0 Questions
- 2.42Reflection
- Module 2: Understanding CustomersCustomer groups, journeys, trust, communication and relationship management.42
- 3.1Lesson 1: Creating Customer Personas
- 3.2What a customer persona is
- 3.3What useful information to include
- 3.4Lesson 2: Understanding the Customer Journey
- 3.5What a customer journey is
- 3.6Customer needs at different stages
- 3.7Marketing touchpoints
- 3.8Simple customer journey mapping
- 3.9Lesson 3: Building Trust and Loyalty
- 3.10What builds customer trust
- 3.11Why consistency matters
- 3.12How loyalty supports long-term value
- 3.13Lesson 4: Managing Customer Expectations
- 3.14How expectations are created
- 3.15The risks of overpromising
- 3.16Using feedback to improve the experience
- 3.17Lesson 5: Communicating Clearly with Customers
- 3.18Choosing the right communication channel
- 3.19Tone and timing
- 3.20Clear and accessible writing
- 3.21Matching the message to the customer
- 3.22Lesson 6: Responding to Questions and Complaints
- 3.23Listening and understanding the issue
- 3.24Responding calmly and clearly
- 3.25Using complaints to improve service
- 3.26Lesson 7: Customer Relationship Management
- 3.27What a CRM system is
- 3.28How CRM supports customer relationships
- 3.29CRM compared with manual tracking
- 3.30Lesson 8: Using Customer Data Responsibly
- 3.31Why customer data needs care
- 3.32Ethical and responsible CRM use
- 3.33Lesson 9: AI in Practice: Drafting a Customer Persona
- 3.34Give AI useful business context
- 3.35Create a draft persona
- 3.36Separate facts from assumptions
- 3.37Improve the draft using evidence
- 3.38Module 2 Practice and Reflection
- 3.39Customer Communication Scenario
- 3.40Persona and Customer Journey Activity
- 3.41Module 2 Knowledge Check0 Questions
- 3.42Module 2 Reflection
- Module 3: Digital Marketing ChannelsThe main digital channels, channel choices, content and basic measurement.61
- 4.1Lesson 1: What Digital Marketing Is
- 4.2What digital marketing means
- 4.3How digital marketing supports business goals
- 4.4Digital and traditional marketing together
- 4.5Lesson 2: Choosing Digital Marketing Channels
- 4.6Start with the objective
- 4.7Understand the audience
- 4.8Match the channel to the task
- 4.9Lesson 3: The PESO Media Model
- 4.10What the PESO model is
- 4.11Paid media
- 4.12Earned media
- 4.13Shared media
- 4.14Owned media
- 4.15Combining PESO channels
- 4.16PESO Sorting Activity
- 4.17Lesson 4: Websites and Landing Pages
- 4.18The role of a business website
- 4.19What a landing page does
- 4.20Giving users a clear next step
- 4.21Lesson 5: Search Marketing
- 4.22What search engine optimisation means
- 4.23Organic and paid search
- 4.24Keywords and search intent
- 4.25When SEO or pay-per-click may be suitable
- 4.26Lesson 6: Email Marketing
- 4.27What email marketing is used for
- 4.28Types of marketing email
- 4.29Clear messages and calls to action
- 4.30Lesson 7: Social Media Marketing
- 4.31How businesses use social media
- 4.32Organic and paid social media
- 4.33Choosing a platform by audience and purpose
- 4.34Content formats and engagement
- 4.35Lesson 8: Content Marketing
- 4.36What content marketing is
- 4.37Matching content to audience needs
- 4.38Helping people move towards an action
- 4.39Lesson 9: Online Advertising
- 4.40What online advertising includes
- 4.41Targeting and placement
- 4.42Costs, benefits and limits
- 4.43Lesson 10: Measuring Basic Digital Performance
- 4.44Why marketers measure results
- 4.45Reach, clicks and engagement
- 4.46Leads, bookings and sales
- 4.47Matching the measure to the objective
- 4.48Lesson 11: AI in Practice: Comparing Channel Ideas
- 4.49Give AI an objective and audience
- 4.50Compare the reasons and limitations
- 4.51Reject weak or unsuitable suggestions
- 4.52Make the final decision yourself
- 4.53Lesson 12: AI in Practice: Exploring PESO
- 4.54Generate mixed PESO examples
- 4.55Sort the examples
- 4.56Module 3 Practice and Reflection
- 4.57Choose the Best Digital Channel
- 4.58Match Content to Audience and Objective
- 4.59Interpret Basic Digital Performance
- 4.60Module 3 Knowledge Check0 Questions
- 4.61Module 3 Reflection
- Module 4: Responsible Digital MarketingLegal, ethical, privacy and advertising responsibilities in digital marketing.50
- 5.1Lesson 1: Why Responsible Marketing Matters
- 5.2Legal, regulatory and ethical responsibilities
- 5.3The effect on customers
- 5.4The effect on reputation and trust
- 5.5Lesson 2: Consumer Protection and Fair Marketing
- 5.6Fair and accurate claims
- 5.7Misleading marketing
- 5.8Marketer responsibilities
- 5.9Lesson 3: Privacy and Personal Data
- 5.10What personal data is
- 5.11Why privacy matters
- 5.12Core data protection principles
- 5.13Rights of individuals
- 5.14Lesson 4: Consent and Lawful Use of Data
- 5.15What consent means
- 5.16Legitimate interest in simple terms
- 5.17Recording and respecting customer choices
- 5.18Lesson 5: Cookies, Tracking and Transparency
- 5.19What cookies and tracking do
- 5.20Why disclosure matters
- 5.21Clear privacy information
- 5.22Giving users a real choice
- 5.23Lesson 6: Advertising Standards
- 5.24Why advertising standards exist
- 5.25The role of the ASA and CAP Code
- 5.26Lesson 7: Disclosure, Sponsorship and Influencer Marketing
- 5.27What disclosure means
- 5.28Paid partnerships and sponsored content
- 5.29Making commercial relationships clear
- 5.30Lesson 8: Ethical Marketing Decisions
- 5.31Legal does not always mean ethical
- 5.32Questions to ask before publishing
- 5.33Raising and reporting concerns
- 5.34Lesson 9: AI in Practice: Checking Marketing Claims
- 5.35Review a marketing claim
- 5.36Identify possible risks
- 5.37Rewrite the claim more carefully
- 5.38Check the result against trusted guidance
- 5.39Lesson 10: AI Safety: Protecting Data and Privacy
- 5.40What not to share with AI
- 5.41Using fictional or anonymised information
- 5.42Following workplace rules
- 5.43Checking links, facts and sources
- 5.44Knowing when not to use AI
- 5.45Module 4 Practice and Reflection
- 5.46Responsible Marketing Decision Scenario
- 5.47Spot the Misleading Claim
- 5.48Privacy and Consent Activity
- 5.49Module 4 Knowledge Check0 Questions
- 5.50Module 4 Reflection
- Module 5: Market Research and Customer InsightResearch methods, research quality, findings and practical customer insight.45
- 6.1Lesson 1: Why Marketers Use Research
- 6.2Reducing guesswork
- 6.3Understanding customers and markets
- 6.4Supporting better decisions
- 6.5Lesson 2: Qualitative and Quantitative Research
- 6.6What qualitative research tells you
- 6.7What quantitative research tells you
- 6.8Comparing the two approaches
- 6.9Lesson 3: Primary and Secondary Research
- 6.10What primary research is
- 6.11What secondary research is
- 6.12Choosing between them
- 6.13Lesson 4: Choosing a Research Method
- 6.14Match the method to the question
- 6.15Time, cost and access
- 6.16Strengths and limitations
- 6.17Lesson 5: Collecting Useful Information
- 6.18Surveys and questionnaires
- 6.19Interviews and observation
- 6.20Existing data and published sources
- 6.21Lesson 6: Checking Research Quality
- 6.22Validity
- 6.23Reliability
- 6.24Representative samples and current sources
- 6.25Lesson 7: Making Sense of Findings
- 6.26Organising information
- 6.27Spotting patterns and differences
- 6.28Lesson 8: Reporting and Applying Findings
- 6.29Presenting findings clearly
- 6.30Linking findings to a decision
- 6.31Making a simple recommendation
- 6.32Lesson 9: AI in Practice: Improving Research Questions
- 6.33Identify a leading question
- 6.34Compare the suggested questions
- 6.35Choose and improve the best version
- 6.36Lesson 10: AI in Practice: Summarising Findings
- 6.37Give AI a small fictional dataset
- 6.38Compare the AI summary with your own reading
- 6.39Rewrite the summary accurately
- 6.40Module 5 Practice and Reflection
- 6.41Choose the Research Method
- 6.42Spot the Biased Question
- 6.43Interpret a Small Research Result
- 6.44Module 5 Knowledge Check0 Questions
- 6.45Module 5 Reflection
- Module 6: Sales and Marketing Working TogetherHow sales and marketing communicate, align goals and support customers.39
- 7.1Lesson 1: The Roles of Sales and Marketing
- 7.2What marketing does
- 7.3What sales does
- 7.4Where the roles overlap
- 7.5Lesson 2: The Customer Journey from Interest to Purchase
- 7.6Creating awareness and interest
- 7.7Supporting consideration
- 7.8Helping customers make a decision
- 7.9Lesson 3: Shared Goals and Clear Handover
- 7.10Sales goals
- 7.11Marketing goals
- 7.12Passing useful information between teams
- 7.13Lesson 4: Communication and Collaboration
- 7.14What can go wrong
- 7.15Sharing information clearly
- 7.16Lesson 5: Common Alignment Problems
- 7.17Conflicting goals
- 7.18Poor-quality leads or unclear expectations
- 7.19Missing or delayed information
- 7.20Lesson 6: Measuring Whether the Relationship Works
- 7.21Signs of successful alignment
- 7.22Lead quality
- 7.23Conversion and customer feedback
- 7.24Simple tracking methods
- 7.25Lesson 7: Improving Sales and Marketing Working Practices
- 7.26Reviewing performance
- 7.27Using learning to support future activity
- 7.28Lesson 8: AI in Practice: Drafting a Customer Handover
- 7.29Give AI a fictional customer enquiry
- 7.30Organise the information into a handover note
- 7.31Check that no facts were invented
- 7.32Remove unnecessary personal information
- 7.33Improve the final handover
- 7.34Module 6 Practice and Reflection
- 7.35Sales or Marketing Sorting Activity
- 7.36Customer Handover Scenario
- 7.37Diagnose the Alignment Problem
- 7.38Module 6 Knowledge Check0 Questions
- 7.39Module 6 Reflection
- Course ConsolidationCourse connections and preparation for the final knowledge check and project.12
- 8.1Lesson 1: How the Course Topics Connect
- 8.2Customers and research
- 8.3Objectives, messages and channels
- 8.4Responsibility, measurement and improvement
- 8.5Lesson 2: Preparing for the Foundation Knowledge Check
- 8.6What the knowledge check covers
- 8.7How to approach questions
- 8.8How to use feedback
- 8.9Lesson 3: Preparing for the Foundation Marketing Project
- 8.10Understanding the project brief
- 8.11Planning your response
- 8.12Checking your evidence
- Final course assessment items5
How you will learn and practise
Next