This course has been certified by the CPD Certification Service as conforming to continuing professional development principles. Find out more.

Master marketing planning and strategy

Thinking ahead and planning effectively is the only way to guarantee your brand hits its mark. On this four-week course from the University of Adelaide, you’ll learn how to build a well-thought-out marketing strategy from the planning phase through to implementation.

Focussing on professional skills and practical case studies, you’ll learn how to reach the right audience with the right marketing tools and channels.

Position yourself and identify your target audience

Week 1 of the course will consider the ‘who’ of marketing. You’ll discuss where your brand sits in the market, and determine which audiences it should be reaching.

You’ll understand the importance of positioning and demographics for any marketing strategy.

Develop your brand essence, voice, and messaging

Once you know who your target audience is, you need to decide how you communicate with them.

Guided by your course leader, you’ll develop your brand essence, tone of voice, and key messages. You’ll learn how to turn those messages into clear and compelling marketing content.

Choose your marketing channels and implement your strategy

In the last week of the course, you’ll put theory into practice and learn how to implement your chosen strategy. You’ll review a range of communication channels and select those best suited to your brand.

You’ll finish the course with a watertight marketing strategy and all the skills you need to implement it in your business.

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Skip to 0 minutes and 9 seconds Did you know that many business owners start communicating or selling their business without a clear reason? Or that the pandemic has forever changed the way people access, read, view and use marketing information? Let me ask you, do you have a marketing strategy to sell your goods and services that is pandemic adjusted and helps you identify new opportunities? This course is essential if you are looking to update your marketing skills for the needs of contemporary society. This course will demystify the basics of marketing and unpack the elements of a marketing strategy outside of the black box, by working from conceptual content through to real world practical examples.

Skip to 0 minutes and 49 seconds So enrol today in this course to help optimise your marketing strategy to meet the needs of a changing audience.

What topics will you cover?

Week 1: Why?

What is strategy?
Why it is important?
What is the difference between strategy and planning?
Integrated communication – marketing, communication and PR
Setting goals and objectives
Why market?
Why your business over a competitor?
The structure of a good marketing strategy

Week 2: Who?

Who are you – positioning strategies
Who are you – brand essence
The competitive landscape - where are your competitors positioned?
Who are your target audiences?
Buyer personas and how to define them
The mechanics of demographics
How do they view your vision?

Week 3: What?

The art of pushing buttons - what will your messaging be?
Key messages and voice
Your value proposition … in the words of your audience
What marketing and communication channels are available?
Where are your audience currently and where are they looking?
What risk strategies do you have in place?
A breakdown of the resources required – budget, time

Week 4: How and when?

How will your strategy be implemented?
The when of customer timing
How will you evaluate your marketing activities
Review strategies

Who is this accredited by?

The CPD Certification Service:

The CPD Certification Service was established in 1996 and is the leading independent CPD accreditation institution operating across industry sectors to complement the CPD policies of professional and academic bodies.

When would you like to start?

Start straight away and join a global classroom of learners. If the course hasn’t started yet you’ll see the future date listed below.

Available now
Join - $134

Learning on this course

On every step of the course you can meet other learners, share your ideas and join in with active discussions in the comments.

What will you achieve?

By the end of the course, you‘ll be able to...

Explain the alignment of marketing strategies with business or organisational goals.
Describe the importance of marketing, communication, and PR activities in achieving business or organisational goals.
Identify possible challenges to be overcome when implementing marketing strategies.
Critique existing marketing strategies and programs to recommend improvements.

Who is the course for?

This introductory course is designed for anyone interested or involved in marketing for a business.

It will be suitable for both new and experienced marketers working in any region of the world.

Who will you learn with?

David Rawlings

David Rawlings is a marketing professional with 30 years' in industry. His delivery and teaching style is engaging and accessible, backed by years of workshops, webinars, presentations and lectures.

Who developed the course?

The University of Adelaide

The University of Adelaide is a world-class teaching and research institution. They are committed to developing quality students and lifelong learners who are recognised for their skills, creativity, global outlook and ability to succeed.

World ranking
Top 110Source: QS World University Rankings 2023

What's included?

This is a premium course. These courses are designed for professionals from specific industries looking to learn with a smaller group of like-minded individuals.

Unlimited access to this course
Includes any articles, videos, peer reviews and quizzes
Tests to validate your learning
Certificate of Achievement to prove your success when you're eligible
Download and print your Certificate of Achievement anytime

Join - $134

Still want to know more? Check out our FAQs

Learning on FutureLearn

Your learning, your rules

Courses are split into weeks, activities, and steps to help you keep track of your learning
Learn through a mix of bite-sized videos, long- and short-form articles, audio, and practical activities
Stay motivated by using the Progress page to keep track of your step completion and assessment scores

Join a global classroom

Experience the power of social learning, and get inspired by an international network of learners
Share ideas with your peers and course educators on every step of the course
Join the conversation by reading, @ing, liking, bookmarking, and replying to comments from others

Map your progress

As you work through the course, use notifications and the Progress page to guide your learning
Whenever you’re ready, mark each step as complete, you’re in control
Complete 90% of course steps and all of the assessments to earn your certificate

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