Postgraduate Diploma in Digital Marketing

Purpose

The purpose of the Postgraduate Diploma in Digital Marketing is to impart knowledge and skills focusing on the design, build, management and measure of effective digital marketing campaigns that comprise of the core skills of digital marketing, social media, online Public Relations, paid and organic search and measurement programmes. The exit level outcomes are aligned towards the research that shows the demand and needs and skills requirements for Digital Marketers in South Africa.

The field of study in digital marketing is versatile; learners can choose a career path or specialisation in this field and decide to pivot later, and will only need a little training to make the switch. In this sense, learners can build on existing skills while still learning new ones but still, stay in the same field. As the digital marketing industry grows and changes, there's always something new and exciting to learn, and this qualification will enable learners to strategically place themselves and impart skills that allow learners to adapt to the changes as well as take the lead on these initiatives.

There is a growing demand for people with digital skills, particularly for those in the middle-income bracket, especially soft skills. This qualification seeks to provide future learners with the opportunity to adapt to this particular industry as well as enter this industry.

Digital marketing is a career that has plenty of room for techs, creatives, and business people. There are so many avenues that can be followed. This is a field that's ever-changing and engaging; there is always something new to learn. There are plenty of choices, in digital marketing, and ongoing learning opportunities, where different skills fit together in different ways.

Rationale

The digital economy is embedded in every corner of people's lives. There is a substantial budget going into digital marketing now as opposed to traditional marketing. 93% of online activity starts with a search engine and ensures the continued effectiveness of SEO (Search engine optimisation) as a superior marketing strategy while about 80% of Americans make an online purchase at least once a month. Anyone thinking about starting or leading business needs to have a basic understanding of digital marketing to convert customers. There is plenty of room for people looking to enter the world of digital marketing and related careers. According to Smart Insights, some of the most in-demand skills for 2017 were digital advertising, content creation, content strategy, and social media, which is excellent news for those who veer towards the creative, social and business end of the spectrum.

Digital marketing incorporates all marketing efforts that make use of an electronic device or the internet. In the current business environment, organisations seek to leverage digital marketing channels such as search engines, social media, email, and other websites to connect with current and prospective customers. Digital marketing is defined by the use of numerous digital tactics and channels to connect with customers where they spend much of their increasingly online time. From the organisations website to online branding assets, digital advertising, email marketing, online brochures, and beyond there's a spectrum of tactics that fall under the term of "digital marketing".

There is also plenty of demand and quite a high earning potential for those who specialise in technology like SEO and SEM (Search Engine Marketing) since this is what can be at the base of what drives profits in any business.

Content marketing relies on traffic and anyone with the technical expertise to analyse these patterns is going to be a valuable asset, especially as these types of jobs become more complex with the advent of Artificial Intelligence.

South Africa has a total population of around 55 million people, within that, 28,6 million (52%) people utilise the internet in some format. Furthermore, there is a severe lack of digital specialists with the necessary levels of training and experience. A research conducted by Fractl and Moz (in which they reviewed over 75,000 job listings on Indeed.com, a South African Job placement website) established that the demand for digital marketing learners had increased rapidly over the past ten years. The emergence of modern technology and new platforms such as Google Analytics enables organisations to capture and use data to create and conduct targeted campaigns and customer profiling which makes the business environment more competitive.

The qualification aims to equip marketing professionals and those in the marketing environment with the necessary knowledge and skills related to this sector. The qualification incorporates modules that are relevant to this field and will enable learners to apply digital marketing strategies, conduct digital marketing campaigns and evaluate digital marketing data to enable success in this field.

Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL)

RPL will be applied in line with the institution's policies and guidelines. Learners that possess skills acquired through life or work experience and non-formal education are catered for. The RPL assessment will focus on ways of evaluating a person's lifelong experiences (formal and informal) against a set of pre-determined criteria.

Recognition of prior learning takes account of

• formal study
• age
• work experience
• studies that were undertaken for personal gain/interest
• company - based training
• industry-baseded training
• working with experts in the field
• internships, and life experience

Credit is granted for RPL in the assessment of the institution's selection committee if the learner's knowledge and skills correspond to the learning outcomes of the course or specific module for which credit is applied. It is important to remember that the selection committee will focus on the quality and not the quantity of prior learning and/or experience. Learners may be admitted via the alternate admissions route of RPL.

Entry Requirements

The minimum entry requirement for this qualification is

• Advanced Diploma in Digital Marketing, NQF Level 7.

Or

• A relevant Bachelor's Degree in the related field, NQF Level 7.

This qualification consists of the following compulsory modules at National Qualifications Framework Level 8 totalling 120 Credits.

Compulsory Modules, 120 Credits

• Digital Marketing, 20 Credits
• Information and Knowledge Management, 20 Credits
• Leading Digital Business Transformation, 20 Credits
• Developing Digital Marketing Channels, 20 Credits
• Social Media Marketing Strategies, 20 Credits
• Business Research, 20 Credits

1. Assess the impact of digital technologies on the marketing function.
2. Know the strategic benefits and implementation of digital marketing and multi-channell marketing.
3. Effectively implement information systems to achieve business objectives and goals.
4. Develop strategies using information systems to harness a competitive edge in digital marketing.
5. Develop a transformation framework for becoming a digital enterprise.
6. Understand the terms and tools used to measure and improve digital market effectiveness.
7. Develop an appropriate process to collect metrics for digital marketing effectiveness.
8. Assess strategies for developing and organising social media content digital marketing campaigns.
9. Examine the impact of social entertainment on digital marketing strategies.

Associated Assessment Criteria for Exit Level Outcome 1

• � Refine and automate business processes using information systems to improve organisational marketing performance.
• � Design and develop a database to improve marketing performance and decision-making.

Associated Assessment Criteria for Exit Level Outcome 2

• � Develop and implement a digital marketing strategy.
• � Conduct a situational analysis of the digital marketing environment.
• � Understand and gain insight into consumer's digital journeys.
• � Assess the influence of digital marketing on consumer behaviour.

Associated Assessment Criteria for Exit Level Outcome 3

• � Analyse information technology hardware and software trends to meet the demands of an evolving marketplace.
• � Deploy telecommunications, the internet, and wireless technologies to support communication and e-business.

Associated Assessment Criteria for Exit Level Outcome 4

• � Critically discuss the impact of technological trends on achieving business excellence.
• � Assess an organisations innovation capability.
• � Develop a transformation framework for becoming a digital enterprise.
• � Develop a digital capability framework for digital enterprises.

Associated Assessment Criteria for Exit Level Outcome 5

• Examine new channel structures created by technology.
• Understand the terms and tools used to measure and improve digital market effectiveness.
• Develop an appropriate process to collect measures for digital marketing effectiveness.
• Identify and develop the activities necessary for managing an online presence.
• Evaluate the effectiveness of the different types of digital media channels.
• Examine strategies for effective social data management.
• Discuss the benefits and impact of social commerce on an organisations activities.

Associated Assessment Criteria for Exit Level Outcome 6

• Demonstrate knowledge of business research methods.
• Identify and analyse a business research problem.
• Distinguish between the various research paradigms, methods and designs.
• Identify and define operational variables.

Associated Assessment Criteria for Exit Level Outcome 7

• Demonstrate knowledge of relevant marketing metrics.
• Implement marketing metrics in the development of a digital marketing strategy.

Associated Assessment Criteria for Exit Level Outcome 8

• Demonstrate knowledge of utilising appropriate social media strategies.
• Conduct effective social media data management strategies

Associated Assessment Criteria for Exit Level Outcome 9

• Demonstrate knowledge of different social entertainment channels.
• Analyse the impact of social entertainment on the overall digital marketing strategy.

Integrated Assessment

The assessments will centre on

• The extent to which the learner has grasped the concepts.
• The application of theory to a practical context.
• The methods of research used.
• A balance between theory and practice and its relevance to the level of the qualification.
• The use of appropriate technology to ensure effective communication of ideas.

Assessment methods measure the extent to which the learner has achieved competence in the different areas of study. These assessment methods include case studies, report writing, interpretative and analytical problem solving and work-based assignments.

Formative assessment implies being supportive of learning, non-judgemental and focused on providing constructive feedback or criticism to the learner, takes place during the learning process and informs the planning of future learning activities.

Summative assessment implies assessment to be mainly concerned with summing up the learning process and therefore, usually takes place at the end of the relevant learning process.

Integrated assessment is used extensively across the qualification, particularly in the case studies. Self-and formative assessment takes place through case studies, assignments, including the writing of proposals and financial plans. Summative assessments are integrated into the learning in that they take place at the end of each of the constituent modules of the qualification.