Postgraduate Diploma in Digital Marketing

Purpose

The purpose of the Postgraduate Diploma in Digital Marketing is to equip future marketing middle managers to exploit the new mediums and channels of marketing and in return affect cost savings and greater market share for their businesses or organisations.

The days when conceptualising, developing and implementing any marketing campaigns only used to be practising Above The Line (ATL) activities like running advertisements on television and radio, and placing printed advertisements in various newspapers and business magazines are fast approaching their end. However, as the whole world moves more toward a digital marketplace, especially post-COVID-19. Businesses now have the right opportunities to reach out and connect with their right target groups by using various digital marketing strategies in addition to their existing traditional marketing strategies. This will result in the high optimization of their marketing campaigns, which will ultimately yield maximum output/results for them. One of the greatest advantages of digital marketing is that it is both affordable and effective in terms of attractive return on investment, return on advertising spend, etc. that many entrepreneurs, business houses or brands found it an excellent alternative to branch into.

Upon completion of the qualification, qualifying learners will be able to

• Engage in the forefront of Digital Marketing in consumer behaviour, Social Media Marketing, and Search Engine Optimization.
• Apply the concepts, tools, strategies and tactics relevant to identifying and using the right digital marketing and social media channels, platforms, business models and others.
• Consider the implication of vivid tools showcasing or highlighting the importance of individual technical and non-technical aspects of Search Engine Optimization.
• Develop an appropriate strategy related to content marketing, focusing on the importance of content funnel, marketing qualified leads, sales qualified leads, content calendar and programmatic advertising, with the help of relevant tools.
• Set up the important technical requirements, for running and assessing a digital marketing campaign, like Google Search Console, Google Analytics, pixels, Advertisement goals setting, etc.

Rationale

The focus of the qualification is on equipping future marketing middle managers to exploit the new mediums and channels of marketing and in return effect cost savings and greater market share for their businesses or organisations.

The qualification was developed as a means of providing future skills. Companies, brands, entrepreneurs, influencers, affiliates, 'womenpreneurs', etc. are not only using digital marketing strategies today to reach out to their right target groups but are also continuously increasing their spending of marketing budget on these strategies. Technology is real-time and ever-changing; hence, digital marketing allows one to respond to popular trends in real time. The qualification intends to prepare learners for middle management positions in the digital marketing field to be able to set industry standards across the globe. Since this is a multidisciplinary qualification along with general management skills, the qualification also includes various fundamentals of digital marketing like search engine optimisation, social media marketing, Pay-Per-Click (PPC), content marketing, and Email marketing. With the usage of a variety of tools, learners will not only learn how to identify problems but will also be able to solve them.

Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL)

RPL for exemption of credits

• Recognition of prior learning access into this qualification will be applied to learners who discontinued their postgraduate diploma or honours degree studies.
• This assessment will only apply to learners who discontinued their studies at NQF Level 8 in a Marketing-oriented qualification with marketing management modules.
• Should it be determined that there is a 70 % correlation in modular content between the completed modules and the modules from the institution's qualification, learners will be granted credits to a maximum of 60 credits of the qualification.

The project module will not be considered for purposes of RPL. This module will have to be completed as part of the qualification. No credits will in other words be allocated.

RPL for access

In exceptional cases, proven digital marketing workplace experience at the senior management level that is equitable with the outcomes of the Diploma and a Bachelor's Degree will be considered for an RPL assessment for access only.

Entry Requirements

The minimum entry requirement for this qualification is

• Advanced Diploma in Digital Marketing, NQF Level 7.

Or

• Advanced Diploma in Digital Marketing Management, NQF Level 7.

Or

• Bachelor of Business Administration, NQF Level 7.

Or

• Bachelor of Business Administration in Banking, NQF Level 7.

Or

• Bachelor of Business Administration in Retail Management, NQF Level 7.

This qualification consists of the following compulsory modules at NQF Level 8 totalling 130 Credits.

Compulsory Modules, Level 8, 130 Credits

• Introduction to Marketing and Digital Marketing, 15 Credits.
• Search Engine Optimization, 15 Credits.
• Content Creation and Marketing, 15 Credits.
• Digital Analytics and Search Engine Marketing, 15 Credits.
• Integrated Marketing Communication, 10 Credits.
• Online Reputation Management, 10 Credits.
• Social Media Marketing and E-Commerce, 15 Credits.
• Affiliate and Mobile Marketing, 15 Credits.
• Final Capstone Presentation, 20 Credits.

1. Demonstrate knowledge of and engage in the forefront of Digital Marketing

in consumer behaviour, Social Media Marketing, and Search Engine Optimization.

1. Demonstrate the ability to apply the concepts, tools, strategies, and tactics relevant to identifying and using the right digital marketing and social media channels, platforms, business models and others.
2. Consider the implication of vivid tools showcasing or highlighting the importance of individual technical and non-technical aspects of Search Engine Optimization.
3. Develop an appropriate strategy related to content marketing, focusing on the importance of content funnel, marketing qualified leads, sales qualified leads, content calendar and programmatic advertising, with the help of relevant tools.
4. Set up the important technical requirements, for running and assessing a digital marketing campaign, like Google Search Console, Google Analytics, pixels, Advertisement goals setting, etc.
5. Demonstrate the ability to identify and use a range of hard and soft digital marketing skills to analyse, evaluate and address major challenges and situations pertaining to Digital Marketing.
6. Demonstrate the ability to identify, analyse and evaluate various industrial challenges, situations, and solutions, with the help of case studies focusing on different branches of digital marketing like content marketing, reputation management, social media strategy, Search Engine Optimisation, Search Engine Marketing, Email Marketing and Mobile Marketing.
7. Present the developed skills and acquired knowledge with the help of a presentation on real digital campaign briefs.

Associated Assessment Criteria for Exit Level Outcome 1

• Identify the various models and concepts of marketing, consumer behaviour and branding, that are still relevant in the industry.
• Differentiate between digitalization and digitization.
• Demonstrate a basic understanding of marketing, consumer behaviour (CB) and branding.
• Outline the scope of Digital Marketing to get an overview of Digital Marketing.
• Identify different types of Industries, webs, etc.

Associated Assessment Criteria for Exit Level Outcome 2

• Explain the functioning of Search Engine Optimisation (SEO).
• Manage and organize SEO work effectively and /or supervise a search engine optimisation team or outside search engine optimisation firm.
• Discuss the importance of search engine optimisation in search.
• Analyse and evaluate various methods and practices adopted in the industry like black hat search engine optimisation, white hat search engine optimisation, etc.
• Evaluate how to rank a web page or a website in the Search Engine Result Page.
• Use various tools.
• Evaluate search engine algorithms.
• Analyse and evaluate the keywords, their importance, usage and tools.
• Evaluate keyword matrices.
• Evaluate and analyse backlinking & its importance, etc.

Associated Assessment Criteria for Exit Level Outcome 3

• Identify the various ad platforms and ad types.
• Analyze their 1st campaign with the help of tools.
• Practice enough about the Google Business Profile, programmatic advertisements, Google Search Console, Google Analytics, etc.
• Develop an understanding of the "Google ads" and its best practices.

Associated Assessment Criteria for Exit Level Outcome 4

• Accept and recognize the importance of integrated marketing communication.
• Identify various integrated marketing communication tools and channels.
• Formulate a proper digital strategy focusing on integrated marketing communication tools and their importance.
• Identify the Mission, Money, Message, Media, and Measurement. (5 Ms) of advertising.
• Realize the importance of Marketing Technology (Marktech) and Advertising Technology (AdTech).
• Assess the effectiveness of integrated marketing communication campaigns.
• Prepare a media brief.

Associated Assessment Criteria for Exit Level Outcome 5

• Discuss the importance of online reputation management.
• Formulate a proper online reputation management strategy.
• Assimilate the usage of various tools.
• Prepare a dashboard and analyse it.
• Measure corporate reputation by using various tools.

Associated Assessment Criteria for Exit Level Outcome 6

• Acknowledge and analyse the monetization of social media platforms.
• Discuss the campaign managers of diverse platforms and advertisements (ads) formats.
• Run various ads on the platforms.
• Prepare the social media strategy.
• Identify the Marketing Qualified Leads and Sales Qualified Leads.
• Identify the various marketing funnels and their importance.
• Draw funnels.
• Prepare and analyse consumer persona.
• Differentiate and evaluate proper Segmenting, Targeting, Positioning and differentiation of consumers.
• Create and measure a digital footprint.

Associated Assessment Criteria for Exit Level Outcome 7

• Differentiate among various business models.
• Discuss the importance of the direct-to-consumer model in the digital sphere.
• Explain the importance of integrating email as a part of digital strategy.
• Use email as a marketing tool.
• Discuss the different types of email marketing.
• Use various tools and practice on them.

Associated Assessment Criteria for Exit Level Outcome 8

• Discuss the difference between an affiliate and an influencer.
• Identify various affiliate programs run by the companies.
• Recognize and analyse various types of affiliate marketing.
• Identify and analyse various tools to track down the matrices of affiliate marketing.
• Acknowledge the importance of mobile marketing.
• Define App Store Optimization (ASO) and its importance.
• Evaluate the functionality of ASO and how can it impact a company.
• Analyse and evaluate various tools related to mobile marketing by practising them.
• Extract campaign data through mobile marketing.
• Design, run, analyse, and evaluate a mobile marketing campaign.