Who's it for?
The course is designed for those who already have a good understanding of digital channels, techniques and tactics and aims to build marketers' knowledge, skills and confidence to an advanced and strategic level. The syllabus covers both B2C and B2B marketing, and enables practitioners to direct the application of digital marketing technologies and techniques to support marketing objectives.
What's included
Eleven modules address everything that's happening in the fast-moving world of digital marketing; as such, the final content may change to reflect developments. The course is delivered in several ways, depending on the participant's preferred learning style or circumstances, including face-to-face intensive sessions, part-time, day-release and online. All participants are required to complete two assignments and three written exams. In its shortest form, the course can be completed in an intensive 10-day series of sessions.
Every Diploma student will receive complimentary online IDM membership as well as a study package with practitioner-written study notes, texts, presentations, reading lists and supporting online documentation.
The course is taught by real-world marketing practitioners; alongside the marketing theory, participants can make the most of their tutors' first-hand experience to apply what they have learned to their own role, instantly.
By the end of the course...
Graduates will have a thorough understanding across the whole digital marketing spectrum and a structured framework from which to plan, evaluate, implement and measure digital marketing programmes. They will also have learned how to manage the people, information, technology and services for their programmes to be effective, and how to closely align digital marketing strategy with business objectives.
Margi Tooth marketing manager for ecommerce and brand strategy at Allianz Insurance, graduated from the course in November.
"The diploma has given me the core discipline in planning terms. It's too easy in the workplace to become over-focused on the day-to-day and sometimes the more tactical elements of a role, but this course helped me to reframe my activities. The way it is structured means you have the added benefit of returning to the workplace in between modules and the coursework. This means you can really ensure you're integrating the key aspects back into the office environment without necessarily being aware of it, which works in terms of both professional and personal learning and team advancement.
Time has been the greatest challenge. Working full time, balancing home life (with a two-year-old at the time, and being eight months pregnant when I sat the exams) and giving yourself the time to think and focus on subject matter is such a challenge. If you're not committed to the cause, you won't complete the Diploma because it absolutely does eat into your spare time. Another challenge for me was writing for three hours at a time. It's not something I've done for a while and it's a hand-killer.
Achieving the Diploma and being recognised as the top student in 2012 has been the best part. I invested so much thought and energy in the course, it was a great feeling to have done so well and a big confidence-booster to know that my ideas and approach are technically pretty good. I also found there were some very like-minded individuals on the course, which helped from a discussion and debating perspective. Networking is always one bonus of any professional development and the Diploma certainly proved to support that as an objective."