Marketing Foundations and Strategic Planning

Objective: Equip students with a comprehensive understanding of marketing goals, strategy, and planning through theory, practical assignments, and real-world applications.

Week 1: Course Introduction and Marketing Goals

• Day 1: Course Overview, Importance of Marketing Goals.
• Day 2: Introduction to Customer Focus and Business Focus.
• Assignment: Reflect on a business’s current customer and business focus and identify potential gaps.

Week 2: Marketing Goals: Brand and Sales Focus

• Day 1: Understanding Brand Focus and Building Brand Identity.
• Day 2: Introduction to Sales Focus and Sales-Driven Marketing.
• Assignment: Analyze a brand’s sales approach and brand-building efforts.

Week 3: Marketing Goals: Market Focus and Market Research

• Day 1: Identifying Market Focus and Understanding Market Trends.
• Day 2: Conducting Effective Market Research Techniques.
• Assignment: Perform a simple market research task on a chosen industry.

Week 4: Marketing Strategy: Go-To-Market (GTM) and 4P/7P Matrix

• Day 1: Introduction to Go-To-Market (GTM) Strategies.
• Day 2: The 4P/7P Matrix and Its Applications in Marketing.
• Assignment: Develop a 4P or 7P matrix for a mock product or service.

Week 5: The Funnel: Buyer Cycle and Marketing Funnel

• Day 1: Understanding the Buyer Cycle.
• Day 2: Exploring the Marketing Funnel and Its Stages.
• Assignment: Create a customer journey map with touchpoints across the funnel.

Week 6: Marketing Strategy: Messaging and Channel Strategies

• Day 1: Crafting a Messaging Strategy for Different Audiences.
• Day 2: Selecting Channels for Targeted Marketing.
• Assignment: Develop sample messaging for two selected channels for a specific target audience.

Week 7: Marketing Plan Development

• Day 1: Building a Marketing Plan – Objectives and Goals.
• Day 2: Structuring a Marketing Plan – Key Components.
• Assignment: Outline a basic marketing plan for a chosen product or service.

Week 8: Project/Campaign Plan and Action Timeframe

• Day 1: Introduction to Project and Campaign Planning.
• Day 2: Setting Action Timeframes for Marketing Activities.
• Assignment: Create an action plan with timelines for a small-scale campaign.

Week 9: Project Brief Development

• Day 1: Understanding the Purpose of a Project Brief.
• Day 2: Writing an Effective Project Brief for a Marketing Campaign.
• Assignment: Draft a project brief for a hypothetical campaign.

Week 10: Marketing Evaluation: Metrics and KPIs

• Day 1: Identifying Key Metrics and KPIs for Marketing Evaluation.
• Day 2: Tools and Techniques for Measuring Marketing Success.
• Assignment: Select a marketing campaign and list potential KPIs to evaluate its effectiveness.

Week 11: Marketing Evaluation: Analyzing and Reporting

• Day 1: Collecting Data and Analyzing Marketing Results.
• Day 2: Preparing a Marketing Evaluation Report.
• Assignment: Analyze a sample set of marketing data and prepare a brief evaluation report.

Week 12: Final Project and Presentations

• Day 1: Final Project Work: Creating a Comprehensive Marketing Plan.
• Day 2: Student Presentations and Course Wrap-Up.
• Assignment: Submit a completed marketing plan, including goals, strategies, and evaluation plan.

Tools:

1. 1. Meta Business Manager – For channel practice, ad settings, and analytics.
   2. Google Business Suite
      • Google Docs – For drafting reflections, marketing plans, and project briefs.
      • Google Sheets – For organizing data, creating action timelines, and KPI tracking.
      • Google Slides – For presenting GTM strategies, reports, and final presentations.
   3. Canva – For creating brand identity graphics, visual representations of the marketing funnel, and enhancing final presentations.
   4. ChatGPT – For drafting messaging ideas and brainstorming content strategies.
   5. MMAP Course Workbook