The IDM Certificate in Direct and Digital Marketing

Syllabus

The IDM Certificate in Direct and Digital Marketing offers a thorough understanding of direct marketing principles and practice. Topics such as retaining and activating customers, the internet, database marketing, customer acquisition, new media and privacy, creativity in direct marketing - to name but a few - are all covered by the comprehensive, up-to-date syllabus.

Module 1. What is Direct and Digital Marketing?

• The key differences and benefits of direct and digital marketing
• Changing and converging channels to market – on and offline
• Focussing on the individual
• Importance of channel and media neutral planning
• Targeting prospects and customers by status, potential value and interest
• Accountability through measurability
• Increasing customer loyalty and lifetime value
• The TICC formula
• Key differences of ecommerce

Module 2. Planning, Forecasting & Measurement

• How to construct a good marketing plan
• How to assess a company’s current position in the marketplace
• How to develop strategies and direct and digital action plans
• The growth of the internet
• What to measure to evaluate your online and offline campaigns
• Key performance indicators on and offline and how to calculate them
• Calculating how much to spend on acquiring a new customer
• Customer Lifetime Value and how to calculate it
• Using results to optimise your campaign

Module 3. Gaining Customer Insight & Personalisation

• How data can help you understand customers and prospects on & offline
• Name and address processing, data enhancement and screening
• Deduplication and its issues
• Database functions and requirements
• Creating a single customer view
• Why B2B is different to B2C – corporate to sole traders
• Profiling, segmentation & targeting
• Primary sources of profiling data
• The principles of segmentation
• Propensity modelling & trigger communications
• The roles for market research in direct & digital marketing

Module 4. Offline acquisition & integrated marketing communications

• The stages in planning an acquisition campaign
• Identifying your target audience & their buying process
• Roles of different media
• The advantages and disadvantages of the major offline media, including; direct response and interactive TV; press & magazines; direct mail; radio and door drops
• Buying media - how costs compare
• How channels fit together
• What is media and channel neutral planning
• How to get the most out of your campaign budget
• Combining media in multi-media campaigns for maximum effectiveness
• Difference between brand adverting and direct response planning & buying

Module 5. Planning Digital Campaigns

• The digital landscape & the differences between online and offline
• Different customer expectations
• Generating traffic to your website
• Search engine optimisation
• Search & PPC advertising
• Affiliates
• Viral & advertising
• Social media, user generated content and online PR
• Email marketing
• Mobile & SMS communications
• Measuring success – what to measure

Module 6. Customer Engagement, Activation & Retention

• From transactions to relationships
• Building customer value through upselling & cross-selling
• Enhancing the customer journey – on & offline
• CRM – what is it, and making it work
• Degrees and types of loyalty & bonding
• Why do customers defect?
• The roles and differences between sales promotion, loyalty programmes and relationship marketing
• The importance of staff, training and integration
• The stages in planning a customer campaign
• Nine ways to analyse customers value

Module 7. Creative strategy and On & Offline Implementation

• Differences between general advertising and DDM creativity
• How and why people respond
• What is a direct marketing proposition and how to develop a strong proposition?
• Creating a great creative brief
• How to evaluate creative work - AIDCA in action
• Ways to promote your website
• The strategy behind direct headlines & copy
• The function and nature of offers
• Difference between on and off-line creative
• Creating and organising integrated, multi-channel campaigns
• Creating the ‘organising’ idea

Module 8. Campaign Planning & Implementation

• Planning & managing the process
• Testing – what to test and how to build test matrices
• Understanding the statistical principles behind testing to create a valid test
• The increasing concern about privacy and data protection
• The CAP code, Data Protection Act and its principles
• Preference services: telephone and mail preference services
• Choosing and briefing suppliers
• Planning campaign development timing
• Coordinating suppliers
• Managing call centres & the role of telemarketing

Approaching revision and exams

• How to revise
• Key points to revise
• Format of the exams
• Exam paper writing techniques

Study options

Intensive study

Our intensive (non-residential) option consists of 2 X 3-day sessions at the IDM training suite in Teddington, Middlesex.

In-company tuition - worldwide

Lots of potential, eager candidates where you work? Then we'll come to you!

If your organisation has at least 12 employees who could benefit from studying for an IDM qualification, we can deliver a cost-effective, flexible programme on your own premises or in your locality - anywhere in the world. We bring with us the assurance of being a recognised global leader in direct and interactive marketing training.

While leading students through the syllabus, our trainers will understand your marketplace and, where possible, develop individual exercises that link directly to your organisation's marketing programmes. In-company students still undergo our rigorous methods of assessment, including final exams, though we can compress their period of learning to suit business operations. To find out more email our in-company qualifications team now.

Study aids

Every qualification student will receive complimentary online IDM membership which allows 24/7 access to digital and direct marketing resources. In addition to this, you'll receive a comprehensive study package with practitioner-written study notes, carefully selected texts, presentations, reading lists and supporting online documentation.

Certificate students will also get of a copy of:

Direct and Digital Marketing in Practice; Brian Thomas and Matthew Housden

This fully updated edition reflects the impact of the Internet, covering vital issues such as: the new marketing landscape; gaining customer insight; integrating traditional and digital media; and campaign planning and budgeting.

Why ambitious marketers choose the IDM Certificate

As well as gaining a very well respected qualification, students receive guidance and advice from leading practitioners which they can use straight away.

"The Certificate in Direct and Interactive marketing gives a thorough view of the world of direct marketing that is interesting, up to date, and most importantly, wholly relevant. I would certainly recommend it to anyone seeking to further their knowledge, or those starting out in the world of direct marketing."

Joe Freeman Cert IDM, Legacy Manager, Diabetes UK

"As a newcomer to direct marketing the IDM Certificate has proved invaluable to my development. As well as achieving a qualification I have learnt skills and techniques which I put to use on a daily basis in the workplace."

Stacey Boshier Cert IDM, Trainee Direct Marketing Analyst, Friends Provident

"The result of the course for me was an increased confidence in my work and my own ability, which was recognised and respected by my managers and senior staff. My goals and ambitions have been pushed higher and I'm sure that this knowledge will remain with me for a long long time."

Nina Walker Cert IDM, Individual Giving Manager, The Prince's Trust

Tutors

Brian Thomas Hon F IDM was formerly Managing Director of Ogilvy & Mather Direct and Chairman of Saatchi & Saatchi Direct, author of the Royal Mail Guide to Direct Mail for Small Businesses and the new textbook Direct Marketing in Practice. He is a highly experienced and enthusiastic direct marketing consultant and trainer. Over the course of 30 years in advertising and marketing, he has planned and controlled more than 700 direct marketing campaigns and held senior positions in the likes of ICI and GUS.

David Cheek F IDM was one of the early movers from a successful career in above-the-line agencies into the direct marketing arena over 20 years ago. He now runs his own Direct and Relationship Marketing consultancy, working with clients and service agencies as varied as Guinness, Unilever, Volvo and Vauxhall to Cornhill Insurance, the Earl Mountbatten Hospice fundraising and EuroDirect. In addition he has been a Senior Consultant and Diploma, Certificate and In-Company tutor for the IDM over the last ten years.

Prior to starting his own consultancy, David was Director of WWAV Rapp Collins, the country’s leading direct marketing agency for over 10 years. His clients included Marks & Spencer FS, Automobile Association FS, Nationwide Building Society, British Airways, Porsche, EMAP magazines, Publishers Clearing House, Somerfield Supermarkets and Cancer Research Campaign.