IDM Professional Diploma in Digital Marketing(Dip DigM)

This programme is the equivalent to a level 6 qualification or to bachelor’s degree level and is made up of 16 modules.
 
Module 1: How digital continues to transform the role of marketing in business
 
Learning objective: Understanding the key factors that drive the growth and impact of digital marketing on customer experience.
 

• How digital marketing continues to redefine our ability to target and connect with customers
• Why developing real-time engagement is changing the role of marketing and marketers
• The importance of building mutually beneficial relationships with customers
• How digital transformation will shape the business of the future
• Uncovering the essential attributes of core digital channels:
  • SEO that supports brand activation
  • PPC that optimises conversion opportunities
  • Social channels that engage every moment of the customer journey
  • Display advertising that builds brand awareness and drives conversions
  • Mobile marketing that supports contextual and personal engagement
  • Affiliate Networks that extend reach through individual intermediaries and comparison websites
  • Email that maximises the lifetime value of customers

 
Module 2: How understanding consumer preference and behaviour helps us to be better digital marketers
 
Learning objective: Understanding how consumers make purchasing decisions is the key to optimal targeting and proposition development.
 
 

• How different sources of primary and secondary data help us to understand the characteristics of consumers in the digital marketplace
• How and when to use quantitative and qualitative customer research to deepen prospecting and targeting insights
• To use analytics reports to improve targeting options and identify the key drivers of response
• How developing Personas helps digital marketers generate actionable insights that improve the planning process

 
 
 
Module 3: Understanding the fundamental importance of Search Engine Marketing to digital marketing
 
Learning objective: Understand how SEM (SEO and PPC) plays a vital role in building brand engagement and sales opportunities at all points on the pathway to purchase.
 

• How search engine marketing (SEM) works across the customer journey
• How to build keyword strategies that drive optimised organic search results on a landing page by landing page basis
• The importance of indexing content and developing comprehensive and link partnerships to improve rankings
• Using the keyword optimising power of Pay Per Click (PPC) to drive sales
• How to set up and manage PPC accounts to optimise campaign performance
• Using analytics to continually improve SEM performance

 
Module 4: Extending the reach of digital marketing campaigns through Affiliate Marketing
 
Learning objective: Develop an understanding of the affiliate channel, technologies, remuneration models and controls needed.
 
 

• How affiliate marketing extends campaign reach, improves performance and delivers transparent campaign attribution
• How individual affiliates, publishers and affiliate networks use technology to deliver measurable customer experiences
• How to evaluate key performance indicators of competing affiliate networks
• The cost and commission structures of affiliates and affiliate networks
• How collaborative work practices and continuous network assessment helps maintain affiliate marketing’s exceptional ROI levels

 
Module 5: How Display Advertising builds awareness and generates efficient conversion opportunities for digital marketers
 
Learning objective: Understanding how channel preference, media research, targeting systems and ad-serving technology combine to build brands and drive sales efficiency.
 
 

• How real-time bidding and programmatic technology platforms help advertisers, publishers and consumers connect in real-time
• The importance of a focused display advertising strategy
• To explore the wide range of targeting options across different display networks
• To evaluate best practice inventory investment and bidding strategies
• Developing contextually relevant, original and impactful display ad creative
• How to ensure your advertising campaign management is efficient and accountable

Module 6: How efficient and practical planning processes build optimal digital marketing campaigns
 
Learning objective: Understand how successful digital marketing campaigns are driven by tried and tested planning frameworks that help us explore market conditions, develop actionable responses to surfaced insights and define success  
 
 

• How conducting a 12-point situation analysis helps us build a solid foundation for digital marketing plans
• Why SMART objectives are tested against allowable marketing cost
• How strategy helps us to improve the quality of targeting and customer engagement on the increasingly complex pathway to purchase
• How a wide range of customer and business variables drive tactical channel selection
• How inspirational creative and informative content improve campaign performance  
• Why every successful digital marketing campaign is built around a detailed timing and action plan
• How practical budgeting, benchmark analysis and forecasting processes help you assess the potential of your digital marketing plans prior to delivery

 
 
 
Module 7: Developing digital marketing propositions, ideas and creative that inspire target audiences
 
Learning objective: To understand how customer insights and creative ideas combine to develop inspirational digital marketing campaigns.
 

• How customer insight can be used to inspire creative that works across digital and physical channels
• The factors that define memorable digital creative ideas at both the strategic and tactical level
• The way specific objectives and targeting options shape campaign executions
• The critical importance of in-depth customer research and segmentation strategies to powerful propositions development
• How to develop informative and inspirational digital creative briefs that improve the quality of work and improve workflow 
• How to evaluate and respond to digital creative ideas and concepts with impartial and constructive objectivity

 
 
Module 8: Developing a data acquisition and management strategy that is an integral part of digital campaign planning and delivery
 
Learning objective: Understand how technology helps us collect, evaluate and report on the quantitative and qualitative data that supports our digital marketing decisions
 
 

• How data-driven decisions improve the way we reach, engage, convert, retain and grow our customer base
• The four Vs of Big Data 
• How to map customer contact and data points
• And evaluate the four types of customer data
• Data for customer profiles
• How Data Management Platforms work
• How to use databases, data modelling and data mining to surface RFV segmentation and Lifetime Value insights
• How developing   Single Customer View supports Customer experience

 
 
Module 9: How regulation, permission and codes of practice inspire efficient digital marketing
 
Learning objective: To understand all aspects of law and codes governing digital marketers and digital marketing campaigns.
 

• Why compliance defines professional digital marketers
• How marketing permission is a key driver of customer value
• How legal frameworks relating to personal data and consent (including PECR and GDPR) affect digital marketing practice
• What Marketers, Data Controllers and Data Processors need to know about Data protection and privacy legislation across the digital channels
• Consent, Legitimate Interests and individual rights under GDPR
• How MPS, TPS and DMA best practice guidelines help improve campaign performance and protect the rights of consumers
• How independent regulators such as ASA and CAP set advertising codes and enforce accountable standards 

 
Module 10: Building user-centric websites that support customer and digital marketing objectives
 
Learning objective: Understand how user-centered design processes and digital technologies help us to develop websites that enhance customer experiences.
 

• How to define the purpose of a website from customer, business and ecommerce points of view
• How user-centered design helps us explore the needs, tasks and digital environments that define user experience (UX)
• Using waterfall and agile site development approaches to scope and manage the development of web projects
• Improvements to UX through sitemaps, wireframes and user testing
• Developing criteria for choosing design, developer and tech partners that support customisation, reliable web hosting and maintenance programmes
• The ongoing relationship between web developers and digital marketers

 
 
 
 
Module 11: Using email marketing to build high-value digital relationships with prospects and customers
 
Learning objective: Understanding the relevant strategies, targeting methods, technologies and permissions needed to deliver customer-centric email marketing campaigns.
 

• How email campaigns can deliver a higher return on marketing investment than any other digital channel
• To develop a permission-based email strategy that recognises the long-term value of customers
• How segmentation, targeting, timing, testing and behavioural triggers optimise email campaigns
• Why ESP technology and data insight are important to subscriber-centric email marketing plans
• How automation, personalisation, dynamic content optimization and testing improve every aspect of email marketing, including: nurture, onboarding and lifecycle campaigns
• Exploring the metrics that define core key performance indicators for email campaigns

 
 
Module 12: How Content Marketing helps consumers make more informed purchasing decisions
 
Learning objective: Understanding the practical role content marketing plays in digital marketing campaigns.
 
 

• How content marketing supports the consumer decision making process from brand awareness to advocacy
• The qualities of ad formats on different social networks
• Developing and working with different content models
• How to build a flexible approach to content planning and development
• Developing and optimising content for text, image and video-based delivery 
• The process of useful content creation, UGC and the value of storytelling
• Developing and executing content planning frameworks

 
 
Module 13: Exploring the use of Social Media channels to build acquire, convert and retain target audiences and customers
 
Learning objective: Understand how social media channels can be used to support all aspects of your customer acquisition, conversion and retention plans
 

• Why analysing social platform preferences and influencer analysis helps us define the best role for social media in our digital marketing campaigns
• How social media helps build brand awareness and preference
• Why social media offers opportunities to engage with communities and identify customer preferences
• How paid social media can drive sales
• How to analyse social channels to monitor sentiment and competitor activity
• To exploit the power of influencers to extend campaign reach and enhance cross channel performance
• To use social media channels as customer service tools
• To use monitoring and analytics dashboards to improve the media-multiplier effect of social campaigns

 
 
Module 14: Understanding the personal and contextual role of Mobile in digital marketing campaigns
 
Learning objective: Understanding the precision targeting opportunities that make mobile marketing one of the most effective digital channels.
 

• How mobile fits into a personalised digital marketing strategy
• To assess the influence of mobile on customer behaviour across the digital and physical customer journey, and the legal implications
• How to make use of mobile’s contextual targeting, app engagement, video, livestreaming, instant messaging, interactive NFC features and mobile payments capabilities
• How to set up tracking and data-management for omnichannel and multi-device engagement across mobile, desktop, in-store and print
• To identify and use different ROI and attribution models that measure the success of mobile marketing activities

 
 
Module 15: Understanding the metrics that help us control and refine digital marketing campaigns
 
Learning objective: Understanding approaches for measuring and improving web marketing performance onsite acquisition, conversion and retention.
 

• Why digital campaign performance must be linked to clearly defined  business objectives and campaign KPIs 
• How the performance of different digital channels requires a range of specific metrics to define their contribution
• Why testing is important to improving digital marketing performance and customer experience
• Why every landing page should be part of a systemic CRO testing strategy
• How tag management and attribution modelling helps assign credit for multi-channel campaigns and identify optimisation opportunities

 
Module 16: Exploring the near-future of data-driven digital marketing
 
Learning objective: Develop personal insights into how digital marketing will continue to constantly change the way marketing and marketers work.
 

• How brands, agencies, journalists and researchers see the future of digital marketing from different perspectives that are useful to marketers
• Which brand, agency and technology trends are most likely to bring significant changes to digital marketing
• How agency/client relationships and work practices are changing to meet the needs of real-time consumer engagement
• How technologies such as AI, AR, NFC IoT and Blockchain will change customer experiences in ways that are hard to imagine
• How combining the best of marketing automation with human inspiration is the key to increased productivity in digital marketing

To support your studies
 
Every delegate has an online learning account which includes:

• eLearning modules on each of the 16 topics, including webinars and learning checks
• World class DMA research, including the latest Consumer Attitudes to Privacy paper and annual email studies reflecting the attitudes of marketers and consumers.
• Links to industry leading blogs, whitepapers and websites.
• Access to the DMA Awards case studies, showcasing industry leading campaigns including IKEA, Honda and Paypal

Delegates are automatically enrolled as IDM members, giving access to events and a free Euromonitor subscription for the latest consumer research (worth £170 pa)

Exams and assessments
 
In order to attain the Professional Diploma in Digital Marketing you must successfully pass two assignments and one exam.
 
You will have five weeks to complete each assignment and three hours to complete the exam.
 
Exams take place in March, June and November at over 3,500 venues around the world.
 
Pass marks and grades
 
Assignment marks are weighted. Assignment 1 is weighted at 40% and Assignment 2 is weighted at 60%.
 
To pass you will need a minimum of 45% in each assignment and exam to pass.
 
If one or both assignments don’t meet the minimum pass mark, your tutor will discuss this with you and may be considered by the Board of Examiners in conjunction with your exam results.
 
To obtain a CREDIT you must pass both papers and achieve an overall average of 60%. For a DISTINCTION you must pass both papers and achieve an overall average of 70%.