Introduction to digital marketing

Gain the skills to get ahead in digital marketing with this CPD course from The Open University (OU). Whether you’re new to digital marketing or want to build on existing experience, this course will introduce you to the core principles and latest trends that will help you plan first-class, user-centric campaigns and guide you through the dynamic digital marketing landscape.

Standalone study only

You will not be awarded credits for studying this course. It is available for standalone study only and cannot be counted towards an OU qualification.

Short course

Short course code

YG003

Credits

This is a non-credit bearing course.

What you will study

Throughout this Continuing Professional Development (CPD) course, you’ll benefit from expert insight into how to apply digital marketing tactics and build strategies. Practical exercises will help you apply your new knowledge, and sharing your thoughts and opinions with co-learners will help you further reflect and deepen your understanding.

Delivered over four, easy-to-digest sections, you will cover:

1: Digital marketing in perspective

What is digital marketing?
Growth in digital adoption and constant change
Audience attention and noise
Technology driving change and innovation
Latest trends in digital marketing
Focusing on objectives and the user journey

2: User journeys and personas

What are personas in digital marketing?
Developing personas for digital marketing
Using and refining personas
What are user journey maps in digital marketing?
User journey mapping for digital marketing
Using user journey maps to create best practice digital marketing

3: Content marketing

What is content marketing?
Identify the challenges of content marketing
Learn how to align content marketing with stages of the user journey and personas
Content marketing channel considerations
Best practice content marketing
Content marketing optimisation

4: Marketing channel objectives

How to align digital marketing objectives with organisational and audience objectives
The danger of vanity metrics and why they persist
Primary, secondary, and tertiary objectives
Channel analytics and web analytics for objectives
Going beyond the last click
How to use objectives for campaign iteration and optimisation.

Please note: the content in this course also features in courses created by The Open University, which are available on FutureLearn.

You will learn

By the end of this CPD course, you’ll have the skills to:

identify and understand the latest trends in digital marketing
develop user journeys and user journey maps
assess user journey maps and plan improvements
design content marketing
identify, set and measure digital marketing objectives.

Vocational relevance

The role of Digital Marketing Specialist is among the top ten most in-demand jobs, with over 860,000 job openings advertised, according to LinkedIn. Advances in digital media and technology have dramatically changed how marketers plan campaigns, communicate with audiences, build relationships, and drive sales. Keeping pace and developing key skills will help you to succeed in an ever-evolving digital world.

This course has been created by the OU in collaboration with industry experts and leaders in digital marketing. It’s hosted by Daniel Rowles, CEO of Target Internet, who has worked in digital marketing and digital transformation for over 20 years, helping a wide range of high-profile brands to use digital effectively. Daniel is also the voice behind the Digital Marketing Podcast and a renowned author in the field.

Learner support

There is no tuition on this course and all study is self-directed. Throughout the course, you will have the opportunity to enhance and reflect on your understanding by sharing your thoughts and opinions with co-learners.

Teaching and assessment

Assessment

This online course includes a mix of video, audio and written materials. You can learn at your own pace with complete flexibility. Throughout the course, you will be asked to respond to questions, reflect on your experiences and learning, and carry out short exercises to help you develop your understanding.

At the end of each section, you will be asked to answer a set of multiple-choice questions to test your knowledge. You can attempt these as often as you need to. It is important to complete them because they count towards your final score.

To receive a Certificate of Completion, you will need to complete every section and achieve at least 70% in all tests.

Regulations

As a student of The Open University, you should be aware of the content of the academic regulations, which are available on our Student Policies and Regulations website.

Entry requirements

You don’t need any prior digital marketing knowledge to join this course, although any work experience will help enhance and contextualise your learning.

It’s suitable for those who are new to the subject and want to build their knowledge, traditional marketers and communicators who would like to upskill in digital marketing, and more experienced marketers who want to cement their knowledge of the latest trends.

The content in this course is suitable for a global audience and the skills you learn can be applied in a wide range of marketing roles, whether in the public or third sector, large corporates, or SMEs.

If you'd like to discuss the suitability of the course, please contact us.

Course length

This course will take around 24 hours to complete and you can learn at your own pace. As a guide, if you set aside three hours per week, it would take eight weeks to complete.

You can begin learning at any time. You will have a minimum of six months and up to 18 months to complete the course, depending on your registration date.

Register

Start	End	England fee	Register
At anytime before registration end date	Jan 2026 - see Entry requirements for more detail	£200.00	Registration closes 31/07/2025 Register

Ways to pay

Credit/Debit Card – We accept American Express, Mastercard, Visa and Visa Electron.

Sponsorship – If this course is geared towards your job or developing your career, you could ask your employer to sponsor you by paying some or all of the fees. Your sponsor just needs to complete a simple form to confirm how much they will be paying and we will invoice them.

The fee information provided here is valid for short courses starting in the 2024/25 academic year. Fees typically increase annually. For further information about the University's fee policy, visit our Fee Rules.

Can you study an Access module for free?

Depending on eligibility and availability of places, you could apply to study your Access module for free.

To qualify, you must:

be resident in England
have a household income of not more than £25,000 (or be in receipt of a qualifying benefit)
have not completed one year or more on any full-time undergraduate programme at FHEQ level 4 or above or successfully completed 30 credits or more of OU study within the last 10 years

How to apply to study an Access module for free

Once you've started the registration process, either online or over the phone, we'll contact you about your payment options. This will include instructions on how you can apply to study for free if you are eligible and funded places are still available.

If you're unsure if you meet the criteria to study for free, you can check with one of our friendly advisers on +44 (0)300 303 0069, or you can request a call back.

Not eligible to study for free?

Don't worry! We offer a choice of flexible ways to help spread the cost of your Access module. The most popular options include:

monthly payments through OUSBA
part-time tuition fee loan (you'll need to be registered on a qualification for this option)

To explore all the options available to you, visit Fees and Funding.

What's included

All learning materials, exercises and activities are delivered entirely online.

Computing requirements

You can learn from your desktop computer or laptop or take your learning with you on a phone or tablet. You’ll need broadband internet access and a desktop/laptop computer with an up-to-date version of Windows (10 or 11) or macOS Ventura or higher. Our OU Study mobile app will operate on all currently supported Android and iOS versions.

If you have a disability

The course is delivered online and makes use of a variety of online resources. If you use specialist hardware or software to assist you in using a computer or the internet, you can contact us about the support which can be given to meet your needs.