- Description
- Curriculum
Digital marketing is no longer a specialized area practiced at the margins of business. It has become an integral part of how organizations communicate, compete, and create value. People now discover products through search engines, evaluate alternatives using online reviews, engage with brands on social platforms, and make purchase decisions in environments shaped by data, algorithms, and digital technologies. For students of marketing, understanding this landscape is no longer optional; it is foundational.
The chapters/lessons in the curriculum are designed for students taking an introductory course in digital marketing. It assumes curiosity rather than technical expertise and emphasizes understanding over execution. You do not need a strong technical background to benefit from this book. Instead, the focus is on helping you think clearly about how digital marketing works, why it matters, and how marketers make decisions in digitally connected environments.
Although digital tools and platforms change rapidly, the underlying principles of marketing remain remarkably stable. Organizations still need to understand customers, create value, communicate effectively, and build relationships over time. What has changed is the context in which these activities occur. Digital environments introduce new dynamics: information abundance, attention scarcity, rapid feedback, personalization, automation, and the growing influence of data and artificial intelligence. This book explores how traditional marketing ideas take shape under these conditions.
Rather than presenting digital marketing as a collection of tactics or platform-specific instructions, this book takes a strategic and conceptual approach. You will encounter frameworks such as the customer journey, omnichannel thinking, and engagement-oriented communication. You will learn how different digital channels play distinct roles at different stages of decision-making. You will also examine how data and analytics inform marketing decisions, and why ethical considerations around privacy, transparency, and responsibility are increasingly important.
This approach is intentional. Specific tools, interfaces, and technologies will continue to evolve, sometimes very quickly. A book that focuses too heavily on “how-to” instructions risks becoming outdated almost as soon as it is published. By contrast, a solid understanding of concepts, tradeoffs, and decision-making logic will remain useful long after individual platforms have changed. The goal of this book is to help you develop that durable understanding.
Throughout the chapters (lessons), examples are drawn from everyday digital experiences — searching for information, scrolling through social media, reading reviews, receiving emails, or interacting with apps. These familiar moments illustrate how digital marketing operates in practice, often invisibly, as part of daily life. You are already participating in digital marketing as a consumer; this book invites you to step back and view those experiences from a marketer’s perspective.
This book is designed to support a course in which students may have diverse backgrounds and levels of experience. Some readers may go on to take more applied courses that involve building websites, working with specific platforms, or developing campaigns. Others may pursue roles where digital marketing knowledge informs strategy, analytics, or managerial decision-making. In either case, the aim here is to provide a clear, thoughtful foundation.
If this book succeeds, you will finish it with more than familiarity with digital marketing terminology. You will be better equipped to ask the right questions, interpret digital signals thoughtfully, and adapt to a marketing environment that continues to evolve. That ability to think critically and strategically about digital marketing is the most valuable outcome this course can offer.
-
1
D1. Welcome to Digital MarketingChapter 1 introduces digital marketing through the lens of an ordinary day, showing how countless small interactions — searches, notifications, reviews, emails, social posts, and recommendations — form the customer journey. It explains what digital marketing is, how it builds on traditional concepts like the 4Ps and STP, and how channels, data, and feedback shape modern customer experiences. The chapter provides a simple map of journeys, channels, and data, and highlights why digital marketing matters in a fast‑moving, connected world.
-
2
D2. The New Rules of the Digital Economy
The digital economy has transformed how markets operate, shifting power toward customers and redefining competition. Abundant information, rapid feedback, expanded reach, and data‑driven technologies demand new marketing approaches focused on relevance, engagement, and adaptability. This chapter introduces the forces reshaping modern marketing and the skills required to navigate them effectively.
-
3
D3. Strategy Before Channels
Effective digital marketing begins with strategy, not tools. This chapter explains why clear goals, defined audiences, and strong value propositions must guide decisions before choosing channels or tactics. It highlights how trend‑chasing, vanity metrics, and unfocused activity undermine results, emphasizing a disciplined, strategy‑first approach to digital marketing.
-
4
D4. The Digital Marketing Ecosystem
Digital marketing works best when viewed as an interconnected ecosystem rather than a collection of isolated platforms. This chapter introduces the major channel types — owned, paid, and earned — and explains how they support different stages of the customer journey. It highlights why integration, coordination, and long‑term strategic thinking matter more than chasing individual tools.
-
5
D5. Websites and Digital Foundations
Websites remain the foundation of digital marketing because they offer control, depth, and a central hub for customer journeys. This chapter explains how websites support discovery, evaluation, action, and long‑term relationships, and why clarity, structure, credibility, and integration matter more than technical expertise when designing effective digital experiences.
-
6
D6. Search Engines and Being Found
Search engines remain central to digital marketing because they reveal customer intent and shape which options are considered. This chapter explains how organic and paid search work, why visibility is competitive, and how search supports every stage of the customer journey. It also introduces emerging AI‑driven search and its implications for being “found” online.
-
7
D7. Content Marketing and Creating Value
Content marketing earns attention by offering value rather than interrupting audiences. This chapter explores what content marketing is, why it anchors digital strategy, and how different content types support search, social, email, and the customer journey. It also examines distribution, common challenges, and why effective content is a long‑term strategic investment.
-
8
D8. Social Media Marketing and Online Communities
Social media is a dynamic, community-driven environment where visibility depends on platform algorithms and user engagement, not traditional broadcasting. This chapter explores how brands participate in social spaces, the strategic roles social media plays across the customer journey, and the risks, norms, and expectations that shape effective, authentic interaction.
-
9
D9. Influencer Marketing and Digital Opinion Leaders
Influencer marketing leverages trusted personal voices rather than traditional advertising to shape attention, credibility, and decision‑making. This chapter explores why influencers persuade, how different types serve distinct strategic roles, and how influencer partnerships fit into the broader digital ecosystem. It also examines risks, ethical concerns, and the need for thoughtful evaluation beyond popularity metrics.
-
10
D10. Email Marketing and Direct Digital Relationships
Email remains one of the most reliable digital marketing channels because it offers direct, permission‑based communication grounded in trust and relevance. This chapter explores why email is often misunderstood, how it supports every stage of the customer journey, and what distinguishes effective, respectful email marketing from spam or over‑communication.
-
11
D11. Data, Analytics, and Measuring Digital Marketing Performance
Chapter 11 explores analytics as the backbone of digital marketing decision‑making. It explains how data helps marketers understand behavior, evaluate performance, and improve strategy. The chapter emphasizes interpretation over technical tools, showing how meaningful insights — not raw numbers — guide smarter choices across channels and throughout the customer journey.
-
12
D12. Ethics, Privacy, and the Future of Digital Marketing
As digital marketing grows more data‑driven and automated, ethical judgment becomes essential. This chapter explores why privacy, transparency, and responsible data use matter, how AI and platform power introduce new dilemmas, and why trust is a long‑term strategic asset. It emphasizes that effective digital marketing requires not just capability, but conscience.