Overview
The curriculum in this graduate certificate program focuses on digital strategy development, an area of the industry where there is a shortage of trained professionals. The program will deepen the students’ marketing communications skills and develop new skills in planning and implementing Integrated Marketing Communications campaigns. Students learn how to utilize interactive tools to develop customer-focused interactive marketing programs as well as web analytics to predict and measure the success of web and social media campaigns. Hands-on practical experience is gained through an agency model where students work to solve real challenges from real clients.
Digital Marketing Communications Graduate Certificate Students Share Their Why
St. Lawrence College is a member of the AACSB Business Education Alliance. Membership in AACSB, and participation in the Business Education Alliance, does not imply Accreditation.
Program Details
Program Outline
2024-2025
This course exposes learners to a wide range of tools needed to produce highly creative and current messaging and branding for companies in order to be heard, create followership, and succeed in today's market. Modern media channels are now accessible to virtually all businesses at a low or no cost. In one hand it's democratizing the space, but it contributes to a crowded and noisy advertising/marketing space. In this busy environment, marketers have to fight hard to capture the attention of the consumer. Telling stories, being remarkable, transparent, and producing highly creative ideas and messaging for a company or individual can truly differentiate and achieve its intended goals.
This course provides learners with knowledge of essential research methodologies and consumer behavior techniques applicable to communications and marketing problem solving. Both secondary and primary research techniques are studied and applied in a practical research project. Learners evaluate media research data from a variety of industry sources through the lens of numerous perspectives/disciplines (e.g. communications, psychology, sociology, cultural anthropology, and economics) to describe and predict how customers, (individuals and organizations), are likely to behave. This course prepares learners to predict customer actions, determine the needs of target markets, and identify how not only consumers but also businesses, governments, and not-for-profits make choices in the marketplace. In addition, this course covers a variety of markets and includes significant discussion of online consumer behaviour and the impact of the Internet on the market behaviour.
In a rapidly evolving digital landscape, marketers play a pivotal role in creating and maintaining a compelling web presence. In this course, you will explore the central role of a website as a marketing hub connecting other digital marketing channels. You'll learn the basics of webpage design, create high-performing web content through Search Engine Optimization (SEO) techniques, and master coding languages to elevate your online presence.
This course equips learners with the skills required to design and implement a complete integrated promotional campaign for an organization. Learners examine the marketing communication, promotional goals, and strategy of an enterprise, with an emphasis on the integration of digital and traditional channels. The course is practically oriented, and learners examine traditional mass advertising, online communication, promotion, public relations, personal selling and other communication areas. The course illustrates the relationships between the various forms of communications and how an organization uses them individually and collectively to resolve business problems. Businesses today are searching for integrated solutions, hence the need for coordinated planning of all forms of marketing communications.
Modern creative agencies require effective teamwork to manage projects and cultivate client relationships. This course emphasizes collaborative skills to prepare students for diverse agency roles. You will learn how to document client objectives and strengthen partnerships through professional practices. Utilizing project management principles and approaches, you'll understand how tools and techniques can be deployed at various stages of the project lifecycle to meet customer requirements. By the end of this course, you will prepared to develop and deliver project artifacts including client-facing plans, reports and presentations.
Content is king, and everyone is a creator. In this course, you will embark on a dynamic journey to craft compelling content that resonates with a target audience. Through practical application, you will understand the pivotal role diverse content types play in digital marketing, coupled with the influential force of a captivating brand narrative. By the course's end, you will possess a wealth of practical knowledge and a polished content portfolio.
In today's world, everyone is a brand - including you! In this course, you'll get comfortable marketing your most in-demand asset, your value. You'll develop your personal brand identity, create a standout resume and portfolio, practice your interview skills, secure recommendations and build a powerful professional network to help you acquire employment opportunities.
Apply your technical, strategic and creative knowledge and skills in this experiential course! Through high quality project-based learning, you will collaborate to manage live projects for real organizations. You will gain practical experience interfacing with peers, faculty and clients throughout all project phases. These experiences will culminate with the creation of tailored marketing deliverables and supporting creative assets with final presentations to clients/stakeholders.
This course provides learners with a fundamental understanding of how different social media channels are being used by consumers and marketers. Learners demonstrate social media strategically by employing social media planning principles, analysis, social media content planning, writing, and implementation to deliver on marketing communications objectives. Testing and post-campaign analysis is also touched on.
Build a strategy for better customer relationships through the use of marketing automation! In this course, you will explore the intricacies of the user journey, strategically planning marketing funnels to implement drip campaigns across multiple platforms and incorporating advanced remarketing tactics. You will dive into best practices for collecting, storing, segmenting, and leveraging user data inside of a customer relationship management (CRM) system, ensuring sustained engagement post-purchase.
Unlock the potential to grow a business through search engine marketing (SEM) and social media advertising! In this course, you will understand the nuance of paid search and social advertising. You will strategically allocate marketing dollars for digital advertising campaigns, gain performance insights, and assess your campaign's impact against business objectives. Throughout this course, you will elevate your understanding of best practices for online success, empowering you to confidently navigate the evolving landscape of digital advertising.
Make better and faster business decisions by delving into the heart of digital marketing: data. In this course, you will learn strategies for understanding data, the tools to measure common marketing data sources, frameworks and methodologies for data analysis, and best practices for reporting. By the end of this course, you will have proficiency in the art of measuring and reporting results across diverse marketing platforms, sharing insights to drive strategic business improvements.
Requirements
Admission Requirements
Two or three-year college diploma or university degree.
- Are your transcripts from outside of Canada? Please visit Applying to SLC - With Your Transcripts for more information.
Fees
2024-2025
Fees are estimates only. Tuition is based on two semesters.
Fees are estimates only. Tuition is based on two semesters.
Kingston
Our Kingston campus has seen significant renovation over the past few years, including a brand new Student Life and Innovation Centre that houses a new gymnasium, fitness centre, pub, and more.
Career Opportunities
Graduates find employment in many areas of the marketing communications industry from ad agencies, to marketing departments, to charitable and government organizations, to smaller entrepreneurial endeavours. Job areas include:
- Client Services Account Executive
- Copywriter
- Web Producer
- Digital Analyst
- Digital Media Specialist
- Social Media Manager
- Digital Marketing Manager
- SEO and SEM Specialist, and more.
Testimonials
Other Information
Students in this program must have a laptop computer and a USB key or external hard drive.
Approximate additional costs:
1. Laptop - $1,500
2. Adobe Creative Cloud - $19.99 - $29.99/month subscription
3. Office 365 - included in your SLC fees
4. USB key - $30
5. External hard drive - $100
6. SD card - $50
7. Textbooks, Online Learning Tools and Apps - costs vary
It is highly recommended that students wait until they start the program before purchasing any computer hardware or software. Discounts may be available.
Program Contacts
Program Contact
Jessica Bredschneider
jbredschneider@sl.on.ca
Admissions Information
Click here to message Recruitment.