Digital Marketing Essentials for Leaders

Over the duration of this four-day course, you will develop a comprehensive understanding of digital marketing.

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You will explore how digital technologies have impacted the marketing strategy formulation process, delve into the role of multi-sided platforms in digital marketing ecosystems, and grow savvy on tried and tested digital marketing techniques such as online testing, website analytics, search engine marketing, search engine optimisation, and display advertising.

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Firstly, you will be introduced to various of frameworks for digital marketing that will assist in establishing a context for the digital marketing strategy formulation process.

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As a group, we will:

• Explore a variety of strategic frameworks for digital marketing
• Understand the difference between inbound and outbound marketing
• Learn to allocate budgets effectively among alternative digital marketing activities

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You will then be presented to the role of multi-sided platforms in digital marketing ecosystems, where you will:

• Analyse the creation of value in platform as well as issues around growth and governance
• Discover the fast-growing nature of social media platforms and influencer marketing
• Explore sentiment analysis in social media to create optimal marketing strategies

Next, our focus will shift towards online testing and website analytics, with the aim of grasping their workings from a leadership viewpoint.

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Together, online testing and website analytics can provide valuable insights into the effectiveness of digital marketing efforts. Working closely within groups, you will:

• Realise the opportunities of digital experiments and identify the key steps when conducting online testing
• Recognise different sources of website traffic and audience segments
• Select key performance indicators for your organisation

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We will then turn our attention to search engine marketing and display advertising, which can be effective for businesses looking to increase their online presence and attract new customers. Collaborating closely in teams, you will:

• Learn to promote websites by increasing their visibility in search engine result pages through paid advertising (PPC)
• Increase online visibility, credibility, and engagement and ultimately drive more and conversions and business success with search engine optimization (SEO)
• Reach targeted audiences with display advertising and evaluate its impact at different stages of the customer journey

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Finally, we will draw together the key themes of the course and how to implement them within your organisation.

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There will be a networking drinks reception on evening one where you will get to know your course colleagues. There will also be a course dinner on evening three, offering the opportunity for your class to come together with a wider cohort of short-course learners to expand your networking opportunities.

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Delivered face-to-face at Alliance Manchester Business School’s Executive Education centre, this course involves a range of interactive learning styles that connect theory with practice which ensures delegates finish the course with applied, up to date knowledge of digital marketing.

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Throughout the course, you will hear from leading industry experts, network with a variety of business leaders and work with other delegates to apply core aspects of the course to your organisation.

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During your time on this course, you will gain several stand-out learning experiences, including:

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Applied Learning - A learning environment created by the course facilitator that draws on the experience and input of your course peers.

Knowledge Transfer - A steady stream of feedback from participating peers with diverse business backgrounds to help build your leadership skills.

Reflection - A rare time-out to contemplate your own digital marketing capabilities and challenges while engaging with our world-class experts in the marketing field.

Network Expansion - An expanding professional network drawn from your peers.

Personal Growth - An expanding self-awareness of your own marketing competencies and how they can be honed.

Behavioural Change - An adoption of new rationales and mindsets that improve your managerial skills.

• Gain a strategic understanding of digital marketing and how it fits into your broader marketing strategies
• Discover the key platforms to implement within your organisation to optimise ways of working
• Learn how to leverage web analytics and online testing to strengthen your existing strategies
• Understand the language and insights of your marketing team and build your confidence when having senior-level marketing conversations
• Gain expert insights through real-world case studies and industry speakers
• Become a member of the AMBS Executive Education Network and benefit from top-class speaker events, regular updates, and networking opportunities with like-minded professionals

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This course is for business professionals with a keen interest in learning more about the nuances of digital marketing.

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Whether you are responsible for implementing digital marketing plans or an executive interested in cultivating a strategic understanding of digital marketing, this course will enable you to return to your organisation with an enhanced understanding of all things digital.

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This session explores the key drivers of productivity and how leaders can identify practical opportunities to improve performance. You will consider the wider economic policy levers that shape productivity, the factors within an organisation's control, and the trade-offs leaders need to navigate when seeking sustainable improvement.

• Explore the drivers of productivity and how they affect firm-level performance.
• Use a practical framework and checklist to identify opportunities for improvement.

This session helps leaders build confidence in understanding and applying AI responsibly. You will explore the opportunities, risks and governance considerations linked to AI adoption, while experimenting with practical tools that can support leadership tasks and organisational decision-making.

• Understand key AI concepts and how they can support productivity and decision-making.
• Identify responsible approaches to AI adoption within your organisation.

This session explores how organisational design, operating models and processes influence performance. You will consider practical ways to improve effectiveness, manage resources and support continuous improvement in complex and changing environments.

• Explore how structures, systems and processes shape organisational performance.
• Identify practical actions to strengthen effectiveness and adaptability.

This session explores how leaders can support people and organisations through change and transition. You will use practical models and tools to understand why change can be unpredictable, communicate with clarity and build confidence during periods of uncertainty.

• Apply practical tools to communicate clearly and support teams through change.
• Use models such as Bridges’ Transition Model and the 4C framework to strengthen leadership effectiveness.

This session explores strategy as the art of making choices. You will consider how leaders can assess strategic options, make effective trade-offs and allocate resources in a fast-paced world, including the importance of stopping some activities to focus on the priorities most likely to deliver successful outcomes.

• Explore how to judge strategic choices and trade-offs in different situations.
• Apply simple strategic models to support focus, resource allocation and decision-making.

This session introduces risk appetite and enterprise risk management as practical tools for leadership decision-making. You will explore how organisations identify, assess and manage risk, while considering how risk appetite can support responsible business growth.

• Understand how risk appetite supports better leadership decisions.
• Explore practical ways to assess, prioritise and manage organisational risk.

This session explores how leaders can build, protect and manage organisational reputation in complex environments. You will consider the links between governance, strategy, trust and legitimacy, and examine how organisations can respond effectively during reputational challenge or crisis.

• Explore the drivers of reputation, trust and legitimacy.
• Consider practical approaches to managing reputational challenges and values-based relationships.