MKT 315: Digital Marketing

Course Description

This course provides an in-depth exploration of digital marketing strategies and tools, preparing students for the dynamic landscape of online business. Major topics include the foundations of digital marketing and e-commerce, focusing on the evolving digital ecosystem and its impact on consumer behavior. Students will learn techniques for attracting and engaging customers through various digital platforms, including social media, search engines, and email marketing. Additionally, the course covers lead generation strategies and online customer interaction, emphasizing data-driven decision-making and customer relationship management. (3 credits)

Prerequisites

• ENG 101: English Composition 1
• ENG 102: English Composition 2
• MKT 220: Principles of Marketing

Additional Information

By combining theoretical textbook educational learnings with practical, hands-on implementation, students will learn and understand the Digital Marketing landscape and how to navigate the digital environment. Each student will choose a “Case Study” Company from a list provided. Each week, they will read the textbook and PowerPoint notes, then apply those concepts to the “Case Study” Company they chose and then post on a specific weekly topic. The students will be applying those concepts to a real-world situation, and this theoretical and practical process will allow them to truly understand the learnings covered. In addition to their main weekly post, they will also be required to submit three follow-up posts on other student discussion threads. These back-and-forth follow-up postings will help to encourage online participation in the threaded discussion groups and encourage additional peer-focused learnings and observations on the SOLs and material covered during the semester. In addition, the students will log on to Coursera, where they will be completing weekly course/modules that focus on Digital Marketing and E-commerce.

Program Learning Outcomes (PLOs)

Students who successfully complete this course will be able to:

1. Apply the concepts, theories, and relationships among the functional areas of an organization, including the ability to explain the nature and construct of an organization.
2. Design strategic marketing practices. This will include such areas as marketing research, consumer behavior, customer acquisition and retention strategies, and public relations. Additional areas include digital marketing including SEO techniques, social media strategies, leveraging artificial intelligence for targeted marketing campaigns, and driving brand loyalty.
3. Explain the global environment of business including the political, social, and intercultural sensitivities that exist in society that are important to the development of meaningful relationships and success in business and in life.
4. Demonstrate professional business behavior, social responsibility, and ethical decision making and conduct.
5. Demonstrate effective critical thinking, decision-making, problem solving, organizational leadership, teamwork; oral and written communication skills utilizing tools such as AI, research databases, and other tools as required.

Student Learning Outcomes (SLOs)

Students who successfully complete this course will be able to:

1. Identify the fundamental concepts of digital marketing and examine business opportunities and challenges presented through digital media.
2. Compare and contrast the main elements of digital marketing’s microenvironment and macroenvironment and how they support digital marketing strategy and planning.
3. Evaluate and critique the opportunities and constraints put on digital marketing through customer behavior and the broader environmental forces (including economic, legal, ethical, social, and technological).
4. Identify the stages involved in developing a strategic digital marketing plan, including assessing failures and solutions and designing strategic digital initiatives.
5. Distinguish the seven elements of the traditional marketing mix (product, price, place, promotion, people, process and physical evidence) to formulate a unique digital brand and digital marketing planning strategy.
6. Analyze, measure, and predict how data can help build long-term relationships with customers and how data-driven relationship marketing is essential for businesses utilizing digital platforms.
7. Explain how delivering a digital customer experience is complex and challenging and can directly impact campaign conversion and customer satisfaction.
8. Create a structured plan on how online elements of a marketing campaign can integrate with offline campaign elements to develop a holistic digital media campaign (including goal setting and tracking).
9. Appraise the relevance and success factors for various online communication tools (including SEM, SEO, paid advertising, email marketing, social, etc.) and then create an effective digital media marketing communication approach.
10. Evaluate and improve the performance of digital marketing channels, including website and online marketing communication results, using analytics, KPIs, google, etc.

Course Activities and Grading

Required Textbook

(Available through Charter Oak’s online bookstore)

• Dave Chaffey and Fiona Ellis-Chadwick. Digital Marketing. 9th ed. Pearson Publishing, 2025. ISBN-13: 978-1-292-40101-0

 Additional Resources

• Introduction videos by instructor
• PowerPoint presentations, Weeks 1-8
• Coursera courses/modules through Charter Oak Career Academy:
  • From Likes to Leads: Interact with Customers Online (Course 3) of the Google Digital Marketing & E-commerce Professional Certificate
  • Think Outside the Inbox: Email Marketing (Course 4) of the Google Digital Marketing & E-commerce Professional Certificate
  • Assess for Success: Marketing Analytics and Measurement (Course 5) of the Google Digital Marketing & E-commerce Professional Certificate

Course Schedule

COSC Accessibility Statement

Charter Oak State College encourages students with disabilities, including non-visible disabilities such as chronic diseases, learning disabilities, head injury, attention deficit/hyperactive disorder, or psychiatric disabilities, to discuss appropriate accommodations with the Office of Accessibility Services at OAS@charteroak.edu.

COSC Policies, Course Policies, Academic Support Services and Resources

Students are responsible for knowing all Charter Oak State College (COSC) institutional policies, course-specific policies, procedures, and available academic support services and resources. Please see COSC Policies for COSC institutional policies, and see also specific policies related to this course. See COSC Resources for information regarding available academic support services and resources.