Capstone Project: Digital Marketing and Growth Hacking
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Capstone Project: Digital Marketing and Growth Hacking
This course is part of IBM Digital Marketing and Growth Hacking with GenAI Professional Certificate
Instructor: IBM Skills Network Team
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What you'll learn
Demonstrate your digital marketing and AI skills in this portfolio-worthy capstone project that will stand out to employers
Design and execute a digital marketing strategy using core concepts from SEO, content marketing, paid advertising, social media, and email marketing
Develop campaign assets, including briefs, content plans, ad strategies, email sequences, and AI-enhanced materials tailored to a target audience
Apply practical skills in audience targeting, budgeting, channel selection, and performance forecasting to simulate real-world marketing challenges
Skills you'll gain
- Presentations
- Digital Marketing
- Content Performance Analysis
- Digital Analysis
- Content Development and Management
- E-Commerce
- Online Advertising
- Search Engine Optimization
- Digital Marketing Campaigns
- Social Media Campaigns
- Social Media Marketing
- Digital Advertising
- Paid media
- Content Strategy
- Advertising Campaigns
- Business Analysis
- Campaign Planning
- Market Analysis
- Target Audience
Tools you'll learn
Details to know
See how employees at top companies are mastering in-demand skills
Build your Marketing expertise
- Learn new concepts from industry experts
- Gain a foundational understanding of a subject or tool
- Develop job-relevant skills with hands-on projects
- Earn a shareable career certificate from IBM
There are 7 modules in this course
Get ready to demonstrate your digital marketing and growth hacking skills in this hands-on, real-world style capstone project. In this capstone, you’ll apply your skills to design and execute a complete digital marketing campaign for a hypothetical brand—combining strategy, creativity, and analytics.
You’ll start by crafting a campaign strategy and defining your target audience, then create an SEO-driven content plan, paid advertising assets, and a social media calendar. You’ll also build a conversion-optimized product page and personalized email sequence. To boost performance, you’ll analyze data from SEO, social media, and digital advertising to drive growth and ROI. Throughout the project, you’ll work with platforms like Facebook and LinkedIn and tools such as Shopify, Canva, and Zoho Campaigns. In parallel, you’ll use generative AI tools like ChatGPT and Gemini to enhance assets and improve efficiency. To wrap up, you’ll design a final presentation that demonstrates your analytical and presentation skills. The course also provides career guidance, from building your digital portfolio to resume, LinkedIn, and interview tips, plus insights on freelancing success. If you’re an aspiring marketing professional looking to build a standout portfolio that demonstrates your job-ready skills, enroll today!
Campaign strategy and audience targeting set the foundation for your digital marketing campaign. In this module, you will kickstart your capstone project by selecting a hypothetical product or service and clearly defining its business goals. You will then craft SMART marketing objectives aligned with those goals, identify the most effective digital channels to reach your audience, and build detailed customer personas using both demographic and psychographic insights. By the end of this module, you will have a strategic campaign brief that guides the development of all other components. This foundational work ensures your entire campaign is goal-driven, audience-centered, and aligned with real-world marketing practices.
What's included
3 videos1 reading3 assignments6 plugins
3 videos•Total 14 minutes
- Course Introduction•3 minutes
- Recap: SMART Marketing Goals •5 minutes
- Recap: Audience Segmentation•6 minutes
1 reading•Total 5 minutes
- Course Overview•5 minutes
3 assignments•Total 62 minutes
- Checklist: Setting Campaign Goals and Objectives•16 minutes
- Checklist: Defining Target Audience and Channels•16 minutes
- Graded Quiz: Campaign Strategy and Audience Targeting •30 minutes
6 plugins•Total 69 minutes
- Reading: Project Overview•5 minutes
- Module 1 Overview: Campaign Strategy and Audience Targeting•4 minutes
- Reading: Campaign Strategy and Related Template•5 minutes
- Lab: Define Business Goals and Write SMART Objectives•25 minutes
- Reading: Choosing Channels Based on Campaign Objectives•10 minutes
- Lab: Define Target Audience and Channel Justification•20 minutes
In this module, you will learn to design an SEO-driven content marketing plan that supports your overall campaign strategy. Building on foundational SEO principles, you will conduct targeted keyword research aligned with the hypothetical brand’s goals, develop optimized page titles and meta descriptions, and outline a blog post to drive organic traffic. Additionally, you will create a seven-day content calendar to plan and structure high-impact posts across relevant platforms. This module emphasizes strategic thinking, audience alignment, and measurable outcomes, preparing learners to implement SEO best practices that enhance visibility, engagement, and long-term content value. By the end of the module, you will have a complete, ready-to-deploy content plan.
What's included
2 videos3 assignments5 plugins
2 videos•Total 10 minutes
- Recap: SEO Basics and Tools •5 minutes
- Recap: Writing Content for SEO•6 minutes
3 assignments•Total 60 minutes
- Checklist: SEO Research and Planning•14 minutes
- Checklist: Content Calendar and Blog Outline•16 minutes
- Graded Quiz: SEO and Content Marketing Plan•30 minutes
5 plugins•Total 69 minutes
- Module 2 Overview: SEO and Content Marketing•4 minutes
- Reading: Guide to Using Keyword Research Tools•5 minutes
- Lab: Perform Keyword Research and Write Meta Titles•20 minutes
- Reading: Content Calendar Template•10 minutes
- Lab: Plan a Content Calendar and Write a Blog •30 minutes
This module focuses on planning a paid ad campaign. You will plan and design a targeted paid advertising campaign aligned with your capstone project’s overall strategy. Using insights from the campaign brief, you will write compelling ad copy for platforms like Google and Meta, define audience segments, and outline creative concepts for visual assets. Additionally, you will estimate advertising budgets, select appropriate bidding strategies, and forecast key performance indicators (KPIs) to measure success. This module emphasizes real-world marketing decision-making, helping you bridge the gap between strategy and execution. By the end of it, you will be able to articulate and present a complete paid media plan confidently.
What's included
2 videos3 assignments5 plugins
2 videos•Total 9 minutes
- Recap: SEM and Meta Ads•4 minutes
- Recap: Targeting Audiences in Paid Ads•6 minutes
3 assignments•Total 58 minutes
- Checklist: Campaign Setup and Ad Creation•12 minutes
- Checklist: Targeting and Budgeting•16 minutes
- Graded Quiz: Digital Advertising•30 minutes
5 plugins•Total 52 minutes
- Module 3 Overview: Digital Advertising•4 minutes
- Reading: Sample Ad Briefs and Templates•5 minutes
- Lab: Create Ad Copies for Google and Facebook•3 minutes
- Reading: Budget Planning and KPI Forecasting•10 minutes
- Lab: Create an Ad Targeting Plan and Estimate Budget•30 minutes
In this module. you will learn to design a strategic, seven-day organic social media content plan tailored to their hypothetical brand. You will also learn about platform selection, content alignment with campaign goals, and practical application of growth hacking techniques to boost engagement. This module also explores best practices for visual storytelling, hashtag usage, and writing compelling post captions. Through hands-on labs, you will develop and refine social media posts using tools like Canva. The final deliverable is a complete social media calendar featuring platform-specific content designed to resonate with target audiences and drive brand awareness and engagement.
What's included
2 videos3 assignments5 plugins
2 videos•Total 11 minutes
- Recap: Social Media Strategy •5 minutes
- Recap: Visual Design and Caption Tips•5 minutes
3 assignments•Total 64 minutes
- Checklist: Platform Selection and Content Planning•18 minutes
- Checklist: Post Creation and Optimization•16 minutes
- Graded Quiz: Social Media Content Plan •30 minutes
5 plugins•Total 53 minutes
- Module 4 Overview: Social Media Content Plan•4 minutes
- Reading: Social Media Calendar Guide•5 minutes
- Lab: Select Platform and Draft Post Ideas •25 minutes
- Reading: Post Template Library•4 minutes
- Lab: Create Sample Posts•15 minutes
This module focuses on developing an optimized product page and an email marketing sequence. You will apply key principles of conversion-focused design and personalized communication to drive customer engagement and sales. Additionally, this module guides you through the process of creating a visually appealing and search-optimized product page and designing an effective email marketing campaign tailored to segmented audiences. Through hands-on labs, you will build a mock product listing with compelling copy, visuals, and pricing, and develop a two-part email series that nurtures customer relationships. By the end of the module, you will be equipped to drive traffic and engagement through integrated e-commerce and email strategies.
What's included
2 videos3 assignments5 plugins
2 videos•Total 11 minutes
- Recap: Optimizing Product Listings•7 minutes
- Recap: Writing Engaging Email Copy•5 minutes
3 assignments•Total 64 minutes
- Checklist: Product Page Design •18 minutes
- Checklist: Email Campaign•16 minutes
- Graded Quiz: E-Commerce and Email Marketing•30 minutes
5 plugins•Total 74 minutes
- Module 5 Overview: E-Commerce and Email Marketing•4 minutes
- Reading: Product Page Template •5 minutes
- Lab: Create a Mock Product Page •30 minutes
- Reading: Email Sequence Ideas•5 minutes
- Lab: Write Welcome and Promotion Emails •30 minutes
In this module, you will learn how to optimize data for higher growth and ROI. The module discusses the role that data plays in building transformative growth through better analysis and insights. In this module, you will analyze data pertaining to SEO, social media, and digital advertising. Through hands-on activities, you will practice analyzing data across various digital functions. This module empowers you to evaluate data and generate insights and optimization techniques that will drive growth.
What's included
3 videos4 assignments7 plugins
3 videos•Total 20 minutes
- Recap: SEO Optimization Techniques•6 minutes
- Recap: Campaign Optimization•7 minutes
- Recap: Social Media Optimization•6 minutes
4 assignments•Total 90 minutes
- Checklist: SEO Optimization•20 minutes
- Checklist: Campaign Optimization•20 minutes
- Checklist: Social Media Optimization•20 minutes
- Graded Quiz: Data Analysis for Growth•30 minutes
7 plugins•Total 117 minutes
- Module 6 Overview: Data Analysis for Growth•4 minutes
- Reading: SEO Optimization Best Practices •5 minutes
- Lab: Optimize SEO Data and Provide Recommendations•35 minutes
- Reading: Campaign Optimization Best Practices •8 minutes
- Lab: Optimize Campaign Data and Provide Recommendations •15 minutes
- Reading: Best Practices for Social Media Optimization•5 minutes
- Lab: Optimize Social Data and Provide Recommendations•45 minutes
In this final module, you will work on combining and presenting your project work into a compelling presentation that demonstrates your analytical and presentation skills. You’ll learn to structure and design effective presentations, applying best practices for clarity, engagement, and professionalism. Along with the presentation, you’ll submit the deliverables created across previous modules for evaluation. The module also sums up the course learning and highlights key takeaways and next steps.
What's included
8 videos2 readings1 peer review1 app item2 plugins
8 videos•Total 46 minutes
- Structure of a Presentation•7 minutes
- Best Practices for Presenting Your Findings•5 minutes
- Job Search Tips•5 minutes
- Resume Writing and Updating your LinkedIn Tips •7 minutes
- Mock Interview Prep and Tips •6 minutes
- Getting Successful as a Freelancer•6 minutes
- Building Your Digital Portfolio•5 minutes
- Course Wrap-Up •4 minutes
2 readings•Total 2 minutes
- Congratulations and Next Steps•1 minute
- Thanks from the Course Team •1 minute
1 peer review•Total 90 minutes
- Option 2: Peer Graded - Final Project Submission and Evaluation•90 minutes
1 app item•Total 60 minutes
- Option 1: AI Graded - Final Project Submission and Evaluation•60 minutes
2 plugins•Total 47 minutes
- Lab: Preparing the Final Presentation•45 minutes
- Reading: Final Submission Guidelines and Deliverables•2 minutes
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Frequently asked questions
This course is designed for anyone looking to put their digital marketing knowledge into practice and build a job-ready portfolio. It is suitable for:
Marketing professionals looking to upskill, refresh their knowledge, or demonstrate proficiency with modern tools and AI integration
Aspiring digital marketers seeking hands-on experience to stand out in job applications
Entrepreneurs and small business owners who want to create and manage effective digital campaigns for their own brands
Career changers transitioning into the marketing field and needing practical experience
Freelancers and consultants aiming to showcase their expertise to clients or expand their service offerings
Completing this capstone project gives you a hands-on opportunity to apply what you've learned in the IBM Digital Marketing and Growth Hacking in a practical, real-world context. In this project, you’ll develop a full digital marketing campaign for a hypothetical brand, including assets like a campaign brief, SEO plan, ad copy, social media calendar, email sequence, product page, and performance analysis report.
To access the course materials, assignments and to earn a Certificate, you will need to purchase the Certificate experience when you enroll in a course. You can try a Free Trial instead, or apply for Financial Aid. The course may offer 'Full Course, No Certificate' instead. This option lets you see all course materials, submit required assessments, and get a final grade. This also means that you will not be able to purchase a Certificate experience.
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Financial aid available,
