Digital Marketing Implementation: Executing Strategies in a Connected, Data-Driven World
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Digital Marketing Implementation: Executing Strategies in a Connected, Data-Driven World
This course is part of multiple programs.
Instructors: Mike Yao
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3,176 reviews
What you'll learn
Strategically develop a digital marketing communication plan.
Appropriately relate your marketing goals with the communication strategies and the channels.
Effectively employ the right tools and strategies to amplify the impact of your digital campaign through digital and social media.
Identify the key performance indicators and analyze the return on investment of a digital campaign.
Skills you'll gain
- Marketing Management
- Marketing Strategies
- Content Strategy
- Social Media Campaigns
- Marketing Planning
- Online Advertising
- Social Media Marketing
- Digital Marketing
- Social Media Strategy
- Content Marketing
- Web Analytics and SEO
- Strategic Marketing
- Digital Marketing Campaigns
- Social Media
- Search Engine Optimization
- Data-Driven Marketing
- Direct Marketing
- Digital Media Strategy
- Search Engine Marketing
- Digital Brand Strategy
Details to know
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- 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
There are 4 modules in this course
The proliferation of digital technology gives businesses an unprecedented and diverse new set of tools to reach, engage, monitor, and respond to consumers. The aggregated and voluminous digital data can also be leveraged to better target specific consumer segments. Following “Digital Media and Marketing Principles,” this course aims to give you a deeper understanding of core processes of planning a digital marketing campaign and the role of various digital channels in integrated marketing communication.
You will be able to: - Adopt a holistic and integrated approach to digital marketing planning - Develop a purposeful content marketing strategy to achieve your business and marketing goals - Effectively mix paid, earned, owned, and shared media channels to discover, reach, and engage your customers - Critically evaluate the role social media platforms play in viral and influencer marketing campaigns - Evaluate and measure the success of digital marketing campaigns - Identify and manage risks in digital marketing This course is part of Gies College of Business’s suite of online programs, including the iMBA and iMSM. Learn more about admission into the program and explore how your Coursera work can be leveraged if accepted into a degree program at https://degrees.giesbusiness.illinois.edu/idegrees/.
This module introduces contemporary dynamics of digital marketing, emphasizing that success in today's landscape is not about pushing messages but orchestrating seamless, human-centered experiences across multiple digital touchpoints. The module explores three core shifts defining the modern digital environment: the rise of the attention economy; the critical need for omnichannel, multi-touchpoint strategies; and the transformative impact of AI and automation on marketing execution. Through performing a comprehensive digital audit, assessing visibility, content quality, performance, along with analyzing competitive landscapes and mapping the customer journey. The module concludes by exploring the tools and frameworks for creating actionable marketing objectives grounded in strategic insights. Altogether, this module establishes a strategic mindset, encouraging marketers to think beyond channels and tactics, and instead focus on designing integrated, trust-building experiences tailored to real consumer behavior.
What's included
13 videos7 readings2 assignments1 plugin
13 videos•Total 84 minutes
- Course Introduction•3 minutes
- Meet Your Instructor•2 minutes
- The Impact of the Gies Community•2 minutes
- Interview Series Introduction•3 minutes
- Digital Audit: Evaluating Visibility and Discoverability•10 minutes
- Digital Audit: Assessing Content and Information Quality•5 minutes
- Digital Audit: Measuring Performance and Effectiveness•5 minutes
- Competitor and Landscape Analysis: Mapping the Market Context•8 minutes
- The Customer Journey: Understanding Behavior and Touchpoints•9 minutes
- Persona Development With Empathy: Building Human-Centered Insights•6 minutes
- From Audit to Strategy: Defining Strategic Objectives•7 minutes
- Interview with David Smalle: How Analytics Supports a Movie Campaign from Start to Finish•6 minutes
- Insight to Impact•20 minutes
7 readings•Total 150 minutes
- Syllabus•30 minutes
- About the Discussion Forums•10 minutes
- About the Rubric for Peer Assessment•10 minutes
- Getting to Know Your Classmates•10 minutes
- Online Education at Gies College of Business•10 minutes
- Module 1 Overview•20 minutes
- Module 1 Glossary•60 minutes
2 assignments•Total 90 minutes
- Insight to Impact Module 1 Quiz•60 minutes
- Orientation Quiz•30 minutes
1 plugin•Total 15 minutes
- Welcome! Please Tell Us About Yourself•15 minutes
This module focuses on creating cohesive, human-centered digital marketing strategies by exploring the interplay between channels and touchpoints. It emphasizes that modern marketing is no longer about managing isolated platforms but about designing seamless experiences that align with how people actually engage across devices and environments. Key topics include distinguishing between delivery channels (like websites, email, and social media) and customer touchpoints (specific moments of interaction), and understanding how these they combine to shape brand perception. The module highlights the central role of the website as a brand’s experience hub and introduces user experience (UX) and user interface (UI) design as essential components of marketing success. It also delves into enhancing discoverability through SEO and SEM, stressing the importance of understanding user intent across different search platforms. Finally, it explores the strategic use of social media, differentiating between organic content, paid promotion, and influencer engagement, and guiding learners to analyze engagement metrics critically. Altogether, this module equips learners to design integrated marketing experiences that feel connected, personalized, and relevant at every stage of the customer journey.
What's included
14 videos3 readings1 assignment
14 videos•Total 89 minutes
- Channels and Touchpoints: A Human-Centered View•7 minutes
- Interview with Dwight Caines: Aligning Teams Around a Single Message•3 minutes
- Boosting Discoverability Though Search (SEO and SEM) Part 1•9 minutes
- Boosting Discoverability Though Search (SEO and SEM) Part 2•7 minutes
- Boosting Discoverability Though Search (SEO and SEM) Part 3•10 minutes
- Social Media Platforms: Where, Why, and How Part 1•6 minutes
- Interview with Rose Phillips: Today’s Digital Marketing Team at a Major Movie Studio•2 minutes
- Social Media Platforms: Where, Why, and How Part 2•10 minutes
- Interview with Rose Phillips: Putting Audience Insights at the Center of the Plan•2 minutes
- Social Media Platforms: Where, Why, and How Part 3•9 minutes
- Interview with Rose Phillips: It's Not One-Size-Fits-All — Picking the Right Channels•1 minute
- Social Media Platforms: Where, Why, and How Part 4•6 minutes
- Interview with Rose Phillips: Behind the Creator-First Campaign for 'Bad Boys'•3 minutes
- Connecting with Intent•14 minutes
3 readings•Total 120 minutes
- Module 2 Overview•20 minutes
- Module 2 Glossary •90 minutes
- Digital Media Consultant Activity for Module 4 Peer Assessment•10 minutes
1 assignment•Total 60 minutes
- Connecting with Intent Module 2 Quiz•60 minutes
This module centers on the strategic execution of direct-to-consumer (DTC) communication and experience design in digital marketing. It explores how modern brands engage customers through personalized, behavior-driven channels such as email, SMS, and in-app messaging, emphasizing the shift from one-way promotions to relationship-focused interactions. The module underscores the importance of consent-based communication and demonstrates how automation and data insights can power timely, relevant, and human-centered messaging. It introduces experience design (XD) as a core strategic discipline, showing how connected touchpoints from website visits to follow-up messages can be orchestrated through CRM systems to deliver consistent, personalized journeys. By weaving together direct communication, behavioral triggers, and centralized data management, this module illustrates how brands can move from fragmented campaigns to seamless, trust-building experiences that adapt to each customer’s path.
What's included
10 videos2 readings1 assignment
10 videos•Total 78 minutes
- Direct-to-Consumer Communication - Part 1•9 minutes
- Direct-to-Consumer Communication - Part 2•6 minutes
- Designing Consumer Experience: Building Trust Through Technology and Touchpoints•9 minutes
- Orchestrating the Experience: Blending Paid and Organic in the Customer Journey•11 minutes
- Behind the Scenes: CRM as the Brain of Experience-Driven Marketing•6 minutes
- Behind the Scenes: Tracking Engagement With Pixels•4 minutes
- Behind the Scenes: Understanding Campaigns Through UTM Tagging•5 minutes
- Behind the Scenes: Managing Privacy and Identity With Cookies and Unified IDs•9 minutes
- Interview with David Smalle: The Cross-Functional Team Behind Marketing Insights•1 minute
- Designing Experience•18 minutes
2 readings•Total 80 minutes
- Module 3 Overview•20 minutes
- Module 3 Glossary•60 minutes
1 assignment•Total 60 minutes
- Designing Experience Module 3 Quiz•60 minutes
This module focuses on strategic campaign evaluation and the evolving nature of brand communication in the digital era. It begins by emphasizing the importance of moving beyond isolated metrics (like clicks or likes) to assess overall campaign effectiveness through well-defined SMART goals that align with broader business strategy. Using a case study of HoneyCo’s skincare launch, the module illustrates how to measure outcomes across search, social, and CRM touchpoints, tracking real behavior rather than surface activity. It then explores how brand storytelling has shifted from traditional PR models to dynamic, many-to-many communication shaped by audience interaction and cultural context. This module will introduce frameworks for managing brand reputation across predictable and unpredictable events. The module concludes with forward-looking insights into the role of AI in marketing, framing it as a strategic force that must be thoughtfully integrated to support authentic, human-centered brand relationships.
What's included
11 videos4 readings1 assignment1 peer review1 plugin
11 videos•Total 72 minutes
- Campaign Evaluation: Measuring What Matters•13 minutes
- The Evolution of Brand Communication: From PR to Dynamic Storytelling•10 minutes
- Building Meaningful Brands: Trust, Relationships, and Reputation in a Digital World Part 1•6 minutes
- Interview: Dwight Caines - Navigating Real-Time Engagement•3 minutes
- Building Meaningful Brands: Trust, Relationships, and Reputation in a Digital World Part 2•7 minutes
- Brand Safety and Risk Management: Protecting Brands in a Connected World•5 minutes
- Strategic Thinking in the Age of AI: Roles, Risks, and New Relationships•10 minutes
- Digital Storytelling•8 minutes
- Final Wrap-Up: Strategic Thinking for a Dynamic Digital World•4 minutes
- Interview with Dwight Caines: Tying It All Together: How a Singular Theme Shaped the 'Wicked' Campaign•5 minutes
- Learn on Your Terms•1 minute
4 readings•Total 90 minutes
- Module 4 Overview•20 minutes
- Module 4 Glossary•50 minutes
- Congratulations on completing the course!•10 minutes
- Get Your Course Certificate•10 minutes
1 assignment•Total 60 minutes
- Digital Storytelling Module 4 Quiz•60 minutes
1 peer review•Total 60 minutes
- Module 4 Peer Assessment•60 minutes
1 plugin•Total 15 minutes
- How was the course?•15 minutes
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This course is part of the following degree program(s) offered by University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. If you are admitted and enroll, your completed coursework may count toward your degree learning and your progress can transfer with you.¹
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Reviewed on Feb 3, 2021
This is a useful and excellent course. This is where I want my career to go. I want to plan campaigns and also study analytics on helping with strategy as well as seeing results.
Reviewed on Dec 25, 2020
i was so happy to take this course where it has added a lot of new information to my digital marketing knowledge. All was clear with good examples! thank you for this course and its content.
Reviewed on Jul 4, 2022
The case study make me practice: combine the strategic , analytical, creative and critical thinking. The interviews with an expert every week gain insigth and how they implement for business practice.
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