This course is part of the Marketing track.
Introduction to Digital Marketing Strategy

MULTIPLE FORMATS

Start anytime in our on-demand format, or select a cohort start date and enroll now! Not sure which experience is best for you? Review our comparison table and enroll to start your journey today!
 
Multiple Formats

Digital Marketing Strategy

$1,850
Next 7-week session starts August 6th
Craft data-driven digital marketing strategies that effectively reach, convert, and retain customers in a dynamic online environment.
6
modules
6-7
hours per module
Formats
On-Demand and Cohorted
Self-Paced

 This course earns you a Certificate of Completion from HBS Online. What you earn.

Overview
Syllabus
Enrollment
Stories
FAQs

Key Concepts

Understand how marketing has evolved and what’s ahead based on real-world insights from brands, agencies, expert practitioners, and faculty
Define the right objectives, metrics, target audiences, and value proposition to position your product or service for success
Discover how to acquire and retain customers through paid, owned, and earned media
Gain frameworks and tools you can apply to your organization’s digital marketing strategy
Develop approaches for attribution, budget allocation, and calculating customer lifetime value
Explore customer engagement techniques, including personalization, storytelling, and community building

Who Will Benefit

Advance beyond tactics and learn digital marketing on a strategic level.
I think this course was incredibly beneficial to go beyond the basics of digital marketing and help give me real-life examples that I can use in my everyday career.
Melody Pierce
Explore the latest trends impacting your role or organization and develop a foundation in digital marketing.
The course provided tangible and tactical strategies that can be immediately implemented.
Reagan Weeks
Design and implement strategies to launch or grow your business in the digital space.
"This was an excellent course with concepts that were immediately applicable to my consulting business."
Kerri Roche
Owner and Strategic Planner, Sift Strategic Planning at Sift Strategic Planning
Master of Business Administration, Memorial University of Newfoundland

What You Earn

Certificate of Completion

Certificate of Completion

Boost your resume with a Certificate of Completion from HBS Online

Earn by: completing this course

Certificate of Specialization

Certificate of Specialization

Prove your mastery of marketing

Earn by: completing any three courses within either subject area to earn a Certificate of Specialization

Syllabus

6 Modules, 35-40 Hours
Download full syllabus
5-6
hrs
Module 1

Marketing in the Digital Era

Explore digital technologies and innovations introduced by direct-to-consumer (DTC) companies, their associated marketing risks and challenges, and how to reshape your marketing practices to compete with emerging brands.

Highlights

Nicholas Ling, Pattern Brands CEO
Asmita Dubey, L'Oreal CMO
Changes in Distribution
ShowHide Details

Concepts

  1. DTC Brands: Fad or Disruption?
  2. DTC Brands: Innovations and Challenges, Part I
  3. DTC Brands: Innovations and Challenges, Part II
  4. Incumbent Responses

Featured Exercises

  • Evaluate innovations and challenges faced by DTC and legacy brands across the value chain
  • Assess legacy companies’ responses to DTC brands
4-5
hrs
Module 2

Crafting a Digital Marketing Plan

Understand and establish the strategic components of a digital marketing plan, including relevant key performance indicators (KPIs), defined target audiences, and a compelling value proposition.

Highlights

Ekta Chopra, e.l.f. Beauty CDO
Lou Panaccione, OOFOS CEO and Co-Founder
OOFOS Recovery Footwear
ShowHide Details

Concepts

  1. Setting Objectives
  2. Defining Target Audience
  3. Determining Value Proposition
  4. Identifying Metrics

Featured Exercises

  • Advise a company on its marketing plan
  • Determine which marketing funnel stage to prioritize given key business objectives
6-7
hrs
Module 3

Acquiring Customers, Part 1: Paid Media

Learn the differences between paid, owned, and earned media and how and when to get the most out of your brand’s advertising.

Highlights

Bianca Reed, Rain: The Growth Agency VP Client Service & Inclusion Marketing
Kate Laliberte, OOFOS Head of Ecommerce
Complexities of the Funnel and Paid Media
ShowHide Details

Concepts

  1. The Challenges of Reaching and Acquiring Customers Online
  2. Search Advertising
  3. Display Advertising
  4. Utilizing Paid Media Channels
  5. Measuring Paid Media

Featured Exercises

  • Quiz yourself on the most important paid media channels and explore their optimal use
  • Determine which metrics you should use to measure a campaign’s success and practice calculating its effectiveness
  • Balance brand-building and performance marketing
6-7
hrs
Module 4

Acquiring Customers, Part II: Owned and Earned Media

Define owned and earned media and how to incorporate both into your marketing plan. Explore the process of working with influencers and learn to manage and measure their impact.

Highlights

Maggie Malek, MMI Agency CEO
Erica Ligenza, Podcaster / Influencer
ShowHide Details

Concepts

  1. Owned Media
  2. Earned Media
  3. Influencer Marketing

Featured Exercises

  • Explore the unique advantages of owned media
  • Test your knowledge of content strategy fundamentals
  • Apply methods for effectively utilizing earned media
  • Draw on your experience to discuss the nature of online relationships between influencers, consumers, and brands
5-6
hrs
Module 5

Engaging Customers

Explain why it’s critical for companies to not only acquire but retain customers, and different engagement strategies you can implement to reduce churn.

Highlights

Julia Bornstein, THE YES CEO
Raja Rajamannar, Mastercard CMO
ShowHide Details

Concepts

  1. Personalization
  2. From Storytelling to Story-Making
  3. Connecting Customers and Building Community

Featured Exercises

  • Investigate reasons for customer churn and how companies can improve retention
  • Unpack strategies for increasing engagement, including personalization, storytelling, and brand communities
  • Share your experience with brand engagement
8
hrs
Module 6

Allocating Budget and Measuring Success

Discover how to measure the success of digital marketing campaigns and what to account for when creating digital marketing budgets. Explore major trends that could impact the landscape in the years ahead.

Highlights

Ann Lewnes, Adobe CMO
Shantanu Narayen, Adobe CEO and President
Simeen Mohsen, HBS Online Director
ShowHide Details

Concepts

  1. Budget Allocation
  2. Customer Lifetime Value
  3. Adobe Simulation
  4. The Future of Marketing

Featured Exercises

  • Evaluate a digital marketing budget
  • Calculate and identify means of maximizing the lifetime value (LTV) of different customer types
  • Practice budget allocation across the customer journey
  • Share your perspective on the future of digital marketing
Free E-Book

How to Formulate a Successful Business Strategy

This guide will equip you with the tools, frameworks, and knowledge to formulate a successful business strategy to propel your organization forward.

Upskill Your Team, Transform Your Organization

Whether you represent a large multinational corporation or a small local business, we have a solution for your learning and development needs.

Our Difference

Digital Marketing Strategy will equip you with the latest tactics, tools, and trends to acquire and retain customers, position your brand for success, and develop data-driven strategies.
Stay active by engaging in a new activity every three to five minutes.
Stay active by engaging in a new activity every three to five minutes.
Get social by collaborating and networking with a global community of peers before, during, and after the course. Learners who successfully complete an HBS Online program are added to the HBS Online Community's Official Networking Group and gain exclusive access to events and other networking opportunities.
Get social by collaborating and networking with a global community of peers before, during, and after the course. Learners who successfully complete an HBS Online program are added to the HBS Online Community's Official Networking Group and gain exclusive access to events and other networking opportunities.
Immerse yourself in real-world, case-based examples brought to life by industry-leading experts from companies like e.l.f. Cosmetics, OOFOS, L’Oréal, Adobe, Mastercard, and Rain the Growth Agency.
Immerse yourself in real-world, case-based examples brought to life by industry-leading experts from companies like e.l.f. Cosmetics, OOFOS, L’Oréal, Adobe, Mastercard, and Rain the Growth Agency.

About the Professor

Sunil Gupta
Digital Marketing Strategy

Edward W. Carter Professor of Business Administration
"You’ll develop practical digital marketing skills and frameworks you can immediately apply to your role and organization—making you more marketable and helping advance your career."

Dates & Eligibility

Starting
On-Demand
 $1,850 + applicable international taxes
Start Anytime
Starting
Aug
06
7 Weeks  $1,850 + applicable international taxes
Payment deadline July 31
View weekly calendar
Enroll Now
Starting
Sep
10
7 Weeks  $1,850 + applicable international taxes
Payment deadline September 4
View weekly calendar
Enroll Now
Starting
Oct
29
7 Weeks  $1,850 + applicable international taxes
Payment deadline October 23
View weekly calendar
Enroll Now
  • No documentation required

All learners must be at least 18 years of age, proficient in English, and committed to learning and engaging with fellow participants throughout the course.

Learn about bringing this course to your organization.

Which Format Fits You Best?

On-Demand Cohort-Based
Start Date Start anytime Fixed start date
End Date Receive 90 days of course access Fixed end date, with 60 days of post-course access
Peer Interaction More limited real-time peer interaction Complete the course alongside peers
Best For Those who want a flexible start date and don't mind progressing without a fixed peer group Those who enjoy the accountability and structure of a fixed start and end date with a peer group
Networking Opportunities Access to the HBS Online Community and events Access to the HBS Online Community and events
Course Content The same across experiences The same across experiences
Price $1,850 $1,850

Learner Stories

90%
are more self-assured at work
HBS Online courses are excellent for anyone who wishes to learn more about a particular subject area or further develop their career.
Corina Cristea Lavoie
Corporate Services Manager at Debevoise & Plimpton LLP
The course has given me the confidence to know that my suggestions have a solid business basis.
Jennifer Moret
Financial Analyst
* Source: 2022 surveys and course data
 
All FAQs

Digital Marketing Strategy FAQs

Participants in Digital Marketing Strategy are eligible for a Certificate of Completion from Harvard Business School Online.

Participants are expected to fully complete all coursework in a thoughtful and timely manner. This means completing each course module and fully answering questions posed therein by the required deadline. In addition to module and assignment completion, we expect participation in the social learning elements of the course by offering feedback on others’ reflections and contributing to conversations on the platform. Participants who fail to complete the course requirements will not receive a certificate and will not be eligible to retake the course.

More detailed information on course requirements, including the Adobe Data Driven Operating Model Simulation (one of the assignments), will be communicated at the start of the course. No grades are assigned for Digital Marketing Strategy. Participants will either be evaluated as complete or not complete.

The budget allocation simulation (Adobe Data Driven Operating Model Simulation) will be part of module 6 of the course. It is similar to a mini capstone experience, in that it encourages participants to draw on their knowledge from the rest of the course to make investment decisions in the simulation. It is the very same simulation included in the MBA program's required curriculum marketing course, and, while designed to be challenging, it is ungraded and assessed based on completion. We recommend budgeting approximately 1.5 hours to complete the simulation. Full instructions for how to complete the simulation will be provided to course registrants.

Once your payment is successfully processed, you will receive an email granting access to the course content within 2 hours. To maximize your 90-day access period, we strongly recommend logging into the course platform as soon as you receive this notification.

If you plan to pay online using a credit card, you may do so at any time.

If you have selected an alternative payment method, please allow additional time for processing:

Western Union - 3 business days
Domestic wire - 5 business days
International wire - 14 business days
Loans - 12 business days

You will have access to the materials in every prior module as you progress through the program. Access to course materials and the course platform for cohort participants ends 60 days after the final deadline in the program.

Access to the course platform for on-demand participants ends after the 90-day on-demand access window.

Once you've earned your Certificate of Completion, list it on your resume along with the date of completion:

Harvard Business School Online
Certificate in Digital Marketing Strategy
[Cohort Start Month and Year]

List your certificate on your LinkedIn profile under "Education" with the language from the Credential Verification page:

School: Harvard Business School Online
Dates Attended: [The year you participated in the program]
Degree: Other; Certificate in Digital Marketing Strategy
Field of Study: Leave blank
Grade: "Complete"
Activities and Societies: Leave blank

Description:

Digital Marketing Strategy is a 6-module, 35-40 hour online certificate program from Harvard Business School. Digital Marketing Strategy equips professionals with the tools, mindset, and trends to make decisions about digital marketing strategy and tactics, including how to position a product or service for success, acquire and engage customers, and measure both performance of near-term campaigns and longer-term customer value.