Digital Marketing (3 Cr.)
Course Name: Digital Marketing (3 Cr.) Nature of the Course: Theory + Practice Course Facilitator: Arjan KC Time: 2 hrs/session (48 hours / 24 sessions) Modality: Blended Learning (In-Person Lab Sessions + Self-Paced Online Theory) Prerequisites: None (MBA-level general management knowledge assumed)
How this site is organised: Phase 1: The Sandbox (Sessions 1–8, 16 hours) builds your live web asset and channel foundations. Phase 2: The Agency Simulation (Sessions 9–24, 32 hours) delivers Modules 1–6 and the A1/A2/A3 assignments below.
1. Course Overview
The course is designed to equip learners with the essential knowledge and hands-on skills required to plan, execute, and optimize integrated digital campaigns across multiple channels. Throughout the course, students will learn to develop content and paid media strategies, manage social media platforms, conduct SEO and SEM activities, design effective email campaigns, and use analytics to measure performance and optimize results. Upon successful completion, participants will be able to create data-driven marketing plans, interpret digital analytics dashboards, and produce compliant ad assets aligned with business objectives. The module follows a blended learning modality, combining in-person lab sessions for practical application and online learning for conceptual understanding and self-paced study, ensuring a comprehensive and engaging learning experience.
2. Course Learning Outcomes
By the end of the course, the participants will be able to:
- Explain the digital marketing funnel and select appropriate channels for each stage.
- Create a content calendar aligned to personas and brand voice.
- Set up and manage basic paid campaigns (Meta/Google) with tracking.
- Conduct an SEO audit and implement on-page improvements.
- Interpret GA/Meta dashboards and recommend optimisations with KPIs.
- Produce compliant ad assets observing platform policies and ethics.
Delivery note (how we teach it): Phase 1 (Sessions 1–8) builds a live “digital sandbox” — one business concept carried through strategy, rapid prototyping, SEO, SEM, Meta Ads, email, analytics and a capstone pitch. Phase 2 (Sessions 9–24) runs that sandbox like an agency across Modules 1–6 below. Sandbox deliverables are formative practice for A1/A2/A3 unless your programme office directs otherwise.
3. Target Audience
This module is designed for MBA candidates who aspire to roles in brand management, consulting, entrepreneurship, or general management. No prior digital marketing experience is required, but a willingness to work hands-on in digital tools is essential. The course treats students not as future specialist practitioners, but as future managers who must direct, evaluate, and invest in digital talent and channels.
4. Learning Philosophy & Modality
The course operates on a “flipped classroom” model:
- Self-Paced Online Pre-Work (approx. 30–45 minutes/week): Foundational concepts, frameworks, worked Nepal examples, and tool walkthroughs via notes and reference checklists. This frees lab time for application.
- In-Person Lab Sessions (2 hours/week): Every session is a working session. Students bring their laptops or use the college computers and, guided by the instructor after a short lecture and recap with demonstration, immediately apply concepts to their own project sandbox. The instructor acts as a coach, not a lecturer in general.
5. The Core Project: Your Digital Sandbox (Sessions 1–8)
The entire Phase 1 revolves around a single project that grows week by week. In Session 1, each student chooses a business concept—a real local business, a hypothetical startup, or a specialized service. Every subsequent week builds on this asset, culminating in a Session 8 pitch. This sandbox becomes the raw material for A1/A2/A3 in Phase 2. This ensures that all learning is immediately contextualized and portfolio-ready.
Optional insets (not extra weeks): responsible AI use for drafts, WhatsApp as a Nepal conversion surface, and manager-level awareness of answer-engine / search-change implications inside SEO and analytics weeks.
Classroom engagement: After each major Part in the slide decks, a short Check slide (MCQ, true/false, or classify) appears so the instructor can cold-call a student or group, then reveal the answer on screen. Session 4 also includes a focus-vs-scattered budget slider check. This matches the CourseQuiz pattern used in IT204 decks.
6. Modules 1–6 (delivered in Phase 2, Sessions 9–24)
| Module | Title | Sessions | Assignment |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Overview and Strategy — funnels, personas, channel selection, budgeting, SMART KPIs | 9–12 | A1 — Campaign Strategy Deck |
| 2 | Social Media Marketing — Meta Business Suite, LinkedIn, content, scheduling, engagement | 13–14 | A2 (Part 1) |
| 4 | Content & Copywriting — hooks, CTAs, A/B testing of ads | 15 | A2 (Part 1) |
| 5a | Influencer Engagement — briefing, UGC, ethics | 16 | A2 (Part 1) |
| 3 | SEO and SEM Fundamentals — keyword research, on-page, site audit, technical SEO, Google Ads Search | 17–20 | A3 — SEO Mini-Audit |
| 5b | Email Engagement — list growth, segmentation, welcome/nurture/re-engage flows | 21 | A2 (Part 2) |
| 6 | Analytics & Optimisation — UTM, KPI dashboards, reporting, optimisation cycles | 22–23 | Lab exercises + reflection notes (feeds A1/A2/A3) |
| — | Integrated review | 24 | A2 finalisation + integrated review |
Module Learning Objectives (MLOs) and key readings per module follow the official syllabus and are restated in each Session 9–24 note. Module 4 and Module 5 assignments are integrated within A2 per the official syllabus — see Session 15, 16, 21 notes. Module 6 is assessed via documented lab exercises, data analysis and reflection notes.
7. Assessment & Evaluation Scheme (official, full 48-hour course)
| Assignment | Weight of final grade* | What is submitted |
|---|---|---|
| A1 — Campaign Strategy Deck (Module 1) | 30% | Problem/opportunity analysis, funnel mapping, channel mix (paid + organic), budget, SMART KPIs, risk/compliance. Professional deck + supporting docs. |
| A2 — Content Calendar + Ad Assets (Modules 2, 4, 5) | 40% | 1–2 week content calendar + ad copy/visuals + A/B test plan + email sequence + influencer plan, with rationale. Covers social, content/copy, and email/influencer briefs. |
| A3 — SEO Mini-Audit (Module 3) | 30% | Keyword mapping, on-page fixes, technical recommendations, prioritised actions, with screenshots/evidence. |
| Module 6 labs | formative (feeds A1/A2/A3) | Documented lab exercises, dashboard analysis, reflection notes. |
*Weights: official syllabus specifies criteria but not percentage split. 30/40/30 reflects workload (A2 covers three modules). Confirm with programme office if a different split is required. Scoring detail: Grading Rubrics — each criterion 0–5, equally weighted within its assignment.
Phase 1 internal scheme (standalone use only): Continuous Lab Participation 30% + Mid-Module Review 20% + Capstone (live asset 20% + strategy & pitch 30%) applies when Phase 1 is run as a standalone 16-hour module. In the full 48-hour course it is formative practice for A1/A2/A3, not double-counted. See rubrics page for both schemes.
8. Recommended Reference Readings (official key readings + course texts)
Module 1 — Overview and Strategy:
- Kotler, P., Kartajaya, H., & Setiawan, I. (2021). Marketing 5.0: Technology for humanity. Wiley.
- Kingsnorth, S. (2022). Digital marketing strategy (3rd ed.). Kogan Page.
- Chaffey, D., & Ellis-Chadwick, F. (2022). Digital marketing: Strategy, implementation and practice (8th ed.). Pearson.
- Chaffey, D., & Smith, P. R. (2017). Digital marketing excellence. Journal of Direct, Data and Digital Marketing Practice, 18(1), 15–30.
Module 2 — Social Media Marketing:
- Tuten, T., & Solomon, M. (2021). Social media marketing (3rd ed.). Sage.
- Kaplan, A. M., & Haenlein, M. (2010). Users of the world, unite! Business Horizons, 53(1), 59–68.
- Ashley, C., & Tuten, T. (2015). Creative strategies in social media marketing. Psychology & Marketing, 32(1), 15–27.
Module 3 — SEO and SEM Fundamentals:
- Enge, E., Spencer, S., & Stricchiola, J. (2015). The art of SEO (3rd ed.). O’Reilly Media.
- Clarke, A. (2024). SEO 2024. Independently Published.
- Jansen, B. J., & Schuster, S. (2011). Bidding on the buying funnel. Journal of Electronic Commerce Research, 12(1), 1–18.
Module 4 — Content & Copywriting:
- Pulizzi, J. (2014). Epic content marketing. McGraw-Hill Education.
- Hollebeek, L. D., & Macky, K. (2019). Digital content marketing’s role. Journal of Interactive Marketing, 45, 27–41.
- Rowley, J. (2008). Understanding digital content marketing. Journal of Marketing Management, 24(5–6), 517–540.
Module 5 — Email and Influencer Engagement:
- Brodie, I. (2013). Email persuasion. Rainmaker Publishing.
- Schaffer, N. R. (2020). The age of influence. HarperCollins Leadership.
- Chaffey, D., & Ellis-Chadwick, F. (2019). Digital marketing. Journal of Direct, Data and Digital Marketing Practice, 20(2), 103–106.
Module 6 — Analytics & Optimisation:
- Paine, K. D. (2011). Measure what matters. Wiley.
- Chaffey, D., & Patron, M. (2012). From web analytics to digital marketing optimization. Journal of Direct, Data and Digital Marketing Practice, 13(1), 30–45.
- Järvinen, J., & Karjaluoto, H. (2015). The use of Web analytics. Industrial Marketing Management, 50, 117–127.
