No business, no matter the size, product, location or service, can afford to ignore its marketing needs. Through marketing courses, participants will gain the skills to plan and build strategies involving everything from selecting a target audience to creating the message and delivering it in a way that is persuasive and compelling.

Marketing is an extremely broad area encompassing a variety of activities and varying greatly between organisations, industries and the products or services they offer. Participants taking marketing courses can gain valuable training in areas such as research, design, PR, website management, advertising, media buying, event management, signage, social media and the production of brand materials and brochures which are all fundamental branches of marketing. Additionally, marketing is a valuable component of merchandising and retail management.

Finding the right strategy

An effective marketing strategy reverberates throughout the entire company, impacting a number of important business areas and metrics, including sales, profit, growth, and company reputation. Marketing courses will teach participants how to build strategies that define everything involved in the creation and implementation of a companies overall marketing campaign. It requires a number of different players including a project leader, copywriter, designer, advertiser, business development manager and/or account manager, as well as an overall Marketing Manager. The overall success of the business is dependent on the way these roles perform and impact business perception and loyalty.

Different types of marketing courses

Through marketing courses, participants will explore the four principles of marketing, the "Four Ps":

Product (& product mix) - an item that satisfies what a consumer demands, be it a tangible good or an intangible service, and how that product can fit into and evolve within a company's broader product mix
Price - the amount the customer has to pay for the product
Promotion - the methods of communication used by the marketer to inform parties about the product
Place - the issue of access and distribution

Marketing courses are offered in a variety of ways, from day-long classroom courses to on-site training to a postgraduate business degree programme. For those with limited time, there are online or short marketing courses available.

Social Media Marketing

Of the above specialisations, marketing through social media is becoming one of the most important tools businesses can use to connect with their customers, building loyalty and spreading their core messages. In essence, Social Media Marketing is the attempt to harness the power of recommendation through social platforms such as Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn. Through marketing courses, participants will learn how to create and direct conversations relating to their products and services by encouraging users to engage with them and share their messages across social networks.

Compare courses