For some, the marketing field is an irresistible calling. The industry’s intriguing mix of psychology, advertising and business is enough to pique your interest in pursuing a potential marketing career. But when it’s time to choose a Marketing degree program, it’s only natural to be curious about what you’re going to learn. After all, things change quickly in the marketing world, and you’ll want to spend time mastering material that will be relevant when you graduate.
If you’re looking for up-to-date marketing courses, you’ve come to the right place. Rasmussen University has recently revamped its Marketing degree program to include two new specialization paths: Digital Marketing and Sales Management. We asked one of the experts behind this curriculum redesign, Dr. Carolanne Azan, to help us highlight some of the exciting changes and interesting courses you can expect to take in these specialized paths.
Digital marketing courses
Marketing students who choose to pursue the digital marketing specialization path can look forward to the following:
Web Analytics
What you’ll learn: This course will teach you the fundamentals of web analytics as well as the tools used to build data visualizations and dashboards for business purposes.
Why it matters: Websites have become the virtual storefront for businesses large and small. Understanding web analytics allows you to shine a light on the performance of this virtual store. That visibility allows for site improvement strategies that are measureable. The layout of a brick and mortar retail store is constantly being tweaked to improve sales or profit margins. Analytics is the key to doing the virtual equivalent in an intelligent way.
Advanced Digital Marketing Strategies
What you’ll learn: In this course, students will learn digital marketing platforms as well as the tactics and strategies for using them effectively.
Why it matters: Effective digital marketing requires nuance, a deep understanding of how these platforms work and where they are best used in a sales funnel. Knowing how to reach people at the right time and with the right message is key.
“Students are exposed to a wide variety of digital tools and platforms so they can go into the workforce with hands-on familiarity,” Azan explains. “They’ll learn how to optimize digital marketing tactics for reach, engagement and expansion into new markets.”
Visual Marketing and Social Media
What you’ll learn: Students will learn how to develop effective social media campaigns and understand the strategies powering them. This course includes learning how to use visual marketing materials to enhance campaigns as well as how crisis communication plans are woven into social media marketing.
Why it matters: Social media has become increasingly crowded with brands and organizations vying for users’ attention. This course helps students understand the visual marketing tactics that catch the eye of consumers and how to best leverage them.
Website Development for Business
What you’ll learn: In this course, students will build their technical knowledge of website development and publishing. Key focus areas for this course include usability studies, information architecture design and the technology tools used for building business websites.
Why it matters: Not every marketing professional needs to be a master web developer, but it is helpful to understand how websites are made and how customers use them. The layout and design of a website can have a profound impact on its effectiveness, which means marketers need to know the basics to maximize their virtual storefront’s value.
Search Engine Optimization and Marketing Strategies
What you’ll learn: This course teaches students the fundamentals of search engine optimization (SEO) and what it takes to get a webpage to appear at the top of a search engine results page. This includes developing keyword strategies, technical and on-page SEO techniques and understanding how to define success metrics.
Why it matters: Finding information on search engines like Google is second nature for most people. SEO is the key to making sure your business or organization’s website is easily found, which can easily translate into site visitors and, if all goes well, customers.
Sales management courses
Marketing students looking to develop their professional sales skills can look forward to the following courses:
Strategic Sales and Sales Management
What you’ll learn: Students in this course will learn how to strategically approach the sales process in both business-to-consumer (B2C) and business-to-business (B2B) sales situations. Students will learn the value of consultative selling and how to effectively position a product or service as a solution to a customer’s problem.
Why it matters: Sales may seem like a simple transaction, but the best salespeople understand how to position their products and services in an appealing way. Understanding the needs of a customer or client is the key to offering up the right pitch. When done well, strategic salespeople are viewed by their customers as partners looking to accomplish a common goal.
Business Development and Customer Relations Management
What you’ll learn: In this course, students will develop a working knowledge of Customer Relationship Management (CRM) platforms and how to best utilize this technology. Additionally, students will learn how to develop strategic relationships, how to develop a long-term growth strategy and how to research, identify and cultivate new business opportunities.
Why it matters: Every effective sales team needs leads or prospects to thrive. Identifying potential customers and developing relationships is a key component to sales, and CRM software is a linchpin in keeping these prospects and a sales team’s interactions with them organized.
Professional Selling
What you’ll learn: This course focuses on how to effectively communicate as a sales professional. Focus areas include relationship building, products, customers, presentations and ethics. Students will learn how to successfully uncover the needs of a prospect while also building and maintaining long-term relationships.
Why it matters: Salespeople don’t get very far without a plan for how they’ll communicate with prospects. While building personal connections may come naturally for some, that doesn’t mean they’ll materialize into a sale. This class will teach you how to approach a prospect like a sales professional.
Sales Promotion, Analytics and Forecasting
What you’ll learn: Students in this course will learn about short-term promotional tactics used to boost sales, how to increase demand and visibility through promotions and analyze trends for future sales projections.
Why it matters: Promotions are an effective option in any salesperson’s toolkit. But promotional efforts need to be done intelligently to maximize their effectiveness. This course will also give students a better understanding of sales trends and how to project future sales goals, which can help make the most out of promotional tactics.
“Students will have the knowledge, skills and abilities to evaluate and plan sales promotions and predict future conditions to reduce uncertainty and increase self-confidence with decision making,” Azan says.
Salesforce Management
What you’ll learn: This course prepares students for sales management positions by focusing on how to manage and lead personnel with effective communication and relationship-building skills. Students will learn the qualities of effective sales managers, how to manage conflict and how to build their leadership abilities while managing a diverse, global sales team.
Why it matters: Being a top-notch salesperson is great, but even the best deal-closers can struggle with managing others if they’re not prepared. This course helps build leadership and management competencies to help students feel confident as they work their way up in a sales career.
Ready to get started?
Whether you’re focused on launching a digital marketing or sales career, there’s plenty to be excited about in the field of marketing. Now that you know a little more about the intriguing Marketing courses you’ll find at Rasmussen University, are you ready to get started? If so, check out the Marketing program page to learn even more about the details of this program.
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