What is Digital Marketing Communications? Digital Marketing Communications consists of marketing to where audiences are and anticipating where they’re headed. It involves creating a dialogue with your audience that builds a community around a brand or organization. It’s all about building trust and providing customers with long-term value so that they become advocates who bring you more customers. What makes a great digital marketer is their thorough understanding of search engine optimization, organic and paid search, display marketing, social media marketing, marketing automation, content marketing, multi-channel analytics, always-on campaigns, and desktop and mobile user experiences. Combining the understanding of digital marketing platforms with the consumer insights they provide to develop more impactful marketing campaigns is central to the WVU Digital Communications degree.
Exploring the Program:
WVU’s M.S Digital Marketing Communications program will provide you with the necessary strategy and skills to be the best in this growing field. WVU’s faculty are leading teams at major agencies and for national clients, bringing their knowledge of digital strategy and how to implement it to your virtual classroom.
So what makes this program so great? Well for starters, the program is specifically designed for you! The master's degree is designed with your career goals in mind, and allows you to continue working while pursuing your degree. This degree is entirely online, and with maximum flexibility. It can be achieved in a variety of timeframes that best suit your needs.
The Digital Marketing Communications master’s degree can be completed as quickly as one year, or spread out over 15 or 24 months. Advisors will work with you to help customize your schedule to ensure the entire experience will be comfortable and achievable.
As a Digital Marketing Communications student, you will take 10 three-hour courses, totaling 30 credit hours required for graduation. Courses will consist of six required courses, three elective courses, and one production course. The programs classes include:
Required Courses:
- Introduction to Digital Marketing Communications: In this course, students will explore the fundamentals of digital media and the latest methods for collecting, creating, and disseminating persuasive messages through digital media channels.
- Audience Segmentation: In this course, students will explore demographic data and other key indicators that can inform successful campaigns, and which data best serve the development of unique market segments to support specific marketing communication goal
- Campaign Metrics and Assessment: In this course, students will examine contemporary content strategies for engaging customers through the channels and at the times they prefer. Facilitate customer journeys that provide seamless user and path to purchase utilizing omnichannel marketing strategies.
- Customer Engagement Ethics and Strategy: In this course, students will learn how data informs key performance indicators that define a campaign’s success. Students will examine how metrics can rely on data for maximum benefit and survey available metrics and assessment platforms.
- Digital Storytelling: In this course, students will articulate the importance of focused storytelling in modern, digital brand marketing efforts. Analyze the similarities and differences between static and motion storytelling approaches, Distinguish strategies that can be used to uncover new ideas and connect with different audiences, and develop a compelling digital brand story pitch.
- Digital Marketing Communication Campaigns: This course is the capstone experience. Students will develop a creative, innovative, and complete digital campaign for a selected organization. Students will apply all their knowledge and skills acquired from previous courses to complete the digital marketing communications campaign. Students can also expect to earn Hootsuite Social Media Platform and Social Marketing Certifications.
Elective Courses:
- Augmented Reality and Virtual Reality in IMC: In this course, students will gain experience in developing different brand use cases for virtual and augmented reality technology, and learn techniques for integrating immersive media ideas into marketing campaigns. Finally, students will learn valuable insights into the latest advancements in 3-dimensional interactive storytelling.
- Emerging Media and the Market: In this course, students will gain understanding on how the technologies are affecting consumer experience. Students will learn about a variety of technologies to be able to mix traditional marketing with new media. Understanding how to stay with the trends changing as new media emerges.
- Mobile Marketing: In this course students will learn why a mobile-first approach to a marketing strategy is the single best strategy for success in today’s business world. Students will gait real life experience in setting up a Facebook advertising campaign and creating a text message marketing project with an online messaging service. Students will also learn how to establish interim and penultimate key performance indicators and project break even points and profit potential for marketing campaigns.
- Social Media and Marketing: In this course, students will discover the difference between listening and monitoring on social media. They will demonstrate how consumers interact socially, via word-of-mouth, and how information spreads/diffuses over social networks. Students will learn how to develop a comprehensive social media marketing plan for a company or brand. By the end of the course students will earn the HubSpot Social Media Marketing Certification.
- Web Metrics and SEO: In this course, students will examine how marketers strategically gather online information to measure traffic, engagement and potential impact on ROI. Students will explore search engine optimization and social media optimization strategies used to build a present for clients. At the end of this course, students will earn the Google Analytics 4 certification and SEMrush Certification.
Production Courses:
- Digital Video Production: This course introduces the technical, conceptual and creative skills needed to create and add videos into marketing communications campaigns. Students will cover the basics of hardware and software for video projects, and gain actual hands-on experience shooting and producing their own engaging video. Students will earn the Adobe Premiere Pro Certification.
- Podcast Production & Promotion: This course will provide students the essential skills for podcast production and promotion. Students will learn how to record, edit, and publish a professional podcast.
Careers in IMC
There are a wide variety of career paths to choose from once graduating the M.S. Digital Marketing Communications degree. Some job opportunities include:
- Product Marketing Manager
- Influencer Marketing Manager
- Social Media Manager
- Social Media Strategist
- UX/UI Designer
- SEO Analyst
- SEO Content Writer
- Digital Marketing Manager
- Google Ads Campaign Manager
- Digital Sales Manager
- Digital Strategist
- Digital Marketing Manager
- Digital Marketing Coordinator
- Digital Media Buyer
- Web Content Manager
98% of alumni said they felt more competitive and/or received a promotion upon completing their master’s degree. WVU’s M.S.Digital Marketing Communications degree will not only give you the skills needed to excel. It will make you stand out against the competition, due to being a nationally-recognized program. Additional information on the M.S. Digital Marketing Communications Program can be requested here.
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Meet the Author
Erik Rudolph
Marketing Assistant Student Worker
Erik is a senior advertising student with a minor in communications, he also is a part of the MSJ 4+1 program at WVU. He is currently the marketing assistant student worker for the WVU Marketing Communications Graduate Programs. Erik loves the sport of boxing and works closely with a local boxing promotion in Morgantown, Real Fight Promotions, as a color commentator and a social media manager.
Marcom Today
Marketing Communications Today is a collection of resources for marketing communications professionals filled with industry research, marketing trends, and career information about integrated marketing and data-driven communications. Learn industry insights through the Marketing Communications Today blog, podcast, as well as Integrate Online.
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