OBJECTIVES:

Today, it is a fact for most businesses that the ability to operate in a digital context is a key requirement to remain competitive and ensure the business achieves long term success. Technologies are changing, and will continue to evolve, and so business owners must be able to embrace the use of digital and online approaches to support their business goals, based on local market practices, tools and consideration of how they are utilised. It’s an exciting time to be running a small business, particularly when owners start to think about expanding the reach of their business through the use of digital marketing; for others, there may be the opportunity to consider a business that operates solely online. This unit is aimed at those individuals who are thinking about setting up a new small business or who are already running such a venture and are keen to use technology to improve performance. The unit introduces the use of online and digital marketing, including consideration of the risks and issues that might arise during implementation, compared to the more traditional forms of marketing. It explores the uses of online and digital tools to build and enhance relationships with customers and to generate revenues. During your studies, you may also be set some formative assessment tasks as part of the learning approach to help you prepare for your summative assignment. For the final summative assessment at the end of the fifth Element you will be required to develop a digital marketing plan for your business. All of the required tools and techniques to develop such a plan, will be covered throughout the unit. The unit is appropriate for all types of businesses, whether they are selling products to customers (consumers or businesses) or for those providing a service, for example hairdressers, taxi drivers, cleaning services etc. and will enable them, regardless of the type of business, to consider how to create a digital presence in the market place, through the use of effective digital marketing tools.