Here at the Institute of Direct and Digital Marketing (IDM), we are passionate about sharing the latest skills and knowledge from the industry to equip tomorrow’s marketers. We’ve been training professional marketers for over 25 years and today we have over 30 courses that cover all the important aspects of digital marketing. The IDM benefits from the support of some 200 industry experts, advising us on which courses we should be developing, providing real-life experiences and case studies, tutoring classes and delivering ‘masterclasses’.

All of our courses have been rigorously developed to comply with the highest academic standards, which is one of the reasons why the IDM is the only UK government-approved institute for direct, data and digital marketing professionals.

The IDM is also an educational trust whose profits go back into the profession by bringing on the next generation of marketers at UK universities.

What is the IDM Professional Diploma in Digital Marketing?

The Professional Diploma has been developed by the IDM in collaboration with some of digital marketing’s most authoritative practitioners. We have brought real-world insight and experience together with the academic standards that you would expect from the UK’s only awarding body for direct and digital marketing. Our aim has been to create the most valuable professional qualification in digital marketing. The course is comprehensive, the content is regularly updated and the teaching is highly interactive.

The IDM Professional Diploma is a level 6 qualification. It takes 12 months to complete, during which you will cover 16 modules, submit two assignments and complete two final exams. After which you will receive the prestigious IDM Professional Diploma in Digital Marketing at the IDM graduation ceremony

What will the Professional Diploma qualify me to do?

• Review any marketing context and develop a digital plan that efficiently and effectively supports the delivery of business objectives
• Apply the key technologies, tools and techniques of digital marketing to improve marketing effectiveness
• Identify potential application of online marketing tools within the marketing communications mix
• Continuously improve the contribution of digital technologies to your organisation

Who studies for the IDM Professional Diploma in Digital Marketing?

Marketing communication professionals who are responsible for developing integrated, digital and multichannel marketing strategies and campaigns. This course will benefit those who have a grounding in marketing, but want to understand how ‘digital’ has transformed the landscape over the last few years and what the new emerging trends might be.

Which companies are signed up for the Professional Diploma?

The IDM works with a number of major companies to provide training in all aspects of digital marketing, opposite are just a few

Why should I study for the IDM Professional Diploma in Digital Marketing?

The Gold Standard: Over 25 years training elite direct and digital marketers

Respected across the globe, we’ve awarded over 10,000 professional qualifications and trained 62,000 marketers on short courses. All IDM course content is continually reviewed and updated by a dedicated network of over 200 expert marketing practitioners.

Learn as you live: The online qualification that fits in around your life

Study in your own time. With interactive materials and videos you can study at your own pace from the comfort of your own home, office or wherever you choose.

Up-to-the-minute, relevant and practical

Learn directly from marketers who have faced the same challenges that you’re facing. We equip tomorrow’s marketers with insights from real world case studies that can be immediately applied in the workplace.

Learn through technology: Interactive and engaging content in the palm of your hand

We’re passionate about bringing together the latest learning technology and expert digital marketing knowledge in a virtual campus full of learning resources.

The professional qualification for digital marketers The IDM is a government approved institute

The IDM is the only UK governmentapproved institute for direct, data and digital marketing professionals. Independent proof of your expertise and commitment. Study 16 comprehensive modules over 12 months covering all aspects of digital marketing including; Search, Display, Social Media, Mobile and Data.

Collaborate and learn Build a network, share ideas and be inspired

Develop a network of fellow marketers from all sectors, with whom you can share ideas and inspiration as you progress. Support and learn from each other, sharing experiences and expertise in live classes and forums. You’ll be supported throughout with your own academic tutor.

The Virtual Campus

The Virtual Campus is where you will access all your learning materials in one place, It’s available whenever you need it, whether it’s on mobile, tablet and computer.

Conversion Rate Optimisation (CRO) matters. Convert more of your visitors into enquiries, leads and sales and you’ll enjoy a greater return on your marketing investment (ROI). Indeed, it’s much more cost-effective to convert more of your existing visitors than paying to attract new visitors.

- Andrew Lloyd Gordon, Diploma Tutor

Digital is beginning to take centre stage in the advertising and marketing process. Where brand advertising creates awareness, digital shapes preference and conversion. Where direct marketing builds customer relationships, digital expedites the process in real time. Resistance from the vested interests of channel-focused silos will soon be swept away by customer preference for the sheer utility of the most powerful marketing medium yet invented: mobile. As marketing continues to evolve at unprecedented speed, it is digital that will lead the way.

- Mike O’Brien, Diploma Tutor

It’s a pretty intense course and you need to do a lot of strategy but the syllabus provides a great level of detail and fantastically broad range of subjects.”

- Adam Belson Dip DigM, Senior Digital Manager, Barclaycard

Great tutors with solid industry experience that despite delivering an intensive course cover off enough depth about everything you need to know in the digital marketing landscape. Highly recommended for any marketeer to take the course even if you already feel experienced in the digital marketing field

- Claes Gartner Dip DigM, Product Manager, EA

I opted to do the online course as it enabled me to study the material at a pace and time that fit with my work and family commitments. It’s a challenging course but the support, encouragement and solidarity of the other students was second to none and proved invaluable around assignment deadline time! With the IDM being so widely recognised and respected, I’m sure that having this on our CVs will give us a competitive edge when competing for future career opportunities.

Kerry Simmons Dip DigM, Head of Marketing, Fairplace Consulting

The online learning experience

We’ve taken the latest learning technology, developed by the Home Learning College*, and used it to create the best online course in digital marketing. You’ll find an interactive eBook for each module on the virtual campus. Then each week join a ‘live class’ with either your tutor, or a subject expert exploring the module theme in more detail and bringing you real-life case studies and the latest industry developments. You will join a whole class of other students who you will get to know over the 12 month duration of your course, as you progress towards your final exams. Swap ideas and share inspiration with them on the forums.

Live online classes

Regular classes delivered by your tutor over an online webinar. You can interact by asking questions via webchat or video.

Live masterclasses

We’ve arranged a series of live classes with industry experts to give you the latest thinking on key topics.

Individual tutor support

All classes have a dedicated tutor to support you as you progress through the course.

Interactive eBooks

Read and review these interactive ebooks, packed full of useful information for each module.

irtual Campus

This is the entrance to your online learning experience. You’ll find all the information and links here, and you can monitor your progress too.

Forums

Interact with fellow students and participate in discussions about the industry or your course. You can also follow discussions set by the tutors and ask questions.

Assignments

You’ll be set two written assignments that will count towards your final qualification.

Continuous assessment

Track how much of the course you have covered and how much progress you have made.

The IDM Professional Diploma in Digital Marketing and you

At the IDM we have an extensive portfolio of courses and qualifications covering all aspects of direct and digital marketing. In addition to the IDM Professional Diploma in Digital Marketing there are qualifications to suit every level of expertise, available as face to face programmes.

Why should I choose the Professional Diploma in Digital Marketing?

• Understand how to develop a digital marketing strategy
• Get insights from industry experts, including real-life case studies
• Gain working knowledge of the latest digital channels
• Earn global recognition as a qualified digital marketing expert

Do you have what it takes?

Students will be expected to:

• Commit to an average of 7-8 hours a week, a total of 370 hours across the 12 month period
• Attend bi-weekly live classes online
• Regularly participate with other students in the forums and on social media
• Submit two mandatory assignments, as well as a number of shorter exercises along the way
• Sit two final written exams

Entry requirements

The IDM Professional Diploma in Digital Marketing is a level 6 academic qualification and as such has the following entry requirements:

• First or second class university degree or,
• Over 3 years’ work experience, ideally in marketing
• A level 4+ marketing qualification
• Good command of spoken and written English

Call our consultants now to find out how the IDM Professional Diploma in Digital Marketing could help you advance your career.

How to apply

Summary of benefits

The 12 month online IDM Professional Diploma in Digital Marketing includes access to the Virtual Campus for 18 months, online tutorials, tutor support for 12 months, interactive ebooks for 16 modules and expert masterclasses. You will also receive complimentary IDM membership which allows 24/7 access to digital and direct marketing resources.

Payment options

Employer funded places

The IDM Professional Diploma in Digital Marketing is a well established and respected marketing qualification and your employer may want to invest in you by paying your course fees. It can be very efficient for your company to pay, since they can offset the costs of VAT, Corporation Tax, National Insurance and Income Tax. We can help you create a business case to present to your employer. Many previous students have found that their employers have been very interested to invest. Please call our team and they can talk you through the process and provide you with the business case template.

Payment options for self-funders

We know that it can be a big investment when you’re paying for your own course and so we have developed a range of payment options to help you spread the load. Call our team now to discuss the details and find out which payment plan might be right for you.

Corporate Packages

We work with a number of large organisations to deliver training in digital marketing. If you’d be interested in buying multiple places for your employees and getting a bulk discount then please call our business team on 0800 279 2996.

What are the IDM Certificates?

An IDM Certificate is an internationally recognised, in-depth qualification that gives professional marketers a full understanding of a specific digital marketing area. Each Certificate has been designed by a panel of expert marketing practitioners who understand the latest developments, challenges and opportunities in each field, along with the direct experience of applying the knowledge in real-life marketing programmes.

The Certificate, the equivalent of a QCF level 5 qualification, takes 3 months to complete, during which time you will have access to a comprehensive range of online resources and interactive learning materials. You will be assessed with one individual assignment and two final examinations at the end of your course.

What does the course fee include?

Each Certificate program includes the following:

• IDM membership for the 3 month duration of the course
• Access to the Virtual Campus, the hub for all your learning
• Interactive lessons for each module
• Live class webinars with your course tutor
• Master classes with industry specialists

Who studies for the IDM Certificates?

The Certificates have been designed for marketing professionals who want to sharpen their existing knowledge or to develop new skills. Each Certificate provides the learner with a comprehensive understanding of how to plan and implement a campaign, within an integrated marketing strategy

Why choose the IDM?

Here at the Institute of Direct and Digital Marketing (IDM), we are passionate about sharing the latest skills and knowledge from the industry to equip tomorrow’s marketers. We’ve been training professional marketers for over 25 years and today we have over 30 courses that cover all the important aspects of digital, direct and data marketing.

The IDM benefits from the support of some 200 industry experts, advising us on which courses we should be developing, providing real-life experiences and case studies, tutoring classes and delivering ‘masterclasses’.

All of our courses have been rigorously developed to comply with the highest academic standards, which is one of the reasons why the IDM is the only UK government-approved institute for direct, data and digital marketing professionals. The IDM is also an educational trust whose profits go back into the profession by bringing on the next generation of marketers at UK universities.

IDM Certificate in Social Media

Course outline

Get professionally qualified as a social media expert with the skills and knowledge that will set you apart in this competitive marketing discipline. Holders of the IDM Certificate in Social Media will have the ability and the know-how to create a robust business case for investment, and to set up the necessary organisational structures to confidently direct, manage and implement a social media strategy that delivers measurable ROI.

IDM Certificate in Social Media qualifies you to:

• Increase engagement by applying the range of social media marketing techniques and strategies
• Optimise social sharing and amplification through a variety of social media channels (Video, Facebook, Twitter, Blogs, LinkedIn, Google+, Pinterest, etc.) in earned, owned and paid media
• Structure, manage and track engagement strategy through content marketing and social analytics
• Integrate, embed and measure social media marketing across the entire business
• Collaborate and innovate through social media listening
• Track and measure social media campaigns, analyse performance and KPIs and their overall impact on business targets
• Understand how to use social media advertising to amplify your campaigns

The course is inspiring and informative and demonstrates clearly how social media and content marketing can develop your businesses’ ROI and in brand awareness. It shows it’s worth putting the effort in.

Naomi Harper, Business Development Exec, GVA

IDM Certificate in Search Marketing

Course outline

Search marketing is now recognised as a crucial element in today’s wider marketing strategy. The IDM Certificate in Search Marketing gives you a comprehensive understanding of the success factors for search marketing and explores the latest advanced optimisation techniques that will improve ROI and increase your value as the search strategy expert within your organisation.

IDM Certificate in Search Marketing qualifies you to:

• Review consumer search behaviour and competitor search activities to create a realistic search targeting strategy
• Demonstrate an understanding of legislation and codes of practice affecting search marketing
• Plan tests and interpret analytics data to develop recommendations to improve commercial results from SEM
• Confidently interpret the latest search ranking in order to improve SEO and Quality Score factors to improve paid search campaign ROI
• Build and own the integrated search marketing strategy and roadmap within your organisation

It was a welcoming environment and fantastic tutor/speaker. This is one of the best courses I have been on, I have picked up some invaluable knowledge on the technical aspects of PPC and SEO and how they relate to digital strategy. Thank you!

- Amy Fowler , Director, Siren Digital

IDM Certificate in Email Marketing

Course outline

The IDM Certificate in Email Marketing (Cert EM) will give you a comprehensive understanding of email marketing best practice and will give you the confidence to plan, create, manage and evaluate email campaigns. The syllabus is designed and delivered by leading email marketing experts who will share their real-world experience to help you get the most from the technology, delivery methods, creativity and customer insight that is essential for successful results-driven email marketing.

IDM Certificate in Email Marketing qualifies you to:

• Adopt the best practices regarding trust, reassurance and legalities
• Build effective and profitable online customer relationships
• Implement advanced techniques of segmentation and automation
• Track and analyse performance to optimise campaigns
• Plan, design and A/B test email copy to maximise ROI

This is an informative, professionally delivered course, which is interesting and thought provoking. For anyone looking to stimulate and supplement their current experience or to build upon their knowledge of email marketing, this course is highly recommended.

Simone Peacock, Managing Director, iChilli Ltd