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Marketing Strategy Course

Develop strategic thinking skills and learn frameworks for creating effective marketing plans that align business objectives with market opportunities

10 weeks
Intermediate-Advanced
40+ video lessons
Certificate included
CAD $349
One-time payment • Lifetime access • No subscriptions
Enroll Now View Curriculum
Strategic marketing planning session

Course Overview

This course focuses on the strategic aspects of marketing—the thinking and planning that precedes execution. You'll learn frameworks for analyzing markets, positioning brands, and developing comprehensive marketing strategies.

Effective marketing strategy connects business objectives with market realities. Whether you're planning campaigns for an employer, consulting with clients, or developing strategy for your own business, this course provides structured approaches to strategic marketing challenges.

The course emphasizes practical application of strategic frameworks. While we cover essential theory, the focus is on developing your ability to analyze situations, make strategic decisions, and create actionable marketing plans. You'll work through real-world scenarios and case studies that require strategic thinking.

What You'll Learn

Strategic Marketing Fundamentals

Understand the relationship between marketing strategy and business strategy, and how to align marketing activities with organizational goals

Market Analysis & Research

Conduct market analysis, competitive research, and customer insights gathering to inform strategic decisions

Brand Positioning & Differentiation

Develop positioning strategies that differentiate your brand and create meaningful value propositions

Segmentation & Targeting

Identify and evaluate market segments, select target markets, and develop segment-specific strategies

Marketing Mix Development

Apply the marketing mix (4Ps) framework to create integrated marketing programs that deliver value

Campaign Planning & Management

Plan, execute, and manage marketing campaigns from strategy through implementation and measurement

Course Details

  • Duration: 10 weeks
  • Weekly Commitment: 5-7 hours
  • Level: Intermediate-Advanced
  • Prerequisites: Basic marketing knowledge recommended
  • Language: English
  • Certificate: Yes, upon completion
  • Access: Lifetime
  • Support: Email support included

Course Includes

  • 40+ video lessons
  • 25+ reading materials
  • 10 strategic case studies
  • Strategy templates & frameworks
  • Planning worksheets
  • Certificate of completion
Enroll in This Course

Course Curriculum

  • Introduction to marketing strategy
  • Strategy vs. tactics: understanding the difference
  • Aligning marketing with business objectives
  • The strategic marketing process
  • Reading: Evolution of strategic marketing
  • Assignment: Analyze a company's marketing strategy

  • Conducting market analysis
  • Competitive analysis frameworks
  • Porter's Five Forces model
  • SWOT analysis in practice
  • Customer research methodologies
  • Synthesizing research into insights
  • Reading: Market analysis in Canadian contexts
  • Case Study: Competitive positioning analysis

  • Market segmentation approaches
  • Evaluating segment attractiveness
  • Target market selection criteria
  • Niche vs. mass market strategies
  • Creating customer personas
  • Reading: Segmentation best practices
  • Assignment: Develop segmentation strategy

  • Positioning fundamentals
  • Creating positioning statements
  • Points of parity vs. points of difference
  • Perceptual mapping
  • Repositioning strategies
  • Brand architecture decisions
  • Reading: Effective positioning examples
  • Case Study: Brand repositioning project

  • Understanding customer value
  • Value proposition canvas
  • Crafting compelling value propositions
  • Aligning features with benefits
  • Testing and validating value propositions
  • Reading: Value-based marketing
  • Assignment: Create value proposition

  • The 4Ps framework in strategic context
  • Product strategy and lifecycle management
  • Pricing strategies and tactics
  • Distribution channel decisions
  • Promotion strategy development
  • Creating integrated marketing programs
  • Reading: Marketing mix optimization
  • Case Study: Marketing mix analysis

  • Campaign strategy framework
  • Setting campaign objectives
  • Budget allocation and resource planning
  • Channel selection and integration
  • Creative brief development
  • Campaign timeline and milestones
  • Reading: Campaign planning best practices
  • Assignment: Develop campaign plan

  • Marketing metrics framework
  • KPI selection and tracking
  • ROI and ROMI calculation
  • Attribution modeling basics
  • Dashboard design and reporting
  • Using metrics for optimization
  • Reading: Measurement and analytics
  • Case Study: Performance analysis

  • Marketing plan structure and components
  • Situation analysis and SWOT
  • Strategic objectives and goals
  • Strategy and tactics documentation
  • Budget and resource planning
  • Implementation timeline
  • Reading: Marketing plan examples
  • Final Project: Comprehensive marketing plan

Who This Course Is For

Marketing Managers

Marketing professionals who want to strengthen their strategic capabilities and move beyond tactical execution to strategic planning and leadership roles.

Business Consultants

Consultants who advise clients on marketing strategy and need structured frameworks for analyzing situations and developing recommendations.

Entrepreneurs

Business owners developing marketing strategies for their companies who want to apply proven frameworks rather than relying solely on intuition.

Product Managers

Product professionals who need to develop go-to-market strategies, positioning, and launch plans for new or existing products.

Career Changers

Professionals transitioning into strategic marketing roles from other business functions who need a comprehensive understanding of marketing strategy.

Digital Marketers

Digital marketing specialists who want to develop strategic thinking skills to complement their tactical digital expertise.

Frequently Asked Questions

The Digital Marketing course focuses on execution—how to actually do digital marketing across specific channels like SEO, social media, and email. This Marketing Strategy course focuses on the thinking and planning that comes before execution—analyzing markets, positioning brands, and creating strategic plans. They're complementary: strategy tells you what to do and why, while digital marketing teaches you how to execute in digital channels.

Basic marketing knowledge is recommended. You should understand fundamental marketing concepts like the marketing mix, customer segments, and basic promotion tactics. If you're completely new to marketing, consider starting with our Digital Marketing course or doing some foundational reading before beginning this more strategic course.

Yes, the course teaches you frameworks and processes for developing marketing plans. The final project is creating a comprehensive marketing plan, which you can base on your own business if you prefer. However, the course teaches general principles and frameworks—you'll need to apply them to your specific situation.

The strategic frameworks we teach apply to both B2B and B2C contexts, though implementation details differ. We include examples from both contexts and discuss how strategy differs between B2B and B2C markets. The principles of segmentation, positioning, and strategic planning work in both environments.

Plan for 5-7 hours per week. This includes watching video lessons (2-3 hours), completing readings (1-2 hours), and working on case studies and assignments (2-3 hours). Strategic work requires thinking time—you may find yourself reflecting on course concepts outside of formal study time.

Yes, we teach established strategic marketing frameworks used widely in business, including Porter's Five Forces, SWOT analysis, positioning frameworks, the marketing mix, and standard strategic planning processes. These are tools used by marketing professionals and taught in business schools globally.

Absolutely. The courses are complementary—one teaches you strategic thinking and planning, the other teaches digital execution. Together they give you both the "what and why" (strategy) and the "how" (digital marketing). Many students take both to develop a complete skill set.

The course provides knowledge and frameworks used in strategic marketing roles, but we cannot guarantee career outcomes. Hiring decisions depend on many factors including your overall experience, the specific job market, how you present your skills, and organizational needs. This course gives you strategic marketing knowledge—how you apply it in your career depends on your unique circumstances.

Develop Strategic Marketing Skills

Learn frameworks for creating effective marketing strategies

CAD $349
One-time payment • Lifetime access
Enroll Now
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