Marketing has moved from billboards and print to screens and phones, and in markets such as Kenya, Uganda and Nigeria mobile-first customers expect businesses to respond on social platforms within minutes. Many organisations answer by opening accounts and posting without a plan, which produces inconsistent messages, wasted advertising spend and no way of knowing what returned value. A clear brand and a disciplined digital approach address both problems together.

This training course teaches the two in tandem. Participants start with brand strategy: market and competitor review, positioning, value proposition, personas, tone of voice and visual consistency. They then build a digital marketing plan with objectives, channel choices and budgets, and learn to create content that matches each stage of the customer journey. Practical modules cover social media management, search optimisation, pay-per-click and social advertising, email marketing and the use of messaging apps for sales and service. The final sessions focus on measurement with analytics dashboards, testing and improvement.

The learning is workshop style. Each person sets up or reviews real accounts, drafts posts and ad copy, builds a content calendar and presents a campaign plan for feedback. The result is a set of working assets and the confidence to continue after the programme.

By the end of the course, participants will be able to:

• Define brand positioning, audience personas and a consistent brand voice.
• Prepare a digital marketing plan with objectives, channels and a budget.
• Produce content for different platforms using a planned content calendar.
• Manage business pages and communities on major social media platforms.
• Apply search engine optimisation basics to improve website visibility.
• Set up and optimise basic paid campaigns on Google and Meta platforms.
• Use analytics to measure performance and adjust campaigns.

The course is suited to those who market organisations, products or causes, including:

• Marketing and brand officers
• Communications and public relations staff
• Sales and business development managers
• Small business owners and startup founders
• Social media and community managers
• NGO fundraising, outreach and advocacy teams
• Hospitality, retail and real estate marketers
• Graduates starting careers in digital marketing

Participants leave with:

• A brand positioning statement and voice guide for their organisation.
• A 30-day content calendar with sample posts and creative briefs.
• A tested ad set-up with audience, budget and copy ready to run.
• A search optimisation checklist for their website.
• A simple analytics report layout for monthly reviews.
• A digital marketing plan they can present to decision makers.

The course is a working studio where participants apply each topic to a real brand. Learning activities include:

• Live demonstrations of social, search and ad platforms
• Practical labs on participants' own pages and websites
• Content creation using free and low-cost design tools
• Campaign case studies from African consumer markets
• Plenary presentations with feedback from facilitators and peers

Participants who attend the programme and complete the practical assignments will be given a CPD-accredited Certificate of Completion issued by Vision Reach Global Consultancy.