Content Marketing Module Handbook 2024-25 | LBU

Content Marketing Module Aims

This module aims to establish the core considerations, principles and concepts necessary to put together a successful content marketing plan, you will then take this plan and learning forward and tackle a live creative industry brief from ideation, design, creation to client presentation and delivery, allowing you to experience, learn and understand the processes necessary to become a great content marketer!

Content Marketing Module Learning Outcome

• Understand and apply the concepts and principles of content marketing, permitting them to analyse and evaluate content marketing approaches by organisations across a range of sectors
• Recognise the link between corporate objectives, strategic marketing goals and a content marketing strategy
• Understand and apply the theory of storytelling
• Develop a content marketing plan for an allocated company

Module Learning Activities

The module will cover the following areas:

• Assessing the content marketing landscape
• Building your content marketing plan foundations
• Advancing your content marketing plan
• Turning ideas into engaging content
• Video, motion graphics, digital design, blogs, articles for content marketing
• Pitching your content to your client

Key Resources to Support Learning

The core textbooks are listed below:

1. Julia Mc Coy (2017). Practical Content Strategy & Marketing: The Content Strategy & Marketing Course Guidebook, CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform, USA

2. Joe Pulizzi (2014). Epic Content Marketing: How to tell a Different Story, Break Through the Clutter, and Win more Customers by Marketing Less, McGraw-Hill Education, USA.

3. Mary Lou Roberts, Debra Zahay (2013). Internet Marketing - Integrating Online and Offline Strategy, Third Edition, South Western Cengage Learning, USA.

4. Mark Schaefer (2015). The Content Code - six essential strategies for igniting your content, your Marketing, and your business; First Edition, Schaefer MarketingSolutions, USA.

5. Lieb, R. & Szymanski, J. (2017) Content, the Atomic Particle of Marketing: The Definitive Guide to Content Marketing Strategy. London: Kogan Page Limited.

6. Jefferson, S. & Tanton, S. (2015). Valuable Content Marketing: How to Make Quality Content Your Key to Success. London: Kogan.

7. Pulizzi, J, & Piper, B (2023). Epic Content Marketing. 2 Ed, London: McGraw-Hill

Indicative Module Schedule

Assessment 

Assessment Component 1 (worth 20% of overall module score)

Component 1 requires you to create a Content Marketing Plan for a company of your choice. Your content marketing plan should include the following:

Part 1. Assess your Content Marketing landscape so you can create a Content Marketing Plan that will fit within it. 

Demonstrate an understanding of the business and the environment it sits in, identify the current target audience, assess the historic performance of its content marketing, and identify and understand the resources you have available. Use appropriate theories and models to demonstrate your response to Part 1. (L01, LO2)

Part 2. Build your Content Marketing Plan foundations. 

Based on your findings for Part 1, establish your content marketing mission, your objectives, your target audience and your communication channels. Assess what content is on trend, what content the target audience likes, and what content is effective. Establish KPI's (measure of success) and Benchmarks (what you want to achieve). (LO1, LO3)

Part 3. Advance your Content Marketing Plan based on the foundations you have built in Part 2. 

Provide recommendations for optimising your channels & optimising and advancing your content for your target market. Consider globalisation/ localisation/personalisation. Consider data collection techniques you will adopt and why. (LO2, LO3, LO4)

Part 4. Formalise & communicate your plan to the business. 

Based on your research and findings for Parts 1, 2 & 3, document your content marketing plan on a one-page document. Your one-page document should include content marketing mission, objectives, key dates, target audience, content formats, communication channels, recommendations for optimisation of channels and content and ways you propose to measure the content/collect your data. (LO1, LO2, LO3, LO4)

Additional Information

• The length limit is 45 pages +/- 10% excluding appendices and references.
• Your work should be referenced using the Harvard referencing style (please use Quote Unquote for support).
• References are not included in the word count.
• Any websites referred to must be properly referenced.

Recommended Support Document Structure

• Title
• Table of contents page
• Introduction
• Part 1
• Part 2
• Part 3
• Part 4
• Conclusion
• References

Student Instructions for Submission of Coursework

This module requires you to submit your work online in Word docx format.

You MUST submit your work using the Turnitin Submission Portal set up by your tutor.

Please note: Tutors will follow up on any suspected breach of academic integrity found after the submission date as per University policy. Late penalties will apply as per University Regulations

Instructions to Students

Please read carefully the assessment and grade/marking at the end of this handbook.

Assessment Component 2 (worth 20% of overall module score)

What You Need to Do

• In your allocated groups, reflect on your content marketing plans developed in Assignment 1 and collaborate and work together to plan, design, create and present 4 - 8 pieces of content that fulfil the Campaign Objectives
• Each person must lead on a minimum of 1 and a maximum of 2 pieces of content. Your presentation delivery must include a slide at the end that demonstrates which content each team member led on. 
  Your content can take the form of video, infographics, graphic banners, articles, blogs, etc.
• Ensure your content is on brand, geared towards our target market, and all your content pieces should work together as a strategic marketing campaign that tells a story and addresses the core campaign objectives.
• You must deliver your content via a live, maximum 20-minute PowerPoint presentation (+/- 10%) to tutor & peers, showcasing your content and outlining how your content meets the chosen company objectives and target audience (full assessment criteria can be found in your module below).

Academic Integrity

Academic integrity is a fundamental principle within the University and is strongly linked to good academic practice. All assessments must be submitted with due attention to issues of academic integrity, expression, and good academic practice, including clarity in grammar, semantics and syntax.

Any suspected breach of academic integrity will be investigated by the University and could have serious consequences for your studies. Breaches of academic integrity include (but are not limited to) plagiarism, self-plagiarism, collusion and contract cheating.

Instructions to Students

Please read carefully the assessment and grade/marking descriptors overleaf: