Marketing for Startups

About this course

Are you a leader? Or an entrepreneur? Do you have a project or idea that you want to develop? or perhaps you have a passion for marketing? This course is designed to meet your passion for learning. The course is designed to help people with emerging projects to promote their business through the use of appropriate marketing tools that match the company’s resources and meet the needs and desires of the target market.

This course targets a number of learners. First, it targets entrepreneurs who have developed the first building block in their emerging project and those who are still in the process of developing the idea (ideation phase) prior to the launch of the project. The course also targets people with entrepreneurial tendencies who aspire to generate ideas and launch their emerging project in the near future. Finally, this course targets individuals who wish to delve deeper into marketing topics and have a passion for learning and exploration.

Our educational journey consists of four modules designed to help the learner build her/his ideas and work model in a scientific and gradual way which begins in digesting the basic concepts in marketing until she/he reaches an advanced stage through which she/he is able to market the project in a professional manner.

In the first module we will present the concept of marketing and its dimensions by clarifying the concept of start-up companies, introducing the marketing science, identifying the basic concepts of marketing science, understanding the term marketing mix, and knowing its four basic elements.

The second module deals with the division and targeting of the market and product substitution. We will study the S-T-P model, understand the market and determine its characteristics, then dissecting the mechanism of identifying the target group or categories.

The third module relates to marketing through relationships, known as customer relationship management (CRM). We will help the learner understand the term marketing relationships and its components and then understand the term CRM and build knowledge of its importance to startups and the benefits of the application of this system. We will also identify the types of CRM systems and discuss a number of programs that emerging companies can use. Finally, we will explain more about the performance measurement indicators of the effectiveness of CRM systems.

The fourth and final module of this course will discuss the development of a successful digital marketing strategy through social networking sites. This will come through learning about the concept of digital marketing, its types and advantages, and then learning the steps to develop a successful digital marketing strategy through social networking platforms. We will help learners identify a number of important tools to help emerging companies in the management of social networking platforms, and finally knowing what to avoid when employing such platforms.

Each of the four modules contains a large number of factual examples and interviews with owners of Arab startups. In addition, the course includes a number of multiple exercises and at the end of each part there will be a number of summative tests. The discussion forum will be available for interaction and communication in the event of any questions or suggestions.

Twelve participants will also have the opportunity to attend a specialized training workshop in the field of marketing of emerging projects. Another 12 participants will have the opportunity to communicate with a leading entrepreneur who will share her/his experiences over the four modules.

We wish you a pleasant and exciting learning journey.

What You Will Learn

• Understand what a Startup company is, and how marketing for startups is different
• What is the Marketing Mix, and its 4Ps: Price, Product, Promotion, and Place
• Understand STP: Segmentation, Targeting and Positioning model
• How to select our target audience, and what is the competitive edge and how to use it
• What is Connection Marketing and its components, what is CRM and why every startup should use it
• Understand Digital Marketing concepts, what are its methods and benefits
• How to build and implement a marketing strategy on Social Media platforms

Institution

Edraak

Edraak, is a massive open online course (MOOC) platform, that is an initiative of the Queen Rania Foundation (QRF). QRF is determined to ensure that the Arab world is at the forefront of educational innovation. As such, QRF has capitalized on regional Arab talent to leverage technology developed by the Harvard-MIT consortium, edX, to create the first non-profit Arabic MOOC platform. The new MOOC platform will present the Arab world with unique and vital opportunities that can be part of a necessary revolution in education and learning.

First, the platform will broadcast the best Arab professors to the region, offering original Arabic courses – developed by QRF – to further enrich Arab education. Through its partnership with edX, the platform will also give Arab learners access in Arabic to courses taught and developed at top tier institutions like HarvardX, MITX, and UC BerkelyX. All courses are delivered at no cost to the learner.

Second, QRF envisions the use of the platform to showcase Arab role models by broadcasting short online courses by practitioners and professionals from a variety of fields spanning the arts and sciences.

Finally, QRF believes that the platform will enable the Arab world to take advantage of the international interest in regional affairs to tell its own story to the world. Arab university professors and regional experts can use the platform to give courses in English about the region and its history. This will serve to inform a global audience that is interested in the region’s development.

Instructors

Dr. Dana Kakeesh

Dana Kakeesh is an adventuresome person who likes to try new things and believes that learning is never ending process. This not uncommon if it comes from a person has a sense towards marketing. A cum laude bachelor degree in marketing from the University of Jordan was her first milestone qualifying her to a scholarship to pursue her higher studies. University of York was her target, her pursue for a PhD scholarship was her obsession and the dream came true. Strategic brand management is her major. The assistant professor of Marketing, Dr Kakeesh also was an Assistant Dean for Development and Quality Assurance Affairs. She is interested in community services, tourism and digital marketing and entrepreneurship in Education and Business. She has a strong motivation that pushes her forward to develop this course which is the result of her love for voluntary work community service. As a result of her unlimited passion towards learning and teaching at the same time, she believes that the instructors should lead and motivate the learners and not “spoon-feed” them. According to Dr Kakeesh Edraak is one of the richest and most important milestone in her professional journey and that journey would not be great without the accompany of Edraak Learners throughout this course.