Marketing Communications Training Course

Duration 5 days 10 modules · 33 contact hours
Level Intermediate Certificate on completion
Who attends Marketing Managers, Communications Managers and others
Fee from USD 1,100 KSh 95,000 for Kenyan organisations
Where 52 cities + online See dates by city
Next start 7 Nov 2026 Course code SD-M-034

Before you join: Participants should have some experience contributing to marketing, communications, product launches, customer campaigns or agency work.

Dates & prices

Two start dates a month in every city, and live online on weekdays or weekends. Fees are per participant; classroom fees include tuition, materials, lunch and refreshments, and the certificate.

Suggest a date or city

Showing the next six months. Later dates, other cities and private deliveries for your team are available on request.

Course overview

Marketing communications fails when campaigns begin with channels or creative concepts rather than a defined audience, commercial objective and message strategy. Teams may publish content, buy media and issue announcements without knowing which behaviour they need to change, how each channel contributes, or whether results justify spend. This course gives participants a disciplined way to plan, deliver and assess coordinated communications across paid, owned, earned and shared channels.

Participants learn to translate business goals into communication objectives, segment priority audiences, develop positioning and build message architecture. They use the RACE Planning Framework to structure customer communications from reach through engagement and action. The course covers campaign briefs, content planning, media selection, digital communications, public relations, internal communications, budget choices and measurement. Participants also examine how brand consistency, customer insight and channel integration affect response.

Teaching combines concise instructor briefings with practical case analysis, message-development work, channel-planning decisions, budget scenarios and measurement reviews. Cases can be adapted for public services, financial institutions, NGOs, business-to-business firms and consumer brands. Participants leave with a reusable integrated marketing communications plan, including objectives, audience priorities, messages, channel roles, content actions, measures and governance checkpoints.

The course is suited to professionals who already contribute to marketing, communications or customer activity and need to plan coordinated campaigns with greater commercial discipline. It is particularly useful where several teams, agencies or regional offices must communicate consistently while adapting activity to local audiences and channels.

What you will be able to do

  • Define SMART communication objectives linked to business goals and customer behaviour
  • Segment priority audiences using needs, value and behavioural criteria
  • Develop a positioning statement and message architecture for a defined campaign
  • Create an integrated channel plan using the PESO model and RACE framework
  • Write campaign briefs that specify audiences, propositions, deliverables and approvals
  • Select content formats and media channels against audience journey requirements
  • Build a campaign measurement framework using KPIs, baselines and attribution assumptions
  • Produce an integrated marketing communications plan with budget and governance controls

Benefits of attending

For you

  • Plan campaigns from business objectives rather than channel preferences
  • Write clearer briefs for agencies, designers, media partners and internal teams
  • Make defensible channel and budget recommendations using audience evidence
  • Present communication plans with measurable objectives and decision points
  • Build a portfolio-ready integrated marketing communications plan

For your organisation

  • Improves consistency between brand promises, campaign messages and customer experience
  • Reduces wasted activity caused by unclear audiences, duplicated content and unfocused channels
  • Creates better agency briefs and more controlled approval processes
  • Connects campaign spending to measurable customer and commercial outcomes
  • Strengthens coordination across marketing, sales, service, digital and communications teams

Course modules

10 modules over 5 days

Participants can frame a marketing communications challenge around business goals, customer behaviour and strategic priorities.

  • Marketing communications role within growth, retention, reputation and customer experience
  • Business objectives translated into specific communication and behavioural outcomes
  • RACE Planning Framework stages: reach, act, convert and engage
  • Customer journey mapping from awareness through purchase and advocacy
  • Stakeholder analysis for buyers, users, influencers, gatekeepers and internal audiences
  • Communication risks created by disconnected campaigns and inconsistent customer messages

Participants can identify priority audiences and use insight to make targeting decisions.

  • Segmentation variables: demographic, geographic, psychographic, behavioural and value-based criteria
  • Persona construction from research evidence, customer data and frontline feedback
  • Jobs to Be Done identifies functional, social and emotional motivations
  • Prioritising segments by attractiveness, accessibility, strategic fit and expected value
  • Buying committee mapping for business-to-business communication decisions
  • Insight statements distinguish observed behaviour, underlying tension and communication opportunity

Participants can create a differentiated proposition and structured messages for priority audiences.

  • Positioning statement defines audience, category, benefit, reason to believe
  • Value proposition canvas links customer pains, gains and offer features
  • Message architecture organises master message, supporting points and proof
  • AIDA model structures attention, interest, desire and action
  • Proof points use evidence, demonstrations, endorsements and relevant comparisons
  • Tone-of-voice choices balance brand character, audience expectations and context

Participants can select and coordinate channels according to audience needs and campaign objectives.

  • PESO model connects paid, earned, shared and owned media
  • Channel roles assigned by reach, credibility, interaction, conversion and retention
  • Media selection criteria include audience fit, context, cost and controllability
  • Owned channels: websites, email, apps, events and sales materials
  • Earned media planning covers journalists, analysts, partners and community advocates
  • Contact sequencing prevents repetition, gaps and conflicting calls to action

Participants can plan useful content and assess creative work against campaign requirements.

  • Content pillars translate brand themes into repeatable editorial territories
  • Editorial calendar schedules formats, owners, deadlines, approvals and distribution
  • Content-funnel mapping matches information depth to audience readiness
  • Creative brief sections define problem, audience, proposition, mandatories and measures
  • Copywriting structures use benefit-led headlines, proof and clear calls-to-action
  • Accessibility checks cover plain language, captions, contrast and alternative text

Participants can plan digital and direct communication activity with appropriate targeting and controls.

  • Email journey design uses triggers, segmentation, frequency and conversion actions
  • Search communication aligns user intent, landing pages and paid keywords
  • Social content planning balances platform purpose, format, cadence and moderation
  • Landing-page structure connects campaign promise, proof, friction reduction and action
  • UTM parameters establish consistent source, medium, campaign and content tracking
  • Consent management considers permission, preferences, suppression and data retention

Participants can integrate credible third-party and employee communications into campaign plans.

  • Media relations planning identifies news value, spokespeople, timing and angles
  • Press release structure prioritises headline, lead, evidence, quotes and contact details
  • Thought leadership programmes match expert perspectives to audience concerns
  • Partnership selection assesses audience overlap, credibility, values and mutual benefit
  • Employee communication cascades equip managers with messages, materials and feedback routes
  • Issue response protocols define escalation, holding statements, approval and monitoring

Participants can produce an actionable campaign brief and manage delivery decisions.

  • Campaign brief aligns objectives, audience, proposition, deliverables, timing and measures
  • SMART objectives specify target behaviour, audience, timeframe and performance threshold
  • Budget allocation compares fixed costs, variable costs, production and media spend
  • Workback schedules sequence research, development, approval, launch and optimisation
  • RACI matrix assigns responsible, accountable, consulted and informed stakeholders
  • Agency evaluation criteria cover strategic fit, creative quality, costs and capacity

Participants can build measurement plans that connect communication activity to meaningful outcomes.

  • Measurement framework distinguishes outputs, outtakes, outcomes and business impact
  • KPI selection links reach, engagement, leads, conversion, retention and sentiment
  • Baseline data establishes comparison points before campaign activity begins
  • Dashboard design presents trends, targets, variance and management decisions
  • Attribution models compare first-touch, last-touch, linear and position-based credit
  • Test-and-learn plans define hypothesis, variable, sample, metric and decision rule

Participants can consolidate campaign decisions into a practical plan for implementation and review.

  • Integrated communications plan connects objectives, audiences, messages, channels and measures
  • Message-channel matrix checks consistency while adapting format and call-to-action
  • Campaign governance sets decision rights, approval gates, reporting cadence and escalation
  • Risk register records reputational, regulatory, operational and channel-specific concerns
  • Stakeholder presentation structure explains rationale, investment, expected results and dependencies
  • Ninety-day application plan identifies immediate actions, owners and review dates

Exercises and examples are adapted to each cohort's sectors and roles.

What you take back to work

  1. Integrated marketing communications plan template
  2. Audience segmentation and persona worksheet
  3. Positioning statement and message architecture model
  4. PESO channel-planning matrix
  5. Campaign brief and RACI template
  6. Marketing communications measurement dashboard

Who should attend

  • Marketing Managers — plan coordinated campaigns across products, markets and channels
  • Communications Managers — connect corporate, customer and campaign communications
  • Brand Managers — maintain positioning and message consistency through campaign activity
  • Digital Marketing Specialists — align digital activity with wider communication objectives
  • Product Managers — prepare clearer go-to-market briefs and launch communications
  • Account Managers — coordinate agency, client and internal marketing stakeholders

Skills and tools covered

Campaign planningAudience segmentationMessage architectureChannel integrationContent planningMarketing measurement

Tools and standards

RACE Planning Framework, PESO model, AIDA model, RACI matrix

How the course runs

Training methodology

Instructor-led sessions combine short briefings with case work, group analysis and structured planning tasks. Participants assess communication problems, define audiences, develop messages, compare channel options and interpret campaign results. Simulations may involve agency-brief decisions, stakeholder approvals, media allocation and response scenarios. The instructor uses examples from consumer, business-to-business, public-sector and nonprofit communications. Participants apply the frameworks to a current or planned campaign and finish with a practical action plan for their own role.

Requirements and prerequisites

Participants should have some experience contributing to marketing, communications, product launches, customer campaigns or agency work. They should understand basic marketing terms such as target audience, brand, campaign, channel and customer journey. Experience of preparing content, coordinating suppliers, managing social channels or supporting events is useful. No formal marketing qualification is required. Participants do not need graphic design, copywriting, media-buying or advanced analytics expertise. The course is not intended for complete newcomers who have never worked with a marketing or communications activity.

A typical training day

08:30 – 10:30First session
10:30 – 10:45Refreshment break
10:45 – 12:30Second session
12:30 – 13:30Lunch and networking
13:30 – 15:00Third session
15:00 – 15:15Refreshment break
15:15 – 16:30Workshop and daily review

Live online deliveries follow the same structure in East Africa Time, with shorter screen blocks and longer breaks.

What the fee includes

  • Instruction by a practitioner facilitator
  • Full course workbook and materials
  • Exercise files, templates and case studies
  • Refreshments and lunch on classroom deliveries
  • Certificate of completion
  • Post-course application plan

Frequently asked questions

You should have practical exposure to marketing, communications, product, brand or customer activity. You do not need a marketing qualification or specialist experience in design, media buying or analytics.

Bring details of a current or upcoming campaign, product launch, service change or communication problem if you can. A laptop is useful for working on templates, although course materials will be provided.

It is intended for marketing managers, communications professionals, brand and product managers, digital specialists and agency account staff. It suits people who need to coordinate several channels and stakeholders around measurable objectives.

Digital marketing courses focus more deeply on online channels, platforms and performance tactics. Brand management courses focus on brand strategy and portfolio decisions; this course connects messages, channels, content, public relations and measurement within a campaign plan.

You can use the planning templates to improve an existing campaign brief, create a message architecture or review whether current channels have clear roles. The final application plan helps identify immediate changes, owners and review dates.

Each training day runs from 08:30 to 16:30 and provides about 6.5 contact hours. Time is divided across ten modules covering strategy, audiences, messages, channels, content, delivery control, measurement and plan application.

Questions about this course?

Ask about dates, fees, group bookings or running it for your team. Our training team replies by email.

Ask on WhatsApp info@skillsetdevelopment.com

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