Marketing
StrategyCornell

Certificate Program

In this course, you will identify the stages of the customer journey and consider the importance of tailoring your promotional and customer support efforts to the needs of customers at each stage. You will also begin to narrow your marketing focus by identifying potential customer segments that represent the best fit for your product. Along the way, you'll calculate what it costs to acquire a customer. You will then apply these skills to further develop a Go-To-Market Plan that describes potential customer segments and their customer journeys.

The following course is required to be completed before taking this course:

• Key Performance Indicators for Marketing

In this course, you will select the most promising customer segments to target and position a product in a way that makes it attractive to potential customers. You'll also use the Importance-Performance Model along with other analytical tools to help you choose a target segment. You will discover how to craft a product positioning statement for a Go-To-Market Plan, applying your knowledge for success.

The following courses are required to be completed before taking this course:

• Key Performance Indicators for Marketing
• The Customer Journey and Segmentation

Even the best segmentation, targeting, and positioning will be of no use if your team's product isn't well designed and properly tested. In this course, you will consider why products fail and what steps you can take to increase your chances of success. You will explore concept testing and conjoint analysis and apply their results to decisions about product features. You will also be introduced to volumetric forecasting and the process of deciding when a product is ready for launch. Finally, you will craft a concept description of your product, summarize any concept testing, and describe the specific features that you've decided to include in your product, further building on a practical Go-To-Market Plan.

The following courses are required to be completed before taking this course:

• Key Performance Indicators for Marketing
• The Customer Journey and Segmentation
• Targeting and Positioning

Your product has been designed and you've decided it's ready for the marketplace. How will you get it into the hands of customers? This course addresses key issues associated with distribution channels, including the role of intermediaries and the type of arrangement you will have with them. You will also explore the pros and cons of online vs. offline distribution, the needs of customers as related to how you market and sell your product, and several ways in which profit margins are affected by channel decisions. To apply these skills, you will help to identify appropriate distribution channels and create a distribution plan for your product as you continue progressing your example Go-To-Market Plan.

The following courses are required to be completed before taking this course:

• Key Performance Indicators for Marketing
• The Customer Journey and Segmentation
• Targeting and Positioning
• Product Design and Testing

Your financial reward from hard work on designing a product and setting up distribution channels comes when customers make a purchase and hand over money. Setting prices that are right for your customers as well as your company is therefore a critical element of your strategy. In this course, you will explore several pricing models and discover what it takes to establish pricing levels that result in sales and enable your company to succeed. Working with your team, you will help to determine an appropriate pricing structure for your product and add a description of it to your group's Go-To-Market Plan.

The following courses are required to be completed before taking this course:

• Key Performance Indicators for Marketing
• The Customer Journey and Segmentation
• Targeting and Positioning
• Product Design and Testing
• Setting Up Distribution Channels

If you build it, they actually might not come — you need to promote your product in effective ways. In this course, you will explore various promotional tools that can be used to guide customers along their multi-stage decision journeys. You will also consider methods you can use to measure and analyze the effectiveness of your promotional activities. To gain practical insights into this process, you will craft a promotion plan for your product and add it to your example Go-To-Market Plan, setting your product up for success in the market.

The following courses are required to be completed before taking this course:

• Key Performance Indicators for Marketing
• The Customer Journey and Segmentation
• Targeting and Positioning
• Product Design and Testing
• Setting Up Distribution Channels
• Establishing Effective Pricing

Symposium sessions feature two days of live, highly interactive virtual Zoom sessions that will explore today’s most pressing topics. The Marketing Symposium offers you a unique opportunity to engage in real-time conversations with peers and experts from the Cornell community and beyond. Using the context of your own experiences, you will take part in reflections and small-group discussions to build on the skills and knowledge you have gained from your courses.

Join us for the next Symposium, in which we’ll share experiences from across the industry, inspiring real-time conversations about best practices, innovation, and the future of marketing work. You will support your coursework by applying your knowledge and experiences to some of the most pressing topics and trends in the marketing field. By participating in relevant and engaging discussions, you will discover a variety of perspectives and build connections with your fellow participants from across the industry.

Upcoming Symposium: March 11th – 12th, 2025: 

• Tuesday, March 11, 2025 11AM – 1PM ET
• Wednesday, March 12, 2025 11AM – 1PM ET

All sessions are held on Zoom.

Future dates are subject to change. You may participate in as many sessions as you wish. Attending Symposium sessions is not required to successfully complete any certificate program. Once enrolled in your courses, you will receive information about upcoming events. Accessibility accommodations will be available upon request.