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COURSE DESCRIPTION
This course will help students analyze why brands are shifting from traditional marketing to content
marketing: the new way to create meaningful and lasting customer relationships. To succeed in our
hyper-connected digital world, students need to understand what is changing, how to create a content
marketing strategy, and how to measure success. The course will focus on the process to design a content
marketing strategy that enables brands to engage customers and build authentic connections across
multiple channels and touchpoints.
COURSE MATERIALS
Textbook
X: The Experience When Business Meets Design
Author: Brian Solis | Publisher: Wiley
ISBN: 978 1 118 45654 5
Additional materials: To keep this online course up-to-date, the Instructor will utilize a rich series
of online resources from leading content sources, and LinkedIn Learning.
LEARNING GOALS AND OBJECTIVES
Students who complete this course will demonstrate the following:
• An understanding of the importance of a digital content marketing strategy
• Ability to develop a content marketing strategy that meets specific marketing goals.
• Establish an online footprint or brand using a blog and other content marketing tactics.
• Ability to develop and use an editorial calendar
• Assess the effectiveness of others' content marketing efforts
ACADEMIC INTEGRITY
Marketing
Course Number: 22:630:637
Course Title: Content Marketing Strategy MS
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I do NOT tolerate cheating. Students are responsible for understanding the RU Academic Integrity Policy
(http://academicintegrity.rutgers.edu/)
I will strongly enforce this Policy and pursue all violations. On all examinations and assignments,
students must sign the RU Honor Pledge, which states, “On my honor, I have neither received nor given
any unauthorized assistance on this examination or assignment.” I will screen all written assignments
through SafeAssign or Turnitin, plagiarism detection services that compare the work against a large
database of past work. Don’t let cheating destroy your hard-earned opportunity to learn. See
business.rutgers.edu/ai for more details.
ATTENDANCE AND PREPARATION POLICY
Course grades are determined as follows:
Being absent in a fully online class, means you are not doing the necessary preparation for the class,
missing discussion forums and/or assignments. You are expected to actively participate in all threaded
discussions, submission of assignments on time, etc.
You are expected to complete all background reading and written assignments. You cannot learn if you
are not prepared.
ASSIGNMENTS
• Assignments 1, 2, and 3
• Twitter Chats [2]
• Discussion Forums [13]
• Final Project – Part 1
• Final Project – Part 2
• Case Study [1]
• Content Marketing | LinkedIn Learning [Lynda.com] Courses [6]
• Exams [2]
Grading Distribution
Twitter Chats (2) 10
Discussions (13) 20
Final project Part 1 30
3
Final project Part 2
Case RBR (1) 5
LinkedIn Learning 10
Exams (2) 10
Assignments (3) 15
100
ASSIGNMENTS (Descriptions)
Discussion Forum
➢ Assignments for weeks when discussions are scheduled.
Pay attention to the dates listed in the syllabus. Below are the specific discussion requirements.
Discussion Forum Requirements
Primary responses (your initial response to the threaded discussion postings) must be at least 200 words.
Quality and frequency of response are key. If you are quoting material, you must include the reference
source.
Secondary responses (these are your responses to other students’ and the instructor’s postings) and
should be at least several sentences in length (a minimum of 100 words, excluding quotes, signature
blocks, etc.) and substantial, meaning that your message has value and helps to further the discussion of
course content. Good responses include additional ideas and sources, insights or questions about
classmates’ comments, connections to the course readings, ways of applying the lessons from the course,
etc. Short comments, such as "Good idea" or "I agree," are not substantial on their own.
Some tips for creating substantial participation:
• Explain why you agree or disagree and add some examples.
• You may relate your personal or work experiences to the topic.
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• Make connections between the topic and the weekly topics.
• Explain ways the lessons from the class may be applied to your work.
Content Marketing | LinkedIn Learning
The course will leverage the rich series of educational videos from LinkedIn Learning (formerly
Lynda.com) a leading educational source with online courses vetted by LinkedIn, and in many cases, by
The American Marketing Association. Rutgers students have access to LinkedIn Learning. When
LinkedIn Learning courses are assigned, the student will choose from a list of online courses on Content
Marketing. Student will be required to write a summary of the course, key learnings (takeaways) and
identify some implications for content marketers.
Case | Shaping the Future: The New Social Ecosystem
https://rbr.business.rutgers.edu/article/shaping-future-new-social-ecosystem
Students will be assigned this case for review and analysis.
Case Abstract: The social ecosystem model provides an effective organizational blueprint for social
media adoption. Because social media marketing is inherently advocacy-based, it depends on authentic,
two-way interactions, peer recommendations, and earned media to succeed. Employees are empowered
under a social ecosystem framework to engage across channels as authentic brand ambassadors. This
ecosystem has three pillars: (1) the social governance council (SGC), (2) the employee experience (EX),
and (3) the customer experience (CX). Through a focus on guidance, listening, and learning by the SGC,
employees become the bridge between brand and customer, resulting in improved business outcomes and
greater brand value.
Twitter Chat Assignments - [two during the semester]
Two Twitter Chats will be scheduled during the course. To participate, you need to create a Twitter
account (unless you have one already). During the weeks that the Twitter Chats are scheduled, each
student will complete a minimum of three tweets and two retweets of your classmates’ posts during each
Twitter Chat.
The chat will last 30-minutes, and the instructor will ask three questions for students to respond at 10-
minute intervals during the chat. Students are expected to tweet their response to each of the questions
and to retweet their fellow classmates’ posts.
Assignments 1, 2, and 3
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Three assignments to include:
1. Assignment 1: Casper
2. Assignment 2: Adobe Spark
3. Assignment 3: Student Reflection Blog
Exams
Two exams will be given during the course.
Final Project Specs - Content Marketing & Storytelling | Two-Part Final Project
[Team Assignment]
Students will select a small to mid-size company to analyze based on these core plan components to result
in the creation of a content marketing plan for _________ [insert the brand your team selects here].
Brainstorm possible brands for selection in your team. There are five core components to this project.
GRADING POLICY
The following grading scale will be used in the course.
A 93.0 +
A- 90.0 - <93.0
B+ 87.0 – < 90.0
B 83.0 – <87.0
B- 80.0 – < 83.0
C+ 77.0 – <80.0
C 73.0 – <77.0
C- 70.0 - <73.0
D 60.0 – <70.0
F < 60
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COURSE SCHEDULE
COURSE SCHEDULE AND ASSIGNMENTS
All assigned readings are to be completed prior to class. The Instructor may include additional materials
that will be posted to Canvas. As this is a fully online class, it is important that you stay on top of Canvas
announcements by checking on a regular basis.
The course plan below is subject to change at the instructor’s discretion.
Class &
Date
Weekly Content Plan
Assignments Due
Week 1
Introduction to Content Marketing
Creating the Content Marketing Plan
• Definition of Content Marketing
• The 80 / 20 Rule of Value
• The Content Audit
• Speaking in One Clear Voice
Discussion Forum (DF1)
Content Marketing | LinkedIn Learning
Assignment
Week 2
Creating the Target Buyer Persona
• Develop the Persona Profile
• Brand Value Proposition (BVP)
• Customer Decision Journey
• Pain points, beliefs, media habits, and
more
Discussion Forum (DF2)
Assignment 1 (Casper)
Week 3
What’s Your Story?
Discussion Forum (DF3)
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Storytelling & Brand Purpose
• Humans are not ideally setup to
understand logic – they are setup to
understand Stories
• Success stories
• Telling a story with emotion
• The Why and the Golden Circle
Twitter Chat #1
Students submit URL for Reflection blog
Content Marketing | LinkedIn Learning
Assignment
Week 4
Content Creation, Curation,
AI-Generated Content & SEO
• Meeting Business Objectives
• Content Curation
• Can bots write copy?
• SEO Strategies and Keywords
Discussion Forum (DF4)
Content Marketing | LinkedIn Learning
Assignment
Week 5
Content Sourcing: Making the Right Choices
• The leading options for brands
• Reviewing alternatives
• Pros and Cons
• New options
Discussion Forum (DF5)
Assignment 2 – Adobe Spark
Week 6
Content Distribution Strategies
Content Channel Strategies to Reach Your
Persona
• POEM (paid, owned, and earned media)
• The Dragonfly Model (Aaker)
• Trends
Discussion Forum (DF6)
Exam #1
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• Examples
Week 7
The Power of Video Storytelling
• Live Streaming platforms
• Periscope, Facebook Live, Instagram
Live
• Recorded Video Platforms
Discussion Forum (DF7)
Final Project – Part 1
Week 8
Building the Content Marketing Team to
Make it All Work
• Content Teams Roles
• Content Team Models
• Content Review Board
Discussion Forum (DF8)
RBR Case Assignment
Read Chapters 1.0 thru 3.1 in textbook
Week 9
Influencer Marketing & W-O-M
• Influencers
• Word-of-Mouth
Discussion Forum (DF9)
Twitter Chat #2 Discussion Forum (DF1)
Read Chapters 3.2 thru 6.1 in textbook
Week 10
Experience is the New Brand
Discussion Forum (DF10)
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• Why experience is the new brand
• Develop a customer journey map
• Storyboarding
• What is Content Experience and what
role does it play in Content Marketing
strategy?
Read Chapters 6.2 thru 9.0 in textbook
Content Marketing | LinkedIn Learning
Assignment
Week 11
Metrics – How to Measure your Content
Marketing Plan
• Consumption Metrics
• Sharing Metrics
• Lead Metrics
• Sales Metrics
• Correlate Content Effectiveness to
Business Results
Discussion Forum (DF11)
Exam #2
Week 12
Empowering Social Employees to Create and
Distribute Authentic Content
• Company Social Media Policies
• Activation & Deployment
• How Content Marketing Empowers
Social Employees & Distribution
Platforms
Discussion Forum (DF12)
Assignment 3 | Student Reflection Blog
Content Marketing | LinkedIn Learning
Assignment
Week 13
The Publishing Process
• Editorial Calendars
• Workflows
• Templates / Guidelines
• Publish Content Efficiently
Discussion Forum (DF13)
Content Marketing | LinkedIn Learning
Assignment
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Thanksgiving Break
Week 14
Final Content Marketing Plan Team
Presentations
Comprehensive Content Marketing
Plan - Parts 1 & 2
SUPPORT SERVICES
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[Rutgers University-New Brunswick ODS phone (848)445-6800 or email dsoffice@echo.rutgers.edu]
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[Rutgers University-New Brunswick Title IX Coordinator phone (848)932-8200 or email
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[Rutgers–Newark: PA[email protected]gers.edu]
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If you are in need of additional academic assistance, please use our readily available services.
[Rutgers University-Newark Learning Center: http://www.ncas.rutgers.edu/rlc
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[Optional items that many faculty include:
- Students must sign, date, and return a statement declaring that they understand the RU Academic
Integrity Policy.
- Students must sign, date, and return a statement declaring that they understand this syllabus.]