Marketing 101: Foundations of Real-World Marketing
Marketing 101: Foundations of Real-World Marketing
Welcome to Marketing 101 – Your Entry Point to the Real Work Behind Real Brands
This course is designed to give you a strong foundation in marketing strategy through the lens of the Four P’s: Product, Price, Place, and Promotion. But this isn’t theory for theory’s sake. You’ll learn what marketing actually is, what marketing professionals do, and how to start thinking like a strategist, not just a content creator.
By the end of this course, you’ll be able to:
Define and explain the core functions of marketing.
Understand how Product, Price, Place, and Promotion work together.
Identify different marketing roles and skill sets.
Analyze how to position a product in the real world using foundational strategy.
Apply your learning to both traditional and digital environments.
This course is perfect for beginners, freelancers, small business owners, or anyone curious about building a serious marketing career.
-
-
Lesson 1.1: What is Marketing, Really?
Explore the full scope of marketing beyond just “ads” or “social.”
Learn how marketing integrates with business, communications, and strategy.
Explore the full scope of marketing beyond just “ads” or “social.”
Learn how marketing integrates with business, communications, and strategy.
-
Lesson 1.2: Functions & Roles in Marketing
Gain an understanding of the career paths within marketing: copywriting, content, strategy, branding, data, and more.
Learn the difference between marketing, communications, and advertising.
Gain an understanding of the career paths within marketing: copywriting, content, strategy, branding, data, and more.
Learn the difference between marketing, communications, and advertising.
-
-
-
Lesson 2.1: Product + Price
Learn how to define what you’re offering—and how to price it based on value, audience, and market fit.
Review real examples to compare service vs. product-based marketing.
Learn how to define what you’re offering—and how to price it based on value, audience, and market fit.
Review real examples to compare service vs. product-based marketing.
-
Lesson 2.2: Place + Promotion
Understand the “where” and “how” of delivering your message.
Introduction to choosing the right channels (email, social, print, web) and promotional strategies.
Understand the “where” and “how” of delivering your message.
Introduction to choosing the right channels (email, social, print, web) and promotional strategies.
-
Meet your instructor
Felicia Sherrod, Strategic Marketing Leader & Fractional CMO
I’m Felicia Sherrod, your guide through the real world of marketing. With over a decade of experience leading high-impact marketing across nonprofit, education, government, and small business sectors, I bring a rare blend of strategic clarity, creative execution, and people-first coaching.
I’ve led statewide campaigns, grown nonprofit brands from the ground up, and served as a fractional Chief Marketing Officer for mission-driven organizations making real change. I’ve worked with organizations like the Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development (DEED), Summit Academy OIC, and T.O.N.E. U.P.—just to name a few.
In this course, I combine the fundamentals I learned in advertising school with the practical strategies I’ve refined in the field. You’ll walk away not just with information—but with insight, tools, and confidence to start your journey as a digital marketer.
FAQs
-
It all begins with an idea. Maybe you want to launch a business. Maybe you want to turn a hobby into something more. Or maybe you have a creative project to share with the world. Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference.
-
It all begins with an idea. Maybe you want to launch a business. Maybe you want to turn a hobby into something more. Or maybe you have a creative project to share with the world. Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference.
-
It all begins with an idea. Maybe you want to launch a business. Maybe you want to turn a hobby into something more. Or maybe you have a creative project to share with the world. Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference.
-
It all begins with an idea. Maybe you want to launch a business. Maybe you want to turn a hobby into something more. Or maybe you have a creative project to share with the world. Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference.