Digital Marketing & AI for Business: an 8-week online course for small businesses
Stop spending hours on marketing that doesn't convert. Learn the digital marketing essentials, then use AI tools to create content, run smarter campaigns and plan your next 90 days, in minutes instead of hours.
- £29 per month
- 8 weeks
- 40 lessons
- 17 CPD-aligned hours
- First 2 topics free
First 2 topics free. No card required. Cancel anytime.
Digital Marketing & AI at a glance
Digital Marketing & AI for Business is a self-paced online CPD course from Digital Ascendancy that teaches UK small business owners how to plan and run their own digital marketing using AI tools such as ChatGPT, Claude and Gemini. It has 40 lessons over 8 weeks, carries 17 CPD-aligned hours and costs £29 a month, with the first two topics free and the option to cancel anytime.
Last updated:
Watch: a quick course introduction
Who is this course for?
A great fit if you are
- Small business owners and entrepreneurs who want to understand digital marketing without becoming marketing experts
- Anyone curious about AI tools like ChatGPT and Claude who doesn't know where to start
- Busy owners with limited time who need practical skills they can use the same week
- Employees who have been handed the marketing and need a structured, practical grounding
No prior technical knowledge needed.
Probably not the right fit if you are
- Marketers looking for advanced automation or enterprise-level strategy
- Businesses that want their marketing done for them (our digital marketing services are a better fit)
- Anyone who can't set aside 1 to 2 hours a week to put what they learn into practice
Not sure? Ask us and we will give you an honest answer.
What will you walk away with?
- A Digital Presence Audit Scorecard with your top 3 quick wins
- A Channel Priority Matrix showing where to focus your time and budget
- A 2-week social media content calendar with 5 posts scheduled
- A personal AI prompt library of 15 or more tested prompts
- Advanced prompts built for your own business using the CRAFT framework
- A marketing budget with a simple tracking system
- A complete 90-day action plan with clear milestones
- A certificate for 17 CPD-aligned hours
Week-by-week curriculum
Eight weeks, 40 short video lessons averaging 14 minutes, 6 knowledge-check quizzes and 3 interactive activities. Every week ends with a practical deliverable for your own business.
Week 1: Digital marketing foundations
- The digital marketing landscape for small businesses
- Traditional and digital: finding the right balance
- Mapping your customer journey (interactive)
- Deliverable: Digital Presence Audit Scorecard and your top 3 quick wins
Week 2: Core digital channels
- SEO fundamentals: getting found online
- Google Business Profile optimisation
- Email marketing and UK rules (GDPR and PECR)
- Content strategy basics
- Deliverable: Channel Priority Matrix
Week 3: Social media strategy
- Quality over quantity: choosing your platforms
- LinkedIn for business growth
- Instagram and Facebook: visual storytelling
- X and TikTok: when they make sense
- Deliverable: 2-week content calendar and 5 scheduled posts
Week 4: Introduction to AI for business
- AI demystified: what it is and isn't
- ChatGPT, Claude and Gemini compared
- Setting up your AI tools and writing your first business prompts
- AI ethics and responsible use
- Deliverable: 3 working business prompts
Week 5: Practical AI applications
- AI for blog posts and articles
- AI for social media captions and ideas
- AI for customer service responses
- AI for market and competitor research
- Deliverable: personal AI prompt library (15+ prompts)
Week 6: Advanced prompt engineering
- Prompt engineering fundamentals
- The CRAFT framework (interactive)
- Chain-of-thought and multi-step prompts
- Troubleshooting when AI gets it wrong
- Deliverable: 5 advanced business-specific prompts
Week 7: Integration and automation
- Your integrated marketing and AI strategy
- Budget allocation on a small budget
- Measuring ROI: the KPIs that matter
- Essential tools and common pitfalls
- Deliverable: marketing budget with a tracking system
Week 8: Your 90-day action plan
- Reviewing your progress
- Setting SMART marketing goals
- Building 30-60-90 day milestones and accountability
- Deliverable: your complete 90-day action plan
How it works
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Start free
Enrol and work through the first two topics without entering card details.
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Continue for £29 a month
Carry on at your own pace. At 1 to 2 hours a week, the course takes 8 to 12 weeks.
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Finish with a plan and a certificate
Complete all 8 deliverables to receive your certificate and leave with a 90-day action plan for your business.
Who's behind this course?
This course was designed by Anura Tennekoon, Director and AI Educator at Digital Ascendancy, drawing on more than 17 years in education and training, including digital marketing apprenticeships and skills bootcamps, and over 15 years of digital marketing experience. Like the businesses we train, we use AI tools to help produce our materials, and every lesson is planned and reviewed by an experienced trainer.
Price and enrolment
£29 per month
Self-paced online learning on the Digital Ascendancy learning portal, with a certificate for 17 CPD-aligned hours when you complete the course. Cancel anytime.
- A Digital Presence Audit Scorecard with your top 3 quick wins
- A Channel Priority Matrix showing where to focus your time and budget
- A 2-week social media content calendar with 5 posts scheduled
- A personal AI prompt library of 15 or more tested prompts
- Advanced prompts built for your own business using the CRAFT framework
- A marketing budget with a simple tracking system
- A complete 90-day action plan with clear milestones
- A certificate for 17 CPD-aligned hours
Training a team? We also offer tailored training for teams and organisations. Contact us to discuss your needs.
Ready to start?
Enrol on the learning portal and begin your first lesson today.
Enrol today →First 2 topics free. No card required. Cancel anytime.
Frequently asked questions
What is Digital Marketing & AI for Business?
Digital Marketing & AI for Business is a self-paced online course for UK small business owners. It teaches the core digital marketing channels and shows you how to use AI tools to plan and create marketing content faster. It has 40 lessons over 8 weeks and carries 17 CPD-aligned hours.
How much does the course cost?
The course costs £29 a month and you can cancel anytime. The first two topics are free with no card required. If you complete the course in eight weeks, the total cost is two monthly payments, £58.
How much time do I need each week?
Plan for 1 to 2 hours a week. The course contains 17 hours of learning, about 9 hours of video plus practical tasks, and most people take 8 to 12 weeks. It is self-paced, so you can go faster or slower to suit your business.
Do I need any marketing or technical experience?
No. The course is designed for small business owners with no marketing or technical background. Everything is explained in plain English, with practical tasks applied to your own business.
Which AI tools does the course use?
The course uses ChatGPT, Claude and Gemini. The free versions are enough for everything taught, and you learn prompt techniques such as the CRAFT framework that work across tools rather than depending on one product.
What will I have at the end of the course?
You will have eight practical deliverables, including a digital presence audit, a channel priority matrix, a content calendar, a personal AI prompt library, a marketing budget with tracking, and a complete 90-day action plan, plus a certificate for 17 CPD-aligned hours.
Can I cancel my subscription?
Yes. You can cancel anytime, as set out in our terms and conditions. There is no minimum term.
Do I get a certificate?
Yes. When you complete the course you receive a certificate of completion for 17 CPD-aligned hours, which you can record in your professional development log or add to your LinkedIn profile. CPD-aligned means the course is structured to support professional development requirements. The hours are self-certified by Digital Ascendancy rather than independently accredited.
Can my team or organisation enrol?
Yes. Team members can enrol individually, and we also offer tailored training for organisations. Contact us to discuss group pricing and invoicing.
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