Customer Acquisition for New Ventures

The focus of this course is on the strategies and methods used by early-stage companies to acquire customers (through outbound or inbound marketing) and to activate and retain them (i.e., to encourage repeat behavior and/or increase the frequency of interaction). Throughout the course, we will examine topics such as search engine marketing (SEM), content marketing, affiliate marketing, social media campaigns, mobile applications, freemium strategies, and the use of web analytics for tracking customer acquisition and conversion. The focus will be mainly on digital marketing channels, and the emphasis will be more B2C than B2B. Instruction will consist of case discussion, exercises and simulations, and guest lectures, with students working in groups to apply their learning to improve the process of customer acquisition.