Building a brand from the ground up requires an entrepreneurial mindset. Traditional marketing doesn’t apply when you don’t yet know your customer. You first need to figure out who they are, what they need, and how to communicate with them—likely with limited resources.
In a small business marketing report by VistaPrint and Wix, 49 percent of small businesses said that budget is one of their biggest marketing challenges, while 47 percent called implementing the right tactics a hurdle.
Harvard Business School Online is announcing a new program that can help: Entrepreneurial Marketing. This four-week certificate course teaches you how to craft and continually adapt go-to-market strategies for new ventures, products, and services. You’ll develop a proven toolkit for identifying, capturing, and influencing customers and learn how to create a viable, scalable business using limited resources—whether you’re an entrepreneur, intrapreneur, or small- to medium-sized business owner.
View VideoTaught by Christina Wallace, a senior lecturer of business administration at Harvard Business School, Entrepreneurial Marketing will immerse you in real-world marketing challenges you face—or will face—launching a new business. You’ll be introduced to business leaders from:
- Hue: A shoppable software company that sources and embeds user-generated content from everyday people onto brands’ websites
- TakaDu: A cloud-based software solution to help detect and minimize municipal water distribution systems’ water leaks
- Bow & Drape: An online women’s retailer that sells customizable clothing and was acquired in 2019
- IguanaFix: An online platform that connects consumers with home improvement contractors
As their stories unfold, you’ll gain strategies and insights you can immediately apply to grow and scale your business. Throughout the experience, you'll have the opportunity to explore global market trends and opportunities alongside peers who are learning and working worldwide. Before, during, and after the course, you can access a global community of like-minded business professionals to ask questions and share expertise to accelerate your learning, broaden your perspective, and challenge your worldview.
In Entrepreneurial Marketing, you’ll learn how to:
- Distinguish between marketing- and sales-led organizations and marketers’ role in each
- Establish a customer selection strategy, including buyer personas and journeys
- Devise strategies for engaging and influencing stakeholders making purchasing decisions
- Understand brand-building’s importance and an effective brand’s key components
- Build a media strategy across paid, earned, and owned channels
- Evaluate and identify growth opportunities
- Explore the art and science of launching something new
Announcing HBS Online’s New Marketing Learning Track
Entrepreneurial Marketing marks HBS Online’s third marketing course, creating a new Marketing Learning Track, which enables learners to complete three courses within 18 months to earn an advanced Certificate of Specialization. The other eligible courses are:
- Digital Marketing Strategy: Taught by HBS Professor Sunil Gupta, this course enables you to craft data-driven digital marketing strategies that effectively reach, convert, and retain customers in a dynamic online environment.
- Creating Brand Value: Taught by HBS Professor Jill Avery, this course teaches you to build strong, differentiated brands that resonate with consumers and give your company a competitive edge.
“We’re thrilled to offer Entrepreneurial Marketing by Christina Wallace, which will empower entrepreneurs, intrapreneurs, and small business owners to create strong, scalable ventures, products, and services,” says Senior Managing Director of HBS Online Simeen Mohsen. “It’s the perfect complement to our other marketing courses, which we hope learners explore through the new Marketing Learning Track to develop deep expertise and achieve success in the digital economy.”
All those who’ve completed at least one HBS Online marketing course are eligible for a 30 percent past participant discount off their second and third courses for a total savings of $1,110.
Enrollment for Entrepreneurial Marketing is now open through January 23, 2025. The program will begin on January 29. For more information or to enroll, visit our Entrepreneurial Marketing page. To explore the Marketing Learning Track, review our marketing courses to determine which program to start with.