If you own a business or you’re a marketing executive, digital marketing courses can help you grow. Then you already know that email marketing, social media, and blogs should be a part of your digital marketing strategy. Without some training to show you how all the pieces fit together, you might not get the results you want.
However, hiring a digital marketing agency can assist in the execution of a solid digital marketing plan. Most of all, that’s where digital marketing courses come in. Take the time to learn how and why you should use digital marketing strategies to enhance your online presence. In this article, we share some of the best-loved digital marketing courses available.
5 Digital Marketing Courses to Take Now
Recognize that digital marketing courses may be skewed towards outbound or inbound marketing strategies. The term digital marketing doesn’t distinguish between basic push or pull marketing – or inbound vs. outbound methods. As a result digital marketing courses usually show how to push your marketing message to as many online viewers as possible. In comparison, digital inbound strategies deploy online content that attracts target users to the website by providing information or help the user is looking for. So, digital marketing is a collective term that describes online marketing strategies of any type. Look at the course materials before choosing from a large field of digital marketing courses.
1. Google Online Marketing Challenge
More than 100,000 students in 100 plus countries have completed the Google Online Marketing Challenge. Without a shred of a doubt, it is one of the best digital marketing courses in the world. The course is conducted online. Students log in to the course whenever and wherever they wish. Since the course includes modules that cover an introduction to digital marketing, search advertising, video, search engine marketing (SEM), mobile, display advertising, and social tactics. It’s one of the most comprehensive digital marketing courses for beginners. Because there’s a competitive element to the course, Google gives its most successful digital market students prizes.
Pros: It’s free.
Cons: Plan to bring your “A game” to this course. It’s challenging. You will be tested.
2. Wharton School University of Pennsylvania Executive Education: Digital Marketing Strategies for the Digital Economy
So, if you need to pack a lot of learning into a short period of time, consider Wharton. The Executive Education Program offers several digital marketing courses to marketing executives and business owners. Therefore, the Digital Marketing Strategies for the Digital Economy focuses on emerging commercial and social media technology. The course presents the fundamentals of successful digital marketing, including the behaviors marketers hope to shape as well as tactics and strategies to engage new clients and customers in the digital economy.
Wharton offers two digital marketing sessions in 2017. Group enrollment is welcomed. However, each intensive session lasts three to four days. Topics covered include new business models, online advertising, customer emotions, targeting personality, analytics, and “digital contagion” concepts.
Pros: Students receive a certificate after completing the session. Wharton digital marketing courses are well-organized and an impressive faculty is on board to instruct executive attendees. It’s a good choice for beginners.
Cons: It’s expensive. The session costs $8,600. There’s lots of homework, but students work in groups.
3. Lynda.com Digital Marketing Courses
Lynda.com, a LinkedIn company, is a popular self-instruction alternative for digital marketing students on a budget. Each course is short. Therefore, the student must be motivated to absorb the training and apply it. As of this result, Lynda.com offers 54 different digital marketing courses. These courses include:
- Targeted social media instruction
- social media marketing
- online marketing fundamentals
- brand marketing
- digital marketing research
- customer engagement
- qualitative marketing and research
- local search engine optimization (SEO)
- email marketing lists and email marketing campaigns
- Google Plus for business
- editorial calendar planning
- Google AdWords
- ad copy marketing technology layers-stack
- managing an online community
- Google analytics
- Twitter advertising
- fundamentals of advertising
- content marketing (photos)
- content marketing
- E-commerce and SEO
- lead generation, and much more.
Pros: If your library or employer has a subscription to Lynda.com, you can take the courses for free. If not, Lynda.com offers a free 10-day trial. Consequently, many self-taught digital marketers use Lynda.com to learn the basics and stay current. Self-test after each course.
Cons: If you need a structured course, Lynda.com isn’t for you.
4. Constant Contact Social Media Quickstarter Course
If email marketing is a cornerstone of your digital marketing strategy, consider the Social Media Quickstarter digital marketing course from Constant Contact. The course is skewed towards how to integrate email communications and social media marketing. As a result, the lessons focus on digital marketing strategies for Google Plus, Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Pinterest, LinkedIn, YouTube, blogs, review sites, and online listings. The course is ideal for new digital marketers.
Pros: The how-to guides and user glossaries are great. Learning always includes practical ways of how to use the lesson content. Self-tests are provided.
Cons: If you have some digital marketing experience already, the course might not be challenging enough for you.
5. Alison Open Source Free Diploma in E-Business
Alison is a robust online learning resource with millions of registered users. It offers certified and standards-based courses that are completely free. Alison is heralded as the first-ever MOOC – massive online open course provider. If you’re searching for a completely free option and e-business certification, the Diploma in E-Business is a digital marketing course that builds search optimization, search marketing, Google Analytics-AdWords, digital measurement, campaign tracking, and revenue metrics analysis skills.
Pros: The course will teach you how to promote a business online, improve your site landing page to improve customer conversion, how to use tools such as Google Webmaster, Analytics, AdWords, and AdSense.
Cons: Although the course is marketed as a course for beginners, it may be difficult to keep up. There’ll be a test to earn the certification.
Summing Up
In conclusion, a lack of expertise in digital marketing is the primary reason that digital marketing efforts don’t work. Understanding today’s digital marketing trends is essential. Digital marketing courses are essential for beginners. Trends move and expand quickly in the digital world. If you’re a true novice or you have some digital marketing skills that require updating, invest to keep up with best practices by enrolling in digital marketing courses.
What’s your experience with digital marketing courses? Share your thoughts below.