Table of Contents
Digital marketing courses: How to choose the right one
Digital marketing has been on the rise – no doubt about it. As parts of our lives – especially our work lives – become digitized, more people are interested in digital marketing and particularly in digital marketing courses.
Having digital marketing skills and knowledge is definitely a plus. Developing your digital marketing skills can be important for your work. It can also create new career opportunities.
So, where should you start? There are some great free options online, which we will also share in this article. But if you are looking to really become an expert on the field, you might need to pay for a more complete course. It all depends on your needs.
Needless to say, the options are numerous. Like everything on the internet, how do you know whether a course is really what you’re looking for and not just another way to trough money out?
Here are our tips to get the best out of digital marketing courses out there.
1. Have your personal goals and needs in mind
Digital marketing is a broad field. It includes social media marketing, e-mail marketing, content writing, google ads, search engine optimization (SEO), and more! Therefore, it is important to know what specific topics you are looking for.
Are you looking to follow this as a career path? Or are you already a business owner who wants to know how digital marketing can benefit your business?
Are you a beginner, or do you have some knowledge of digital marketing? If you are a beginner, it’s fine to start with a more generic course. Generic digital marketing courses give you an overview of digital marketing. If you are more advanced, you will need a more specific course, especially if you want to do this as a career.
Make sure you set goals and determine your needs so that you can find a course that fits you.
2. Research and compare
There are numerous digital marketing courses out there. Make sure you look at their website and in detail to find out what courses they offer and what they entail. Compare the courses you might be interested in. Don’t hesitate to contact them to ask for more information or to get answers to questions you might have. Taking the time to answer your questions shows that they are willing to dedicate time to guide you. This is important.
Make sure to look at their other platforms too, like Facebook and Instagram. They don’t have to be active on all social media platforms, but being active in the ones that are important to their target audience, shows expertise.
They might have testimonials on their website. While it’s important to have those, they won’t necessarily be able to tell you anything about their reputation. Do some research to see what people say about those digital marketing courses and the provider. If you have any friends who took the course, ask them what they liked and disliked about it.
3. Look for the practical part
Digital marketing is a fast-paced environment. Algorithms change (although not 800 times a year, as some people think), and new tools and features are created often. Because of that, the practical part – working with the most up-to-date tools and learning the best strategies – is really important.
Does this mean the theory is not important? No, not at all. There is a basis of important research on how to be successful in the digital space. But, in a fast-paced environment, you can not rely only on theory alone. Marketing is not a science.
It’s also important to find a course with a good practical component so that you can learn how to interpret data. Data and analytics are the most important part of digital marketing. Posting and placing can be learned easily, but interpreting data and taking the right actions based on it requires experience. Working on real-time data and analytics and having someone to teach and guide you through that process is one of the most important things you can get. This can happen via assessments, for instance, if you are taking an online course.
4. Premium tools
Look at what kind of tools they work with and which you will have access to. There are many great digital marketing tools out there. For most of them, you have to pay to get access to all the features. As those tools might be important for your work, they should give you access to them, at least for the duration of the course. Not all digital marketing courses will have this offer, but it’s definitely something to consider.
5. The teachers
Who are the people responsible for the course? What professional background and achievements do they have? As said before, most digital marketing skills come through experience. You will benefit from expert instruction if the course is led by someone who has been teaching in the industry for some time. This person should have at least 6 years of experience in the digital marketing field.
You can easily look the teacher up on Google or LinkedIn to find out about their work experience.
If you are more advanced and are looking to learn how to use a specific tool, make sure this person has experience in using it also.
6. Certification
Opinions are greatly divided when it comes to the importance of certification. Although certifications look great on your CV, not every company values certifications equally. Certification is never a loss, but make sure you look at the most important certifications in your specific field. Don’t choose a course based on a certification that won’t get you anywhere afterward. Google has some of the most popular certifications.
Is it worth taking a digital marketing course?
Well, we live in the age of information. It has never been easier to learn new things. There are several platforms, like Skillshare and Youtube, where people share information. You can even just google things and questions you have. So, why choose a course, especially a paid course?
There are some valid reasons to choose digital marketing courses. First and foremost, the teacher will guide you through your specific stages and they will teach you how to deal with your mistakes and questions. You get feedback and that is extremely important.
Most of the time, free digital marketing courses give you an overview of the topic, but to become an expert, you need in-depth instruction.
Free online courses
That said, free online courses provide a great first overview of the field of digital marketing and all its facets. Google Garage offers a great digital marketing foundation course for anyone who is looking to start their own digital marketing journey.
Other popular courses are:
HubSpot – Inbound Marketing Course: Get Certified in Inbound Marketing
LinkedIn Learning – Become an Online Marketing Manager
Coursera – Digital Media and Marketing Strategies
SEMrush – SEO Toolkit Course
Another option is to go over blogs and read a lot about the topics. You can start by having a look at the Nanos blog. We cover many different marketing-related topics. Remember, make sure to regularly update your knowledge on digital marketing, even after your digital marketing course has ended.
You are looking for an easy, yet powerful solution for placing digital ads on Facebook? Nanos is a great Facebook Ads alternative.