Digital marketing is a tool that is widely used by small companies and large corporations alike. It allows users to be more flexible with their spendings; quick adjustments can be made on the spot, and the effects of your digital marketing campaigns can be measured in real-time.
On top of that, the importance of promoting your brand online increases each year. That’s because traditional marketing methods aren’t as effective in influencing younger generations.
A 2018 study by Pew Research Center has found out that 45% of teens claim to be “almost always” online. Without digital marketing, the promotion of brands and products would be significantly more difficult.
Different types of digital marketing – e.g.,TSI professional seo agency, are in high demand; however, you don’t need to enroll in university programs to find a job in this sector. Below you will find a list of free online digital marketing courses that will teach you many useful skills and significantly boost your career.
Fundamentals of Digital Marketing
If you don’t know that much about digital marketing, and you aren’t sure where to start, the Fundamentals of Digital Marketing is an excellent course that will provide you with a solid base.
It contains 26 modules prepared by world-class experts, though don’t let that intimidate you – they target beginners. On top of that, you can progress to the next stages at your own pace, so don’t worry that you won’t be able to keep up with the material.
According to Google’s estimates, this digital marketing course takes around 40 hours to complete, though we recommend focusing fully on the lessons and mastering the subjects before moving to the next ones, even if it takes you more time. Some of the topics included in this digital marketing course are:
- Business insights
- Content Marketing
- E-commerce
- Mobile
- SEO
- SEM
- Social Media
- Web Optimization
Even if you are encountering some of those terms for the first time, there’s no need to worry, as each module of this digital marketing course contains easy-to-understand explanations. Once you’ve completed the entire course, you’ll be able to download the digital marketing certificate.
Google Ads Course
Google Ads is the most popular of all free online digital marketing courses, and it’s not without good reason. Those who enrol in this course have a chance to familiarise themselves with methods and techniques that can be later used to run ad campaigns.
It is expected that by 2021, spending on digital ads will consist of almost 50% of spending on ads in all media. Every company, no matter whether small or big, needs digital marketing to boost their brand recognition. Google Ads program can be extremely helpful in a fight for domination in a digital landscape.
If the previous online course was dedicated to beginners, we recommend Google Ads Course for those who already have a bit of experience with digital marketing, though not necessarily about Google Ads itself.
Some of the key skills that you’ll gain after finishing this course include:
- Learning about automated bidding
- Creating effective ads
- Connecting with customers through video ads
- Measuring the effectiveness of your ad campaigns
- Adjusting ad campaigns
Regardless of whether you are trying to boost sales in an international e-commerce company or want to make your small company more visible in the digital world, Google Ads Course can greatly expand your knowledge on all things related to digital marketing and help you bring the desired outcome.
Analytics Academy Courses
Next on our list is a compilation of free online digital marketing courses that are a part of Google’s Analytics Academy, which focus on data collection and analysis. For those who don’t have experience with Google Analytics software, we strongly recommend starting with “Google Analytics for Beginners,” as it introduces new concepts and basics, including how to set up an account, analyze reports, and track your campaigns.
After finishing this course, you’ll know how to navigate Google Analytics, read basic reports, or measure the effectiveness of your ad campaigns. However, once you’ve mastered all the new concepts in this course, it’s time for Advanced Google Analytics.
This time, you’ll focus on subjects that require a solid understanding of prior concepts. This online digital marketing course explains how Google Analytics collects and processes data. This knowledge is essential if you want to understand what actions can be the most beneficial for your business or website.
You will also learn about filters and configuration settings, including metrics that can help you track whether your digital marketing strategy needs improving. Collecting data without knowing how to analyse it wouldn’t make any sense- thankfully, this segment also contains a guide on how to read large sets of information and use this knowledge to implement adjustments to your digital marketing strategies.
If you want to broaden your knowledge about this subject, even more, you can also check out “Google Analytics for Power Users,” or “Getting Started with Google Analytics 360.” After going through the beginner and advanced components, you’ll be ready to try your luck with the Analytics Individual Qualification exam.
It’s completely free, and although it won’t be easy, passing it is a clear sign that you are well-versed in matters of digital analytics. Your certification will be valid for one year from the time of passing the test.
If you want to show that you know more than just the basics of digital marketing, we highly recommend going through at least two components and passing the test.
Are Free Online Digital Marketing Courses Worth It?
It is usually the case that you’ll have to pay a pretty hefty sum for an opportunity to learn something valuable. Does the same apply to online digital marketing courses? Not necessarily.
If you want to expand your knowledge on subjects that aren’t touched upon in the courses that we have mentioned previously, then feel free to enrol in others as well. It’s just that Fundamentals of Digital Marketing, Google Ads Course, and Analytics Academy Courses all start with relatively basic concepts before delving into the matter further, which means that they are an excellent place for beginners to start their journey.
However, the field of online marketing is rapidly expanding, and although having a knowledge base would be extremely helpful, once you are familiar with the terms and concepts which can be found in the aforementioned free online marketing courses, you might be better off focusing on the subjects that you find most interesting and valuable.
There’s no single way to create an effective social media campaign – online marketing includes SEO, SEM, email marketing, and social media marketing, to name just a few. If you are running a marketing campaign for an international company with hundreds of employees, then most likely, you have much more resources to spare than if you were trying to promote a local business.
It also means that you can use more channels to reach potential customers instead of relying only on one or two marketing methods. However, if you are in charge of small business and want to promote your services in your area, online advertising, even with limited resources, could prove to be a worthwhile investment. That’s because the chances are, your competitors aren’t spending lavishly on social media marketing either.
How Does Digital Marketing Compare to Traditional Marketing Methods?
If you are used to advertising your products and services in a certain way, you might be somewhat suspicious: aren’t leaflets, radio, and TV ads more effective? The reluctance is pretty understandable, as those methods might have worked well enough for a long time.
However, the times are changing, and digital marketing methods become more effective due to a simple reason: we spend more time online, which means that your efforts in a digital landscape can bear more fruit than they did just 10 years ago. It is especially true when it comes to younger people, who spend a significant amount of time scrolling their social media feeds.
If we take into consideration the increasingly important role that technology plays in our lives, it seems likely that this trend won’t stop any time soon, and we’ll spend even more time in the digital world. As a result, online marketing courses present a unique opportunity to expand your knowledge on subjects that can help businesses of any size attract potential customers using a wide array of methods.
Conclusion
Although digital marketing hasn’t yet fully replaced traditional marketing methods, its importance is growing each year. That’s because young people spend more time on the internet, instead of watching TV or listening to the radio.
Although some might still have mixed feelings about hiring influences to promote prestigious brands, the times are changing, and so are the marketing channels. In this article, we have compiled a list of 3 free online digital marketing courses that can help you expand your knowledge and, at the same time, increase your company’s sales.
If you discover that the subject of digital marketing is fascinating, we encourage you to enroll in other types of online courses that will help you become an expert in this field.
