Digital marketing is one of the most coveted professions right now. From your overachieving cousin to the girl next door, everybody’s tried it. Conversations about SEO are being thrown in the air like kites, and all of a sudden, every resume seems to be talking about “user engagement”.
But digital marketing is not just that.
What is digital marketing?
Digital marketing is about reaching the right people at the right time, and with the right information. All advertising done through digital channels comes under the digital marketing umbrella. It’s an entire ocean of marketing tools and techniques you can use to increase your sales by creating, promoting and engaging.
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Top 10 Digital Marketing Platforms
Why should you take a digital marketing course?
In order to stand out in the overcrowded digital space, you must have a richer understanding of how it works. Now, “how it works” may change each time Google launches a new algorithm, but with the right learning, you will always find a way to adapt to the ever-changing digital landscape.
What gives online digital marketing courses an upper hand over the offline ones is that you can access them anywhere, anytime, and at your own pace. Not just that, they’re also super inexpensive! Most of the courses I have listed here are either free, or charge a very basic nominal fee.
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All the courses mentioned in this list are complete digital marketing courses. In order to distinguish them from each other, I have mentioned the categories in which each course ranks better than the others, so that you can choose the one that best meets your needs.
Digital Marketing Courses Online
#1 Udemy- Complete Digital Marketing Course
Most Comprehensive Course
This course comes with a certificate of completion. In order to keep it interactive, Udemy uses video tutorials, quizzes, checklists, articles, downloadable resources, etc. A Q&A forum helps the experts to directly answer learners’ queries.
Duration of the course
23.5 hours
Additional bonuses
#i Lifetime access to course updates
#ii 30-day moneyback guarantee
Price of the course
It is currently priced at Rs.360. But here’s a tip for you: Keep checking offers on Udemy to catch the latest discounts.
#2 Coursera- Digital Marketing Specialisation
Most Interactive Course
Offered by University of Illinois, this is one of the most sought-after certifications on Coursera. It is part of the university’s MBA degree program and its certificate can be used for credits in the University of Illinois.
There are 7 courses in this specialisation, where the final course is a real business project, in partnership with Grainger. In this project, you’ll be working on a problem specified by the digital marketing team at Grainger and get an opportunity to apply all the tools and techniques you’ve learned in the specialisation.
Duration of the course
8 months (5 hours per week)
Additional bonuses
#i Graded assignments & peer feedback
#ii Graded quizzes with feedback
#iii Graded programming assignments
Price of the course
The course is priced at Rs.6037 per month. However, you can enroll for free for a 7-day free trial.
#3 LinkedIn Learning- Online Marketing Foundations
Most theoretically-sound course
With 63 videos, 2 project files and 14 chapter-quizzes, this course explores all the components of the digital marketing landscape, and helps you define the most vital marketing terms. It also offers a certificate of completion to sacralize your resume.
Duration of the course
4 hours 43 minutes
Additional bonuses
#i Lifetime access
#ii 30-day moneyback guarantee
Price of the course
It is priced at Rs. 899.99 for the complete course. Alternatively, you can pay Rs.1400 to have an unlimited access to all the courses on LinkedIn Learning.
#4 Skillshare- Digital Marketing for Writers
Most suitable course for writers
Jenna Moreci, author & vlogger, teaches this course. It has two classes: Grow your audience & platform; and Planning a successful book release. The classes focus on personal branding, digital publishing, audience engagement, and the many other skills that writers can learn to benefit from the technological revolution. A special ‘common mistakes’ module is also inserted to caution you about the scary marketing blunders.
Duration of the course
90 minutes
Additional bonuses
#i Interact with other writers taking the course and build your network
Price of the course
You can either opt for a 14-day free trial, or go Premium to access all the courses sitewide for 24$ per year.
#5 SEMrush Academy- Content Marketing Toolkit Course
Most practically applicable course
All the 9 lessons of this course are designed by SEMrush professionals. The course comprises of 9 easy-to-follow video lessons, materials and quizzes. At the end of the course, the learner gets a SEMrush certification.
Duration of the course
3 hours
Additional bonuses
#i Special focus on using SEMrush tools and understanding analytics.
Price of the course
This course is available free of cost.
#6 HubSpot- Inbound Marketing Course
As an inbound marketing course, this is the most unique one by far on the list. Inbound marketing also uses digital channels for advertising, but it is not the same as digital marketing. Inbound marketing is a more fluid marketing methodology, where all its parts (from content creation to nurturing leads) are aligned and interrelated. This course from HubSpot comprises of 11 lessons,37 videos and 10 quizzes.
Duration of the course
4 hours 28 minutes
Additional bonuses
#i HubSpot certification
Price of the course
This course is available on HubSpot’s portal free of cost.
#7 Copyblogger- Internet Marketing for Smart People
Most content-focused course
Brian Clark, the author behind Copyblogger and the creator of the WordPress framework, Genesis, has designed this course. The 20-part course is in the form of an ongoing newsletter. The learners get one lesson in their e-mail each week, continuously for 20 weeks.
Duration of the course
20 weeks
Additional bonuses
#i Special focus on creating strategic and engaging content
Price of the course
This course is free of cost.
#8 Fiverr- Digital Marketing Fundamentals
Most suitable course for freelancers
The 29 video lessons are designed to help business owners and freelancers sell their products and services by tapping a wider audience, drafting a lucrative strategy and building their brand.
Duration of the course
2 hours
Additional bonuses
#i Digital marketing tools, tips and tactics for business owners and freelancers
#ii 30-day moneyback guarantee
Price of the course
This course is priced at 41$
#9 Internshala Digital Marketing Training
Best placement training
This course has 86 video lessons that guide you through 8 projects, curated for hands-on practice. The projects include creating your own blog, google ad campaign, website SEO audit, and so on. You can post all your doubts in the Q&A forum, which the teachers make sure to answer within 24 hours. After the completion of the course, Internshala provides you with certification.
Duration of the course
6 weeks
Additional bonuses
#i Placement assistance
#ii Access to curated internships on Internshala
#iii Top performers are highlighted in their internship applications on Internshala
Price of the course
This course is priced at Rs.999
#10 Udacity- Digital Marketing Course
Best personal coaching
This course not only offers a 360-degree understanding of the digital market, but also helps you gain real-world experience through projects from industry experts. The classes are co-created with Facebook Blueprint, and the focus of the course is on student and career services.
This include technical mentor support, personal career coaching, interview preparations, Github review, LinkedIn profile review, and so on.
Duration of the course
3 months (10 hours per week)
Additional bonuses
#i Personal career coach
#ii Project feedback from expert reviewers
#iii Resume services
#iv Resume is shared with 95+ employers
Price of the course
This course is priced at Rs.19419 per month. Discounts on the course can be availed on Udacity’s website or the websites of its partner coupon companies.
Now that you know what all courses are up for grabs in the market, don’t think too much. Once you have picked a course that suits your learning style, all there is really left to do is to get started. You could begin with a short course, to check if digital marketing is really your cup of tea.
Or you could go with a long one, to let yourself ease into the subject before making a decision. You could choose a self-paced course, to learn at your convenience. Or you could go for one that is pre-set, if you do not trust your discipline. Whatever you choose, though, remember to have fun and experiment with the concepts. Because a crucial pre-requisite for promoting your unique voice is finding it.
Read More: What Exactly is Digital Marketing?
