This is a guide for both the beginner and the industry veteran who is currently considering a digital marketing course. Here we will explore all of the top online courses available in 2024, as well as all the most important related questions like what digital marketing is, who it is best suited for, how long these courses take and how much they cost.
Our guide will be structured as follow.
CONTENTS
- Intro: What is Digital Marketing & who is it for?
- What will I learn in a Digital Marketing course?
- What are the top Digital Marketing courses?
- Is a Digital Marketing course worth it?
- How much do Digital Marketing courses cost?
- Can I get a job with a Digital Marketing course?
- How long do Digital Marketing courses last?
- How do I start with Digital Marketing?
Intro: What is Digital Marketing & who is it for?
Digital Marketing involves the sale of products or services, and the creation and cultivation of a brand, specifically through the use of digital channels. Digital channels are not just websites, but also mobile devices & apps, social media, streaming platforms, and search engines.
For obvious reasons, it is a relatively young industry. It is not to be confused with Internet Marketing, which only utilises websites and is in fact a sub-domain of Digital Marketing.
What will I learn in a Digital Marketing course?
The field of Digital Marketing is huge, and includes multiple domains which make for jobs, professional titles and specialisations in their own right.
Not all courses will therefore teach the world of Digital Marketing as a whole, but may have some form of area of interest, some specialism.
So what are these ‘areas of interest’? What sort of things could your Digital Marketing course teach?
The OMCP, an industry association among the leaders in providing online marketers with vetting and certification, identifies the following topics as fundamental in their Online Marketing Body of Knowledge (a sort of ‘encyclopaedia of marketing’):
- Search Engine Optimization
- Digital Advertising (Paid Search)
- Web Analytics
- Conversion Rate Optimization
- Email Marketing (with Automation)
- Mobile Marketing
- Social Media Marketing
- Content Marketing (with Video Marketing)
Since the OMCD’s list is about Online Marketing and not Digital Marketing, there are a few more items that can be added to this list which are digital but not necessarily online, such as TV, radio, digital billboards, phone messaging.
Speaking generally, however, the last few items don’t find their way into Digital Marketing courses nearly as often as those in the list by the OMCD. The majority of Digital Marketing nowadays happens online, and that’s what most learning programs are focused on.
What are the top Digital Marketing courses?
This is a list of the most prominent course providers for Digital Marketing in 2024, along with the course options each of them offers. Since we mentioned the importance and value of choosing courses specialised in a subdomain of the field, our list will include learning programs that cover both the topic as a whole and also some of its main individual branches.
Now that we’ve got that in place, let’s have a look at some of the most important and frequently asked questions related to Digital Marketing.
Is a Digital Marketing course worth it?
Digital Marketing as an industry is certainly growing very quickly. The market research company Global Industry Analysts Inc. expects it to grow from its current size of $531 billion to $1.5 trillion by 2030, so there will unquestionably be more and more demand for skilled professionals in the field.
The most common problem with Digital Marketing courses is that they are perishable: this is an industry that changes extremely quickly, with new technologies emerging all the time. Whichever course you take, then, you want to make sure that you start applying any skills you learned right away, because in the space of a couple of years – or even less! – they may no longer be relevant.
Because Digital Marketing is such an expansive world, any course that offers a general overview of the field can only be an introduction. Such courses will be worthwhile for people learning how to manage a business, who are in need of extra knowledge and skills.
For people looking to find a job in marketing, on the other hand, it’s probably best to select a course that teaches a domain of Digital Marketing, like analytics, SEO, or content writing. The courses will go more in-depth on the topic and will give you more skills that are immediately applicable.
Our verdict, then, is that a Digital Marketing course is only worthwhile if it is customisable to your profile. Entrepreneurs and managers can get much out of a general course, while beginners, job-seekers and career changers should look for courses teaching more targeted skills.
How much do Digital Marketing courses cost?
Digital Marketing courses come in a wide variety of prices, ranging from totally free online tutorials to full-fledged bootcamps that cost several thousand euros. Of course, you get what you pay for – a free course will generally not be as in-depth as a paid one, and perhaps most importantly, they will not offer comparable levels of personal support.
Bear in mind the more expensive courses can often be funded by means of a government scheme (here in Germany, for example, there is the Bildungsgutschein). Always ask your provider which options are available in your country.
Can I get a job with a Digital Marketing course?
Most Digital Marketing courses will not get you a job by themselves, and are intended rather to complement or expand your existing skills. However, some of the more in-depth bootcamps are more job-oriented, and those will set you up to start looking for a job right away.
How long do Digital Marketing courses last?
Digital Marketing courses really do come in all shapes and sizes, and their duration ranges from Semrush’s one-hour lessons to Simplilearn’s year+ programs. University degrees, of course, will take even longer.
How do I start with Digital Marketing?
Before you get started with Digital Marketing, you want to make sure Marketing itself is what you want to do. To that end, we have written a guide on whether marketing is a good career in the age of AI, which the more technical-minded reader may want to follow up on with our blog ‘What is MarTech and why you should know about it’, which is all about the new technologies entering the industry.
Once you’ve got these topics down pat, kick yourself off with a handful of short free courses and YouTube tutorials to get a feel for how the industry works. If you find that you like it, that’s when you can start thinking of one of the more detailed courses among those we have listed above.
And after that – go forth and conquer!