This month marks my two-year anniversary with Browser Media, and it’s got me thinking about how far I’ve come in the past 24 months.
Prior to starting at the agency, I had no real-life experience of digital marketing, or any kind of marketing for that matter! Although I knew this industry was where I wanted to progress my career, it’s much easier said than done when the majority of entry-level job listings you see online require a master’s degree, five years of relevant experience and a reference from the King himself.
Instead of going in blind, applying for unattainable job roles in hopes that the line “willingness to learn” on my CV would be enough to score an interview, I decided there was a logical step I could take to not only prepare myself for this career change but also prove to employers that I was serious about the role: learn digital marketing.
Of course, you’re never going to become a marketing professional after completing an online course or two, but it can help provide a base of knowledge so that you’re not entering a new role while still standing behind the starting line.
If you’re looking for a digital marketing role, or just want to learn more about it, here are some resources you can use to learn the basics of digital marketing.
Google Skillshop
No matter what industry role you end up in, you’ll be dealing with Google systems in one way or another, whether that’s understanding Google Analytics, navigating Google Search Console, or mastering SEO. The good news is that Google offers a wide range of free courses and certifications to help you understand the basics of digital marketing and its relevant programs.
Google’s Fundamentals of digital marketing is an interactive online course:
- 24 modules that cover the basics of digital marketing
- Short multiple-choice assessments after each module
- It takes roughly 40 hours to complete
- Larger multiple-choice assessment to complete the course
- Receive displayable certification to show potential employers that you’ve passed the course
This course is a great introduction to digital marketing, giving a short overview of key industry topics. It’s part of a wider system, called Google Digital Garage, which includes a wide range of other free beginner courses on more specific topics, to give you more in-depth information on different areas of digital marketing.
As well as online at-your-own-pace courses, Google Digital Garage also offers online sessions for various topics. These are events run on YouTube by Google at specific dates and times. You can register for free and attend online, with the opportunity to ask questions throughout the event. These YouTube events are a nice change of pace from other ‘self-taught’ online courses, especially if reading isn’t the main way you learn and absorb information.
HubSpot Academy
HubSpot Academy is packed full of free online courses that cover a range of topics, centred around the most sought-after business skills, such as its digital marketing certification course:
- Designed to give an overview of digital marketing basics
- 9 lessons
- Estimated 5.5 hours completion time
- Complete an assessment at the end of the course to receive your certification
HubSpot Academy also offers certification courses for content marketing, social media marketing, digital advertising, email marketing and more! You can also browse various short courses which delve into even more specific topics, such as ‘AI for marketers’, ‘LinkedIn marketing for business’, ‘Designing effective Google Ads campaigns’, and ‘How to build a compelling, competitive strategy’. These short courses don’t offer a certificate for completion but are a great way to learn more about individual areas of digital marketing.
National Careers Service – Skills Bootcamp
The Digital Marketing Skills Bootcamp, run by Digital Skills HQ and supported by the National Careers Service, covers the basics that anyone starting their own digital business, or someone looking to begin a career in the industry, would need to know. Some of the modules cover SEO basics, an introduction to Google Analytics, and social media.
Unlike the other online courses in this blog post, the Skills Bootcamp is a 12-week long full-time course, with set lessons every day from 9:30 am – 3:00 pm. You have the opportunity for 1-2-1 support sessions with your trainer, which is a big benefit if you’re starting with very little knowledge and think you’ll need some additional help while learning.
If you’re currently in full-time employment but wish to pursue the course, you can reach out to Digital Skills HQ to discuss more flexible learning hours. The course is completely free, however, you must be over the age of 19 and have the right to work in the UK to be eligible.
Free Courses in England
Free Courses in England is funded by the UK government. Its digital marketing course covers the basics of digital marketing strategy, including social media, email, and SEO.
The course can take 6-12 weeks to complete, based on 4-5 hours of weekly study, and you’ll be required to complete some short assessments based on the skills taught in the course, with an allocated tutor to provide feedback on these assessments. Completing the course will give you a Level 2 nationally recognised qualification in digital marketing.
Oxford Home Study Centre (OHSC)
OHSC is a private online college specialising in certificates and diplomas endorsed by Ofqual-registered awarding bodies. It has four different free courses for digital marketing, each with different durations and levels of qualification. Once registered, you can access the OHSC online learning platform 24/7 to study at your own pace, with tutor support throughout the course.
- Short course in digital marketing (20 hours)
- Introduces a small selection of digital marketing topics, such as strategy, email marketing and SEO
- Level 3 certificate in digital marketing (200 hours)
- Focuses on Google Ads and social media marketing
- Level 5 diploma in digital marketing (450 hours)
- Covers areas of the industry in-depth, including Google Ads, PPC campaigns, social media and SEO
- Level 5 diploma in SEO (450 hours)
- An in-depth course all about SEO
Starting with a short course is a great way to dip your toes into the industry. If you enjoy the 20 hours of learning, chances are you’d enjoy a longer, more informative course! This is also one of the only free offerings I’ve found with an option to focus entirely on SEO, which is a fundamental part of digital marketing and would be a great area to hone your skills.
Reed – Paid digital marketing courses
I’ve mentioned plenty of free resources to get you on your way to learning digital marketing, but I have to give an honourable mention to Reed, as this is where I found my digital marketing course a little over two years ago.
Reed has countless listings for digital marketing courses. The majority of courses are priced between £10-£50, but they go up to £1,000+ depending on the level of certification and the organisation providing it.
When searching through the courses, you can see various details for each one, including:
- Whether you receive a certificate or qualification
- If there’s tutor support available
- How many hours the course should take, and whether it’s self-paced or scheduled
- If there are reviews available – if there are, read them!
I opted for a course through Reed as I wanted robust modules with proper assessments, and tutor support and feedback. But everyone learns differently, so it’s important to look at all of the options available to you and pick what you think will work best for your learning style.
It’s never too late to start learning something new.
