Free, affordable, and even quality digital marketing courses have been sought after by various groups for some time. This is inseparable from the more modern marketing trends nowadays.
Digital transformation is the trigger for why it happened, forcing business owners, marketers, and people who want to work in the marketing world to understand the ins and outs of digital marketing.
In this article, let’s discuss together about 10+ recommendations for free digital marketing courses for those of you who are interested in working in this field, or even beginners.
1. Google Skillshop
Google Skillshop is a digital marketing course that is facilitated directly by Google to learn about their products for FREE. There are 8 topics that you can study, namely:
- Google Ads
- Google Marketing Platform
- Analytics Academy
- Google My Business
- Google Ad Manager
- Google AdMob
- Authorized Buyers
- Waze
You can also take digital marketing certification courses, specifically for the topics of Google Google Ads, Google Marketing Platform, Analytics Academy (Discussion in point number 7), and Waze.
2. HubSpot Academy
As a provider of a fairly complete marketing platform, HubSpot also facilitates its audience to learn various topics, one of which is digital marketing courses.
The digital marketing course they provide can be accessed for FREE. In addition, the course is also not only focused on discussing directly what their products are, but more than that.
There are hundreds of course topics and certifications that you can take with 6 main categories, namely:
- Marketing
- Sales
- Service
- Web Design
- Web Development
- Data Privacy
3. Twitter Flight School
This place to learn digital marketing may not be familiar to you. However, it is quite useful if you want to run a Twitter Marketing campaign.
Yes, Twitter Flight School is a digital marketing course that Twitter provides for people who are interested in the world of Twitter Marketing, especially Twitter Ads.
There are various topics of digital marketing material that you can take for FREE, from Beginner, Intermediate, to Advanced levels.
4. eMarketing Institute
Slightly different from other digital marketing courses, the e Marketing Institute facilitates prospective marketers to learn through the digital marketing e-books they have provided.
As of this writing, there are a total of 10 certification topics from digital marketing e-books that you can learn for FREE, namely:
- E-commerce Certification
- Affiliate Marketing Certification
- Blogging Certification
- Content Marketing Certification
- Email Marketing Certification
- Online Marketing Fundamental Certification
- SEO Certification
- Social Media Marketing Certification
- Search Engine Marketing Certification
- Web Analytics Certification
5. Meta Blueprint (Including Facebook Blueprint)
In the past, this digital marketing course was synonymous with the name Facebook Ads Blueprint.
But after Facebook changed the name of its parent company to Meta, Facebook Blueprint changed its name to Meta Blueprint (With Facebook Blueprint in it).
There are 3 digital marketing platforms that are focused here, namely Facebook Marketing, Instagram Marketing, and WhatsApp Marketing.
For the topics themselves, there are a total of 10, namely:
- Prepare to Bring Your Business Online
- Establish Your Presence
- Attract an Audience
- Build Relationships
- Improve Your Creative Strategy
- Optimize Your Strategy
- Sell Your Products Online
- Start Advertising from Your Page
- Enhance Your Ads in Ads Manager
- Monetise Your Content
6. Ahrefs Academy
Ahrefs is a website optimization tool provider company that facilitates its users with topics around SEO.
There are currently 6 digital marketing course topics that you can take for FREE, one of which is SEO certification. The 6 topics are:
- Ahrefs Certification Course
- How to Use Ahrefs
- SEO Course for Beginner
- Blogging for Business
- Advanced Link Building
- The Best of Ahrefs TV
7. Google Analytics Academy
Continuing the discussion on point 1, Google also facilitates you to learn digital marketing which focuses on analytics website data.
The place for the digital marketing course is the Google Analytics Academy.
There are 3 data analysis platforms that you can learn for FREE, namely Google Analytics, Google Data Studio, and Google Tag Manager. And also in it there will be 6 topics of discussion.
8. LinkedIn Learning
Just like Meta and Twitter, LinkedIn as one of the most popular social media has also facilitated its users with several learning materials that can be accessed for FREE.
The digital marketing course provided by LinkedIn is named LinkedIn Learning (formerly Lynda).
In it, you don’t just learn about LinkedIn. However, there are various digital marketing course topics that are packaged into 6 main categories, namely:
- Search Engine Optimization (SEO)
- Digital Marketing
- Google Analytics
- Social Media Marketing
- WordPress
- Online Marketing
9. SEMrush Academy
As Ahref’s main competitor, of course SEMrush will not lose in facilitating its users to learn topics about digital marketing for FREE.
However, it seems that SEMrush is one step ahead in providing a variety of digital marketing course topics that are diverse, not only limited to SEO.
10. Google Digital Garage
Besides Google Skillshop and Google Analytics Academy, it turns out that Google has also provided a learning method called Google Digital Garage.
The difference is in the Google Digital Garage, which fills digital marketing courses not only from Google, but there are dozens of other brands as well as from educational institutions (Universities).
You can study 3 main categories in Google Digital Garage, namely Digital Marketing, Career Development, and Data.
In addition, Google Digital Garage also provides certifications that are FREE (Free Certificate) and paid (Paid Certificate).
Even though they are free, all the digital marketing courses mentioned above certainly have their drawbacks.
Some of you may be constrained in terms of language (because they use English), case studies or conditions that are different from what happened, or are too theoretical & lack of practical sessions.
Especially for those of you who have a business, of course some of these free courses may still be far from the word “Suitable” to follow.
Digital Marketing Course Learning Topics
We know that digital marketing is very broad. You can learn everything, but of course it takes a long time. Not to mention the changing trends and algorithm updates that make you have to study it over and over again.
To help you see what digital marketing looks like from a helicopter perspective, here is a list of learning topics from the entire digital marketing course:
- Search Engine Optimization (SEO)
- Search Engine Marketing (SEM)
- Social Media Marketing (SMM)
- Digital Advertising
- Affiliate Marketing
- Email Marketing
- Content Marketing
- Video Marketing
- Mobile Marketing
- Other digital marketing channels such as E-commerce Marketing, CRM Marketing, Brand Marketing, and so on.
What are Digital Marketing Business & Career Opportunities?
This opportunity should be captured by various groups, especially the position holders in a company, business owners, and also people who want to pursue a career in this field.
a. Business Opportunities with Digital Marketing
The following are things that were impossible to do before digital marketing (if they could be done it would cost a lot of money), but now they can be done with just the touch of a finger and at low cost:
• Reach Anyone with More Cost Affordable
In the days before digital marketing you would have spent billions of dollars if you wanted to introduce your product across continents. But now it can be done for only hundreds of thousands of rupiah per week by, for example, advertising on Instagram.
Not only through advertising, you can also reach all regions that have internet access and introduce your product using a website. Creating a website doesn’t cost a lot of money and can even be done for free.
But don’t forget that many manufacturers also create websites so that apart from making you have to implement SEO (optimizing it) so that potential buyers can find it.
• Choose Who Your Ad Targets in Details
One of the best ways to target an audience that matches the product or service you offer is to advertise in media where members of the community are most likely to have an interest in your product.
In addition, it could also be in a location that is frequented by people who might be interested in your product.
Example: luxury car manufacturers would advertise at the airport instead of on television because at that time people who could afford to fly were more likely to buy luxury cars than those who only had televisions but never boarded planes.
However, manufacturers cannot serve advertisements only to those who are interested in buying luxury cars because it is almost impossible to do so efficiently.
Now luxury car manufacturers can choose to advertise their cars to those who have the characteristics of a luxury car enthusiast. Such as high income or often take consumer credit, have bought a luxury car, within a certain age range, occupy a high position, often buy lifestyle products and others.
• Maintaining a Global Community of Product Users
With the group feature on Facebook, WhatsApp, Telegram and various features on social media, you can gather those who like your products and brands in an online platform. You can also host online events with community members from all over the world using an online meeting platform like Zoom.
Indeed, nothing can replace physical meetings but when physical meetings cannot be done, online platforms are the most ideal and cost-friendly alternative to interact with your customer community.
b. Digital Marketing Career Opportunities
Nowadays, almost everything has been or is waiting for digitization. Companies in all sectors are starting to focus on strengthening their online presence.
To achieve this, these companies need digital marketers. In addition to the growing demand, his career path is also promising. That is why digital marketing careers are increasingly in demand by many people.
Consider these arguments in favor of acquiring this knowledge:
• The Demand in This Field
Almost all businesses allocate more of their budget to digital marketing than conventional marketing. As a result, many companies are looking to digital marketers to help them face the competition.
With so many needs not being met, it’s no wonder that an experienced digital marketer can earn tens of millions per month.
• No Special Educational Background Required
If you want to learn digital marketing, you don’t have to worry about your educational background as is common in other fields.
You just need to learn digital marketing techniques and practice a lot to add experience and build your portfolio. You don’t need to get another degree or go to college to start a career in this field.
Although a marketing or informatics education background would be useful, it is not a must. Digital marketing knowledge is still possible to learn without a certain educational background.
• Better Job Security
If job security is your concern then this is the right time to learn digital marketing because at this stage digital marketing technology will only grow and be widely used.
Take a look at what happened when the COVID-19 pandemic started last year. Lots of companies and industries are adapting so as not to be rolled over by the waves of the pandemic.
One of the methods used is to adopt or strengthen their digital marketing division, because that is the most sensible way to reach their target market in the midst of a pandemic.
• Diverse Job Options
There are many choices of expertise in the world of digital marketing that can be explored. Whether you have just completed formal education or are already working as a professional, you will discover something new.
By learning digital marketing, you can master several skills at once so you will be able to choose from a wide selection of positions available such as SEO, Social Media Manager, Search Engine Marketing expert, Analytics Manager, Content Marketing Manager, and many more.
As a digital marketer, one of your jobs is to plan, create and promote content for various brands. You also need to be able to identify what kind of content is suitable for the company and which platform is best suited for the company’s needs.
• Rapid Industry Growth
Although digital marketing has existed for a long time , the birth of the internet has made it even more successful. Along with the increasingly widespread use of internet technology, digital marketing is also growing. Even the digital economy is growing 10 times faster than the offline economy.
The emergence of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 makes the important role of digital increasingly undeniable. In the future, the demand for digital marketing experts is expected to increase as more areas on earth are connected to the internet.
More and more companies are realizing the benefits of using the internet and digital platforms. Digital marketing has great potential to enable business owners to reach a wider audience, grow their business and earn more revenue.
But without the presence of people who master digital marketing, this is difficult to do. That is why the demand for digital marketing expertise will continue to increase.
• Opening Entrepreneurial Opportunities
If you want to start your own business, mastering digital marketing will definitely benefit you. You can use your skills to set up your own digital marketing agency or market your products or services.
Challenges and Benefits of Taking a Digital Marketing Course Digital
marketing benefits businesses of all sizes by providing access to large numbers of people at affordable prices.
Unlike TV or print advertising, digital marketing powered marketing can be personalized. However, there are a number of challenges in digital marketing that must be overcome in order for you to take full advantage of it.
a. Benefits of Digital Marketing
The main advantage of digital marketing is that you can reach your target market in a cost-effective and scalable way plus the convenience of increasing loyalty to your brand and growing online sales figures.
Apart from that other advantages are:
- Personalization – If you have a database of customers linked to your website, then every time someone visits your site, you can welcome them with an offer tailored to that person’s profile. The more they buy your products, the more accurate your customer profile will be and the more you will be able to market effectively.
- Worldwide reach – You can reach new markets and trade globally with only a small amount of financial investment (compared to the era before digital marketing) through the website.
- Much lower costs – A well-planned, well-targeted digital marketing campaign will reach the right customers at a much lower cost than traditional marketing methods.
- Openness – Social media engagement and managing it carefully, you can build customer loyalty and create a reputation for being easy to engage with.
- Trackable and measurable results – The numbers generated by digital marketing reports will make it easier for you to determine how effective your campaign is. You can obtain detailed information about visitor behavior when using your website or responding to your advertisements.
- Increased conversion rates – If you have an e-commerce website, then your customers won’t have to go far to buy your products. Unlike other media that require people to make phone calls or go to physical stores, digital marketing allows transactions to be more seamless.
All of the advantages mentioned above increase the potential for growth in a business’s sales figures.
b. Challenges in Digital Marketing
Along with the benefits, digital marketing has several challenges that you must overcome: Intense
- Competition – Digital marketing not only allows you to reach the whole world, but also exposes your business to global competition. The intensity of competition among global players for the world’s attention can be a challenge in the midst of a flood of information aimed at internet users.
- Time consuming – Work such as ad campaign optimization and marketing content creation can take a lot of time due to the large amount of testing that has to be done. Due to the large amount of time invested, it is important to ensure that the results of each campaign are recorded for analysis. This is the only way that guarantees an increase in the performance of your campaigns over time.
- Skills and training – In order for your digital marketing campaign to run well make sure your staff has the right knowledge and skills to run digital marketing successfully. There are many platforms and tools in digital marketing, all of which are growing rapidly. Not to mention the ever-changing trend. It is therefore very important for your staff to keep their knowledge up to date.
- Complaints and feedback – With the internet it is very difficult to limit the circulation of information that undermines your brand. Any complaints or criticisms of your brand can be seen by people through social media and news sites. This makes effective customer service a challenge. Failure to respond effectively to negative comments can damage your brand reputation.
- Security and privacy concerns – While not very common, legal considerations surrounding the collection and use of customer data for digital marketing purposes will continue to grow. Make sure you keep up to date with the latest developments in laws relating to privacy and digital marketing activities and comply with existing regulations.
Conclusion
Learning from free resources is fun, because you can learn new things without paying anything. However, once again keep in mind that free classes only give you the big picture.
