Free and Low-Budget Ways to Increase Your Digital Marketing Acumen
Henry Ford once said, “Anyone who stops learning is old, whether at twenty or eighty. Anyone who keeps learning stays young.” No matter what field you're in, you must keep educating yourself. Digital marketing has rapidly become a force to reckon with in the business world.
If you are not in an educational environment or a role where you routinely interact with or receive updates on the newest trends and tools, it may be difficult to develop the skills needed to thrive. That is why it's essential to keep educating yourself, especially if you want to build a lasting career in the industry.
Free Certifications & Courses
HubSpot offers a free Inbound Marketing Certification that takes about 5 hours to complete and covers 12 classes on topics such as Inbound Strategy, Social Media, Blogging, the Conversion Process, and Email Marketing. You have 75 minutes to answer 60 multiple-choice questions. Read my review here.
Google offers two free certifications essential for digital marketers: Google Analytics and Google AdWords. The Analytics certification lets you demonstrate proficiency in the Google platform and teaches you the basics of analyzing web traffic for business. The AdWords certification lets you demonstrate proficiency in the platform, as well as fundamental and advanced concepts of paid search. Reviews of these certifications are coming soon.
Hootsuite Podium has six free courses on the Fundamentals of Social Media Marketing. The courses include Introduction to Social Media Marketing, Optimizing Social Media Profiles, Social Media Strategy, and Social Advertising Fundamentals.
Low-Cost Certifications & Courses
Udemy is a massive open online course (MOOC) platform that lets people of all backgrounds and experience levels learn and grow. Courses range from free guitar lessons to insightful Social Media Marketing certifications like SO ME Academy's Certification. (Read our review here)
Hootsuite Certification: After completing the Hootsuite courses, you can take the exam to get certified for $199. The exam is timed, and you have 60 minutes to answer 60 questions with a minimum passing score of 80%. The exam does not expire and does not need to be retaken once you pass. However, there is a $199 subscription that renews annually. A review of this certification is coming soon.
Coursera is also a MOOC, but it differs from Udemy in that all available courses are partnerships between Coursera and various colleges or universities. Most Coursera courses include certifications and a capstone project, which can serve as an excellent portfolio piece to discuss during interviews. Coursera's pricing is on the higher side, with individual courses starting around $49 and full certifications starting at about $350. Two courses I can recommend are Social Media Marketing by Northwestern University and Digital Marketing Certification by the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign.
This article is not meant to cover all the free and low-cost options for growing your digital marketing acumen and building your brand. Instead, it serves as a starting point, giving you the tools and language you need to start this journey.
Instead, it serves as a starting point, giving you the tools and language needed to start this journey.
If you would like advice on any of these certifications, or if you would like me to cover any other topics, please email me at nanak@nkthemarketer.com.
Thanks for reading!
