Ready to step up your digital marketing game? Rather than throwing your hat (and life savings) in the ring with a graduate degree in digital marketing, you might want to start out by honing a few specific skills with these comparatively fast-paced and affordable online classes.
Google: Analytics IQ Test
By passing the GA proof of proficiency test, you’ll become individually certified in the Google Analytics platform. Yes, it’s a test and not a class, but the accompanying Google Analytics learning center is a thorough resource that will help you become more effective with the tool. The test costs $50 per sitting, but the guide is completely free and broken down into topic-specific presentations that last about five minutes each, give or take.
Coursera: Internet History
Coursera partners with the world’s top universities to offer online classes that anyone can take for free. There are number of programming classes, but if you’re new to the game you might want to start out at the very beginning. Charles Severance, Associate Professor at the University of Michigan, teaches a course called Internet History, Technology and Security which will cover how the Internet was created, who created it and how it works. While no background is necessary, Severance notes that the course is a great prequel to further learning, including web design, development and programming classes.
Skillshare: New User Acquisition
Skillshare calls itself a “global marketplace for classes” because anyone can teach a class and anyone can take a class. On the digital marketing track, try Yipit Co-Founder Vincius Vacanti‘s The Five Keys to Acquiring New Users for Free. In this $20 project-based class you’ll “identify and apply a specific user acquisition strategy to your current project to increase your user numbers.” The online course lasts about a week, and at the end you’ll share your success story with the rest of the class.
Hubspot: Inbound Marketing
Hubspot’s Inbound Marketing University includes 18 free classes with reading assignments and optional homework. The “professors” are mostly big industry names — think Chris Brogan, Ann Handley, David Meerman Scott and Rand Fishkin, and topics run the inbound marketing gamut from blog writing to SEO to Twitter for business.
Codeacademy: Web Fundamentals
If you’re going to be blogging and building landing pages, even a basic knowledge of web development can go a long way. Codeacademy’s Web Fundamentals track teaches the basics of HTML and CSS. You’ll build hands-on projects throughout the course, and by the end you should have a complete website to show for it.
Which online courses would you add to this list?
