So many of us wonder can anyone learn digital marketing online for free. Find out what facts to consider when looking into taking a course.

Quick Links:

• TIP: How to learn digital marketing online for free [Infographic Download]
• Episode Overview – Is Digital Marketing Certification Worth It?
• Personal Note from Jenn Neal on anyone learning digital marketing online for free
• Episode audio [Podcast on Spotify]
• Blog Post – Can Anyone Learn Digital Marketing Online for Free?
• Related Posts

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TIP: How to learn digital marketing online for free

What’s In This Episode

Digital marketing helps you to expand your reach, personalize your message to fit the needs of your audience and track your results.  But what we don’t consider is the fact that it can cause extreme overwhelm, a ton of frustration and become really tacky.  In this episode, I’ll walk you through the questions you should be asking yourself BEFORE you decide to buy into any more digital marketing certification courses.  Can anyone learn digital marketing for free?

Really, the biggest thing that most people are looking for with a certification is permission.

-Jenn Neal

Can Anyone Learn Digital Marketing Online for Free?

Can just anyone learn digital marketing online for free? Is it really worth my time? Is it going to benefit my business? I’m sure all of these questions have swirled around inside of your head at some point in time. While digital marketing can be beneficial to your business, it can also land you in an endless learning loop. Instead of letting a whirlwind of thoughts invade your head, let’s find out what questions you should be asking yourself before taking another digital marketing course.    

What is Digital Marketing

Digital marketing (also known as online marketing) is marketing that’s done over the internet. It is a way to promote and sell your products or services. With the development of modern technology came digital marketing. The internet is right at our fingertips. We are no longer limited to using a desktop computer that we have to plug our telephone line into. This allows us to market using a desktop, mobile phone, or virtually anything that has access to the internet.

 Digital marketing can help your business reach new heights. You’re now able to keep track of your results and can lower costs paid out of your business. It also allows you to customize your marketing to attract a specific audience. You are no longer offering products and services to only people in your backyard. Your products and services are now reaching people around the world!

 To be able to use digital marketing to its fullest potential, it’s best to learn about it by taking a course that provides certification. However, with the market ever-changing, there are many learning curves. Sure, being able to personalize your message to meet the needs of a specific audience sounds incredible. But, digital marketing can become extremely frustrating and overwhelming. You may find yourself wanting to take yet another certification course. This will send you into an endless loop of needing to learn more. So, what can you do to stop this endless cycle? You can start by asking yourself the right questions.

Digital Marketing Certification – What to Consider

So, you’re considering taking a digital marketing course. Why? That is the first thing that you should ponder when looking into taking another course. Why do you want to take it? Are you looking to take it to better yourself? Does it sound like it would be fun? Are you taking it to get a better job? Raise your salary? Or maybe, you want to offer the services to your clients. 

How Quickly Can You Implement Your Digital Marketing Skills?

There are many things to consider when looking into a new course. First off, you want to consider how long it will take before you can implement your new skills. How long until you finish the course and put the skills into action? Secondly, think about how much money you will invest before seeing any results. You want to ensure that you’re getting the most for your money. Remember, a lower investment may not always be the best investment. 

The digital world changes rapidly with each day that passes. To be honest, most courses that I’ve encountered (including the ones that colleges are offering) are VERY out of date. Not only are they out of date, but they take FOREVER to complete.    

Now, what’s worse is that just because you learned new skills does not mean that you can put them to use right away. The timeline to implement your new skills is very often overlooked. This prolongs your return on the investment you made. The more up-to-date that the course is, the more accurate information you’ll receive. 

Focus on taking a course that will allow you to implement and build your skills as you work through it. Courses that allow you to work at your own pace are perfect for this! Not to mention, you’ll be perfecting the skills as you learn, ensuring that you can implement them quicker!  

Who Should I Trust in the Digital Marketing World?

With so many courses available, it’s hard to know who to trust. While there is no one to tell you the right way to market online, (let’s be straight here – there is no RIGHT way to do it. It differs for everyone.) the closest you can get to an actual governing body is the American Marketing Association. The American Marketing Association has partnered with the Digital Marketing Institute. Together, they offer a course to become certified for both. This means 2 certifications for the price of one. 

Now, there is one other recommendation I would make. And that is to learn from a digital marketer like Ryan Deiss and his team. Ryan and his team have done the research and implemented the strategies. They know that their strategies work and now, they’ve created courses for you to learn from them. Honestly, it would be my #1 recommended program. And, it’s a program you can learn at your own pace! So feel free to dive in, do all the things, and put it to use right away. 

Will I Have Support? 

As I mentioned earlier, learning digital marketing can cause a LOT of frustration and upset. The process is very technical. With technicalities comes plenty of questions. Be sure that the course you pick has an active and engaged community to fall back on. The last thing you want is to not only feel confused but completely alone.  

What are the benefits for you? 

Lastly, before taking a course, you should be weighing the pros and cons. Will you be receiving a promotion from your company? Will you be able to make extra revenue by offering these services to your clients? Think about what taking this course will do for your career. If you find that it will set you apart from your competitors, that’s definitely a pro!  

Lessons Learned

While you may think that taking another course will be beneficial, that’s not always the case. An inquisitive mind is excited by always learning something new. But, don’t set yourself back by getting stuck in a repetitive learning cycle. If you want to take a course, 

If you really want to take a new course, ensure that your new course helps to make you unique! Look into a course that doesn’t only give you the basics, but provides a distinctive characteristic that will set you apart. 

And again, be absolutely sure that you can practice, implement and sharpen your skills quickly. You’ll work hard to complete the course – the last thing we want is for you to not gain your ROI and get stuck needing yet ANOTHER course!  

In fact, we happened to be developing a new content activation course. The course is called Organic Leads Machine Certified Partner Program!  You will learn about content activation, SEO, and keyword research – giving you an advantage over other courses that just offer the basics! If you’re interested to learn more about our program, check us out here! (And be sure to listen to the podcast up above for more information!)

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How many training and certification programs have you already invested in for your business?