Modern marketers need to be skilled in a range of disciplines to complement traditional marketing training. We’ve compiled a list of the most respected and most useful free digital marketing courses online to help you with your continuing professional development.
First however it’s important to note that completing some or all of the digital marketing courses below won’t make you a qualified marketer. Nothing can substitute core marketing training for establishing that grounded understanding of the principles of marketing and their application.
Consider a degree or postgraduate course, or professional qualifications from the Chartered Institute of Marketing or Institute of Direct Marketing which can be taken regardless of your previous level of experience or qualifications.
Online Google courses
Google provides a comprehensive range of free online courses to suit every level of experience.
Google Digital Garage provides you with free bite sized modules of one hour or more in topics ranging from fundamentals of digital marketing to understanding the basics of coding. They also have modules in transferable skills such as productivity and networking to career-based modules on how to find your next job.
If you’re interested in developing your skills in Google Ads including search (pay per click) then Google Skillshop is for you. You can develop your understanding of the range of Google products from Ads to Analytics and go on to gain certification once you have demonstrated your competency in each discipline. Plus, it’s all free of charge.
Analytics Academy provides free online training to help you find your way around Google Analytics, also providing you with access to the best-kept-secret Google Demo Account.
To compliment your digital marketing training Grow with Google provides free online training courses to help you with your personal development and career progression.
Digital marketing courses by digital platforms
Hubspot Academy offers a suite of free short courses and certified courses in a raft of topics for anyone wanting to develop their digital marketing skills. If you’d like to know how to develop a content strategy, optimise your website for SEO, or how to devise an Instagram marketing strategy then you’ll find what you need here.
Facebook Blueprint provides you with free digital marketing courses covering facebook advertising, how to increase online sales, and how to measure ad performance, to name a few. It’s all heavily Facebook and Instagram focussed, but if that’s what you want to learn then this is the place for you.
Free online courses on a range of subjects
These providers offer a wider range of online learning, including many marketing and digital marketing titles. Again, they cater for beginners through to more advanced topics, and lean towards more academic or strategic subjects compared with the hands-on approach of the providers above.
LinkedIn Learning provides courses on digital marketing trends, LinkedIn ads and marketing to millennials, for instance. You can access a basic range of courses with a free LinkedIn account, and the full suite of free online courses is available with a subscription or via an organisational account. It is worth checking if your organisation has a licence to unlock this vast range of free online courses.
Alison.com offers over 1,000 quality courses including over 100 on digital marketing topics. Some are certified, and all are free. Choose from introduction to marketing, online journalism, marketing management and growth strategies.
Open Learn is the Open University’s online platform for free online courses. As you’d expect from the Open University, courses are clear, well structured and deliver a detailed understanding of the subject area. A search for ‘digital marketing’ shows courses in strategic marketing communications and social marketing, to name but two.
FutureLearn is the equivalent of Open Learn but from a range of UK universities. Learn about the digital economy, digital analytics or user experience. You can even go on to study accredited courses online or a full (paid) Digital MBA.
Coursera also provides a suite of online digital marketing training for free.
Digital marketing videos
If you’d rather learn by watching videos or using blended learning (a mixture of video and online) check out our curated playlist of digital marketing videos on Youtube.
Learn from the experts
Another way to enhance your skills in digital marketing is to lean from those already skilled and experienced in the discipline.
Watch Tedx Talks, follow leading digital marketing blogs, and reading the marketing press are all great ways to learn about digital marketing.
If you need more detailed or tailored training contact us for a bespoke workshop or training session, or individual or group coaching. We provide social media training, workshops on making the most of your Adwords budget, LinkedIn training and courses on a wide range of marketing topics.