So you’ve decided to study online marketing and wondering where to start.
To help you make the right decision, we’ve put together a comprehensive list of all the different types of online marketing courses and related learning resources available today.
Here, you’ll find everything from beginner’s guides to in-demand career paths, plus tips on how to study for each one.
Beginner’s Guides
Did you know that there are dozens of highly-rated, free courses available to help you get started with online marketing?
Some of these courses will teach you the basics of marketing, while others will take you deeper into the topic and help you find your niche.
Here’s a shortlist of some of the best free online courses to get you started on your marketing journey:
- Blogging For Business
- Video Marketing
- Email Marketing & CRM Fundamentals
- Marketing Essie
- Marketing Management and Campaign Strategy
- Digital Marketing Strategy
Each of these courses is highly rated and has been reviewed by professional teachers who can get hired for the job of marking and reviewing your work.
Types of Online Marketing Courses
As we mentioned above, there are several different types of online marketing courses out there. Depending on what you’re looking to learn, you should pick a course that is tailored to your needs. Here, we’ll discuss the most widely accepted types of online marketing courses and their related learning resources.
SEM (Search Engine Marketing)
So you want to learn Search Engine Marketing?
SEM, short for Search Engine Marketing, is a type of online marketing that helps businesses gain exposure through search engine optimization (SEO) and paid search (Paid Search).
In a nutshell, SEM is the process of marketing a product or service on the internet through organic search engine results and paid advertisements.
SEM is one of the most popular online marketing courses because it’s so broad. With this course, you’ll be able to learn everything from basic SEO to paid advertisement strategy. You’ll even get a certification at the end if you successfully complete the course. One of the biggest names behind SEM is Google, which makes it an important course to study if you’re looking to get a job in marketing or SEO.
SMM (Social Marketing)
Want to learn Social Marketing?
Did you know that Facebook, Instagram and LinkedIn are some of the biggest platforms for marketing through social media?
Facebook is a great place to promote your business, raise brand awareness and connect with customers. Instagram is where people go to discover new ideas and engage with content that is relevant to them. LinkedIn is a place to discover job opportunities and connect with employers.
SMM, or social marketing, is all about using social media to spread awareness about a brand or product and connect with potential customers.
This is one of the more in-demand online marketing courses because a lot of SMM platforms require a professional certificate to attain. To stand out among potential employers, you’ll need to prove that you’re indeed an experienced marketer.
PPC (Pay Per click)
Want to learn PPC?
If you’re looking to quickly find and target an audience for your products or services, you should consider Pay Per Click (PPC).
What is PPC?
Think of Google Adwords as an example of what PPC is. When a person types in a search term and clicks on a paid advertisement, the advertiser pays Google a certain amount of money for that click. In return, Google shows the advertiser a set of keywords and a relevant ad that matches those keywords. When someone clicks on that ad, they’re brought to a landing page where they can learn more about the product or service that was advertised.
The above diagram explains PPC in a nutshell. Think of PPC as placing adverts in front of an audience who are potentially interested in your product or service.
Which one should you learn first?
The answer to this question really depends on what you want to do. If you’re looking to enter the SEO world, you should learn SEM. If you’re looking to enter the world of PPC, then you should learn PPC.