You may have heard the phrase “learning online” and wondered if it’s even possible to learn online marketing without taking a class or renting a course. Well, you can! With just a little effort and a willingness to learn, you can become an expert in the field and put your knowledge to work right away.
To help you get started, we have compiled a list of 15 things you need to know about online learning, marketing, and creating a digital footprint.
1. You Can Learn Online
In these days of Covid restrictions, many businesses have had to shift to online learning. While the format may be unfamiliar, the content is not. All you need is a reliable WiFi connection, a microphone, and a computer or mobile device.
With the right guidance and course material, it is possible to learn almost anything online. From accountancy to law and medicine, there are numerous degrees and courses you can study online. If you’re worried about the financial situation, many businesses offer scholarships and bursaries for students in need. For example, the Covid Alert Student Grant available through the UK government will cover your tuition fees for a course in digital marketing. You can also apply for funding through your university or college.
2. Marketing Online Is A Great Way To Learn
With the world now largely based on digital communication and transactions, savvy businesses are taking note and acting accordingly. In light of this, many traditional marketing courses have adjusted their approach and taught students digital marketing strategies and tactics. While it’s no longer enough to just have a website, you must now promote your site, accumulate traffic, and eventually convert that traffic into paying customers.
Not only is marketing online a great way to learn, but it’s a great way to earn. With very little startup cost, you can set up shop and start marketing your products or services virtually immediately. Plus, you’ll be able to access marketing tools, analytics, and reporting to analyze the results of your campaigns. In this kind of situation, using a tool like Hotjar is a great way to track conversions and see what’s working and what needs to be changed. For example, if you notice your paid traffic is not converting into sales, you can examine the results of your campaigns with the aid of the tool.
3. Set A Time Frame
Even students who have managed to avoid taking a class have still been required to study for a number of exams and assignments. The earlier you set yourself a time frame for completing the assignments, the less stressed you will be in the near future when you finally sit the exam or assignment. While students are often tempted to just rush through the material to get to the next stage, doing so will only result in you failing the exam or assignment anyway.
It’s also important to note that as you go through the course, you will not be learning everything at once. Especially in a field as vast as online marketing, you will not be able to absorb everything in one go. So, you must remember to pace yourself and set aside some time to study for every stage. Even if it’s just an hour a day, the added convenience and flexibility of being able to study whenever you want will prove invaluable.
4. Look For Opportunities To Study
There are often many opportunities for you to study online. From simply looking at articles on the topic to watching recorded lectures or Q&A sessions, you can get all the knowledge you need without leaving your home or office. However, if you want to optimize your learning experience and get the most out of the platform, you should be looking for ways to study specifically designed for online learning. For example, if you’re using a tool like Blackboard, you can take a virtual learning tour of the university or college where you are studying. Moreover, you can also use the tool to look up relevant information regarding the subject matter you are learning.
Also, if there is a particular concept you find difficult to grasp, look for a tutoring session or a masterclass with a teaching staff member. Moreover, if you can’t find the right study material, make use of online tools like Quizlet or Memrise which can be quite effective in providing instant quizzes, flashcards, or spaced repetition training.
5. Make Use Of Technology
In a world filled with an abundance of information, it is not enough to simply learn the knowledge required to pass an exam or complete an assignment. Rather, you must also be able to find the knowledge you need when you need it. To achieve this, you must make use of all the tools at your disposal, whether they are online or on a mobile device.
6. Be Selective Of The Learning Materials You Use
While many businesses are putting out all kinds of content to educate their customers online, not all of it is made equal. For instance, you shouldn’t just take anything you find online without due consideration. Especially with so much content online, there is a tendency for individuals to fall for scams and fake news stories. Therefore, it is important that you take the time to discern the quality of the content you’re reading, watching, or listening to.
To help you do this, you should be looking for feedback from others who have already studied the material you are interested in. Moreover, reputable websites such as CNET will often compile reviews of courses and tutors, allowing you to get an indication of how others feel about the products and services available online.
7. Use Video Content
While it’s great to have text-based content available online, videos are always going to have a special place in the hearts of many people. Whether you’re educating your customers about a product or service, explaining a complex concept, or just entertaining people, video content is perfect for almost all of your online marketing needs.
Whether you use video content to explain why a product is special, using funny anecdotes to make a point, or showcase a product in action, video content is essential for your digital marketing strategy.
Plus, you can put video content on almost any social media platform, allowing you to reach an audience that may not have otherwise heard of you. In addition to this, you can take advantage of the fact that people are more likely to watch a video than read a block of text to study for an exam or assignment.
8. Focus On Quality Over Quantity
In a world of ever-increasing information, it is easy for individuals to get distracted by the sheer volume of content available online. While it’s great to have so much information at your fingertips, this also means you’ll have a lot of noise and a lot of unhelpful information floating around. To separate the wheat from the chaff, you must set a quality threshold for yourself and only focus on content that rises to that threshold. If you don’t have the time to dedicate to studying, make sure you’re only engaging with high-quality content.
In a similar vein, when looking at resources such as blogs and websites that cover the subject matter you’re learning about, always bear in mind that not all content is created equal. Some blogs may be good, but may also contain spelling errors, be full of outdated information, or just plain wrong. While you can’t always control what others write about your products or services, you can control the quality of the content you create.
9. Short-Lived Trends Vs. Longer-Lived Habits
Just because a marketing tactic, technique, or philosophy is in vogue at the moment doesn’t necessarily mean it’s going to be around forever. Many industries undergo fashion trends that come and go, only to be replaced by something different. When marketers study the history of their chosen field, they often find patterns in the way previous generations approached marketing and the way we are approaching it today. These “trends” that crop up every few years are often attributed to a particular historical figure or important moment in time, and while they may be difficult to break away from, they don’t necessarily mean we need to follow suit and do the same thing.
On the opposite end of the spectrum, some habits that are formed from learning online never go out of style. Be it the use of social media or the importance of SEO, once you know what these are, you will always be able to apply them in some shape or form, even if the technology changes around you.