The demand for digital marketing and social media marketers in both the public and private sectors continues to rise, as companies struggle to find people with the skills to carry out marketing activities manually. Thanks to the boom of online marketing education, individuals can now gain the skills they need to land a great job in this field.
In 2019, the Wisconsin Alumni Research Foundation launched a brand new online marketing certificate program at the University of Wisconsin-Madison (UW-Madison) in partnership with the Madison Area Technical College. This certificate program is offered at no cost to students and is part of the digital marketing and social media track.
The goal of this certificate program is to equip graduates with the knowledge and practical skills to succeed in the ever-changing digital marketing world. To help students gain real-world experience, the program partners with marketing agencies and digital marketing consultancies to provide students with the opportunity to gain valuable internships or full-time jobs in the field. Through these opportunities, students will be able to use their new skills to help businesses and organizations across the country.
The curriculum for the certificate program is based on the principles of marketing, sales, and business. Students will take a multi-disciplinary approach to learn the theory and practice of marketing management. To achieve this, the university offers a broad selection of courses within the field of marketing, which cover strategy, analytics, customer behavior, and much more.
Why Online Marketing?
It is no secret that the world of digital marketing and social media has changed significantly over the past few years.
Thanks to new platforms like YouTube, Facebook, and Instagram, as well as mobile phones and the internet, the way we market and communicate has shifted to online environments. In fact, around 69% of American adults currently use the internet to search for products and services, and 49% use social media to learn about products and brands.
With so many individuals using the web to find information, marketing managers can no longer rely on traditional methods of advertising to gain insights into customers’ behavior. This is why marketing agencies have moved towards online marketing as a whole, since it provides a new approach to gathering data and assessing marketing efforts.
The good news for marketers is that educational institutions are now offering courses that will teach them the theory and the practice of online marketing. This is great for students who want to enter the field but don’t necessarily have experience or a full understanding of how the internet and social media work together. Thanks to online marketing education, anyone with a computer and an active internet connection can now become a marketing specialist.
One of the main reasons why the University of Wisconsin-Madison launched the online marketing certificate program is because students nowadays are more accustomed to using the internet and social media to learn. Thanks to the digital marketing and social media track at the university, students will have the opportunity to gain practical experience while also learning the theory behind effective marketing strategies and tactics. In today’s world, you can’t just expect to show up at work and be able to carry out your job effortlessly. You need to have studied and practiced for this.
Signature Events
One of the cool things about this certificate program is that it offers students the unique opportunity to take part in a number of signature events. These events are designed to give students an insight into the practical side of marketing and how it can be used to generate revenue for businesses and organizations.
To name a few, the program will feature:
- An immersive marketing experience where students get to explore marketing in a whole new way;
- An opportunity to engage with marketing decision-makers and influencers;
- A chance to network and meet other students in the field; and
- A chance to gain valuable industry experience.
Since marketing agencies and digital marketing consultancies around the country are partnering with leading schools to provide internship and job opportunities in the field, more and more students have the chance to gain valuable experience and build a network of contacts that will assist them in their career quest.
What Will the Graduates of This Certificate Program Do?
Once they have completed the online marketing certificate program, graduates will be able to find a job in a marketing agency or digital marketing consultancy. Most of these positions will require a bachelor’s degree in marketing, but employers will also consider applicants with a background in business or communications.
This degree will give them the basic knowledge and the skills they need to succeed in this rapidly evolving field. Thanks to the continued rise of marketing agencies and digital marketing consultancies looking for new talent, individuals with a marketing degree will have no problem finding employment, even if they don’t have a formal marketing background.
This trend will also continue to fuel the demand for digital marketers, which is a skill set that is in high demand due to the growth of online marketing.
In the near future, it is likely that more and more individuals will enter the field of online marketing, as it continues to grow and evolve. Thanks to the ever-growing demand for marketing specialists, those who complete the online marketing certificate program at the University of Wisconsin-Madison will be able to land a job in one of the regions that are most in demand:
- Northwest Wisconsin (Ozaukee, Milwaukee, and Wisonsanticke Counties)
- Central Wisconsin (Grant, Green Lake, Dane, Jefferson, and Adams Counties)
- Southeast Wisconsin (Marquette, Jefferson, and Adams Counties)
As the economy continues to evolve, individuals with marketing degrees will be in high demand, especially as most marketing agencies offer excellent benefits packages and job security.
The Evolution of Online Marketing
Over the past few years, marketing has shifted from traditional mailers, billboard ads, and radio campaigns to the internet and social media. This trend will continue, as 77% of consumers now prefer to learn about products and services through online channels like blogs, forums, and social media channels.
In 2021 alone, retail e-commerce increased its share from 7% to 12% of total retail sales, and shopping via mobile phone increased its share from 12% to 17% of total retail sales.
Thanks to the rise of digital marketing and social media, marketing agencies can craft more personalized messages to prospective customers, as they know this information about customers’ habits and preferences.
The use of cookies to track user behavior and target marketing has also increased significantly as a result of this trend. In 2020, users in the United States alone were exposed to an average of 10 tracking cookies on websites they visited.
Thanks to this digital marketing education, individuals will be better equipped to handle the evolving trends in the field while also utilizing the internet and social media to their advantage.