How To Choose the Best Digital Marketing Course: Complete Guide

If marketing and advertising interest you, it’s worth asking yourself, “What kind of course can help me?” The “only print and media-based marketing” has become part of a bygone era. A career in marketing without knowledge of digital marketing does not make sense anymore.

You might have an MBA in marketing or a postgraduate degree in marketing and sales. How effective your knowledge is when meeting industry demands depends on how effective you are as a digital marketer.

It is time for veterans and young marketing professionals to upgrade their knowledge and skills in digital marketing and sales if they have not already done that.

Also, engineering and science undergraduates considering a career in marketing and sales can benefit immensely through digital marketing training. It will help them understand how to make the best career move.

If you are pursuing a career in this ever-expanding field, take some time out to read this guide.

A Career in Digital Marketing – What is it about?

The field comprises a vast range of sub-fields:

• SEO
• SEM
• Google Webmaster and Analytics
• Content Marketing
• Internet Marketing Campaigns
• Email Marketing
• Social Media Marketing
• Social Media Analytics
• Social Listening and Analytics
• Website Analytics

There are many more sub-fields, such as e-commerce digital marketing, B2B digital marketing, B2C digital marketing, and so on.

You get the idea.

Digital Marketing has become an industry segment or horizontal offering millions of jobs.

Steps Before Plunging Into Digital Marketing Training

1. Note Down Your Career Objective

You must give yourself quality time and figure out what you are better at. You might be inspired by data analytics and AI but not have excellent skills right now. Can you see yourself designing campaigns and getting people to click on your ads?

Research and get a feel of the different career options you can choose. What positions interest you tremendously? What certifications are needed to start your journey to achieving your career goals?

2. Verify If Digital Marketing Best-Fits The Career Goals

Digital marketing is a vast field. It accommodates everything from designing campaigns to AI, automation, and analytics. However, getting started with some tough and advanced certifications can lead to more worries and confusion. It is always wiser to start with a strong foundation course. If you have a gut feeling that you can carve a niche in digital marketing, get a few facts right. We are discussing that in the next points.

3. Consider Well: Classroom Training or Online Coaching

Online coaching has its advantages and disadvantages. You can learn from the comfort of your home or anywhere (your club, library, or friend’s place). The cons: lack of personal attention, lack of interactions that enrich your abilities, and increasing confusion when you cannot complete tasks.

Classroom training with all the digital teaching paraphernalia can take your learning to the next level. Every class leaves you satisfied, as you can interact and clear your doubts or ask questions that come to your mind. The cons: you need to commute and be present on time at the learning center.

4. Make A Practical Estimate: Time and Budget

Unless you are ready to spend any amount, you should have an idea about the costs. How much can you pay at a time?

Some courses from a globally known brand might have the same content and syllabus as those from a lesser-known brand. The value of the certification lies in how much you can learn and what skills you acquire.

Compare fee structures based on the syllabus and the key features of the course. Find out how many advantages and skills you can get by taking a course. That is the value you should be comparing when looking at course fees, not just a brand name.

Time is also crucial. Do you have the time to take a full-day training for three weeks? Would you prefer 2-hour batches that go for 2-3 months? Or would you prefer a self-paced course?

Consider all the aspects mentioned above carefully to take the next step in your journey to making a career in digital marketing.

Once you are done with the required research and self-reflection, you will have created a list of institutes from where to take a course.

Here are some key factors to consider when choosing the right institute to take an SEO and digital marketing course.

How To Choose The Best Digital Marketing Course

1. Reputation of the Institute/Course Provider

Is the brand well-known? The reputation of an institute does matter.

When you say you have taken a course from a company that already has won a reputed brand name and is known to thousands of companies, the chances of your skills being valued increase.

2. Course Coverage

How your syllabus is planned and designed plays a key role in how much quality learning you will get during the course.

If you are keen on strategy, analytics, and planning and the course only gives brief glimpses of those areas, it will not help you achieve your career goals, however well-known the course provider’s brand is.

Do not just read through a syllabus. Find out how the topics will be covered, i.e., modules or separate sessions. Also, do some research to verify how relevant the sub-topics are for each module/lesson. New versions, trends, and practices in digital marketing decrease the value of old ones or replace them. You would not want to learn something which might be outdated in a few months.

3. Instructors

Which course provider will not say that their instructors are the best? How to find out what kind of instructors provide real value?

We recommend that you go for courses where the instructors have a strong industry background. Instructors who have worked on many projects and already have many achievements to their name offer practical knowledge that matters when you start working.

While having thorough theoretical knowledge is a plus, a lack of industry experience in a coach is a big disadvantage.

4. Modules and Time Frame

The best digital marketing courses are divided into modules that cover a key sub-field in digital marketing. For example, if you have chosen an advanced digital marketing course, check which modules are dedicated to advanced learning. Some examples are business strategy, brand management, advanced SEO and SEM, advanced content marketing, or omnichannel digital marketing management.

5. Difficulty Level

Many young professionals feel that they can take on any level of challenging assignments and complete an advanced course to fast-track their careers. However, trainer reports of many course providers point at 10%-30% churn in advanced courses, as students find it difficult to cope with the pace and the difficulty level.

If you are going for advanced digital marketing training along with your university studies and will not be able to dedicate enough time, start with the foundation course. You can then move on to the intermediate level. When you reach the advanced level, you will be in a better position to know whether you are ready for it or would like to go for it later.

6. Practical Experience

A classroom training course that offers practical experience offers more benefits. The abilities you gain through hands-on training and experience give more value when you look for a job.

7. Personal Attention and Guidance

The best digital marketing courses are those that provide learners with personal attention and guidance. When there are 50+ concepts to master, 30+ tools to learn, and so many functions to understand, doubts and queries are inevitable. When a course includes personalized sessions or personal interaction opportunities for doubt-solving, you can avoid gaps in your learning.

8. Real Projects-Based Tasks and Assignments

The best digital marketing course would be the one that provides real project experience through case studies and Live project work opportunities.

9. Technologies To Learn

The best digital marketing course should include hands-on training in SEO technologies and Internet Marketing tools and techniques. Unless you acquire skills in leveraging popular digital marketing tools, your knowledge remains more theoretical.

When you demonstrate excellent skills in digital marketing tools, your chances of getting your dream job become higher.

10. Opportunities To Work On Live Projects

Based on our recruiting experience of over 14 years, the best digital marketing course for any young professional will be one that allows him or her to work on Live projects. You not only get a course completion certificate but also training in working on a digital marketing project or campaign.

11. Career Guidance

Many digital marketing training course providers mention career guidance as part of the benefits of taking their courses. Career guidance from a reputed company gets more value. It is about helping you understand the real picture of what opportunities are there for you and what companies expect from the kind of positions you are aspiring for.

For instance, if you are planning to be a Digital Marketing Director, what could be the certifications you should go for, and how should you plan your career – such information is part of career guidance.

12. Placement Assistance

Any institute that offers hands-on digital marketing training and Live project opportunities is definitely worth considering, but if the course provider also offers placement assistance, then it is worth the money you are investing.

Summing Up

While there are many advantages to choosing digital marketing online training courses offered by the best academies in your country, it is equally worthwhile to take classroom training that offers hands-on experience with real projects. Consider how much value the industry is giving to the course before you go for it.

Alliance Recruitment Agency

Alliance Recruitment Agency, a global recruitment agency, has been offering talent sourcing and headhunting services in the digital marketing sector for over a decade.

The company knows what kinds of skills get the most value. We have been offering marketing job seekers the best career guidance and placement assistance since 2010. The digital marketing training course that we launched is designed to give learners the best experience and skills to build their dream careers.

Book a meeting with us today to get full course details

FAQs

Q: 1. What is an SEO and Digital Marketing Course?

Ans: SEO and digital marketing courses offer learners the opportunity to understand how Search Engine Optimization operations and digital marketing functions work for any organization. Digital marketing course also helps learners acquire skills in Internet marketing tools and technologies that help a business improve marketing and sales outcomes.

Search Engine Optimization, also called SEO, is a part of digital marketing that focuses on driving traffic to a company’s website and generating interest in the services or solutions the company offers. SEO is also used to generate more sales and customer growth.

Q: 2. How to identify the best digital marketing course?

Ans: The best digital marketing course will have the following strengths:

• Well-Known Instructors
• Industry Training Opportunities
• Syllabus that covers current practices, trends, tools, and techniques
• Doubt-Solving Sessions
• Real Projects-based Assignments and Tasks
• Live Project Work Opportunities

Q: 3. What is included in an advanced digital marketing course?

Ans: An advanced digital marketing course must cover strategies for business growth, web analytics, brand reputation improvement, and ROI optimization techniques.

Q: 4. Is digital marketing online training better than classroom-based learning?

Ans: A better question is which course offers more advantages. If online training offers you certifications that have more value in getting employment or more recognition in your existing employment, you can go for it.

If you are the type of learner who needs personal attention, guidance, and a lot of interaction, then classroom training is the best for you.

Q: 5. How much does a digital marketing course cost?

Ans: The cost varies from one institute to another and from one type of course to another. Some quick courses focus on just the key functions and can cost around INR 700-1200, while detailed courses with many modules can cost INR 1500-3000.