Just starting in the world of digital? The first thing to celebrate is that you already have two of the fundamental tools needed to progress your career: an ability to learn, and access to the internet. Even if you feel you know nothing (which is most likely not the case anyway), the ability to learn is all you need, and alongside the encyclopaedic beast that is the internet, you’re already halfway there.
Been in the industry a fair few years? Digital is constantly changing and evolving, so there’s always more to know! Just when you think you’re up-to-date, there will be 10 new things for you to get to grips with. There’s never a dull moment in this industry, the water is always moving and making waves.
Whether you’re new or just looking to keep up-to-date, here are six courses to complete on LinkedIn Learning. These have personally helped me with my career so far, which is why I’ve shared them with you! I’d like to stress that most of this knowledge is also available for free across different internet platforms, so if you don’t have LinkedIn Learning, don’t stress; you can still learn!
1. SOCIAL MEDIA MARKETING FOUNDATIONS
Social is everywhere now, and if you’re getting into digital marketing, it’s not a sector you should neglect. This course, by Brian Honigman, provided me with a really nice overview of using social media for business purposes, from the position of a business owner.
Released in January 2020, it’s just over a year old and takes about an hour to complete. I found this really useful because it helps you see things from your client’s perspective. After all, the best agencies are just extensions of their clients, not outsourced workers.
2. SOCIAL MEDIA MARKETING: STRATEGY AND OPTIMIZATION
After reviewing the foundational course on social strategy, I thought optimization by Martin Waxman was a good place to go next. This goes into detail on how you make a social media audit, as well as how to best engage users successfully on the biggest social media platforms. It also helps you pick the ones that work best for your (or your client’s) business and brand.
One of my favourite takeaways from the course was the emphasis on the need for a social media strategy and setting clear goals for yourself. There are so many social channels and so many different things you can do with them. That’s why you need to work out where your audience is and how they engage, to successfully join their conversations and give them what they require.
The course was added in March 2020 and, again, it takes around one hour to get through.
3. GOOGLE UNIVERSAL ANALYTICS ESSENTIAL TRAINING (2020)
Moving across to Google Analytics, this introductory course was great for getting me started with this monumental tool.
Used to track patterns of user behaviour for SEO, PPC, data and more, it’s a vital tool to get familiar with, especially if you’re in digital marketing. I personally loved this one – GA is so complex, and it was great to see beneath the hood of some of our client’s websites.
Updated June 2020, this in-depth course has a run time of two hours and 36 mins. It may take a little longer than the others I’ve mentioned already, but it’s definitely worth it.
4. ADVANCED GOOGLE ANALYTICS
Following on from the essential training, I completed this advanced course which dove into more detail, taking me through some of the more complicated functions of Google Analytics. I really enjoyed this one; I learnt even more about GA, as well as how tracking (and understanding your user’s activity) on-site can go such a long way in helping you reach your goals.
Much like the industry itself, Google Analytics is constantly updating. This course was primarily for Google Analytics’ legacy, but it also talks you through the changes coming into play in Google Analytics 4, which is currently in Beta mode. This is super helpful if your company is going to be making the switch any time soon.
Updated in December 2020, this course takes one and a half hours to digest.
5. EXCEL ESSENTIAL TRAINING
This essential training goes through the very basics of excel. It’s another course I found extremely useful, and one I would recommend for every single digital marketing path (along with lots of other career paths, too). From primitive formulas to small tips and tricks to speed up your day, this is one of the most important courses you can do to help your everyday work life. I had several “mind blown” moments while learning.
A good tip for this one is to have excel open as you watch, to try each of the tasks discussed. This will solidify your knowledge, giving you the confidence to use this tool going forward.
This course takes about two hours and twenty minutes to complete, being updated in October 2020.
6. SEO FOUNDATIONS
Much like the other foundational courses, this gave me a great overview of the basic principles of SEO. No matter which direction you’re going in with digital marketing, this is a great course to get you up-to-speed on the fundamentals of the industry, from content and technical to link building.
This course particularly helped me with all of the key terminology used. Therefore, when I progressed onto the next course, I knew exactly what was going on!
NEXT STEPS
Are you looking for a job in digital marketing? Visit our careers page to see which roles we are currently hiring for (hint: there are many).
