Become an expert in marketing with online classes
Marketing is the aspect of business responsible for positioning a product or service in a way that makes it a "must-have" item to the target market. Marketing includes advertising and product branding, as well as market and product research behind-the-scenes. Online marking classes provide the tools marketing professionals need to excel in their fields, enhancing skills in communication, research, creativity and advertising. Marketing students can use this guide to learn about online marketing courses and how to find marketing courses that provide real-world value.
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WHAT KIND OF MARKETING COURSES CAN I TAKE ONLINE?
The marketing field is incredibly large. While some students may want an entire background of the field, others may want to specialize in one specific industry or type of marketing. The table below outlines the most common types of online marketing classes.
| Certificate | For-credit | Informational |
|---|---|---|
| What is this type of course? | ||
| Graduates of certificate courses in marketing receive confirmation of successfully completing the course. Some of these programs are endorsed by certain states and professional marketing organizations. | Marketing courses can be taken online for credit and toward a degree. Universities offer these online classes as part of their regular schedule and the courses generally have the same per-credit-cost. | Many professionals benefit by increasing their knowledge about marketing skills or trends, even if they're not working in that specific field. |
| Who takes this type of course? | ||
| Professionals working in the field can increase their knowledge in certain areas like social media, email marketing or demand generation. | Students who are working toward a degree in marketing or a related discipline. | People who work in other fields who want to learn skills to use marketing techniques within their industry. |
SPOTLIGHT: TOP 10 ONLINE MARKETING COURSES
Sorting through online marketing classes can be tedious and intimidating. It's difficult to know which programs offer quality marketing training. Our list of top 10 online marketing classes below will give potential students a starting point from which to start their search for online marketing classes.
Introduction to Marketing
- Offered by: University of British Columbia via edX
- Price: Free, $50 for a verified certificate
- Length: 6 weeks
- Eligible for college credit?: No
- Learn more: Introduction to Marketing
A self-paced program, this course focuses on the core concepts and theories behind marketing, including understanding marketing metrics, building communication efforts and developing pricing strategies.
Diploma in Web Business Development and Marketing
- Offered by: Alison
- Price: Free
- Length: 2-3 hours
- Format: Assessments and e-classes, no audio or video
- Eligible for college credit?: No
- Learn more: Diploma in Web Business Development and Marketing
Students will learn about marketing strategies and tools that are currently used in the industry. Other topics include characteristics of marketing, approaches to campaigns and variables in understanding businesses. In order to get the certificate, students must pass modules with a score of 80 percent.
Digital Branding and Engagement
- Offered by: Curtin University via edX
- Price: Free, $50 for a verified certificate
- Length: 2-3 hours a week for four weeks
- Eligible for college credit?: No, but certificate offered
- Learn more: Digital Branding and Engagement
Students will learn how to increase brand engagement through the creation and distribution of content using an owned digital channel approach. No pre-requisite knowledge needed, other topics include consumer change, content marketing and the relationship between paid, owned and earned media.
Marketing Success for Business
- Offered by: Alison
- Price: Free
- Length: 1-2 hours
- Format: Video, assessments
- Eligible for college credit?: No
- Learn more: Marketing Success for Business
This is a self-paced course in which students will learn the mindset of entrepreneurship. A real business owner teaches the course. Jeffrey Housenbold of Shutterfly and many other successful ventures leads the charge, and talks specifically about combining commerce, community and innovative thinking.
Smart Marketing with Price Psychology
- Offered by: Udemy
- Price: $35
- Length: 3 hours
- Format: Videos
- Eligible for college credit?: No, but a certificate of completion is awarded
- Learn more: Smart Marketing with Price Psychology
In this course, the students learn more than 30 psychological price effects that influence a marketing campaign. The course uses scientific research in psychology, paired with marketing research, to present each of six strategies.
Search and Social Media Marketing for International Business
Brand and Product Management
- Offered by: IE Business School and Coursera
- Price: Free
- Length: 4 weeks
- Format: Video
- Eligible for college credit?: No
- Learn more: Brand and Product Management
This course is made of six sections that all relate to brand building. Topics include how to launch new products and manage their life cycle, how to develop brands that inspire consumers, how to communicate what the product is and to whom and how to equip and engage employees.
The Complete Facebook Ads and Facebook Marketing Course 2016
- Offered by: Udemy
- Price: $199
- Length: 9.5 hours
- Format: Videos, articles
- Eligible for college credit?: No
- Learn more: The Complete Facebook Ads and Facebook Marketing Course 2016/a>
Small business owners, bloggers and marketers of all kinds should consider this course to improve their presence on Facebook. Lecture topics include page creation, using Google Keyword Planner, advertising and audience optimization. Upon completion, students will be able to use Facebook to find new customers and drive business, and they will also gain a major understanding of how to use the advertising functions of Facebook to their business's benefit.
International Marketing and Cross Industry Growth
- Offered by: Yonsei University via Coursera
- Price: $500 for all six segments-financial aid available
- Length: 16 weeks, 2 hours a week
- Format: Video, reading assignments, quizzes, capstone
- Eligible for college credit?: No
- Learn more: International Marketing and Cross Industry Growth
In addition to marketing concepts and theories, this course focuses heavily on the idea that individuals and companies should think openly across international markets and industries for new ideas and expansion. The course is completed in five smaller classes and also includes a capstone project. Topics include international business-to-business (B2B) marketing, entertainment and sports marketing and hospitality and healthcare marketing.
Leadership Through Marketing
- Offered by: Northwestern University via Coursera
- Price: $59
- Length: 3 weeks, 1-2 hours per week
- Format: Readings, lectures, assessments, video
- Eligible for college credit?: No, certification is available
- Learn more: Leadership Through Marketing
Students will learn how to take advantage of technology to create new relationships with customers and strengthen relationships with existing ones. They will also be given skills to lead more effectively, allocate resources and develop data to lead in this technologically-advanced world. This specific course can be taken individually or as part of Northwestern's larger Organization Leadership Specialization.
3 KEY BENEFITS TO TAKING A MARKETING CLASS ONLINE
Online marketing classes benefit all businesses and professionals. Even employees can use marketing skills to market their professional skills. A small business owner may want to increase the effectiveness of his Facebook page while an executive in a big firm may want to learn about reaching out to cross-promote his product with another industry. No matter the industry or type of work that a person does, online marketing classes provide invaluable benefit. These three benefits provide the biggest value to marketing students.
- Keep up with marketing trends
Marketing trends change as new technologies become available. Before the use of social media, marketing professionals used radio, television and the newspaper to promote their products and services. As technology shifted, those professionals had to change their methods and use the new social media outlets to increase their client base. Online marketing courses are a flexible and cost effective way to stay up on these trends and technologies.
- Learn new marketing skills
Often in the field of marketing, professionals stick to one aspect or another without extending into other areas. For example, a social media expert may not know a lot about audience research or product branding. Online classes in marketing are a great way for professionals to branch out, giving them more information and potentially giving them chances to broaden their careers.
- Move to a career in marketing
Online courses in marketing are a great way to introduce oneself to the field. For people considering starting a degree program or a career in marketing, an online class in the fundamentals may help confirm a person's interest. With the cost of degree programs, online or traditional, students may consider honing in on their interests in advance, so that they may spend their tuition on classes in which they know they're passionate and want to pursue.
APPS & PODCASTS FOR MARKETING PROFESSIONALS
Apps
Marketing apps make it easier to reach customers and develop new skills and network more efficiently. There are many marketing apps on the market that allow professionals to streamline communication and make their marketing efforts more efficient and effective. The following marketing apps may be of biggest benefit to individuals taking marketing courses.
Hootsuite
Free
Apple Android
Hootsuite is designed to help the user schedule posts for social media outlets. In one place, the user can post to Instagram, Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn, all at one time Users can moderate comments and the audience. saving time and money.
Nimble
$35.95/month Apple Android
Listening is the part of communication on which we don't often put a high enough value. Marketers have to listen to feedback regarding their brand, otherwise they may miss valuable input from their clients. Mention creates alerts for users that tells them when their brand is mentioned online. Users can also set alerts for the competition.
Mention
Listening is the part of communication on which we don't often put a high enough value. Marketers have to listen to feedback regarding their brand, otherwise they may miss valuable input from their clients. Mention creates alerts for users that tells them when their brand is mentioned online. Users can also set alerts for the competition.
Constant Contact
One of the leaders in email marketing, Constant Contact makes it easy to design and compose custom emails to go out to a company's database. It can all be done from device, and users can analyze open rates and click through percentages to fully understand the effectiveness of their messaging.
Podcasts
Marketing podcasts bring true flexibility to the listener. Hobbyists and professionals of the marketing field can learn more information while driving to work, cleaning the house or running on the treadmill. Podcasts offer the chance for people to listen to other professional marketers. offering education and affirmation for people who are seeking to grow within the arena of marketing.
Marketing Over Coffee
John Wall and Christopher Penn
Recent Episode to Try:
For the Kids!
Wall and Penn share updates in marketing trends in this weekly podcast. The program is news-based instead of topic-based, so the themes are timely and relevant. Episodes are less than 30 minutes long, so it's easy to soak one in on a jog or on your commute.
StartUP
Alex Blumberg, Lisa Chow, and others
Recent Episode to Try:
Madison Road
This podcast offers listeners a real view into what it's like to start a business and keep it running. Each season focuses on a different business and reviews the trials that the business goes through and which marketing efforts are used to fix the assorted problems the company faces.
Social Media Marketing Happy Hour
Dawn Morris, Traci Reuter
Recent Episode to Try:
Email Marketing and Mistakes You Want to Avoid
Social Media Marketing Happy Hour is a 15-minute podcast that comes out multiple times a week and focuses on social media networking. The podcast is professionally produced and covers an array of topics. Small businesses, entrepreneurs and direct sellers may find this podcast helpful..
Call to Action
Stephanie Saretsky and Dan Levy
Recent Episode to Try:
Marketing Machines
Call to Action is released every Wednesday. It seeks to dissect the art and science of marketing, from strategy and planning to execution, measurement and optimization. Real marketing managers, directors and leaders talk about the issues that they face, in hopes of inspiring other professionals.
FROM THE EXPERT: THE FUTURE OF MARKETING
What real-world marketing skills can students learn from online marketing classes?
Students can learn the basic principles of marketing—the language and the fundamentals. Online marketing classes can familiarize students with the basics.
How can online marketing courses make students more marketable to employers? Or should these classes be taken with other objectives in mind?
Online marketing courses can provide students the acumen to fit into the marketing world. This will make them more employable. Students may take these courses with another intent—simply to familiarize themselves with the business basics inherent to this discipline, which is also beneficial.
How do emerging technologies affect the marketing field and online classes on the subject?
Emerging technologies are very important to the tactical side of marketing, i.e., on how one executes marketing strategy. The strategic discipline of marketing does not evolve quickly; however, the implementation of strategy is dependent on the latest trends.