If you’ve considered taking a digital marketing course, you might have noticed that you’ve got no shortage of options. A quick search online or even just scrolling through your Twitter or Facebook feed, and you’ll see any number of companies and entrepreneurs (both well-known and not) promoting their own courses designed to help you as a business owner. But are these courses even worthwhile, and how in the world do you navigate through all of these options to find one that’s legitimate and well-suited for you?
First things first: Yes, a digital marketing course can be incredibly beneficial. The right one can teach you the most effective methods for email marketing, Facebook ads, SEO, affiliate marketing, and so many other related topics. If you’re excited about starting your own affiliate website, for instance, but have no idea where to start, then investing in a good course can save you hours of hard work and research.
That’s not to say that only beginners will benefit from enrolling in courses. Digital marketing is an ever-changing landscape. The second you feel like you’ve mastered everything you need to know, something will come along and change the game for you. It’s always smart to stay on top of trends and to remain inspired, and enrolling in a digital marketing course will keep your work relevant and effective to your audience.
The trick here is finding a course that’s worth the investment, because—surprise, surprise—not everything you find on the internet will be amazing quality. Here is a little advice to sift through everything and enroll in a great digital marketing course.
Get Recommendations
Ask friends and family if they have any recommendations for online courses they’ve taken related to digital marketing. Ask them what they liked about the class, what they didn’t like, and if, given the option to go back in time, they would enroll in the class again. If you get referred to one that’s gotten relatively decent feedback from people you know and trust, then you may not need to look much further.
Of course, if you don’t know anyone personally who’s taken a class like this, then you’ll have to hunt around a little bit more. Turn to Facebook groups for entrepreneurs, bloggers, and affiliate marketers to get their recommendations. If you happen to find one that you’re interested in taking, then thoroughly read through reviews and testimonials. Additionally, I can wholeheartedly recommend Wealthy Affiliate to you. They have solid classes (in addition to loads of free videos) and a great game plan for affiliates to achieve success.
Remember that pretty much anyone can set up a legit-looking website and sell a product to you—and most people are well-meaning, if you don’t conduct a bit of research you could end up getting scammed. So if it’s hard to find any good references, then it’s a good idea to continue the search.
Ensure The Company Or Entrepreneur Is Relevant
This is sort of a no-brainer, but don’t sign up for a digital marketing course that you found on a website that looks like it was created in 2006. That’s simply giving your money away and not expecting anything great in return. A few other ways to make sure you’re paying a legitimate company or business owner to enroll in a class include:
- That they have an address that ends in their domain name (and not gmail or hotmail).
- That they are active on at least one or two social media platforms, if not more.
- That they respond quickly and professionally to emails or outreach.
- That their site has a current copyright date.
- That you are able to get a sneak preview of the course.
The bottom line: if it looks sketchy, then it probably is.
Consider Your Niche
As an affiliate marketer, you’ll have a lot of success with defining a specific niche for yourself. By being more specific about your client and the subject that you cover, you’ll actually end up with a broader audience. Why is that? Well, because you’ll connect with people on a more personal level. When you speak to a broad audience of people who like anything and everything, people fail to feel emotionally invested in what you have to say. If, however, you speak to their particular interests, fears, hopes, and dreams, then you’ll hook them.
So as you continue your search for a digital marketing course, don’t be afraid to get specific there as well. If you focus on millennial travel or baby boomer technology, see if there are any courses that are specifically geared towards your niche.
A generic course will certainly still be a great option, but a more specific course might cover more useful topics in depth. For example, if you’re gearing your affiliate site towards parents with young children, a course that covers the ins and outs of Snapchat might not be the most useful. Something that talks about email marketing, however, could be incredibly valuable to your business.
Examine The Other Perks
Does the course you’re considering throw in some extra freebies, like e-books or digital guides? Are you enrolling in a class that offers a money-back guarantee? Do you simply gain access to the class or do you join a community, like Wealthy Affiliate? These are all added bonuses that might help you make a final decision. Of course, don’t let the freebies be the main decision maker here, but those extra perks can certainly help.
