What everyone
wants to know
about learning Digital
Marketing
Top 10 questions on learning about Digital
Marketing, ANSWERED!
By: Shaun Michael Ng
What everyone wants to know
Table Of Contents
(click on the question to head straight to it)
7 ……....................................................An Evolution of Education
8 ..……………………………....…..How do I learn digital marketing?
9 ………………….………What is the best digital marketing course?
10 ……………………………… I have a job in digital marketing, but
don't know a lot about it. What's the best way for me to
learn digital marketing from the ground up?
12 ……………….…Where can I find free digital marketing courses?
13 ………………….Can I learn digital marketing on my own without
joining classes? If so, how?
14 ………….Where should I start to learn SEO or digital marketing?
16 …..…Which is the best website to learn about digital marketing?
17 ………….………..What is the best book about digital marketing?
20 ……….…What are the best research topics in digital marketing?
21 ……….……………How are you going to learn digital marketing?
22 ……………………………………….……………Parting Thoughts
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To the person reading…
You may be a Marketer who’s starting Digital
Marketing, a business owner who has to do
digital marketing by yourself, or even a Digital
Marketer who just wants to brush up on your
knowledge.
Regardless of who you are, these top 10
questions on Digital Marketing will help you in
some way.
Instead of searching for Digital Marketing
answers all over the internet, I have decided to
compile one of the most asked questions (on
Quora) on learning about Digital Marketing.
Stick with me and you’ll have your questions
answered.
(If you want to head straight to the answers, go to
page 8. If not, flip it!)
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About the “What everyone wants
to know” series
“What everyone wants to know” is a series that
answers what people, all over the world, are
interested in finding out. Quora is used as the
platform to gather these questions because well,
Quora is a place of questions. I take that as a
representation of what people worldwide are
interested in.
Why?
Quora has 190 million active users with more than
13 million questions (since 2017). I believe that the
top questions serve as a good gauge of what people
are generally interested in learning about. If not,
they’ll be pretty darn close.
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Check out Google’s screenshot for the search query
“learning about digital marketing”
(Refer to Pilot Article Questions on “learning about digital
marketing”).
If you have something insightful that I might have
missed out or useful resources, I’d love to hear
them.
Message me on LinkedIn.
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How this content is approached
Disclaimer: I am not endorsed or hired by any company to
promote their products or services. The opinions are from
yours truly and you are free to choose what’s best for you.
I’m just helping you out.
The content is given in a succinctly without overloading
you with too much information. So it’s great for those who
need a direction to start. This is not some ultimate guide
with so much content that it will eventually leave you more
confused than you originally were.
No, the answers are meant to answer your question with a
little more information to go on (It’ll definitely be enough for
you). There’s too much information online as is.
Each question is directly answered and is then explained in
more detail. Again, these answers are my own opinions
and surely, there might be alternative views to them but
let’s remember, we’re all here to learn and share with each
other.
Enjoy the read.
Cheers,
Shaun
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An evolution of education.
We are at an age where there’s so much information online
that honestly, it is becoming a pain to find the best answer
to our questions (I know I feel it!). Too much answers
leaves us distressed and often times, confused with
conflicting opinions on best approaches. Regardless, we
press on.
Education remains pivotal in achieving your personal or
career aspirations. But what’s interesting is HOW we are
educating ourselves today. Learning, even academic,
takes place online. You can get certified online with
reputable universities which you would have never thought
possible through physical applications (edX is a great
example). You can also learn through articles (such as
this), guides, YouTube videos, or free academies online.
There is truly no place that learning can’t take place. They
may not be noticeable but you are always learning, no
matter what you do. Remember that.
Let’s begin!
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1.
How do I learn Digital Marketing?
Answer: Knowledge and Practice
A very common question. Learning digital marketing is just
like any other discipline. You start with building on the
concept of digital marketing. What is digital marketing,
knowing the tools of the trade, and how does it
complement businesses. You need a solid foundation on
digital marketing to understand how doing it (for yourself or
in your job) will achieve your goals. One you know how it
works, the rest is consistent practice and trial and error.
Digital marketing involves a love of experimentation.
My advice for those who don’t have the luxury of time
(pretty much all of us). Find out what you need to
accomplish and start searching for tutorials about that.
You’ll have to learn quick and practice simultaneously.
For example: If you want to launch a Facebook ad
campaign to generate leads, watch a YouTube tutorial on
how that’s done (there’s plenty!) Follow through the tutorial
while you’re creating one on your own screen.
When you do have time, read how that function works with
other aspects of digital marketing.
Always look at the bigger picture.
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2.
What is the best Digital Marketing course?
Answer: If it does not give you practical
lessons, it’s not good.
Digital marketing is more of an “actionable” discipline. You
need to do it to know how it works. You will not master
digital marketing in a classroom or crash course (sorry
friends) but they do equip you with some necessary
knowledge on the different subdisciplines.
Digital marketing courses will involve some sort of practical
assessment or assignments to help you better understand
the subject. If they don’t give you any homework that
involves you working on the platform, for example,
Facebook Business Manager, Mailchimp, or your own
website, then that’s not a good digital marketing course to
enrol in.
Look at the course synopsis, find out how you will be
learning the course. That’s the best way to determine if the
course is worth your money.
If you need structure and video-based learning, go with
courses. You will probably pay more attention too because
you paid for them. If you are disciplined and don’t mind
switching to different sources to get your knowledge, go
with guides (Read the following 2 questions).
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3.
I have a job in Digital Marketing, but I don’t
know a lot about it. What’s the best way to
learn digital marketing from the ground up?
Answer: HubSpot Academy
Hubspot Academy Homepage
Learning from scratch is going to take time. Remember,
you will have to practice in order to get better at digital
marketing. But, if you want a great place to start learning,
go to HubSpot Training Academy.
There’s a ton of resources (all professionally created) to
help you learn the fundamentals and how each skillset
complements to digital marketing and your company.
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LinkedIn Learning Homepage (Logged In)
Alternatively, you can try LinkedIn Learning. You’ll need a
premium account but you can use the 30 day free-trial to
get the most out of it and decide. They’re professionally
recorded and have some notable people, like Goldie Chan,
in there that you can learn from.
Bonus if you read this question:
My favourite refresher on the foundation of digital
marketing is DigitalMarketer’s Ultimate Guide to Digital
Marketing. The best resource by far!
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4.
Where can I find free digital marketing
courses?
Answer: Academies and Guides
(Well aren’t you cheap!)
I kid obviously and I’m guilty of it too. But that’s actually a
very smart question! There are free ways you can learn
digital marketing but they are not in the form of courses,
they are in guides (and pretty enriching ones I might add).
Alternatively, if time is on your side, watch the video and
learn from Hubspot’s Resource - Free Courses here. It is
a repository of HubSpot’s free courses with loads of
insights and much to learn from. Check it out.
HubSpot Resource – Free Courses
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5.
Can I learn digital marketing on my own
without joining classes? If so, how?
Answer: Through guides and articles.
There is an endless supply of resource online that can
teach you on anything related to digital marketing. Some of
my favourite go-to places are DigitalMarketer and
HubSpot. They are great organisations to learn digital
marketing providing you with detailed guides that walk
through the entire process and achieving your goals on
specific digital platforms too.
Neil Patel has a blog that is also a great source to learn
about digital marketing. From SEO tips to social media
marketing, you name it and he has probably covered it!
There is a lexicon of places that can teach you without
ever enrolling in a course. You just have to be disciplined
in learning.
These companies provide more than enough content for
you to start and learn more about digital marketing. You
won’t have to enrol in any course, but probably be on their
email list. Also, be prepared to start keying filling out
contact forms because these free resources typically want
your emails. A fair trade but some require more than just
your email.
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6.
Where should I start to learn SEO or digital
marketing?
Answer: SEO (Guides & Articles) DM (Guides & Courses)
First 4 Search Results (after ads) for “learning seo”
If you want to specifically learn SEO, I suggest searching
for guides and read articles online that help you
understand and learn how to do SEO. The first search
result by Search Engine Journal has an eBook library with
free material to learn SEO, Content Marketing, PPC, and
Social Media.
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First 5 Search Results (after ads) for “learning digital marketing”
Digital marketing comprises of different skill sets. It is the
overarching discipline that includes SEO, SEM, Email
Marketing, Web Analytics, and so much more. Read
guides, enrol in free courses, or start at any of the search
result links. There’re so much options but just pick one and
see how it works for you.
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7.
Which is the best website to learn about
digital marketing?
Answer: HubSpot
If I really had to choose. Though it’s not my favourite to
learn about EVERYTHING digital marketing (I use a variety)
HubSpot is a crazy platform that teaches you digital
marketing for free. These resources come in guides, blog
posts, and professional videos that teach you all you need
to know.
As you get more accustomed to digital marketing, you will
realise that some places can teach you more in specific
skills. You will eventually know which places are your go-to
for digital marketing resources.
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8.
Which is the best book about digital
marketing?
Answer: Digital Marketing for Dummies
Source: Amazon
Cheesy I know but it was actually a fairly comprehensive
book.
I had to do some research on this because I don’t read
books that teach me about digital marketing. The books I
read revolve around Consumer Behaviour and Branding.
Although these books do not provide you with technical
skills on digital marketing, they serve a different purpose –
one that broadens your knowledge and perspective on
marketing allowing you to better strategise and build
greater content towards your audiences.
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For example, I am currently reading “Trend-Driven
Innovation” by Henry Mason et al. The book drives readers
to think differently on how to discover and use trends for
your business. By using books like these, they help you to
think differently on how to approach digital marketing.
(Definitely worth reading)
These books serve as inspirational guides for me to think
beyond my own predispositions or to kick away “bad
habits” I’ve learnt along my journey as a digital marketer.
The learning never stops!
Some other books I’ve previously read:
Good Strategy Bad Strategy – Richard Rumelt
The Marketing Performance Blueprint – Paul Roetzer
Mapping Innovation – Greg Satell
Books like these serve as inspirational guides for me to
think beyond my own predispositions or “bad habits” I’ve
learnt along my journey as a digital marketer.
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Worth exploring:
Digital Marketing for Everyone – Eric Morrow
Digital Marketing For Everyone (Front Cover)
Source: Amazon
Was doing some research and I chanced upon this title.
Reviewed by goodreads.com (4.23 stars) and Amazon (4.9
stars). I am pretty sure there might be equally, or even
better ones but this seems like a good book.
If anyone has read this, send me a message on LinkedIn on
your thoughts about the book!
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9.
What are the best research topics in digital
marketing?
Answer: Inbound Marketing
Source: MediaOne Marketing
I know it’s a plural on the question but trust me, this is
enough to make you research endlessly. Inbound
marketing is cog in the wheel of digital marketing. It refers
to drawing your audiences towards your products or
services through content marketing, social media
marketing, SEO, and yes Branding. These methods focus
on helping and educating your customers, not on selling.
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10.
How are you going to learn digital
marketing?
I am going to learn digital marketing by
__________________________________________
__________________________________________
__________________________________________
__________________________________________
__________________________________________
__________________________________________
__________________________________________
I want you to write down EXACTLY how you are going to
embark on your digital marketing education.
Print this and write your answer because writing it down
keeps you committed to your goals and helps you
remember them. More importantly, it increases your
chances of achieving them (Mark Murphy, 2018).
I’d love to hear your answer!
Send to me an image or paste your answer to me on
LinkedIn
(Your inputs will help me create guides that help someone else
who is struggling with digital marketing)
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Parting Thoughts
Remember, while it’s great to be learning as much as
you can about digital marketing. Action triumphs
ideas. You may have a lot of ideas but if you don’t
act on them, they’re as good as useless (Semi-guilty
but I keep trying).
Keep practising what you’ve learnt in your work.
Even a small aspect of it every day will make up a
large portion when you view your progress after
months.
Can you imagine what you can do in just a year?
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Credits
Questions: Quora
eBook Template: CoSchedule
Author: Shaun Michael Ng
Find me socially:
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