12 of the Best Free Digital Marketing Courses at a University Level.

No matter how long you’ve been in a field or how much education you have, there’s always something new to learn. This is particularly true if you’re in marketing, which is constantly evolving in a million different ways at once.

While furthering education can be pretty expensive, there are resources out there that offer valuable information at a small price or even for free. You do have to shift through the poor-quality courses to find the gems, though.

Fortunately, our experts at Huemor did the work for you. Here are the 12 university-level marketing courses that are considered to be some of the best marketing courses available for free.

Develop a Winning Marketing Strategy

“Developing a Winning Marketing Strategy” is a course from Gies College of Business’s suite of online programs available for free on Coursera. It’s beginner level and takes approximately 16 hours, offered with a flexible schedule.

The content of this course covers:

• Defining marketing and developing a comprehensive digital marketing strategy

• Describing the elements of the marketing mix

• Explaining how these elements interact to create value for consumers

• Using different analytical frameworks to examine how managers solve business problems

• Evaluating brand extensions

• Developing a marketing plan proposal

Introduction to Google SEO

“Introduction to Google SEO” is a course from UC Davis that’s available for free on Coursera. It’s a beginner course that allows you to learn at your own pace, taking approximately 13 hours to complete.

The content of this course covers:

• Critiquing the role of advertisements and corporate funding in the development of research

• Writing your own content for a website that will improve search results

• Comparing and contrasting the functionality of search engine algorithm updates

• Developing an optimization strategy and a successful SEO strategy following best practices for a client to help increase their ranking

Do you want to learn more about the basics of SEO? Check out our blog “SEO Meaning: What Does SEO Mean For Your Website?” 

Marketing Operations

“Marketing Operations” is a course from DoaneX that’s available on edX for free. This introductory course is self-paced and should take approximately 4 weeks to complete if 7-9 hours a week are dedicated to it.

The content of this course covers:

• Identifying and evaluating the marketplace, which is essential for any digital marketer

• Identifying historical changes and concepts

• Exploring new technologies as they apply to marketing

• Explaining Social Media and Value Creation

• Discussing marketing segmentation, target marketing, and promotion

Strategic Social Media Marketing

“Strategic Social Media Marketing” is a course from Boston University that’s offered for free on edX. This is an advanced level course that is instructor-led on a schedule that will take 6 weeks to complete. It will take a dedication of 4-6 hours per week to follow the schedule.

The content of this course covers:

• How to develop a successful social media strategy

• How to develop and deliver content that engages consumers and is strategically integrated across platforms

• How to measure the effectiveness of social efforts

• How social media can be used to listen to consumers, monitor their behavior, and engage them in co-creation of products and services

• How to manage social media

Marketing & Sales

“Business English: Marketing & Sales” is a free digital marketing course from Arizona State University that’s available on Coursera. It’s an intermediate course with a flexible schedule, requiring about 31 hours to complete.

The content of this course covers:

• Expressing your ideas through efficient emails, reports, and persuasive presentations

• Learning words and phrases related to market research, branding, direct marketing, advertising costs, and much more

• Getting instant feedback about the efficiency of your business communication skills in English from sales and marketing professionals from around the world

• Becoming a part of a global community of business professionals who are developing their English communication skills

How to Make Effective Infographics

“Design and Make Infographics” is a course from Michigan State University that’s offered for free on Coursera. This course can be taken on a flexible schedule and typically takes 9 hours to complete.

The content of this course covers:

• What an infographic is, and what makes a good one

• How to work within your limits and with a team

• Why infographics are effective tools to build brand awareness

• Techniques for spotting data in stories

• Six valuable steps for planning an effective infographic

• How to use and make some of the building blocks of infographics, like maps, charts, and flow charts

• Ways data can be visualized to clarify it and give it meaning

• How to effectively design a good infographic by effectively using elements like type, color, and an underlying grid structure

• Free or cheap online tools for making a number of kinds of infographics

Strategic Self-Marketing and Personal Branding

“Strategic Self-Marketing and Personal Branding” is a completely free course from The State University of New York available on Coursera. This course is at an intermediate level, taking around 15 hours to complete on your own schedule.

The content of this course covers:

• Understanding the concept of marketing the skilled (professional) self and how it fits into broader career self-management strategies

• Developing an effective strategic self-marketing plan tailored to the skills-based job market, leveraging tools like the marketing communications mix

• Articulating your job-related skills and personal capabilities convincingly and confidently to prospective employers

• Constructing a strong professional brand and image with a deep understanding of reputation management and impression management strategies

• Implementing self-promotion and personal branding strategies effectively to advance your professional growth

• Harnessing the power of generative AI to establish a robust self-coaching and self-monitoring system for your self-marketing activities, fostering your continual evolution and adaptability

• Organizing compelling digital artifact presentations to demonstrate your skill mastery and proficiency

• Utilizing peer feedback effectively to enhance your self-marketing and branding efforts

Viral Marketing and How to Craft Contagious Content

“Viral Marketing and How to Craft Contagious Content” is a course from the University of Pennsylvania that’s offered on Coursera, free of charge. This is a shorter course that takes about 4 hours to complete when you have availability in your schedule.

The content of this course covers:

• How to make ideas stick

• How to increase your influence

• How to generate more word-of-mouth

• How to use the power of social networks to spread information and influence

• How viral marketing is a key part of an effective inbound marketing strategy

Marketing Fundamentals: Who Is Your Customer?

“Marketing Fundamentals: Who is Your Customer?” is a course from Babson College that’s available for free on edX. This course is self-paced and takes approximately 4 weeks to finish if 4-6 hours are dedicated to its completion each week.

The content of this course covers:

• How segmentation, targeting, and positioning methods can be used to acquire customers

• How to use the marketing mix: product, price, promotion, and place

• Consumer behavior and how you can leverage market data to grow your business

• How to develop a comprehensive digital marketing strategy, including SEO, content creation, paid media, and social media strategy

Introduction to Digital Advertising

“Introduction to Digital Advertising” is a course from the University of Colorado Boulder that’s offered for free on Coursera. This beginner-level course can be completed on your own schedule, taking around 7 hours to finish.

The content of this course covers:

• Identifying key digital advertising types

• Comprehending the advertising lumascape, including advertising agencies, DSPs, DMPs, and SSPs

• Understanding key terms and metrics in digital advertising, including using tools like Google Analytics

• Being critical of the pros and cons of various digital platforms and how to be critical of claims made by demand side platforms

Influencer Marketing Strategy

“Influencer Marketing Strategy” is a course from Rutgers University that you can find offered for free on Coursera. This is an intermediate course that takes approximately 23 hours to complete. It can be taken when it fits in your schedule, at your own pace.

The content of this course covers:

• Influencer marketing strategy, including developing a comprehensive social media strategy

• Content marketing strategy

• How to find influences

• How to engage influencers

• How to measure influencer marketing

• Creating influencer campaigns

Marketing Analytics

“Marketing Analytics” is a free digital marketing course from Columbia University that’s available on edX. This course is instructor-paced and takes about 12 weeks to complete, requiring an 8-10 hour commitment each week.

The content of this course covers:

• Demand forecasting using customer-base models and statistical approaches

• Market segmentation methods and best practices for identifying potential customer segments and focused targeting

• Computation of Customer Lifetime Value for analyzing customer brand loyalty and forecasting revenue in the short and long run

• Factors to consider while designing and introducing new products to the market

• Calculating Optimal Pricing for products and services to get the best ROI

• Assessing Marketing ROI, including email marketing, for making better and data-driven decisions

Learn more about marketing analytics in our blog, “15 Must-Use KPIs For Marketing Strategy Success.” 

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FAQs 

Can I Learn Digital Marketing For Free?

Yes, you can find a number of free, high-quality resources online to learn digital marketing.

Is Google Digital Training Free?

Yes, Google offers free digital marketing courses through its Google Digital Garage platform.

Can I Learn Digital Marketing Myself?

Yes, many people successfully learn digital marketing through self-study and practice. It’s important to find the right resources, though. 

Which Course is Best in Digital Marketing?

The best course can vary based on your goals and preferences. Look for courses with good reviews, practical exercises, and up-to-date content.

Which Digital Marketing is Highest Paid?

Digital marketing roles can vary in salary based on factors like location and experience. Generally, roles in areas like data analytics, SEO management, and digital strategy tend to be well-paid.

Can I Learn Digital Marketing in 1 Month?

It’s possible to gain basic knowledge in digital marketing in a month, but mastering it typically requires ongoing learning and practical experience.