How to Get Started in Digital Marketing

I’ve recently had several folks reach out to me asking for tips to learn digital marketing. One thing that really impresses me when I read resumes or interview is when people take advantage of all of the free resources online. You can get Google Ads and Analytics certified, volunteer at marketing conferences like Social Media Marketing World, get involved in local meet-ups, set up a blog, build a social media following, etc.

If you are eager to learn and proactive, opportunities will present themselves to you.

Complete Online Certifications

Here are some free online certifications that you can complete to get up to speed in digital marketing, gain some skills, and decide if this is a career you’d enjoy!

• Get Google Ads certified and learn Google Analytics for free online.
• Complete certifications through HubSpot Academy
• Learn the ins and outs of marketing on Facebook through Facebook Blueprint
• Flight School will get you up to speed on Twitter advertising
• LinkedIn Learning also has tons of courses to choose from. You can try it for free for a month!

Attend Marketing Events and Meet-ups

Attending in-person events is a great way to learn from industry experts, meet people who already work in digital marketing, and get some of your questions answered.

See if the American Marketing Association has any upcoming events in your area. I used to attend the monthly events in San Francisco, which ranged from a presentation by an expert to casual happy hours to mingle with other marketers. Meetup.com is also a great place to check to see if there are any marketing events coming up in your area.

Another good opportunity to learn and network is to volunteer at a conference or event. I volunteered at Social Media Marketing World for two years in a row. Volunteering was awesome because a) I got to meet tons of people in the industry b) I got to learn a lot about what goes into putting on a conference and really make an impact on attendees c) I got a free conference pass! I highly recommend looking into whether conferences you are interested in attending need any volunteers.

Subscribe to Marketing Newsletters

I subscribe to several newsletters that I route to a specific folder in my email inbox. Each morning, I spend around 15-20 minutes catching up on newsletters in my inbox and reading whatever linked articles catch my attention. There are so many great newsletter out there to help you learn about digital marketing and keep up to date on industry trends and best practices.

Here are a few of my favorites:

• Convince&Convert
• eMarketer
• {Grow}
• Hubspot
• LinkedIn
• Marketing Dive
• Search Engine Journal
• Search Engine Land
• Social Media Examiner
• Social Media Today

Subscribe to a bunch and figure out which you gain the most value from. You can unsubscribe from the newsletters that aren’t as relevant for you or change your preferences for how often you receive certain newsletters.

Start Today!

Start practicing your digital marketing skills by building up your own online presence.

• Optimize your social media profiles (check out my post on 5 Tips for Up-leveling Your LinkedIn Profile!)
• Follow digital marketing thought leaders on social media, read their content, and engage with their posts
• Start a blog and do your own content development and SEO
• Create a Facebook business page and experiment with small ad buys to drive traffic to your blog
• Connect Google Analytics to your blog and monitor your blog traffic
• Set up Google Ads to drive to your blog
• Request informational interviews with people in your network who are already working in digital marketing

I hope these tips help you on your digital marketing journey!