Best Digital Marketing Summer Programs for High School Students

Whether it's an Instagram reel of cats knocking things down or a TikTok video of someone's beauty regimen, this is digital marketing. As the name suggests, digital marketing is a collection of methods businesses use to advertise their services to potential customers. These tools allow companies to reach a targeted audience of likely customers, and collect and analyze data to accurately target future marketing efforts. 

As a high school student, you likely spend a lot of time online. You’ve already seen loads of digital marketing techniques, but have you tried it yourself? You can enroll in a short summer program to learn how to promote your jewelry business or collect donations for the neighborhood animal shelter. You might even decide to make digital marketing your career. Read on to find out why high school students should learn digital marketing skills and what types of summer classes are available. 

Why Learn Digital Marketing During the Summer?

Summer is a great time to explore a new skill like digital marketing. You can use digital marketing techniques for personal use, like showcasing your latest dance moves or share a deep dive into a favorite literary or movie character. Digital marketing techniques can help you increase a friend's following through data analytics and content strategy. It’s never too early for students to learn how to make themselves stand out online and explore their creativity. A summer class could help you find a new career as a Digital Marketer. 

Learning these skills can prepare you for an exciting and lucrative marketing job. Professions in the marketing industry are expected to grow at a rate of 10% in the next decade, meaning students can look forward to a secure career as well. Digital Marketers can specialize in social media marketing or content strategy. If you have a knack for data and mathematics, a career as a Digital Analyst might be a good fit for you. The field of digital marketing is booming and offers opportunities for anyone who likes to interact online, is creative, and learns how to use the tools. 

What Will Students Learn in a Digital Marketing Class?

Many skills go into digital marketing. When you sign up for a digital marketing summer class, you will learn digital marketing strategy and how to set up a marketing campaign, including setting key performance indicators, determining a target audience, choosing the right social media platforms, and picking keywords. Courses will also cover data collection and analysis, advertising, content creation, and email marketing.

Social Media Marketing

Knowing where to launch your digital marketing campaign is crucial, so understanding the demographics and focus of the different platforms is one of the skills covered in a digital marketing class. Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, YouTube, TikTok, and X all have their own user descriptions and data analytics tools, and it is important to choose the right platform for your campaign.

Website Optimization/SEO

You will also learn how to audit and optimize a website to boost your digital marketing results. Search Engine Optimization involves choosing the most effective keywords to improve the chances of your website appearing toward the top of the Google search page. You will also learn successful keyword strategies.

Data Analytics

Collecting and analyzing data is another important digital marketing skill covered in a summer class. You will learn how to use Google Analytics to find out what website users are doing, where they come from, and what they do on your site. GA creates reports to help you change your campaign filters if you need to.

Paid vs. Unpaid Advertising

Advertising on Google and social media platforms can get a digital marketing campaign off to a big start. Classes will cover the difference between paid and unpaid advertising and how to use them. Google Ads is another digital marketing tool to help you target your advertising to the people likely to respond to it.

Content Marketing

Whether a video, photo, or blog post, content is at the heart of digital marketing. A class will cover how to create or find high-quality content, how to set a publication schedule, and what tools you need to assess how the content is performing.

Email Marketing

Although it is the oldest form of digital marketing, email marketing is highly effective. A class will teach you how to build an email list, create effective emails, and what tools to use to manage your campaign.

What Industries Use Digital Marketing?

Any business with a website and a social media presence can use digital marketing, although some industries rely on it more than others. Entertainment, advertising, healthcare, wellness, retail, and law are the biggest proponents of digital marketing.

Entertainment

The entertainment industry includes films, television, news media, sports, and music. Artists and promoters use social media posts and paid advertising to build a following and increase fan engagement. Audiences follow and sometimes interact with their favorite actors and musicians, increasing ticket sales and streaming rentals.

Advertising

Spending on digital advertising has overtaken more traditional marketing. Digital marketing is less expensive, more personal, and can be targeted to an audience that is more likely to buy a product than the wide-net strategy of traditional advertising. 

Healthcare

Digital marketing has made big changes in healthcare. People search the Internet for health information to compare their symptoms. Consumers also google healthcare providers before scheduling an appointment. Digital marketing also allows healthcare related businesses to put their content in front of consumers to build trust and attract new patients.

Wellness

Perhaps more than any other, the wellness industry seems tailor-made for digital and social media marketing. Instagram, TikTok, and Facebook are full of wellness influencers showing products and offering followers special pricing. Self-care and healthy lifestyles are popular trends right now thanks to digital marketing.

Retail

Both digital and brick-and-mortar retailers use digital marketing to put their products in front of potential customers. Thanks to data analytics, retailers can choose an audience and target ads to just that audience. Companies use websites, social media campaigns, email marketing, and targeted ads to promote products, build brand loyalties, and expand their customer base.

Law

While you will still see billboards advertising legal services, digital marketing is getting more legal advertising. Lawyers and law firms connect with potential clients through informative blog posts, emails, and social media marketing. The legal industry is highly competitive and many lawyers are turning to more modern methods to advertise their services.

Digital Marketing Job Titles

Digital marketing encompasses many different skills. Some people prefer to work as generalists, while others prefer to specialize in analytics or social media. If you enjoy spending time online, Digital Marketing might be the career for you. 

Digital Marketer

Digital Marketers use the Internet and social media to promote products or services. They can work in-house, remotely, or freelance. Job growth is expected to remain strong in the future. Digital Marketers earn around $60,000 a year.

Search Manager

Search Managers specialize in driving users to websites with SEO keywords or paid advertising. They plan a strategy, find the right keywords, and optimize websites for SEO to increase website traffic. Search Managers make about $90,000 a year.

Web Optimization Specialist

Web Optimization Specialists analyze web traffic and make recommendations to increase user engagement. They make sure that websites load quickly, are easy to navigate, and don't contain broken links. Web Optimization Specialists use tools like Google Analytics, SEMRush, and Moz to do their jobs and earn an annual salary of about $75,000. 

Digital Analyst

Digital Analysts use Google Analytics and social media tools to guage the effectiveness of digital marketing campaigns. They provide data insights to clients and recommend future strategy. Digital Analysts make around $80,000 a year.

Social Media Strategist

Social Media Strategists specialize in designing and running marketing campaigns on social media platforms. They identify target markets, track competitors' accounts, interact with followers, and work with influencers to increase community engagement. The create or acquire content, schedule posts, track responses, and report on results to team members and clients. Social Media Strategists earn an annual salary around $65,000. 

Types of Digital Marketing Summer Programs for High School Students

High school students who want to study digital marketing over the summer have a couple of options. The available programs cater to various scheduling needs; some are more intensive, with classes taking place every day for a few weeks, while others have one class per week for several weeks. You can choose between full- and part-time courses.

Summer digital marketing programs can accommodate a variety of financial and educational needs. While attending one of these classes during an already busy summer can be a hefty financial and time commitment, it’s an excellent way to gain marketable skills as you advance into the professional world. Whether or not you wind up working in digital marketing, you’ll have an impressive resume and will build networking relationships that could be advantageous later in life.

Which Digital Marketing Summer Program is Right for Me?

When it comes to choosing a digital marketing summer program, you have some options. You may prefer in-person classes with an instructor and other students in the room. This feels comfortable to many people because it is so familiar. Live online courses are another choice. These sessions include a live instructor in a classroom with students, while others log on via a video conferencing platform from just about anywhere. You can interact with the instructor and other students, asking questions and getting to know people, but you can attend from your bedroom or favorite wifi cafe. 

Another thing to consider is what level course you want to enroll in. That will depend on how much prior experience you have and what your eventual goal is. If you are a complete beginner and just want to explore one platform like Facebook or TikTok, a bootcamp course is a good choice for you. If you have an interest in digital marketing and think you might want to work in the field, a certification course is the way to go. 

1. NextGen Bootcamp: Social Media Marketing Summer Program

NextGen Bootcamp offers its Social Media Marketing Summer Program to high schoolers. This course teaches students how to effectively build a following on today’s most popular social media platforms– Instagram, Facebook, and TikTok. The curriculum includes strategies to create exciting written, visual, and video content to grow your audience and keep your followers engaged. This beginner-friendly course only requires that students have basic computer skills before enrolling. 

Students can attend this course in person or live online. NextGen’s campus is located in New York City near notable landmarks like the New York University Campus and the Empire State Building. Virtual students will engage with their instructor and their peers via Zoom. 

2. Noble Desktop: Social Media Marketing Certificate

Noble Desktop’s Social Media Marketing Certificate is another option for high schoolers over the summer. Here, students will learn marketing techniques for today’s most popular social media platforms, including Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, and YouTube. By the end of the course, students will understand which platforms are best suited to their goals and how to grow their following. This program is geared towards beginners with no previous marketing experience. 

Students can take this course in person at Noble Desktop’s campus in Manhattan. They also have the option to participate online using Zoom. Students who are 18 or will turn 18 soon can attend this certificate program.

3. Noble Desktop: Digital Marketing Certificate

For students who desire a more comprehensive education, Noble Desktop also has a Digital Marketing Certificate available. This course covers marketing strategies for major social media platforms in addition to other digital marketing skills. Students will learn to monitor their website’s performance, plan email marketing campaigns, and improve search results using paid search marketing. No previous marketing experience is required to attend. Students do need to have basic computer skills and access to a computer if they participate remotely. This certificate is available both online and in person. High school juniors or seniors can attend this program as long as they are 18 or about to turn 18.

4. BrainStation: Digital Marketing Course

BrainStation has a part-time Digital Marketing Course available over the summer. The curriculum includes search engine marketing, marketing analytics, social media marketing, and email marketing. By the end of the course, students will understand how to develop a well-rounded digital marketing strategy for a wide range of businesses and services. This beginner-friendly course does not require any previous training. Students who are 18 or older are invited to sign up. This class is online only.

5. General Assembly: Digital Marketing Course

General Assembly's Digital Marketing Course is available over the summer. This course focuses on real-world applications of relevant tools, like Google Analytics and Search Engine Optimization (SEO). Students will also learn about marketing on social media, conversion optimization, and organic search strategies in this program designed for beginners. General Assembly’s classes are all available online. If you would rather attend in-person, you can check out their list of campus locations, which includes major cities like Boston, Denver, and Chicago. Students need to be at least 18 to participate.

6. Ledet Training: Google Adwords and Analytics Bootcamp

For those interested in a shorter program, Ledet Training has a Google Adwords and Analytics Bootcamp available. This course teaches students fundamental search engine marketing skills, including the basics of running and optimizing a digital marketing campaign. They will also learn how to review analytics to improve campaigns where necessary. This course is designed for beginners, though the school does recommend that students have a Google Analytics account prior to enrolling. Ledet Training has campuses in Atlanta, Chicago, Denver, San Diego, and Washington D.C. The course is also available online for students who cannot access an in-person location. 

7. OutSchool: Social Media Marketing: Teen Summer Camp in Marketing Strategy and Planning

In Social Media Marketing: Teen Summer Camp in Marketing Strategy and Planning from OutSchool, high school students in gades 9 through 12 will become Social Media Managers for a week. They will learn what social media marketing is, how to develop a personal brand, learn about social media marketing strategy, develop a campaign, use social media analytics to measure return on investment (ROI), and give a final presentation. This is a live online class for 13 to 18-year-olds.