Digital marketing refers to any aspect of advertising that is done online and takes advantage of the affordances of online platforms. It encompasses everything from a YouTube pre-roll ad to a targeted banner advertisement to a sponsored Twitch stream. It also encompasses the technical and behind-the-scenes data collection practices that go into helping businesses decide how to best advertise their products and services online.
Digital marketing is an ever-changing and rapidly expanding field. Anyone interested in learning more about this exciting and in-demand career path may consider enrolling in a digital marketing bootcamp or class.
Why Learn Digital Marketing?
Digital marketing is absolutely essential for any modern business. It allows businesses to do marketing research cheaply and easily, expands reach from local to global, and helps create brand loyalty. Digital marketing is also the most inexpensive form of marketing, and it automatically generates data that a Digital Marketer can analyze to make a business more efficient almost instantly. As a result, digital marketing professionals and aspiring entrepreneurs need to learn how to market products online.
In the age where a business’s competition is spread across the digital sphere, and social media is constantly changing, digital marketers are valuable assets. This is especially true for businesses that have been up and running for ten years or more. Marketing is not the same as when those businesses started, and most businesses of that age need to hire help to keep up with trends. Thus, digital marketers are in high demand in virtually every consumer industry since tailoring marketing campaigns to an online audience is so important (particularly as traditional avenues for marketing such as print and television, begin to fall out of favor among audiences).
What Are the Aspects of Digital Marketing?
It is important to consider that digital marketing encompasses a lot of different kinds of marketing, data science, and advertising. Successful businesses account for all of these different aspects of online marketing, but not all digital marketers will be experts in each element. When considering enrolling in a digital marketing bootcamp or class, you’ll want to look at the elements of digital marketing that the course covers to decide whether or not it is the right course for you.
Search Engine Optimization (SEO)
One example of a fairly unique aspect of digital marketing is search engine optimization (SEO). While invisible to users, Google uses a complex algorithm to rank web pages so that when users search for something, they receive a list of search results that the algorithm thinks are most relevant to their query. Smart digital marketers know that it is possible to build their content to align with what the algorithm prioritizes. This process is called search engine optimization, and it is an important part of having your webpage noticed by the large search engines that most consumers use to search for products and services. SEO involves two steps: understanding how the algorithms prioritize one webpage over another and building your web content to mirror what the algorithm is looking for. Bootcamps will train students in both of these practices and will provide students with lessons on building content, including advertising copy and non-advertising content, that is rewarded by various search engines.
Online Advertising
Digital marketers will learn how to build online advertising campaigns that take advantage of the behaviors and preferences of online audiences. Advertising online is different from advertising in more traditional media, and digital marketing bootcamps will assist students in learning how to blend traditional marketing strategies with new digital marketing techniques. For example, pre-roll advertisements on online streaming platforms serve a slightly different function than traditional television advertising, thanks to technological developments that let users skip ads. Online advertising campaigns need to account for big and small differences in the online space, and students enrolled in a digital marketing bootcamp will receive training to identify current trends and build their advertising campaigns accordingly.
Email Marketing
Email marketing is an important component of a digital marketing campaign in which promotional and advertising materials are emailed directly to likely or potentially returning customers. A digital marketing bootcamp that covers email marketing will teach two primary skills: building an email list to utilize and producing email marketing content that effectively reaches your audience. Since email marketing has become so ubiquitous, it can be difficult to break into the market. Successful digital marketing campaigns must do much more than simply blanket mass email addresses with offers and advertisements. Students enrolled in digital marketing bootcamps will learn how to compose successful marketing emails that reach their target audience and encourage them to further engage with the digital marketing campaign.
Social Media Marketing
Social media marketing is the skill most commonly associated with online advertising since billions of people regularly use social media platforms daily. This means that advertisers can reach a huge audience if they learn how to take advantage of the affordances of any given platform. Students in a digital marketing bootcamp will learn how the major social media platforms (commonly including Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, X (formerly known as Twitter), and LinkedIn) operate, how to build a follower base to advertise to, and how digital advertising campaigns can be tailored to specific platforms. What works on TikTok may not work on Facebook, and advertisers must plan accordingly. In addition, these bootcamps will teach students how to use the built-in advertising tools offered on these platforms (like Facebook Marketplace) to expand the reach of their campaign.
Paid Search Marketing
Paid search marketing is an SEO shortcut wherein companies pay to have their content prioritized as paid advertising on a search engine results page. It is a vital component of remaining competitive in a digital marketplace and carving out one’s niche in the market. It can be tailored directly to a business’s needs, and it can help supplement other SEO practices since it will drive traffic to the webpage and help marketers gather important consumer data. Digital marketing bootcamps will teach students how to take advantage of paid search marketing functionalities and will help them learn how to optimize this practice to produce measurable results, since a smart paid search marketing strategy requires more than simply paying for priority on a search engine.
Data Science
One of the biggest advantages of digital marketing campaigns relative to traditional marketing campaigns is that data collection is much easier, making it significantly easier to see the granular details of a marketing campaign that is succeeding or failing. Advertisers can collect user data, track behavior on a website, get up-to-the-minute financial records, and even easily collect user feedback using surveys. All of this data can then be utilized to make more informed marketing decisions about the direction an advertising campaign needs to take and how marketing campaigns can respond to the data that has been gathered. Data analysis skills aim to take the guesswork out of important parts of the advertising process, giving marketers a better understanding of their audience. Data analysis is also a vital part of targeted advertising and machine learning content recommendation algorithms, which are important components of large-scale digital marketing strategies.
Content Promotion
A key part of building an online marketing campaign today is working alongside content creators to produce branded content or in-content advertising. Popular online influencers, content creators, or companies will often work alongside businesses and marketing firms to advertise their products as a part of their content output. Sometimes, this is as straightforward as a business sponsoring YouTube videos in exchange for a segment in which the producer describes the advertised product, and other times, it involves teaming up with a content creator to build specifically branded content that aligns with their brand. Learning how to build this content involves figuring out how to actually reach out to content creators, how to gauge which creators are the best fit for your marketing campaign, and how to work alongside content creators (who are human beings with priorities beyond promoting your brand).
Industries That Use Digital Marketing
In a world of rapidly advancing technology, with over five billion internet users, businesses and organizations understand that digital marketing is the most effective way to capture new audiences. People turn to the internet to shop, schedule appointments, and research products. This has made the internet a vital spot for companies to advertise. The extent of a business’s digital marketing will vary by need and access to resources; however, several key industries frequently rely on digital marketing teams to target customers and stay up-to-date with consumer preferences as internet usage continues to expand.
Healthcare
Nowadays, many people turn to the internet for their healthcare needs. This includes looking at reviews for physicians, comparing healthcare plans, and scheduling appointments. The ease with which they can use the internet to meet their healthcare needs often influences someone's decision on where to seek healthcare. The industry has turned toward the internet to meet these needs. Digital marketing professionals in the healthcare industry have, therefore, found themselves responsible for significant budgets meant to advertise healthcare services and solutions.
Ecommerce
Digital marketing helps ecommerce businesses get ahead of their competitors. Over 2.5 billion people worldwide shop online. The ecommerce industry depends on digital marketing campaigns to introduce their brand to new customers and position them as the best choice on the market. One way that digital marketing professionals manage to do this is by initiating online ad and SEO campaigns and curating on-trend social media accounts that draw engagement. In 2023, 53% of US shoppers said that social media had influenced them to buy a product, asserting the need for businesses to establish a strong digital presence.
Entertainment
The promotion of entertainment media relies heavily on the internet. Traditional marketing methods expose fewer people to products than digital marketing now does. Marketing teams for movies, television shows, and web series use the internet to spread promotional material. It’s not uncommon to now find films with their own TikTok accounts, streaming platforms crafting tweets to get consumers to engage with content from a new television show on their app, and web series turning to YouTube ads to target new viewers. Behind this work is a team of digital marketing professionals who understand how to use social media and other online resources to generate engagement and turn that engagement into new customers.
Digital Marketing Careers
Digital marketing is projected to grow exponentially over the coming years. The average company’s total marketing budgets in 2016 were over 36% dedicated to digital marketing. In 2021, it was estimated that digital marketing would make up about 50% of total marketing spending. Companies are focusing more on their digital marketing efforts to reach a larger audience and remain competitive within the marketplace. Digital marketers are well-rounded advertising professionals who design marketing campaigns and execute those plans alongside teams of more specialized marketing professionals. Digital marketers can find work on advertising campaigns of all sizes, from small companies trying to establish their brand identity to large businesses looking to tailor their advertising strategies to an online environment.
Companies looking to build a marketing campaign on one or more social media platforms will want to employ a Social Media Strategist. These strategists specialize in running ad campaigns on social media. Companies assign them the responsibility of creating a brand strategy for their social media presence, designing the kinds of content they will release as marketing material, tailoring that content to individual platforms, potentially overseeing relations with content creators, and managing social media accounts. Social Media Strategists may also handle a client’s social media accounts, but this is not a requirement for all marketing campaigns.
Students interested in the data components of digital marketing might find work as a Web Optimization Specialist or a Digital Analyst. Web Optimization Specialists analyze web traffic and user behavior on web pages to help companies create sites that encourage certain behaviors and work alongside SEO algorithms to draw in viewers and funnel them to important areas. They often collaborate with web designers and developers to help a company build a web presence that guides users where marketing campaigns want them to go. Digital Analysts have a broader data-focused role in digital marketing campaigns. They gather and interpret user data, web traffic, and other important digital metrics to help businesses and stakeholders make more informed decisions about optimizing the efficiency of their digital marketing strategies.
Why Enroll in a Digital Marketing Bootcamp?
Digital marketing bootcamps equip complete beginners, entrepreneurs, and career changers with skills such as SEO, analytics, and marketing a business online. They focus on the most relevant technology and trends to help you promote your own business or launch a career in digital marketing. A digital marketing bootcamp can take a few weeks to a few months to complete.
You’ll learn how to market a business through social media, email, advertisements, and organic growth strategies. You’ll also find out how written and video content can make or break a business’s presence and search engine rankings. Some bootcamps delve into performance marketing and growth hacking, too.
Improve Your Earning Potential
After landing their first job, digital marketers consistently make around $60,000 annually. If your goal is to embark on a long-term digital marketing career, you can aim to get promoted to Digital Marketing Manager. You’ll be tasked with managing a team of marketers and designers, and this promotion often comes with nearly double the salary.
This is the perfect option for someone who wants to learn digital marketing strategies to market or start their own business. In-depth, hands-on learning will prepare you to market your business before finishing the course.
Find the Right Class
Students enrolling in a digital marketing bootcamp can find classes that teach the skills they want to learn to advance their careers. If you want to learn how to become a Social Media Strategist, you can find a bootcamp that teaches social media marketing at the core of its digital marketing curriculum. If you want to learn a wider range of skills, you can search for a bootcamp that teaches marketing techniques, social media, SEO, and other digital marketing skills. Since so many options are available, students looking for a bootcamp that teaches a specific set of skills are likely to find one that fits their needs.
Career-Focused Learning
Another major perk of learning in a bootcamp is that the courses focus on teaching beginners important career skills they can take to the job market. Students will work with practical, real-world examples of advertising campaigns and strategies and build skills that can be easily applied in future employment opportunities. In addition, many bootcamps offer career-support services, like portfolio-building seminars and one-on-one career mentorship sessions, to make students even more likely to get a new job upon graduating.
Flexible Learning Options
Bootcamps also offer students flexibility in their learning schedules. While many bootcamps run as full-time courses that quickly teach students important digital marketing skills, students can also find bootcamps that run part-time, on the weekends, in the evenings, or just a few days per week. This flexibility can be very important for students who need to work their training around personal obligations. In addition, students can find bootcamps that offer in-person or live online instruction, giving them even more flexibility in learning digital marketing.
How Long Will It Take to Learn Digital Marketing?
The time needed to learn digital marketing depends on how much time you have to devote to learning and what resources you use to learn. Most people agree that it takes one to three months to learn the basics of digital marketing. This includes information covered in introductory-level courses and bootcamps. Mastering these skills and learning advanced-level skills takes roughly six months to a year of learning and practical experience.
You have the option of self-teaching, enrolling in a degree program, or enrolling in a digital marketing bootcamp to learn the skills required of digital marketing professionals. Self-teaching is often a free method of learning these skills because students can turn to the internet for free videos and books that cover aspects of digital marketing. Enrolling in a degree program will require you to devote a considerable amount of time to learning, as degree programs can range from two to five years. Digital marketing bootcamps typically range from several weeks to months and will ensure that you gain hands-on practical experience in digital marketing.
How Hard is It to Learn Digital Marketing?
If you’re interested in digital marketing but have concerns over the difficulty level, don’t worry. The difficulty of learning digital marketing largely depends on the amount of time you dedicate to learning and gaining experience.
Learning a new skill requires lots of practice, and digital marketing is no different. It’s best to learn digital marketing skills through hands-on experience. This might seem difficult at first, especially if you’re accustomed to learning through books or lectures. However, digital marketing jobs may require you to have a range of experience with SEO, video editing, graphic design, or copywriting, among other skills. The skills you focus on when first learning digital marketing will become easier as you progress through the learning process. Establishing these skills through hands-on learning will also make transitioning into a digital marketing role that much easier.
In-person and Online Digital Marketing Classes
Digital marketing classes come in a range of modalities, including in-person and online classes. When deciding to enroll in a class or bootcamp, you should consider which type of course is best suited to your learning style.
In-person classes take place in a physical classroom. In an in-person course, you’ll learn face-to-face from an instructor with other classmates, unless you arrange for private training sessions. You can enroll in short or long-form courses that run on weekdays, weekends, and/or evenings. When searching for an in-person digital marketing class to enroll in, it’s important that you consider your schedule and whether you can consistently commute to the class.
If you can’t commute to an in-person class, you should consider enrolling in an online digital marketing class. You can find online classes in live online and on-demand formats. Schools and training centers hold live online classes via video conferencing platforms like Zoom and Microsoft Teams. Expert instructors teach live online classes and the curriculum is often the same as an in-person class. However, live online classes remove the need to commute to a classroom, which you may find works better for your schedule.
The second type of online class is on-demand classes. There is no live component to an on-demand class. Instead, students have access to learning material, which may include lecture videos, readings, and assignments. This method of learning is best for students who don’t have the time to attend a scheduled class. The flexible nature of an on-demand course allows students to learn at their preferred pace, which is often best for those working full-time. However, before enrolling in an on-demand course, it’s important to know whether you have the time and dedication to learn without an instructor to guide you and answer questions.
In-person Digital Marketing Classes in Your Area
In-person digital marketing classes offer the advantage of face-to-face instruction. In an in-person course, you can ask the instructor for guidance, receive personalized feedback, and witness in-depth demonstrations. The hands-on aspect of in-person classes is especially beneficial in digital marketing classes where you can work on projects that will provide you with experience starting and completing a digital marketing campaign.
Noble Desktop developed a tool to find digital marketing classes in your area. With this tool, you can browse classes offered in your city, learn about the curriculum they offer, and explore payment options before enrolling.
Online Digital Marketing Classes
You can take an online digital marketing class from the comfort of your home or office. The flexible nature of online classes allows you to balance learning with a busy schedule or avoid sitting in traffic on your way to class. Students who want a structured class taught by an instructor with the added benefit of remote learning can find all that and more in an online digital marketing class.
Noble Desktop: Digital Marketing Bootcamp
Noble Desktop’s live online Digital Marketing Bootcamp will help you build foundational skills. This 120-hour bootcamp provides hands-on training in digital marketing tools and strategies. You’ll work on search engine optimization, social media marketing, paid search, and analytics tracking as you progress through 14 well-defined units. The major tools and strategies covered in the bootcamp span across several units. For example, the bootcamp covers social media marketing, which is then divided into units on Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn, YouTube, TikTok, blogs, X, and streaming. The final unit covers the social media industry and pushes students to showcase their work in a professional portfolio.
Noble Desktop is committed to ensuring students follow the track toward career success. One of the benefits of enrolling in their Digital Marketing Bootcamp is the inclusion of six one-on-one mentoring sessions. During these sessions, you’ll meet with a professional who will provide you with a portfolio review, help you polish your resume and LinkedIn profile, and offer learning and career advice. This is also your chance to ask for help on challenging course topics. After the bootcamp has finished, you’ll have one year to retake a single module or the entire program.
Noble Desktop: Facebook Marketing Bootcamp
Social media is an important aspect of digital marketing. A company may hire a Digital Marketer who is expected to handle all aspects of their digital marketing, including social media management, or they may hire a Social Media Manager or Content Creator to handle their social media accounts as part of their digital team. Successful digital marketing campaigns often include the use of social media. You can enroll in a digital marketing class that focuses on social media or specific social media platforms to prepare yourself for a role in digital marketing.
Noble Desktop offers a live online Facebook Marketing Bootcamp. This program covers the essentials of running a successful Facebook ad campaign. The course will walk you through business pages on the platform, Facebook groups, targeted ads, reviewing conversion tracking, audience targeting, and Facebook Pixel—a tool that allows users to see how their audience is responding to ads. As the bootcamp progresses, topics include integrating Shopify and Facebook and exploring the Facebook algorithm to help develop successful, comprehensive ad campaigns on the platform.
This bootcamp emphasizes hands-on learning, which will prepare you for a career in the field where employers expect you to understand how to run successful ad campaigns on Facebook and other social media platforms. Noble Desktop provides students with supplemental material for use during and after the course. The course is available for a free retake for up to one year.
Certstaffix Training: Instagram for Business Course
Interested in learning about social media marketing strategies for other platforms? Enroll in Certstaffix Training’s one-day live online Instagram for Business Course. Students will spend the day learning how to utilize Instagram to establish a brand for their company from a live instructor. This course focuses on ROI and cross-platform branding. Like most digital marketing classes that cover social media, the course also covers audience targeting.
Over the course of a day, students will cover 11 chapters of material. The curriculum begins by introducing Instagram, making this course accessible to individuals unfamiliar with the application. The course helps students build a solid foundation when opening their business account and builds on concepts such as growing a following, profiting off of posts, driving sales, and using Instagram Live. By the end of the class, students will feel prepared to advertise to and engage with their target audience, building their brand’s digital presence and image on Instagram.
Certstaffix Training offers Instagram for Business in several modalities: a live online course for individuals, a private live online course for groups, and onsite training. The individual live online option costs $450, with bundle prices available for group bookings. Organizations can request a quote for onsite team training on Certstaffix’s website. Travel to your organization’s location is included in the price of onsite training.
BrainStation: ||CPN447||
Students will build a solid digital marketing skill set that will prepare them for job opportunities in the field after completing BrainStation’s online ||CPN447||. Through this course, BrainStation advocates for a holistic approach to digital marketing that combines SEO, SEM, Google Analytics data, content marketing, social media marketing, and email marketing to build successful digital marketing campaigns that will ultimately grow a company’s online presence.
The course is broken into five units: Unit One, which covers foundational digital marketing concepts such as marketing strategies, brand positioning, and mobile marketing; Unit Two covers search engine marketing (SEM); Unit Three introduces students to marketing analytics; Unit Four dives into social media marketing and familiarizes students with social media platforms; and Unit Five covers email marketing strategies. In the first unit, students will learn about SEO tools and effective keyword research. The focus of this section of the curriculum is to enable students to create marketing content that will connect with their target audience. In the second unit, students will learn the differences between SEO and SEM and gain hands-on experience with keyword research and paid ad creation.
Unit Three is a data-heavy section that details generating data. This lesson provides the base knowledge for Unit Four, which helps students implement digital marketing campaigns on platforms like X, Instagram, and TikTok. Finally, the course wraps up with lessons on building an effective email list and email marketing campaign. Students will learn to use Mailchimp in this unit, which may come in handy when they develop and implement email marketing campaigns in the future. Students can add their classwork to their professional portfolios, including their final marketing project.
General Assembly: Digital Marketing Short Course
General Assembly’s Digital Marketing Short Course offers students 40 hours of expert instruction in digital marketing strategies and tools. General Assembly emphasizes real-world skills in the course curriculum. This creates a course that integrates best practices with innovative techniques, resulting in a learning experience that prepares students for work in the field. Topics covered include social media, search strategy, conversion optimization, and Google Analytics. Prior to the start of the course, students will receive access to an onboarding task that introduces the digital marketing landscape, objective-first marketing, and the conversion funnel.
To complete this course, students must complete a capstone project that applies digital marketing techniques learned in the course. These techniques should help students identify and overcome a real-world problem in the form of a marketing solution that they will present to the class. General Assembly’s emphasis on real-world skills means that this course comes with learning and career support for students. Individualized instructor support provides students with guidance and feedback during class sessions and office hours.
NYC Career Centers: Google Analytics Bootcamp
Digital marketing professionals utilize Google Analytics to determine if a marketing campaign is generating the engagement they’re expecting. For example, when companies try to generate traffic to their website by running a digital marketing campaign, they can then use Google Analytics to gain insight into who is visiting the website and whether their experience is impacting conversion and retention. Google Analytics has therefore become a powerful tool in the field of digital marketing.
Learn how to use Google Analytics in NYC Career Centers’ Google Analytics Bootcamp. The live online, six-hour course will introduce students to Google Analytics, help them develop a Google Analytics strategy, and teach them the essential tools and features of Google Analytics and the reports it generates. This course is ideal for beginners because of the thorough introduction it provides to Google Analytics and analytics in digital marketing more generally. No prior knowledge of either is required to enroll.
During the one-day course, an expert instructor will walk students through developing a measurement plan before explaining how to set up a Google Analytics account. From there, students learn about filters, conversion tracking, the Google Analytics dashboard, reports, UTM code tracking, and retargeting.
This course provides hands-on interactive training in a remote setting. Course enrollment is typically 8–15 students per class, allowing students to actively engage with one another and receive personalized feedback from the instructor. Like most digital marketing classes, in the Google Analytics Bootcamp, students will work on real-world projects and activities to prepare them to use Google Analytics in their digital marketing careers.
NextGen Bootcamp: Social Media Marketing Summer Program
Do you have a child in high school with an interest in digital marketing? If so, enroll them in NextGen Bootcamp’s Social Media Marketing Summer Program. NextGen Bootcamp provides coding, design, and marketing classes for young students. NextGen designs courses to help foster an interest in students by introducing them to essential skills and strategies that they can carry with them into the workplace or post-secondary education.
In their Social Media Marketing Summer Program, expert instructors at NextGen Bootcamp will spend 25 hours teaching students how to craft a personal brand, share original content, and build a following on Instagram, Facebook, and TikTok. Students can use these skills to develop an individual brand, a business brand, or an organization’s brand. Lessons on the three social media platforms covered in the class are in-depth, detailing what the platform is, how to set up an account, how to target an audience, and how to generate engagement. After completing the summer program, students will receive a Certificate of Completion.
Digital Marketing Corporate Training Options
Do you have a team that needs digital marketing training? Noble Desktop offers corporate training sessions to help upskill or reskill your employees. You can choose from a range of knowledge areas such as digital marketing, social media marketing, or video editing. Training locations include live online with a real-time instructor, onsite at your office, and at Noble Desktop’s Midtown Manhattan location for those in New York City.
These flexible training options allow you to customize your curriculum or choose from Noble’s existing curriculum. Your team also has the option of ordering group class vouchers at a bulk discount, allowing you to customize the courses available to your employees and allowing them to schedule at their convenience.
For more information on the digital marketing training options available to you and your organization, contact Noble Desktop at corporate@nobledesktop.com.