Do you want to increase your sales through online advertising? Well, you’re on the right track. In fact, this is one of the most widely used practices today. It is estimated that 99.5% of businesses employ at least one digital marketing tool. So, do you need a lot of money and four university degrees to learn about this field? No. Here you will find the basics and the best places to learn even the most specialized, even from home.
What is digital marketing?
The name of the field is, in itself, quite explicit. Among all types of marketing, it is the closest to the traditional one. The difference is that the former arose in the physical space and the latter is aimed at the Internet surfing public. Therefore, digital marketing, like its ancestor, seeks to attract the attention of as many people as possible. To achieve this, it uses the multiple potentialities that the web offers us today.
For some experts, the digital version responds to a next stage of advertising. It is an evolution. It is based on the new habits of consumers to understand their desires and expectations. Of course, taking into account the constant processes of change that are occurring today.
Essential concepts to start learning online marketing
There are terms that are repeated over and over again in any document or conversation about marketing. Therefore, you should know them before entering this exciting world. Which are the most important ones? Find them below:
✔ 1. SEO, strategies for organic positioning
Nowadays, what do people do to solve almost any doubt? Let’s say they are talking about a movie and can’t remember the name of the lead actor. Yes, they google it. Every day, more than 4 billion searches are performed on Google. If we add other search engines like Yahoo! the figure rises to more than 6.5 billion.
And what does this have to do with SEO? Well, Search Engine Optimization is a strategy in charge of positioning a website in those search engines. When you make an online query, those first results are paying a lot or are doing good SEO.
There are dissimilar elements capable of improving or worsening this strategy. Among them, the use of keywords, the quality of the content and external links that lead to the page. Others have to do with user behavior, such as the time spent on the site.
✔ 2. Social networks, reach the spaces where your audience interacts.
It is very difficult for you not to know what a social network is. But, do you know its usefulness in marketing strategies? Although many entrepreneurs believe that anyone can run their business networks, it’s not that easy. For it to be effective, a number of technical skills are required.
The company’s profile must be adapted to its audience. Also define the type of language and frequency of content, for example. In addition, there are many social networks. For a good social media marketing, it is necessary to know which ones are more convenient. This, by the characteristics of the company and each network.
✔ 3. Email marketing, personalize your advertisement
Some time ago it was thought that this practice would die. Especially when the aforementioned social networks began to rise. However, it is still alive today and continues to be effective.
What is email marketing? As the name suggests, it is the advertising that is done through email. Everyone keeps checking their inboxes and seeing those ads that come in regularly.
It is a practice that should be measured, because no one likes to have their mailbox full of ads. So, although it is an important part of digital marketing, if misused, it can lose all effectiveness and even be annoying.
✔ 4. User experience, the secret to an efficient strategy
This term refers to how well the user spends time on a website. Did he easily find what he was interested in? If he wanted to go back to the home page at some point, did he find it without any problems? Did he find any tab he was interested in without getting lost in a myriad of buttons?
If the answers to these and similar questions are yes, the experience must have been a good one. The person left the website happy and will most likely come back. Therefore, this section is very important for digital marketing. A professional in the field must take into account navigability, design, information architecture and others.
Where to find useful information on digital marketing?
The terms mentioned above are just a few. In online marketing there are many more. The field is vast and whoever wants to apply it must learn about the various strategies and modalities. Because of this demand, there is also a huge offer of educational materials on the subject.
That’s good, isn’t it? Well, maybe not so good. Sometimes the excess of information dazes and confuses so much that it is almost as bad as the lack of it. How to know, being a beginner, if a content is good or not? To learn from texts on the Internet? To pass a course? If you don’t want to torment yourself any longer, pay attention to the following list. Here are some of the best options to learn about digital marketing for free:
✔ 1. Hubspot, advertising experts.
This is one of the most successful digital marketing companies worldwide. It also publishes content on the subject on its specialized blog. Needless to say, the writers of this site are more than knowledgeable and prepared professionals. Their texts are a very good and updated source for learning.
You can also access Hubspot Academy. There you can go through an online marketing course of various types. The good thing about this, besides the knowledge you will gain, is that it is free. The bad thing: in the blog you can access the English or Spanish version, but not in the courses. They are all in English.
✔ 2. Moz, pro level SEO
This company created one of the most widely used SEO tools in the world. And yes, it also has its own blog. It provides statistics and information on the latest in digital marketing.
✔ 3. Kissmetrics, marketing in style
This is the blog of Neil Patel, one of the leading exponents of digital marketing today. It focuses on the numerical side of online advertising. It is a perfect option for those interested in Big Data.
✔ 4. RD Station, tools to boost your advertising.
It is another of the most successful companies in digital marketing that does not mind sharing knowledge. It is the provider of one of the most widely used software in the industry. It also provides quality information on its public blog, available in Portuguese and Spanish. Its publications specialize in educating users about today’s most effective marketing strategies.
Learn digital marketing requires a lot of interest and effort on your part. Information, tools and training are in abundance. Whether in a formal course, a certification or on your own, you must keep an open mind. Although many strategies are already proven, changes are often dizzying. The best thing to do is to be able to put your knowledge into practice, to experience the results yourself.
FAQs about: How can I learn digital marketing?
Social communicator and audio visual producer.
I am an entrepreneur willing to learn, I like to train myself in different topics that have to do with the online world, I am currently improving my knowledge in persuasive texts (copy), SEO writing and community manager.