When you’re running a marketing strategy for a small business, you need to master a laundry list of skills, including creating content, managing an advertising budget, and designing engaging graphics.
But marketing best practices are constantly evolving — like the growing demand for email personalization or the rise of video content. TikTok, especially, is changing the way we market products, becoming the top-visited domain in 2021. To stay on top of it all, you need the occasional skill boost.
Luckily, you don’t need to spend a fortune to get a world-class education in digital marketing best practices. We compiled a list of the best (free) marketing courses on email, social media, SEO, paid search, analytics, and graphic design. They’re even broken out by skill, so you can become a marketing wiz in no time.
Free online marketing courses for general digital marketing skills
Let’s start with some marketing courses for crucial skills that any small business owner or marketing professional needs. These courses will give you an overview of digital marketing, including topics like advertising on Google and best practices for marketing emails.
1. Fundamentals of Digital Marketing certificate
Offered by: Google Digital Garage
Created by: Google
Topics covered:
- Planning an online business strategy
- Search engine marketing (SEM) best practices
- Google Ads
- Advertising locally
- Advertising on social media
- Email best practices
Skill level: Beginner
Who’s it for
This 26-module course is for anyone new to marketing who wants to master the basics — including how to build an online presence, find your audience, and use digital advertising to boost sales. It’s taught by Google trainers and uses real-world examples of successful marketing strategies in action.
What you’ll learn
You’ll get an introduction to a ton of Google’s free tools, like Google My Business, Google Ads, and Google Analytics. If you successfully pass the final exam, you’ll gain a certificate that you can place on your LinkedIn profile or resume to prove your marketing know-how.
2. Google Ads certifications
Offered by: Google
Created by: Google
Topics covered:
- How to navigate Google Display ads
- How to navigate Google Search ads
- How to navigate Google Video ads
- How to navigate Google Shopping ads
- How to navigate Google Apps ads
Skill level: Beginner
Who’s it for
If you want to get started with Google Ads but don’t know where to begin, these courses are for you.
What you’ll learn
Google now offers six free courses — each with a certification option — to master their different ad tools. For example, if you know you want to want customers to find your business through ads on the first page of Google, you’ll want to take a course on Google Search ads.
Plus, each course includes an optional certification exam. If you pass, you can place your certificate on your LinkedIn profile and resume.
3. Buffer’s Week of Webinars on Digital Marketing
Offered by: Buffer
Created by: Buffer
Topics covered:
- Getting your content seen on Facebook
- Instagram marketing to boost your business
- Branding and PR outreach
- Getting started with social media data
Skill level: Beginner to intermediate
Who’s it for
This video series is perfect for anyone who wants to learn the basics of online marketing on their time. No registration is required, and you can view all seven of the videos at your leisure.
What you’ll learn
While not a social media “class” in a traditional sense (it’s a series of YouTube videos), Buffer’s Week of Webinars covers everything from content curation and social media analytics to getting your content seen in Facebook’s News Feed.
4. Meta Blueprint marketing courses for businesses
Offered by: Meta Blueprint
Created by: Meta
Topics covered:
- How to find your audience online
- How to map customer journeys
- How to set marketing goals
- How to create a brand tone
- How to use social media to understand your audience
Skill level: Beginner
Who’s it for
When Facebook rebranded as Meta, they launched a series of professional development courses designed to help small business owners learn marketing best practices.
What you’ll learn
Meta offers over a dozen courses that all tie back to understanding your audience and telling your business story online.
Once you’ve successfully completed each beginner-level course, you can choose from eight different certification exams to prove your marketing mastery. If you pass, you can place your certificate on your resume or LinkedIn profile.
5. Pay Per Click University
Offered by: WordStream
Created by: WordStream
Topics covered:
- All about pay-per-click (PPC) — what it is, basic terminology, structuring
- Keyword research
- Landing page optimization
- A/B testing
- PPC for lead generation and B2B
Skill level: Beginner to advanced
Who’s it for
PPC University is a fully free online learning resource created by WordStream to help marketers and business owners build PPC and digital marketing skills.
What you’ll learn
The format is presented in three streams of learning plans that offer lessons for beginning to advanced users, with additional modules for social advertising.
You can also access a number of webinars and white papers to enhance your digital marketing expertise, and best of all, everything’s mobile-friendly, so you can learn on the go whenever you have time.
6. Viral Marketing and How to Craft Contagious Content
Offered by: Coursera
Created by: Jonah Berger, University of Pennsylvania
Topics covered:
- What makes some ideas more popular than others
- How social influence shapes behavior
- The power of word of mouth
Skill level: Beginner to intermediate
Who’s it for
This course is perfect for social media managers and marketers looking to put a “science” behind their content marketing method.
Taught by the University of Pennsylvania professor and best-selling author Jonah Berger, this free online marketing course helps to answer the mystery of why some ideas and products become popular and why others do not.
What you’ll learn
You’ll start with an understanding of why things catch on in the first place and how you can use those lessons to create viral content online. Then you’ll move on to spreading your new and creative ideas through social media and other digital marketing channels.
7. Email Marketing for E-Commerce
Offered by: Skillshare
Created by: Ariana Hargrave, Director of VIP Services, Mailchimp
Topics covered:
- Email marketing automation
- Email marketing optimization
- Email marketing personalization
Skill level: Intermediate to advanced
Who’s it for
Marketers and social media professionals with a basic understanding of how email marketing works will love this free online course from Mailchimp. Perfect for those of you on the go, it’s a 25-minute, highly tactical class on developing the basic email marketing principles that you may already be familiar with.
What you’ll learn
By the end of this email marketing course, you’ll have a great understanding of how to create engaging email marketing campaigns and how to optimize your strategy in order to increase business revenue.
This class is part of a paid subscription, but Skillshare offers one month free for all new signups, so you can soak up knowledge from this course before the free trial runs out.
8. Marketing in a Digital World
Offered by: Coursera
Created by: University of Illinois
Topics covered:
- How tools such as smartphones are changing marketing
- How power is shifting from brands to consumers
- Offering product ideas that stick in a digital world
Skill level: Beginner
Who’s it for
This marketing course is perfect for marketers looking to understand where the marketing field is today and how they can leverage new-age strategies to attract customers. And for those who are keen to continue their learning, this course is part of a larger Digital Marketing Specialization and MBA program at the University of Illinois.
What you’ll learn
“Marketing in a Digital World” is one of the most popular free marketing courses on Coursera – with more than 500,000 students enrolled and a 98% approval rating to date. Taught by a professor at the University of Illinois, this class focuses on the transformation of marketing strategies and tactics into a digital-first world — specifically, how technology is putting the power of marketing into the hands of the consumer.
9. Inbound Marketing Certification Course
Offered by: HubSpot Academy
Created by: HubSpot
Topics covered:
- Inbound marketing and sales techniques
- Email marketing
- Content marketing
- Growth-driven design
Skill level: Beginner to advanced
Who’s it for
HubSpot’s Inbound Marketing Certification is perfect for anyone who wants to learn the foundations of inbound marketing. The certification consists of 6 different lessons and 2 hours of learning material in both video and text format.
What you’ll learn
You’ll learn all about the fundamentals of inbound marketing, or creating valuable content that resonates with your ideal customer. This course will teach you how to grow your business with the Flywheel model and how to develop buyer personas. Plus, after you complete the lessons and tests, you’ll be HubSpot certified!
There are roughly 3.96 billion social media users across all platforms. And 65% of consumers have made a purchase through social media. Stay up to date with social media best practices in these free courses. It’s the best way to grow your audience — and potential customer base — quickly.
10. Introduction to Social Media Strategy
Offered by: Skillshare
Created by: Buffer
Topics covered:
- Getting started with social media
- Finding your voice
- Creating content
- Curating content
- Using the right marketing tools
- Paid advertising strategy
Skill level: Beginner to intermediate
Who’s it for
This webinar is for anyone who wants to build a simple social media strategy on any platform, whether it’s Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, or Twitter.
What you’ll learn
This is Buffer’s very first Skillshare class on social media marketing strategy! This 45-minute straightforward class will help you create a rock-solid social media strategy to connect with your audience and drive sales.
Bonus: Sign up for this course and gain two free months of Skillshare — no commitment required: www.skl.sh/buffer
11. Introduction to Social Media Advertising
Offered by: Skillshare
Created by: Buffer
Topics covered:
- Demystifying key terms and vocabulary
- Setting campaign goals
- Targeting audience segments
- Developing compelling copy and visuals
- Iterating and optimizing campaigns for long-term success
Skill level: Beginner to intermediate
Who’s it for
This introductory class is perfect for anyone looking to harness the potential of paid social advertising. By the end, you’ll be ready to run your first social media ad campaign — and connect with customers, convert views into action, and drive impact for long-term business success.
What you’ll learn
This course will cover everything marketers and small businesses need to know about succeeding with social media ads.
This class, like most Skillshare classes, is part of a paid subscription. Luckily, Skillshare offers one month free for all new signups.
12. How to Make Your Instagram Content Stand Out
Offered by: Meta Blueprint
Created by: Meta
Topics covered:
- How to create a brand tone on Instagram
- How to batch create photo- and video-based content
- How to create an iron-clad content strategy
- How to develop content aligned with marketing goals
Skill level: Beginner to advanced
Who’s it for
Meta developed this course specifically for beginners who want to build a content strategy for Instagram. This course is especially helpful for anyone who is new to Instagram and wants to understand its many features, like Instagram Stories, Reels, and Live.
What you’ll learn
Meta uses real-world examples to teach learners how to develop branded content. They’ve also included a module about writing engaging captions, so you can be confident that you’re using hashtags, mentions, and location tags correctly.
13. What Is Social?
Offered by: Coursera
Created by: Northwestern University
Topics covered:
- Social media trends
- Defining target audiences
- Data analysis
Skill level: Beginner
Who’s it for
“What Is Social?” is a massive open online course (MOOC) for business owners, executives, and marketing professionals who want to significantly improve their abilities to grow their social media strategy using effective, proven methodologies. In short, it’s a really awesome, action-based intro to social media.
What you’ll learn
The exciting part about this hands-on class is that you not only get to hear about ways to grow your professional persona using social media, but you will also actually do it! “What Is Social?” is the first in a six-course specialization offered by Northwestern University. Keep in mind that only this course is free—the full track is part of a paid program.
14. Social Media Monitoring
Offered by: Udemy
Created by: Eric Schwartzman
Topics covered:
- Keyword filtering
- Google-related searches
- The benefits of using Google Alerts
- Identifying influencers and content curation possibilities
- Strategies for monitoring Facebook, Twitter, and more
Skill level: All levels
Who’s it for
Whether you’re just starting out in social media or are a seasoned veteran, this course has actionable social monitoring takeaways for people of all skill levels.
What you’ll learn
This free social media class will show you how to monitor your online audience and customers with detailed examples of monitoring in action. It will also give you an overview of the different social media monitoring tools and strategies on how you can apply what you’ve learned.
15. The Business of Social
Offered by: Coursera
Created by: Northwestern University
Topics covered:
- Discovering where social media “fits in”
- How to tie social media to real business results
- Managing and measuring a successful social media program
Skill level: Beginner to intermediate
Who’s it for
“The Business of Social” is for business owners, marketers, and social media managers looking to tie social media into real business growth objectives. In other words, those looking to drive real, measurable value from a social media strategy.
What you’ll learn
Instead of focusing on content creation, this class focuses on how to measure your social investments in terms of time, cost, and opportunities.
16. Social Media Ethics
Offered by: Udemy
Created by: Eric Schwartzman
Topics covered:
- How to use good judgment when using social media for work
- What ethical behavior on social media means
- Demonstrating consideration for others on social media
Skill level: Beginner
Who’s it for
Have you ever wondered what it means to use social media effectively and ethically? This free course on “Social Media Ethics” provides the framework for social networking and engaging in ethical conversations online for all professionals and employees.
What you’ll learn
Touching on local, state, and Federal laws, it takes the guessing game out of what is and is not legal on social media for employees of businesses.
17. Advanced Social Media Marketing for Picking Up Clients
Offered by: Udemy
Created by: Brian Yang
Topics covered:
- Common social media myths and mistakes
- The art of using Facebook Groups
- Attracting YouTube subscribers and creating engaging videos
- Creating quality (not spammy) content for social media
Skill level: Intermediate to advanced
Who’s it for
This course is for more seasoned marketers who already have a basic understanding of social media platforms like Facebook, Reddit, and YouTube.
What you’ll learn
This course will help you pick up “coaching and consulting clients within 48 hours” using only social media. It’ll also show you how to use social media forums to generate sales leads.
18. Mastering TikTok
Offered by: Skillshare
Created by: Taylor Loren, Head of Marketing, Girlboss
Topics covered:
- TikTok’s algorithm
- How to create and edit a TikTok video
- How to write engaging captions
- How to use hashtags
- How to discover trending content
Skill level: Beginner
Who’s it for
This course is perfect for anyone who’s new to TikTok or just wants to learn more about creating video-based content.
What you’ll learn
TikTok is quickly becoming the most useful social media platform for brands to connect with their audience — users are 1.5x more likely to purchase a product they saw on the app. This course is a deep dive into all things TikTok, from understanding the algorithm to making your first post.
Plus, the course shows you how to discover trending content like sounds and filters to help your videos go viral quickly.
19. DIY Viral Video: A Class on Making iPhone How-To Videos
Offered by: Skillshare
Created by: Nicole Farb, Founder of Darby Smart
Topics covered:
- Setting up a video
- Shooting a video
- Editing a video
- Sharing a video
Skill level: Beginner
Who’s it for
Nervous about creating video content? This course is for you. You’ll gain expert insight into why video content is important to connect with your audience and how to come up with creative ideas for videos.
What you’ll learn
The best part about video content is that it doesn’t need to be complicated to be effective. Nicole Farb, founder of Darby Smart, shows you step-by-step how to create engaging videos. You don’t need complicated equipment to get started — all you need is an idea and a smartphone to build trendy content.
20. TikTok Masterclass
Offered by: Skillshare
Created by: Angel David Weatherston, Helping Artists Grow
Topics covered:
- How to create a TikTok account
- TikTok features
- How to create and share a TikTok video
- How to use effects and sounds
Skill level: Beginner
Who’s it for
This course is perfect for someone who is brand new to TikTok. Learners will get a step-by-step guide to TikTok, including how to create an account, navigate important features, and discover trending content.
What you’ll learn
The entire course is 39 modules — but don’t let that intimidate you! Each module is short and intended to help you set up your business profile and navigate the app smoothly.
Free online marketing courses for analytics and data tools
Analytics helps you see how your marketing strategy is performing — and gives you a clue about what kinds of content your audience wants to see. These courses touch on the importance of analytics, how to set up and navigate tools like Google Analytics, and how to harness data to make an iron-clad marketing strategy.
21.
Offered by: Coursera
Created by: Copenhagen Business School
Topics covered:
- What neuromarketing is all about
- The psychology behind consumer decisions
- How to tap into a consumer’s emotions using content
Skill level: Beginner to intermediate
Who’s it for
This course is incredibly useful for any marketer who wants to get to know their audience better.
What you’ll learn
This course starts with a question: How do we make decisions as consumers? Understanding the conscious and unconscious reasons why people buy things can help your business make more informed decisions.
You’ll get an overview of the current and future uses of neuroscience in business and learn how you can apply it to your own social media and marketing strategy.
22. Digital Marketing Analytics in Practice
Offered by: Coursera
Created by: University of Illinois
Topics covered:
- Data collection, analysis, and visualization
- How data fits into a company’s marketing strategy
- Making informed marketing decisions based on data
Skill level: Advanced
Who’s it for
Analytics helps you determine if your audience connects with your content. This course is for business owners or marketers who need to learn best practices in analytics and reporting.
What you’ll learn
Taught by Kevin Hartman, head of analytics at Google, this free marketing course focuses on the specific data collection, analysis, and visualization techniques used by the world’s top brands. Unlike some of the other analytics classes offered online, this one focuses specifically on marketing.
This marketing course will set you up with a full understanding of how to properly approach data analytics in marketing and how to make informed decisions based on your finding. In short, you’ll be a data wizard!
23. Social Media Analytics
Offered by: quintly
Created by: quintly
Topics covered:
- Introduction to social media analytics
- The social media landscape
- Differentiation between social networks for data collection
- Finding KPIs that fit your goals
Skill level: Beginner
Who’s it for
This course is perfect for anyone who is a beginner in analytics and reporting for social media content.
What you’ll learn
This free social media marketing course from quintly covers the basic principles of social media analytics both for beginners and for marketers who want to refresh their knowledge. It covers goal-setting and KPIs, defines different types of metrics, and gives an overview of reporting.
24. Discover the Next Generation of Google Analytics
Offered by: Google
Created by: Google
Topics covered:
- Learning the new Google Analytics 4 interface
- Google Analytics concepts
- Data collection
- Managing conversions
- Navigating different metrics and dimensions
Skill level: Beginner to advanced
Who’s it for
Google recently announced they are officially phasing out their popular Universal Analytics interface in favor of Google Analytics 4. That means everyone who uses Google Analytics will benefit from this course.
What you’ll learn
It’s designed to walk you through the GA4 interface, whether you’re an analytics expert or a beginner. You’ll gain foundational knowledge of how to navigate GA4, what certain metrics mean, and how to set up GA4 for your business.
Free online marketing courses to improve blog content and SEO
Search engine optimization (SEO) drives traffic to your website. Many small businesses use a blog to promote their brands with SEO-optimized articles designed to bring in potential customers. You can also use keywords across your website to help pull in traffic. These courses will show you how.
25. SEO Training
Offered by: Udemy
Created by: Eric Schwartzman
Topics covered:
- Integrating SEO in marketing activities
- The vocabulary of search engine optimization
- Most effective SEO strategies
- White hat vs. black hat SEO
Skill level: Beginner to intermediate
Who’s it for
This SEO Training class is perfect for social media managers, executives, and entry-level employees.
What you’ll learn
This SEO course will teach you how to increase the search rank of your corporate website, blog, or LinkedIn profile. Learn how to create online content based on keywords your customers are most likely to search for. Plus, this course will teach you how to rank high on Google search engine results pages.
26. Writing for Brands: Freelancing in the Age of Content Marketing
Offered by: Skillshare
Created by: Contently
Topics covered:
- What content marketing entails
- The basics of writing for and working with brands
- Marketing yourself as a writer
- How to craft the perfect pitch to a brand
Skill level: Beginner
Who’s it for
Whether writing turns into a full-time career for you or just a fun project to tackle on the side, the folks at Contently are happy to help you prepare content pitches for brands both big and small.
What you’ll learn
Have you ever wondered how all of those great bloggers get writing gigs for brands online? This course provides the framework for starting a successful freelance career if that’s something you’d be interested in. Taught by Brian Maehl of Contently, “Writing for Brands” is an actionable 30-minutes writing course that breaks down the process into simple steps.
27. SEO Training Course
Offered by: Udemy
Created by: Moz
Topics covered:
- Building a monthly SEO plan
- Five ways to use social media profiles for SEO
- Link building with Twitter
- Mapping keywords to content
Skill level: Beginner
Who’s it for
This course is useful for marketers who want to tap into the value of SEO but don’t have the time to devote to a blog or long-form content.
What you’ll learn
Optimizing a website for search engines requires looking at a ton of unique elements both on and off your website. This course on SEO from the folks at Moz will help you to start making sense of it all. Most importantly, it will help you form consistent SEO habits that you can implement long after this course is over.
28. Content Marketing for B2B Enterprises
Offered by: Udemy
Created by: William Flanagan
Topics covered:
- End-to-end B2B marketing tactics and strategies
- Content creation that converts
- Identifying industry influencers
- Building a data system to foster improvement
Skill level: Intermediate to advanced
Who’s it for
If you are a part of a B2B company, chances are your products and services require a slightly different approach to content marketing. This course will show you how.
What you’ll learn
This content marketing course lasts roughly 35 minutes. You’ll learn how to get inside the mind of your market and quickly build content that interests them — so you can get back to running your business!
29. High-Impact Business Writing
Offered by: Coursera
Created by: University of California at Irvine
Topics covered:
- Introduction to and basics of business writing
- Various business document types
- Informal and social media communication
Skill level: Beginner
Who’s it for
Writing great copy that is meant to drive people to take a specific business action is a unique and valuable skill to have for marketers and business owners alike. This course is aimed at helping you get your thoughts on paper in a clear and concise manner.
What you’ll learn
Structured as a four-week class, you’ll start with the basics of business writing, including why it’s important, and move to more advanced topics such as preparing business documents and translating ideas to more informal channels, like social media.
30. Internet Marketing for Smart People
Offered by: Copyblogger
Created by: Copyblogger
Topics covered:
- Introduction to business writing
- Various business document types
- Informal and social media communication
Skill level: Beginner
Who’s it for
This course is a great starting place for those new to the marketing field, diving into topics like direct response copywriting and relationship building.
What you’ll learn
Copyblogger knows, “you don’t have to be a genius to master internet marketing.” This course is unlike any other on our list: each day, for 20 days, they’ll email you a different lesson on copywriting best practices. All you have to do is sign up with your email address, and you’ll start receiving lessons directly to your inbox.
Free online marketing courses for graphic design basics
Content accompanied by visual media — photos, videos, gifs, just to name a few — is more engaging for your audience: 53% of marketers say images are a valuable content format for achieving their social media goals — compared to 30% of marketers who look to text-based posts.
Whether you’re crafting a social media post, a mass email, or an advertising campaign, you need to know basic design skills.
31. Graphic Design Basics
Offered by: Canva
Created by: Canva
Topics covered:
- Basic elements of design
- How to think like a designer
- How to kick off the design process
Skill level: Beginner
Who’s it for
Canva offers a free course that teaches anyone how to think like a designer — showing you how to use color, fonts, and composition to communicate an idea.
What you’ll learn
This course covers design foundations, like how to build a moodboard, the color wheel, and how to choose a font. Each module includes a lesson along with an activity to apply what you’ve learned.
32.
Offered by: LinkedIn Learning
Created by: John McWade
Topics covered:
- Graphic design best practices
- Typography
- Layout
- Logo design
Skill level: Intermediate
Who’s it for
This course is perfect for anyone who has some design knowledge but has more advanced questions.
What you’ll learn
The course is broken into modules based on project type. So if you need help designing a specific deliverable (like a business card, invitation, or logo), this course has a step-by-step guide that’s exactly what you’re looking for.
If you successfully finish the entire course, you’ll get a certificate of completion to put on your LinkedIn profile and resume.
33. Graphic Design Basics: Core Principles for Graphic Design
Offered by: Skillshare
Created by: Ellen Lupton and Jennifer Cole Phillips, MICA
Topics covered:
- Identifying and defining basic design principles
- Effectively critiquing your own work for balance
- Applying what you’ve learned to your own projects
Skill level: Beginner
Who’s it for
This course will help you get started with design, giving you a solid foundation for creating images for social media and marketing.
What you’ll learn
It’s a 35-minute video-based class taught by designers Ellen Lupton and Jennifer Cole Phillips — who also happen to be co-directors of the Graphic Design MFA Program at the Maryland Institute College of Art (MICA). Together, they walk students through what it takes to create great designs.
34. How to Create Better Graphic Design
Offered by: Udemy
Created by: Inoshiro Design
Topics covered:
- Identifying and defining basic design principles
- Effectively critiquing your own work for balance
- Applying what you’ve learned to your own projects
Skill level: Beginner
Who’s it for
Every marketer needs a basic knowledge ofkey design terms. This course is essential for anyone who needs to brush up on design principles and learn the proper terminology.
What you’ll learn
This course does a deep dive into the five steps for better visual communication. These components include creating ideas and applying them to your design, communicating ideas effectively within the design, and having a consistent design look and feel.
35. The Landing Page Conversion Course
Offered by: Unbounce
Created by: Unbounce
Topics covered:
- Landing page 101
- Five core landing page elements
- The psychology of conversion
Skill level: Beginner to intermediate
Who’s it for
If you’ve ever been curious about the power of landing pages and how they can help you grow your business, this is the perfect one for you.
What you’ll learn
Unbounce has perfected the art of the landing page down to a science. And in this comprehensive online marketing class, they share all of that knowledge with you, no questions asked.
The Landing Page Conversion Course takes you from “Landing Page 101” right on down to “Copywriting” and even “Testing and Optimization.”
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