Digital marketing has become a core part of the promotional strategy used by businesses. Companies rely on digital campaigns to grow sales and visibility in online portals. It is one of the fastest growing fields in the world. A recent study valued the digital marketing software market size at $ 56.52 billion with an annual growth rate of 19.1%. To learn digital marketing and get a piece of the pie, you need a reliable guide on how to learn digital marketing step by step.

The good news is that you don’t have to go to school or pay to become a professional. To guide your learning journey, we have done some research and developed a guide that you can follow to become an expert.  

In the following post, find out how you can build your digital marketing skills for free.  

How Long Does It Take to Learn Digital Marketing?

It is difficult to predict the exact time that a person will take to learn digital marketing because it depends on your learning strategy and character. Also, the digital market is constantly changing and introducing new strategies and technologies. 

Digital marketing is not a get-rich-quick scheme. Normally, it might take you about 3 to 5 months of continuous learning to acquire functional knowledge. Mastering all the aspects of digital marketing takes about 5 years of practice, and even then, you have to keep refreshing your knowledge because the core principles keep changing.

Which Skills Do You Need for Digital Marketing Success?

Like many professions, learning digital marketing requires a person to acquire a core set of technical skills and master a long list of career attributes or soft skills over a long time. 

The different categories of digital marketing that you can learn include social media marketing, content marketing, email marketing, SEO marketing, Ad marketing, affiliate marketing, and mobile marketing. The good news is that you can learn most of them on your own.

The main skills required to become a digital marketer include:

• Search engine optimization and marketing
• Marketing analytics
• Social media marketing
• Storytelling
• Email marketing
• Basic design
• Creative problem solving
• Project leadership
• Sales and persuasion
• Agility and adaptation
• Strategic planning

Ways to Learn Digital Marketing for Free: A Step-By-Step Guide

You can learn all digital marketing skills at home in your spare time, thanks to online resources that are easily accessible for free. Read on and explore the steps to digital marketing success.

Step 1 – Study Free Online Resources

The first step for beginners is to acquire the knowledge needed to become successful in the digital marketing field. Blog posts and eBooks created by experienced marketers and universities have very useful information to help you in your learning journey.

You can also learn by watching digital marketing videos on YouTube and following digital marketing experts and influencers on social media platforms like Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter. Listening to podcasts can also help in self-development in the field. There is always new content published on these mediums to help you study digital marketing.

Step 2 – Practice What You’ve Learned

The more you practice the skills acquired in your study, the better you will become. Understanding the strategies and concepts involved in digital marketing is important, but the best way to polish your skills is to practice.

Practice entails creating test digital marketing campaigns, monitoring results, making adjustments, and learning from your mistakes. You need to do what is outlined in the study materials to understand how marketing campaigns and strategies work.   

Step 3 – Get Certified and Qualified

Once you are well versed with the study materials, you can take associated qualifications and certifications to test your skills and knowledge. If you search the internet, you will find many free online digital courses, such as Google online marketing challenge, Social Media Quickstarter, inbound digital marketing course and certification, and the Alison free diploma in e-business. Certification will expand your knowledge and enable you to serve your customers in innovative and unique ways.

If you start a course and find yourself struggling with an assignment, seek the help of an online paper writing service. You can hire a professional writer online to complete your content project while you focus on the practical aspects of digital marketing. The experienced writers produce top-grade custom papers with strategically constructed concepts. That way, you can have a stress-free learning process. Visit assignment writing services to talk to an expert who will help you with your academic papers in a professional way.

Step 4 – Start Your Own Digital Marketing Blog

Starting your own blog is one of the best ways to acquire in-depth knowledge and experience in digital marketing. Learning digital marketing through blogging will teach you critical aspects of the profession, such as social media marketing, SEO, and WordPress. You can also use your blog to test and learn different digital marketing strategies.

Having your own blog is a great way to get your name out there and start making connections in the industry. The relationships can gain you traffic through engaging content and guest posts. Although it will be difficult at first, your hard work and effort will pay off and you will start enjoying the process.

Step 5 – Seek Support and Training From Experienced Digital Marketers

Consulting experts in the field is an important step on how to learn digital marketing for free. Experienced professionals can point you in the right direction. There are numerous online digital marketing forums on social media platforms. Although some of the forums require payment, there are many others that you can join for free.

On the forums, you can ask for support by posting your questions and doubts relating to digital marketing. Ensure you participate in discussions and share your knowledge if you can. Another perk of joining forums with experienced marketers is that you’ll increase your chances of getting discounts, deals, and exciting offers that are often posted on the platforms.

If you have the time, doing a remote internship with a reputable digital marketing company is also a great way to get hands-on experience. You will have a chance to work under the guidance of a digital marketing expert. The experience will also put you in a position to get a high-paying job.

Step 6 – Keep Learning and Improving

The digital marketing field is ever-changing, and each year it gets more complicated and competitive. The landscape changes with transformations in consumer behaviors. For example, some of the shifting trends right now are related to big data, social media marketing, and Internet of Things. To thrive in the industry, you need to stay up-to-date on the current trends and study to evolve your skill set.

To keep up with digital marketing trends, search online for publications connected to digital marketing, read related blogs, search hashtags, seek inspiration from top brands, and study more free digital marketing courses.