Best Marketing Courses to Elevate Your Brand

Marketing makes the world go round. You see it on your television, computer, cell phone, and even in the car. While marketing has rapidly evolved over the last few decades, primarily because of the internet, its core principles are the same. The goal of any company or organization is to get their product, service, or idea in front of as many people as possible.

If you’re interested in learning about marketing and the various methods, you’re in the right place. We’ve gathered a list of the eight best marketing courses, and each one brings a unique topic to the table. Read on to learn more about the best marketing courses and what you need to know before enrolling.

Orientation

Having a list of the best marketing courses is useless if you don’t know what to look for. Unfortunately, finding the right marketing class can be like finding a needle in a haystack. The good news is that we have identified a few factors to help you narrow down your options.

Topic

First and foremost, you need to know what type of marketing you want to learn. This field has many topics, and each one brings its own benefits to the table. Below, we’ll take you through a few topics to give you an idea of what to expect.

Online Marketing

The first example we’ll discuss is online marketing. This type of marketing can involve many things, such as social media, but most areas share the same principles. For example, much of online advertising is done through small ads that appear on apps or pages. When someone clicks on an ad, the company that hosts the ad gets paid. In its most basic form, this is one example of online marketing.

Another example of online marketing is social media marketing. This is done through apps like Instagram and relies on Influencers (people with large followings) and keywords to reach big audiences. Social media marketing is one of the most rapidly developing fields of marketing, so we have more than one course that focuses on it below.

Email Marketing

Another type of marketing you’ll come across is email marketing. While it shares many aspects with online marketing, it focuses more on email lists and getting people to open emails. The contents of the email vary based on the goal of the company. For example, some emails might lead people to a landing page, while other emails might encourage people to call a phone number.

Bear in mind that these are only two examples of marketing; there are other styles. That said, make sure you take some time to decide on what type of marketing will benefit you the most.

Instructor

When looking for a marketing course online, you want to make sure the instructor has some expertise in the industry. When it comes to marketing, experience and education are key. You should look at their professional background, education level, and years in the field. This can give you a good idea of how good the instructor is.

That said, there are some exceptions. For example, someone who builds websites that generate massive amounts of ad revenue with zero educational background can still be a good teacher. Therefore, you should also factor in an instructor’s results. Take some time to look over projects they’ve worked on and clients they’ve worked for.

Skill Level

It’s worth knowing that marketing is not the most challenging field, but there are different skill levels. For example, each course will have terminology and systems that you might not be familiar with. Depending on your background and level of marketing education, you’ll be able to pick them up quickly. On the other hand, if you don’t have much experience, you might be better off in a beginner-friendly course that spends more time on each system. In our list of courses, we’ll display three skill levels: beginner, advanced, and intermediate.

Beginner

Most of the courses on our list are suitable for beginners. That said, some are easier than others. For example, a social media marketing course designed for Instagram will be easier than a course that focuses on multiple platforms and tools to post on each platform.

Intermediate

Intermediate-level courses will go into more detail about specific areas of marketing. For example, these courses might discuss using additional tools like email list tools, Excel spreadsheets, and writing content.

Advanced

Advanced marketing courses present complex concepts found in marketing. While these courses are similar to intermediate-level courses, advanced courses will take things to the next level with added elements like the psychology behind marketing.

Price

Online marketing courses vary in price depending on the platform you’re using. Each platform has its own benefits and drawbacks, but the courses you find will be similar across most websites. Therefore, the biggest difference is the cost.

The best example is how platforms like Udemy charge a single fee for a single course, whereas websites like LinkedIn Learning charge a monthly rate for many courses. When considering these platforms, it’s important to consider how much value a course offers and whether you plan to take more courses on that platform.

Now that you know what to look for in marketing courses, it’s time to dive into our Course Breakdown and Course List.

Course Breakdown

Top 8 Best Marketing Courses 2023


1. Best Overall: The Complete Digital Marketing Course

  • 22.5 hours $149.99 Our rating  
  • Course Highlights
  • Instructor: Rob Percival, Daragh Walsh
  • Topics: SEO, Email Marketing, Social Media Marketing, Video Marketing, Affiliate Marketing
  • Skill Level: Beginner, Intermediate

Why we like it

The Complete Digital Marketing Course is one of our favorite courses because it’s the complete package. With over 20 hours of content, you get to learn about most areas of digital marketing.

The Complete Digital Marketing Course is exactly as the name suggests: it is a complete digital marketing course. It’s taught by two of the best instructors in the business who have built successful sales funnels, courses, and affiliate marketing programs. The course takes you through concepts relevant to email marketing, creating YouTube channels, starting email lists, and building landing pages.

Overall, the course is designed to take you through the process of starting your own brand. That said, you can also leverage the course to help you with work, getting hired, and more. Moreover, the course comes with lifetime access and additional resources to study.

What Sets It Apart

Compared to other marketing courses, Complete Digital Marketing is a course designed for the modern world. It covers all the bases needed for growth and doesn’t gloss over too many concepts. With this in mind, it’s one of the best options for total content, quality of instruction, and additional resources. For comprehensive digital marketing courses, you won’t find a better course.

Things to Consider

The Complete Digital Marketing Course is a well-rounded course, but that comes with a sacrifice. Digital marketing is a broad field, so each subset of marketing deserves its own focus. For example, specific courses in email marketing or social media marketing can take your learning experience to the next level.

If you’re starting with this course, we recommend using it as a foundation for your marketing knowledge. From there, you can build on that foundation with other courses on the list that focus on specific areas.

Who It’s For

If you’re new to marketing in the 21st century, this course is the perfect fit. It will show you everything you need to know to get started. Additionally, it will prepare you for building your own brands or add value to the work you’re already doing. Overall, it’s the best place to get started.

Pros

  • Covers most topics relevant to digital marketing
  • Taught by instructors with decades of experience
  • Provides tons of additional resources
  • Great value

Cons

  • Doesn’t get into too many specifics


2. Best for Digital Marketing: Digital Marketing Masterclass

  • 34.5 hours $139.99 Our rating  
  • Course Highlights
  • Instructor: Phil Ebiner, Diego Davila
  • Topics: Social Media Marketing, Video Marketing, Email Marketing
  • Skill Level: Beginner, Intermediate

Why we like it

We love this course because of its content. With over 30 hours of video lectures, the instructors give the appropriate amount of detail to each topic in digital marketing.

The Digital Marketing Masterclass is a great course for email marketing, social media marketing, and many other marketing skills. The course is designed to help you grow your brand, business, or boost your performance at work. You’ll learn about key concepts in digital marketing and how they continue to evolve. With tons of downloadable resources and lecture content, you can’t go wrong with this course as an introduction to the field.

Digital Marketing Masterclass is also designed to help you increase conversation and gain results. Most courses focus on building parts of the sales process, but this course shows you how to encourage consumers to work with you. Moreover, the course is taught by a team of instructors that have decades of combined experience in digital marketing. Both instructors have managed websites and teach from experience.

What Sets It Apart

The Digital Marketing Masterclass is a special course because of what you get. While there are many courses that focus on digital marketing, this one gives you the most content. With over 30 hours of material, each topic is adequately covered. Instead of glossing over topics, the instructors spend plenty of time on each method of marketing and show you what those processes look like from start to finish.

Things to Consider

The Digital Marketing Masterclass is one of the most well-rounded digital marketing courses, but it has some flaws. First and foremost, it’s expensive. Compared to courses on platforms like SkillShare or LinkedIn Learning, its cost is several times higher. Furthermore, if you’re looking for specific information, you might not find it because the instructors cover a lot of topics.

That said, if you’re looking for courses that target specific parts of digital marketing, it’s better to go with a specialized course. That means you won’t have to waste your time or money on subjects you don’t need to learn.

Who It’s For

If you’re looking to get the most digital marketing information you can out of one course, Digital Marketing Masterclass is the best option. With over 30 hours of material, you’ll find everything you need to get started. This course is also great for beginners because it touches on many of the common digital marketing methods.

Pros

  • 30+ hours of content and a lot of downloadable resources
  • Adequate time is given to each marketing method
  • Excellent for beginners

Cons

  • Could be too long for people who need specific training


3. Best for Social Media: Social Media Marketing: Content Marketing Masterclass 2022

  • 18.5 hours $139.99 Our rating  
  • Course Highlights
  • Instructor: Mark and Philomena Timberlake
  • Topics: SEO, Google, Video Marketing, Social Media Marketing
  • Skill Level: Beginner, Intermediate

Why we like it

We’re big fans of this masterclass because it covers everything you need to know about social media and its place in content marketing. It’s a specific course that serves its purpose almost perfectly.

Social Media Marketing: Content Marketing Masterclass is the go-to for social media marketing in 2022. The course is packed with helpful information about each platform and how you can leverage them. The course shows you how to create a marketing plan, how to implement that plan through social media, how to drive engagement, and how to track conversion. The course also provides you with tools to post across multiple platforms to drive traffic to your web pages.

The Social Media Marketing Masterclass also shows you some industry tricks to set your brand apart from others. This includes content scheduling, the art of posting, leveraging SEO, and more. Overall, it’s one of the most comprehensive courses available if you’re interested in social media marketing.

What Sets It Apart

This course is unique because it covers every area of social media marketing. While many courses touch on individual platforms like Instagram, this course provides you with a plan to use most platforms effectively. For social media marketing, it’s almost perfect.

Things to Consider

This course is well-rounded and serves its purpose for social media marketing. That said, it doesn’t cover other topics relevant to marketing or digital marketing. For example, there isn’t a big focus on creating email lists or working on other sales tactics. For this reason, the course comes up short if you’re looking for a comprehensive digital marketing course.

If you’re looking for a more well-rounded digital marketing course, Digital Marketing Masterclass is a great alternative. This course covers more topics, comes with 30+ hours of content, and has many lectures dedicated to social media marketing, too.

Who It’s For

If you’re interested in marketing with social media, this course is an excellent choice. While it comes up short in other areas, it covers almost every topic related to leveraging social media platforms. Therefore, it’s one of the most comprehensive social media marketing courses available. In fact, with 18.5 hours of content, the instructors don’t miss much.

Pros

  • Shows you how to schedule social media posts
  • Covers the entirety of social media marketing
  • Provides over 18 hours of specific content
  • Teaches SEO techniques

Cons

  • Doesn’t focus on other areas of digital marketing


4. Best for Office Marketing: Create a Go-to-Market Plan

  • 2 hours $29.99 Our rating  
  • Course Highlights
  • Instructor: Dierde Breakenridge
  • Topics: Marketing Strategies
  • Skill Level: Intermediate, Advanced

Why we like it

We love Create a Go-to-Market Plan because it focuses on some of the core principles of marketing that many courses fail to cover. For example, it helps you create a solid marketing plan from scratch.

Create a Go-to-Market Plan is a great course designed to help you with planning. This course will take you through the planning process from start to finish, which is something most courses gloss over. You’ll learn about how to build the foundation of a marketing plan, how to develop strategies for your product, ways to choose your market, and how to monitor your progress. It’s a fresh change of pace because it focuses more on the traditional aspects of marketing and product selection.

Create a Go-to-Market Plan is also a shorter course that’s streamlined to help you. With this course, you’ll be ready to start planning sooner rather than later. You don’t need to sit through hours of content or sift through downloadable resources. It’s simple, effective, and easy to get through for most skill levels.

What Sets It Apart

This course is unique because of the instructor. Dierde Breakenridge is one of the most qualified instructors to teach a marketing course because she has a ton of experience in the industry. To provide context, she’s the CEO of Pure Performance Communications, a company that helps thousands of people grow and expand their reach and marketing goals.

Things to Consider

Create a Go-to-Market Plan is a great course for what it is. That said, it’s not the most comprehensive course, and it’s not the best option for digital marketing. While it will help you come up with a plan, it won’t be as beneficial for people who already have a plan. That makes this course one of the more niche options.

If you’re looking for a more comprehensive alternative that also covers some of the planning stages, The Complete Digital Marketing Course is a great choice. It’s not the longest option, but it covers more topics and digital marketing concepts.

Who It’s For

If you need to start a marketing plan from scratch, Create a Go-to-Market Plan is your best option. It will show you how to get started with both market and product selection. For this reason, it’s one of our favorite courses because it starts with the basics and is still valuable in 2024.

Pros

  • Helps you create a marketing plan
  • Quick and easy to get through
  • Taught by the CEO of Pure Performance Communications

Cons

  • Only 2 hours long
  • Doesn’t cover many digital marketing concepts


5. Best for Instagram: Marketing on Instagram

  • 1 hour, 50 minutes $29.99 Our rating  
  • Course Highlights
  • Instructor: Anson Alexander
  • Topics: Instagram Marketing
  • Skill Level: Beginner

Why we like it

This course is one of our top choices because it focuses on Instagram, which is one of the most popular social media platforms around. While it leaves other platforms out, what you learn here can be applied other areas.

This course is designed for Instagram and helps users achieve the desired results. The course shows you how to navigate the platform, track your competitors, manage keywords through hashtags, and how to drive traffic from Instagram to other websites. Marketing on Instagram is also taught by someone who has already completed these processes by himself.

Marketing on Instagram also teaches you about the platform’s new features and innovations. For example, Alexander has sections dedicated to Instagram’s stories and video posts. These sections show you how to drive engagement and convince users to stop scrolling once they reach your content.

What Sets It Apart

Marketing on Instagram is unique because it focuses on one of the most popular social media platforms. That said, the course shows you everything you need to know about the platform, how to leverage it as a tool, and how to build a marketing plan around it. The skills you learn with this course will also carry over to other platforms like SnapChat, Twitter, and even Facebook.

Things to Consider

While Marketing on Instagram is a great choice, there are some issues with its content. First and foremost, it fails to include lectures for other platforms. While you can take some of the information with you to other platforms, it’s very Instagram-specific content.

If you’re looking for a course that focuses more on other platforms, including Instagram, Social Media Marketing: Content Marketing Masterclass is your best option. It covers Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, and other concepts and platforms related to social media marketing.

Who It’s For

If you’re looking to build your brand on Instagram, this is one of the best courses that you can choose. It’s loaded with 2 hours of Instagram-specific information and can help you build your brand. Moreover, the course is a great additional tool if you need to move your social media marketing strategy to the platform.

Pros

  • Provides detailed information about how to use Instagram
  • Great for beginners
  • Skills carry over to other social media platforms

Cons

  • Only focuses on Instagram
  • Not ideal for intermediate or advanced learners


6. Best for Email Marketing: Getting Started With Email Marketing

  • 1 hour, 11 minutes $19.99 Our rating  
  • Course Highlights
  • Instructor: Allyson Von Houten
  • Topics: Email Marketing
  • Skill Level: Beginner

Why we like it

Email Marketing is the foundation of a good marketing plan, so we love how this course focuses solely on this element.

Getting Started With Email Marketing is one of the best courses for email marketing. The course is taught by Allyson Von Houten, the marketing manager of Mailchimp. Mailchimp is one of the best email marketing tools around and helps you create lists, send emails, send follow-ups, and more. The course teaches you how to leverage this system and is a great choice for people interested in using the software.

Getting Started With Email Marketing also shows you some tips about email marketing. You’ll learn about how to write engaging content, better subjects, and more. Overall, the course will help you use great tools and boost your open rate.

What Sets It Apart

This course is unique because it focuses on email marketing, one of the pillars of a great marketing plan. While other courses focus on email marketing, they fail to do so in detail. When it comes to email lists and tools to leverage your email marketing strategy, not many courses come close to Getting Started With Email Marketing.

Things to Consider

This is a great course because it shows you what you need to start email marketing. While that’s useful information, it’s not the most comprehensive because email marketing is only one part of the process. For example, you might need to create a landing page to get emails for your email lists. Moreover, it doesn’t cover other important digital marketing concepts.

So, if you’re looking for a more well-rounded course, Digital Marketing Masterclass is a great alternative. It includes segments about email marketing but also focuses on other parts of the process.

Who It’s For

If you’re new to email marketing, this course is a great choice. It will show you how to leverage email tools and introduce you to the world of mass email software. Therefore, if you’re starting an email campaign, you’ll want to start here. It’s also great for beginners because it’s quick and easy to understand. Plus, you get an instructor that works for the software they’re promoting.

Pros

  • Focuses on email marketing
  • Shows you how to use software like Mailchimp
  • Taught by the senior marketing manager of Mailchimp

Cons

  • Only focuses on email marketing and not on other concepts


7. Best for Video Marketing: Content Marketing: Create a One-Minute Video

  • 27 minutes $19.99 Our rating  
  • Course Highlights
  • Instructor: Sally Sargood
  • Topics: Video Marketing
  • Skill Level: Beginner

Why we like it

Video marketing continues to grow in popularity, so we love that this course shows you that process from start to finish.

What Sets It Apart

Content Marketing: Create a One-Minute Video is unique because it focuses on video marketing more than other courses. While courses focus on social media platforms and social media posting, most courses fail to include the process from start to finish of creating a video asset. This makes the course a valuable tool to use alongside other courses or even on its own.

Things to Consider

When it comes to video marketing, Create a One-Minute Video is the best option. While it’s helpful, it fails to cover other topics that make a successful marketing plan. For example, it doesn’t mention email lists, SEO, or other marketing tools. Therefore, it’s not the best option if you want a one-stop marketing course to cover all your needs.

If you’re looking for a course that serves as a one-stop option, Digital Marketing Masterclass is a great alternative. It focuses on video marketing, but it also covers more relevant topics like email marketing, SEO, and social media marketing.

Who It’s For

If you’re interested in creating videos, this course is your best option. Taking you through the process from start to finish, you can get started right after you complete the course. While it comes up short in other areas, it’s a great course for people who are interested in social media marketing on platforms like Instagram and YouTube.

Pros

  • Shows you the video process from start to finish
  • Shows you how to film
  • Shows you how to edit

Cons

  • Only focuses on video marketing
  • Not the best length in terms of value


8. Best for Beginners: Marketing Foundations

  • 49 minutes $29.99 Our rating  
  • Course Highlights
  • Instructor: Drew Boyd
  • Topics: Marketing Planning
  • Skill Level: Beginner

Why we like it

We love this course because it focuses on beginners. If you’ve never sat through a marketing course, you can start here.

Marketing Foundations is a course made for beginners. It’s a short course that takes you through the foundations, and you’ll learn about marketing concepts in stages. For example, there is a planning stage, tactical phase, and an analysis phase. Each part of the course spends a bit of time getting you up to speed on the analysis of your market and product.

This course also provides you with a plan to implement marketing strategies. These can help you get your product in front of more people. Moreover, Drew Boyd has been a leader in marketing innovations for decades. He’s a great instructor and knows how to break things down for beginners.

What Sets It Apart

Marketing Foundations is unique because it’s one of the shortest courses available. While this is also the course’s biggest weakness, it makes the material easily digestible for beginners. The short sections are quick, effective, and provide adequate information for beginners to build a marketing foundation.

Things to Consider

While the short length of the course is ideal for beginners, Marketing Foundations comes up short in many areas. First and foremost, there’s less than an hour of content. For people that want a more in-depth course, you’ll have to look elsewhere. A great option that goes over similar content is Create a Go-to-Market Plan.

Another issue with the course is that it only focuses on the planning phase. It also doesn’t focus on digital marketing concepts or the tools you need to succeed. If you’re looking for a more comprehensive digital marketing course, Digital Marketing Masterclass is a great alternative.

Who It’s For

Marketing Foundations is best suited for beginners. While it doesn’t have much content, the short lectures are enough to get you started on your marketing journey. The course is also great for people that need a refresher on the planning aspects of marketing. It’s not perfect, but it’s a great place to get started on your journey of becoming a marketing master.

Pros

  • Focuses on the planning phase, which many courses gloss over
  • It’s short and to the point
  • Drew Boyd has decades of experience in the industry

Cons

  • It’s too short for most people
  • Only valuable for beginners or as a starter course
  • Provides poor value overall


FAQ

Marketing is always evolving, so we’re sure you have some questions. Below are answers to some of the most common ones.

For marketing, you’ll want to get your bachelor’s degree and gain some experience working with companies. You can try gaining experience in sales to get a better idea of the process, but most jobs will require a degree. Of course, we also recommend staying up to date by taking a few refresher courses each year.

Marketing is a great job if you’re looking for compensation. While the entry pay might not be where you want it to be, marketing can earn you a good life. For example, many people in marketing make more than six figures each year. Plus, entry-level pay is higher (on average) than most fields.

Marketing is hard to study because there is a lot to learn. That said, compared to science and medicine, the field is not as difficult when studied through college or online courses. It will take you time and effort, but you can become a marketing master in a handful of years.

While marketing requires a lot of planning and thought, it’s not the most stressful job you can have. Careers in law or medicine tend to be far more stressful. That said, if you’re on the sales side of marketing, the job can become more stressful because you’re dealing with clients or working on commission.



Extra Credit

Having a list of the best marketing courses is helpful, but it doesn’t always show you what you need. To find the best course, it’s important to spend some time getting to know how useful each one is for each area of marketing. To help you narrow down your options, we’ll take you through a few recommendations based on what a course teaches.

Getting Started

First and foremost, we want to start with something simple and comprehensive. If you’re just getting started with marketing, you want a course that’s balanced and teaches you about up-to-date marketing concepts. For example, The Complete Digital Marketing Course takes you through everything you need to know about digital marketing. This is helpful because digital marketing has become one of the most popular fields of marketing and is one of the most sought-after skills.

That said, there are also beginner-friendly courses that focus more on social media marketing and content marketing. This type of content usually involves a landing page, like a store or website, and directs users there. If you’re looking to get started with concepts like building funnels and online media, Marketing on Instagram is a great choice.

When choosing a beginner-friendly course, make sure you consider your needs because each course varies.

Social Media Marketing

Social media has become one of society’s most influential pieces of technology and culture. Almost everyone has a social media account and people that they follow. While social media was intended to help people stay in touch, it’s turned into a place where marketing can thrive because of the audience. For those that can leverage social media for marketing, there is a lot of money to be made there.

If you’re looking to get started with social media marketing, Social Media Marketing is one of the best options. It takes you through most social media platforms and shows you how to create posts on more than one platform with unique tools.

While social media is more complicated than traditional marketing methods, it’s worth your time if you’re looking to build a brand for yourself or your company.

Digital Marketing

Digital marketing pertains to anything that’s not in-person. That said, digital marketing tends to refer to online marketing and online marketing concepts. This can involve social media, videos, websites, blogs, and more. For this reason, digital marketing is a broad field that requires a lot of education if you want to know every part.

The good news is that some courses provide you with an in-depth overview of digital marketing concepts. For example, the Digital Marketing Masterclass takes you through many concepts and ideas. You’ll learn about social media, videos, ads, and more.

Email Marketing

Email marketing is another popular marketing method as it focuses on creating lists of emails and sending them out to potential prospects. While this process works well, it takes a long time to master. In fact, if you want to use email services like Mailshake, you’ll want to learn about spreadsheet creation and import tools.

The good news is that email marketing is one of the easiest types of marketing to learn, and the courses are easy to follow. The best example is Getting Started With Email Marketing. It covers the basics and will show you how to organize your data, create mailing lists, and write sales copy.

Video Marketing

Video marketing is an incredible tool if it’s used properly. A quick video can hook someone in and make them stop scrolling. Plus, with people’s attention spans decreasing, creating short videos that make an impact need to be at the forefront of a good marketing plan. While video marketing is hard to learn because of filming and editing, it can be done with the right course and instructor.

For video marketing, our favorite choice is Content Marketing: Create a One-Minute Video. It shows you all the steps needed to make a one-minute video. You’ll learn how to film, angle, and edit the video to fit your marketing needs.

Market Those Markets

If you’re looking to enter the vast world of marketing, education is your best friend. Learning as much as possible before entering the workforce or starting your brand will change the game. You can start faster, move more efficiently, and come up with proper marketing plans. For these reasons, we always recommend continuing your education whenever possible.

That said, marketing is a big field, and there is a lot to learn. Therefore, we recommend taking more than one marketing course. For example, you can pair a video marketing course with a social media course to make captivating videos that stop people from scrolling past your content.