CEB Blogs

The idea of digital marketing being a separate discipline is fast fading, if it hasn’t already disappeared at many companies. Every facet of marketing now has some digital component.

And this means that any marketer – from entry level to chief marketing officer – who wants to perform well, or even just be employable, will need to be digitally savvy, have a “customer-centric” approach, and understand how to use data. The resources below can help with all of that. As a note, CEB is vendor agnostic – and has no commercial interest in any of the below.

1. Take a class at General Assembly: Whether you want a classroom experience or are squeezing online classes into your daily schedule, General Assembly has a wide offering of full-time classes, part-time classes, and workshops.

   Facts and figures:

   • 20 campuses worldwide

   • 35,000+ global alumni

   • 250+ expert instructors

   So what do they offer? General Assembly offers everything from full-time courses to online workshops. A selection of their 2017 offerings follow:

   • Data analytics (10-week online course)

   • Digital marketing circuit (5-week online course)

   • Plus, a number of online, short-form offerings like Data Analytics 101, Introduction to User Experience, and Google Analytics Bootcamp in the near future.

   How can this help my team? If you’re looking to develop the whole team, they offer corporate training programs. So far they’ve served about 20% of the Fortune 500, according to their website. L’Oréal USA embarked on a training program and they’ve since trained 14,000 of their employees, equipped more than 1,600 in-house “digital experts,” and have reported a 33% year on year increase in e-commerce sales in 2016.

   See the curriculum L’Oréal USA created with general assembly to establish a digital training and development plan for their marketing function.

   Overall commitment level: Medium-heavy

2. Enroll in a Coursera course: If you haven’t enough time to sit in a classroom, Coursera offers various courses, specializations, and online degrees taught by top instructors from the world’s best universities and educational institutions.

   Facts and figures:

   • 1,600 courses.

   • 145+ university partners like Johns Hopkins, University of Michigan, Stanford, and Duke.

   • 22 million learners

   So what do they offer? Example classes use:

   • Marketing Analytics—University of Virginia (5 weeks of study, 2-6 hours/week)

   • Engagement & Nurture Marketing Strategies—Northwestern University (4 weeks of study, 1-3 hours/week)

   • Leading People and Teams Specialization—University of Michigan (4 weeks of study, 3-5 hours/week)

   How can this help my team? Coursera offers curated learning programs, customized by industry, with progress tracking analysis so you can see your team’s growth.

   Overall commitment level: Medium-heavy

3. Learn with LinkedIn: Stay up to speed on digital marketing trends with the help of LinkedIn Learning, a premium subscription. LinkedIn provides individual videos, courses, and full self-study “learning paths.”

   So what do they offer? Useful courses include:

   • Become a Digital Marketer

   • Google Analytics Essential Training

   • Become an SEO Expert

   • Lead Generation Fundamentals

   Also, your first month is absolutely free, so soak up as much as you can. After your free trial, the Premium subscription costs $29.99. Once you’ve completed a course, you’ll receive a certificate of completion.

   Overall commitment level: Low-medium

4. Get a Lynda.com membership: With a subscription to Lynda.com — now part of LinkedIn — you can have unlimited access to online, skill-based learning modules.

   Facts and figures:

   • Over 900 business courses

   • Available in an app — can learn on your mobile device, computer or TV

   • Lynda offers a 10-day free trial

   So what do they offer? Useful courses include:

   • Building an Integrated Online Marketing Plan (3 hours)

   • Mobile Marketing Fundamentals (3.5 hours)

   • Marketing Analytics: Segmentation and Testing (1 hour)

   How can this help my team? With an “enterprise membership,” the entire firm can have unlimited access to Lynda’s online learning resources. The enterprise option includes the same functions as an individual membership (ex: mobile user access) and provides improved features including certificates of completion and detailed reporting.

   Overall commitment level: Low-medium

5. Add a podcast to your commute: According to Monster.com, analytical knowledge, creativity, and expression are three of the most desired skills in major marketing organizations. Get your creative juices flowing on your morning commute by downloading one of the following:

   • Stuff You Should Know: This one covers a lot of creative problem-solving. The show’s hosts employ a variety of storytelling techniques that are great for learning how to pitch just about any topic — even the seemingly mundane — in a compelling way.

   • Reply All: A technology podcast that covers internet culture, but unveils stories in a human way, sometimes a painfully human way.

   • 99% Invisible: A podcast covering how design shapes our world.

   • Planet Money: This twice-weekly podcast covers what’s going on across the world and in the economy. This isn’t a dull market update, but interesting stories behind what drives the economy like what one company is doing to stop burnout or why there aren’t enough women in tech.

   Overall commitment level: Low