As an employer, I'm always looking for my staff to constantly show me their passion and drive to develop both their career and knowledge. It's something that shows me that this person is serious about their job and is willing to do all they can to succeed - which in turn, leaves me more likely to offer them more benefits in their role.
One of the most successful ways to improve your chances of a good pay rise in the marketing industry is to keep up to date with the latest trends and developments. Taking free online courses can help put you in better stance due to constantly developing knowledge, as well as impress your boss with your passion for learning.
Here are five excellent marketing courses that you can have a crack at to impress your employer, whilst learning and hopefully boosting your chance of promotion:
1. Google Digital Garage Certificate of Online Proficiency
For entry-level, recent graduates or complete beginners to the online marketing world, I'd always recommend gaining the free online marketing fundamentals qualification through the Google Digital Garage.
Whilst it doesn't explore marketing topics as in-depth as some of the other courses mentioned in this list, it does help to boost general knowledge on marketing.
Covering topics like SEO, social marketing, e-commerce, analytics and content creation, it also contains fun quizzes at the end of each module to prepare you for the final test.
2. Hubspot Inbound Certification
Being one of the biggest marketing certification providers that is recognised by employees and industry leaders, getting the Hubspot Inbound certification will undoubtedly benefit your career.
It takes around 4.5 hours to complete through a programme of 12 online classes and covers in-depth topics such as landing pages, lead nurturing, conversion analysis. It also focuses on the stages that a customer goes through to complete an online purchase to give you a better understanding and improving your marketing results. The best news? It's all free.
Bound to show your boss that you're keen to expand on your marketing knowledge, it's a great option for improving your chance of promotion at work.
3. Google Analytics Academy
Another course by Google, the free Analytics Academy will give you the qualification to prove that you can read and analyse analytics reports. After all, it's something that any business will need to review to determine its future success.
Analytics are extremely important in marketing as it shows you real data on your strategy and allows you to improve in future. If you can prove (through a qualification!) that you understand how to interpret this data, there's no doubting that you'll be in your employers' good books.
4. Facebook BluePrint
If your role focuses heavily on the social aspect of marketing, achieving the Facebook BluePrint qualification will help you learn about the advertising method for the biggest social media platform in the world.
The BluePrint course has self-paced online courses that you can cover in your spare time at work. Although the final test is rigorous and costs £150 to gain your qualification. But, once you've passed, you've got a certification to prove that you know what you're talking about when it comes to Facebook and Instagram Advertising.
5. SEO Training by MOZ
If you're in a job role that focuses around SEO, you'll have probably heard of SEO giants, Moz. However, you may not know that they offer a free SEO training course that seems to have gone under the radar.
Throughout a total of six lectures, you'll learn about creating an effective SEO strategy through outlets such as social media, keyword targeting and link building.
Even if your job doesn't focus primarily on SEO, it manages to play a pretty big role in other marketing jobs. This other knowledge is likely to benefit your career - and your employer will notice.
As you can see, there are several excellent marketing courses that you can complete to improve your chances of impressing your boss and receiving a promotion. Which is your favourite course?