Small and medium sized businesses can always benefit from a little marketing know-how. Online marketing training can be a little difficult to tackle if you don't know where to start and the number of providers can be confusing to choose from. This post will review four prominent online marketing training programs to help you choose one that works best for you. The analysis is based on a few important questions any company should ask when evaluating a provider of marketing training, specifically for small or medium sized businesses.
The Online Marketing Training Platforms Evaluated
Online Marketing Institute (OMI) - Considers itself the "de facto standard for digital marketing credentials", and seeks to educate marketers on best practices of digital marketing. Their mission is to provide a practical and enjoyable experience to learn digital marketing
MarketMotive - MarketMotive is sought after by large agencies and media companies, and boasts customized team-training programs. Their courses are recognized by OMCP (Online Marketing Certified Professional).
MarketingProfs - This marketing training platform has 451 seminars, 18,641 articles. Their education offering is "real-world education for modern marketers". Their most popular topics including social media, email marketing, and marketing strategy.
University of San Francisco (USF) - A "user-friendly", access anytime, anywhere certification program with an eight-week commitment. This program appeals to new marketers and seasoned veterans alike.
1. Is the content relevant to small business owners?
OMI and MarketMotive have courses aimed at small businesses and startups, while Marketing Profs and University of San Francisco offer multi-course offerings on single subjects, like email marketing, Analytics or SEO.
Multi-course offerings are a great way to learn in small chunks about big subjects: University of San Francisco offers Specialized Mini Courses with four weeks of content on eight subjects, which allows you to choose one or more based on your particular learning needs.
2. Is the format tailored toward busy small business owners? Can I use it in a limited amount of time and still learn applicable skills?
All of the online training programs we've mentioned can be accessed on the web anywhere and anytime! Hooray for the Internet!
That said, OMI has courses targeted at small business needs, and offers packages for groups that include one-on-one coaching. Several courses are webinar PowerPoints, but participants can have access to courses on-demand. Perk: evaluation quizzes are offered if you choose an online certification option.
MarketMotive offers a more academically oriented set of courses that follow a specific semester schedule complete with assignments, quizzes, and coaching--perfect if you love scheduling. Alternatively, you can choose a learn-as-you-go option without coaching.
OMI and MarketMotive are both intended for small businesses, but it looks as though MarketMotive has a slightly stronger academic orientation than OMI, and might not be as appropriate for the cheap-and-fast access a small business owner typically needs. USF, on the other hand, is geared toward a more academic-centric crowd; Marketing Profs gives the impression that it's for marketing professionals by marketing professionals.
3. Is the provider reputable?
OMI and MarketMotive are used by several large companies and have a great track record: every platform we discuss is built on sound technology, offer certifications, and have racked up a large number of testimonials.
MarketMotive is responsible for creating an industry standard, which has been adopted by a large number of educational institutions.
University of San Francisco, based on the fact that it is a credible post-secondary institution, is likely very reputable and might stick out a little more on your resume (which is good!). That said, a small business just needs the information to help them move along with web marketing, and might not need the self-branding leverage that USF would provide.
Marketing Profs has an undeniably slick website. Like the others, it offers roughly the same amount of courses, and showcases instructors and their respective areas of expertise. While as equally credible as the others, Marketing Profs gives the impression that it's for professionals that want a little learning boost, but do offer a specific set of courses for small businesses.
4. How can I track my success during my training?
OMI has certification and course success tracking for various areas, and offer customized course bundles.
MarketMotive also offers certification; as mentioned earlier, success can be monitored through quizzes.
Marketing Profs will provide you with a certification once you've watched all of their courses, so real-world implementation is your "success".
USF will give "open book" questions to answer online during intervals of the courses, and participate in practical exercises. You're allowed to go over the materials as many times as you'd like, and of course, provides a certification upon completion of the program.
5. How much does it cost? And what's the timeline to implement the platform?
OMI charges $97 per month for five courses, provides unlimited access to video courses, new trending courses, and monthly "ask the instructor" sessions. Custom group pricing is negotiable, and OMI can customize courses for enterprises.
Marketing Motive charges on a course-by-course basis, but includes bundles. Pricing is available upon request.
University of San Francisco charges nearly $5000 for a 3-course pack for an 8-week Advanced Professional Certificate in Internet Marketing.
Marketing Profs charges roughly $600 for individual course packages, but offer group discounts for more than two people ($640 for two people), and will allow you to view and review the course content for twelve months.
Conclusion
The platform you choose ultimately depends on your needs and budget. OMI will provide quick hits of information, but if you want more in-depth learning on specific topics, looking into other vendors is worthwhile. If you're already a marketing professional, Marketing Profs might prove a better fit.
If you're looking for in-person training, please consider Deep Dish Digital's training workshops, seminars and one-on-one consulting. Visit our training page to learn more, or contact us for more information.
