Free Training & Career Tips... Subscribe to Get Weekly Career Tips
By Subscribing You are Agreeing to Terms and Conditions
Marketing is one of the rapidly growing industries thanks to technology giants such as Facebook, Google, Microsoft, IBM, and many others.
All these businesses may be based thousands of kilometers away. Still, there is no denying that they are threatening every single company here in South Africa (whether we like it or not).
The terrifying aspect is that most South Africans are still unaware of the limitless potential of digital marketing.
The internet is an essential medium for reaching consumers today.
Did you know that 50% of the world’s population has access to the internet? That’s around 3.7 billion people or, in this case, customers.
You can hit half of the world’s population by clicking a button.
You might claim that your customer base is predominantly based in South Africa. With all that in consideration, did you know that 26.8 million South Africans spend more than 3 hours per day on social media?
That’s half the population of South Africa. Mad, huh?
Now, imagine that you can put your product, brand, and service right in front of their eyes.
Presently, digital marketing is far more than just setting up a Facebook page or building a website.
Digital marketing can be really nuanced, which is why many people in South Africa probably don’t understand what digital marketers are and what they do.
In short, however, digital marketing is any form of marketing involving electronic devices. Think about it for a second.
What’s the first thing you get when you wake up every morning? What’s the last stuff you put away before you go to sleep?
What do you listen to when you’re going to work? What do you watch when you arrive home? What do you work with when you are at work?
We may go all day, but do you get the point? Can you see how much of people’s lives are powered by digital?
Now that we’ve widened your mind, you can appreciate why eMarketer predicted that by the end of 2017, 38.3 percent of all paid advertising would be digital.
This is huge, and mobile advertising is projected to account for 63.3 percent of that.
Exciting, isn’t that? Okay, so as a marketing enthusiast, CEO, entrepreneur, or reading this article, you’re most likely wondering how you can begin to tap into the limitless potential of the digital realm?
Google Adwords South Africa
Google’s location marketing seems pretty straightforward initially. But are you aware that Sandton has a higher digital populace than Johannesburg, Durban, and Pretoria combined? Okay, not precisely, but Google tends to think that way.
Suppose you set up your targeting to “Johannesburg” in AdWords. In that case, your ad will be limited to the areas around the CBD, except for Sandton and much of what Wikipedia refers to as “the largest city in South Africa.”
On the other hand, if you target “Cape Town,” your advertising would be shown to people as far away from town as the Koeberg Nuclear Station, Kuils River, and Gordon’s Bay.
This kind of peculiarity has to cost advertisers millions of rands in misappropriated ads, so be sure to verify that what you think Google means is what Google really means.
Made available in English in South Africa, Google Express is a simple way for Google to start using AdWords without understanding anything about AdWords. It makes opening up your account very easy. Google will also give you expert set-up assistance at no additional cost if you spend more than R60 a day.
This could be worth a try if you have a small budget, but remember that Google experts don’t often point out AdWords ads’ possible drawbacks. They are also usually not aware of local problems, such as those involving location targeting.
Google AdWords has a helpdesk line 0800 000 777. It is free from South Africa and is available during business hours from Monday to Friday. When you call, you will be asked for your AdWords Customer ID, which will appear at the top of every AdWords list. Support is only available in English, and you might be struggling with strong foreign accents.
Google also issues promotion codes that qualify customers for significant free ads. The latest offer offers R900 in credit after you have invested the equivalent amount. You can’t approach Google for this directly, but if you’re using an agency or a larger web design company, you should be able to get a voucher. Alternatively, find out AdWords ads online or in print media.
Google enables AdWords marketers to bid on trademarked names and words. But if many rival advertisements show at the top of the results page as people search for your company name, you can’t avoid complaining to Google.
Suppose advertisements or websites using your business name are otherwise inaccurate or misleading. In that case, you might also have no basis to take legal action, as proven by the South African court case in 2014.
So, what can you do about it? You can try to outbid your rivals, bid on rival brand terms, or hope that most people who are already searching for your company can find you in the organic search listings.
You will have better luck defending your trademarked words in the actual ad text, where the unauthorized use of these terms is likely to be contrary to Google’s trademark policies.
It is reasonably straightforward (and highly recommended) to monitor those types of conversions that occur on your website. For instance, you can watch how many people click a button to purchase a product or fill in and submit a form.
However, it’s more complicated to monitor users who click on an ad to visit your website and phone you after they’ve had a look at it. To counter this, Google introduced a call conversion website in 2014, described as “a powerful way for you to identify and measure calls from your website that occur after an ad click.”
Unfortunately, this is one of the features of AdWords not available in South Africa. For many firms, this means that there is a substantial difference in their perception of their marketing activities.
There are ways to fix this, such as third-party call monitoring systems, and you can track phone number clicks from mobile devices. However, it would be cool if Google were to include its website call conversion service to its hard-pressed South African advertisers.
Most users also have problems with the payment with credit cards to Google, which are often refused for no apparent reason. This can lead to a stressful back-and-forth dispute between Google and your financial institution, with no proper clarification of what’s going on or why.
Google Analytics Courses
Google Analytics is well recognized and has been the most commonly used analytical software on the market for quite some time.
Many organizations, large and small, use Google Analytics to analyze and develop their marketing campaigns and make the most of their investments.
However, to use the program, you do not need to be certified in Google Analytics.
Most people don’t spend the time to get certified because to do so. You need to scaledrive q the Google Analytics Individual Qualification (GAIQ) exam.
The Certification Process
Step 1: Register with Google Partners
The first step is to register with Google Partners, as you have to be a Partner to take the GAIQ.
This could be a career booster on its own since Google Partners comes with a badge that indicates you are certified in various areas of Google (provided that you pass the content exams).
Others are going to see your badge and regard you as an expert.
This is nice to place on your resume or LinkedIn profile and link it with your company.
So surely take the very first step.
Step 2: Take the GAIQ Exam
Theoretically, the next step after registering with Partners is to sit the exam. Still, unless you are already an expert in Google Analytics, we suggest that you do some reading between steps 1 and 2.
At least spend some time learning about the exam – structured, question formats, time limits, etc.
Search Engine Journal’s Complete Guide to Google Analytics is a great building block for those looking to learn. Fortunately, Google provides IQ courses to educate people about their services and train them for these certification exams.
These courses are intended for everyone, right from beginners to the most advanced users. So there’s something for everyone.
We advise reviewing the material from the following courses (but you can, of course, customize the study material to your qualifications and experience – no need to start from the beginning if you are already an experienced user):
- Advanced Google Analytics.
- Google Analytics for Beginners.
- Getting Started with Google Analytics 360- more about Google Analytics.
- Google Analytics for Power Users.
Although Google has many resources to get certified, they’re not great for those who want to learn hands-on, real-world apps.
A Data Boot Camp for both Google Tag and Google Analytics, this course contains all the information and best practice tips and techniques you need to understand both programs.
Digital Marketing Courses Johannesburg
Top digital marketing professionals in Johannesburg teach this practical course in digital marketing. You will learn how to use the internet as a potent marketing channel by taking this course. Students who complete this course will be qualified to take the International Professional Digital Marketer Assessment of the Digital Marketing Institute.
Learning Outcomes
• Increase visibility of your website through search engine optimization methods
• Drive quality traffic to your website through pay-per-click advertising;
• Carry out digital display campaigns
• Obtain, segment, and organize email subscribers to plan and run a productive email marketing campaign.
• Use appropriate social media channels for various business objectives and goals
• Optimize and evaluate your social media campaigns;
• Leverage mobile marketing for its micro-targeting numerous benefits;
• Effectively analyze and optimize your general digital marketing activities.
• Create a structured digital marketing plan for your business
The courses are evaluated by the Syllabus Advisory Council, which is made up of leading digital companies, including Facebook, Google, Twitter, and LinkedIn. The learning content is shaped by the most important stakeholders in the industry. The Professional Diploma in Digital Marketing will provide learners with an in-depth knowledge of how to efficiently formulate strategies and execute powerful digital marketing campaigns that convert. From search marketing to social media marketing, learners will learn all they need to succeed in their digital marketing careers.
Introduction to Digital Marketing
The basic concepts and objectives of digital marketing. It will facilitate learners to develop straightforward and action-oriented business objectives for a digital marketing plan. They will also gain insight into the audience and industry by carrying out extensive digital research and prepare the foundations for a highly integrated 360 digital marketing campaign by communicating effectively with their targets and customers.
Website Optimization
Key principles encompassing effective website design and the significance of website optimization. It will facilitate learners to design and publish a basic, well-designed, and optimized WordPress website aligned with specific business objectives. The module also addresses how to use parameters to collect, track and measure website activity to develop better insights.
SEO (Search Engine Optimization)
SEO’s basics and how search engines operate. It explains why it is important to align SEO objectives with the overall business objectives and utilize keyword and competitor research to develop an SEO content plan that attracts the right kind of visitors to the website. It also highlights how to increase online conversions to help stand out in today’s highly competitive online marketplace and guarantee the best possible ROI.
Content Marketing
The basic principles of content marketing enable learners to align content with the Buyer’s Journey effectively. It uncovers the skills and knowledge needed to plan and implement content marketing strategies in a persona-oriented, data-driven manner. It also addresses content creation, content curation, and how to increase the value of content using promotion methods and scheduling tools. The module discusses the key metrics and tools used to measure the quality of content marketing strategy.
Social Media Marketing
Leading social media platforms for digital marketing and show how to set up a business social media experience. It explains the methods and best practices for growing and engaging social media audiences and shows how to build successful paid advertising campaigns on leading social platforms. It also covers how to obtain and report data from native analytics platform tools for deeper audiences and campaign insights.
Other modules to be taught include:
• Display and Video Advertising
• Paid Search (PPC) with Google Ads
• Analytics using Google Analytics
• Email Marketing
• Digital Marketing Strategy
Web development courses
Perhaps one of the most enticing aspects of getting into a field of work like web development is the opportunity to get into it straight away. Unlike many careers that require months or even years of learning and training, people interested in web development can easily get started right away if they feel the spark of learning in their mind!
A variety of free, self-guided online web development courses covering everything from simple programming introductions to the development of best practices are the best place to get a sense of how development works. Below, we’ll take a close look at the top web development courses and outline what each of them can offer you.
Codecademy
Codecademy provides a collection of self-guided lectures to interested beginners to learn the fundamentals of web development programming. An in-browser development environment is developed to learn simple front-end code structures such as HTML and CSS before switching to back-end languages such as Python and Ruby on Rails.
Khan Academy
An incredibly useful learning platform covering all sorts of topics, and the computer programming section cannot be ignored. It features a range of self-guided tutorials, usually with experts offering audio and video instructions on the subject. Simultaneously, interactive on-screen windows display the code and produce the results during the narration process.
MIT OpenCourseWare
An array of self-guided courses from none other than one of the finest technical schools in the United States, MIT. The MIT OpenCourseware program provides an incredible range of topics to take lessons on, including hundreds of courses on programming, mathematics, development, and computer engineering.
The Introduction to Computer Science and Programming is a complete, independent course of study. It provides all the tools and course materials you need to be happy about and interested in programming. Gentle Introduction to Programming Using Python is also a good resource to gain insight into that common and well-designed back-end language.
Mozilla Developer Network
Mozilla, the team behind the famous Firefox web browser, has created an amazing platform for developers of all skill levels and experience via the Mozilla Developer Network. These articles, resources, and tutorials are ideal for those who retain information and learn better using the tried-and-tested reading words method and seeing case studies right there on the website. There is a broad range of subjects, from simple web introductions and front-end languages to common terminology and performance and optimization.
A-List Apart
A-List Apart is home to many excellent articles dealing with everything from coding and techniques to architecture and user interface. It is one of the most knowledgeable and up-to-date online publications targeted specifically at web developers and designers. If you want to do some basic reading and learn from the experience and guidance of other experts in the field, it is a great resource to browse through the articles here.
Coursera
Closely related to MIT OpenCourseware, Coursera provides a wide range of online courses from several universities around the world free of charge. Each course varies slightly in structure and timeframe, but various courses are available for development, programming, and computer science to get a taste of it.
An excellent beginner program guide can be discovered in the program for everyone at the University of Michigan. Although the language used in the course is unique to Python, the course itself focuses on the principles of general programming that can be extended to nearly all languages that you will come across for years to come.
Copywriting Courses
The internet is flooded with information about copywriting.
Yet they’re in bits and pieces. Here’s a follow-up blog post. With information scattered everywhere like that, it’s almost hard to tell whether you’re covering it all.
Plus, even if you manage to spend a lot of time browsing the internet for real useful articles with reliable facts, you’re most likely not to get away with the whole picture.
Your greatest chance of success is to identify a value-packed copywriting course designed to get you ready to launch.
Here’s why you need to take a course:
Copywriting goes hand-in-hand with marketing. This means that you need a comprehensive understanding of marketing and how it relates to copywriting.
Copywriting is a wide field. And different methods contribute to the intent of the copy you are writing. A copywriting course will take a hard look at the methods to use them correctly for the copy you are creating.
You need to have faith in the educational material. Anyone can lose a copywriting blog post, but with a copywriting course, you can maintain their qualifications and accreditation so that you can feel secure in the source you’re learning from.
We’ve put together three of the best copywriting courses you can find around, so you can make a rational decision and launch your copywriting journey as soon as possible.
Success Works’ Copywriting Course
Looking to concentrate on B2B and SEO content? If that is the case, Success Works might be the course for you. They have the notable title of becoming the first agency to specialize in SEO, and they happen to be the pioneers of the first SEO Copywriting Certification program, founded in 2010.
It will concentrate on writing skills for web and social media, concentrating on keyword research, convincing copy that converts, and, most importantly, evaluating performance. It is managed by Heather Lloyd-Martin, described by Forbes as ‘the pioneer of SEO copywriting.’
The Creative Copywriter Academy
The Copywriting Kickstarter Course guides budding copywriters through the whole ‘start-up’ journey. No more searching the internet for ‘how-to’ blog posts. You’ll have all you need after the course. From marketing basics to advanced copywriting methods, to book-keeping and invoicing to getting gigs, you’ll be able to take your freelance copywriting business to the next level.
American Writers and Artists Inc. Copywriting Course
AWAI’s ‘Accelerated Six-Figure Copywriting Course’ offers an enticing promise and comes from the brain of one of the most highly prolific copywriters, Mark Ford (pen name Michael Masterson).
You’re going to walk away from this a practicing copywriter with a winning portfolio. Not only that, you’re going to be well versed in direct copywriting response, and you’re going to be an insider with all trade secrets to produce a lucrative, convincing sales copy.
This is a mammoth course guide, full of copywriting treasures. You have access to tutors who will interact with you about the book, but you can take it at your speed. You’re also going to have to get involved in two writing tasks that will earn criticism and expert tips.
Google Digital Marketing Courses
Google offers a Free Digital Marketing Certification course that allows students to learn digital marketing basics in tandem with Google Products. After completing the course and clearing the online exam, you will be certified with a Google Certificate. After being accredited by Google, one will be rated a strong and qualified digital marketing professional. All Google certifications are fully online and free of charge.
Who can take the Free Course
Any recent college graduate looking to pursue a promising career in digital marketing? Is any marketing professional ready to work as a digital marketing expert in a well-known and large organization or a fast-growing company? Digital Marketers ready to improve their digital marketing skills. Business owners willing to grow their online business will benefit from learning about Google My Business, Google Ads, and other essential topics.
This digital marketing course is illustrated by case studies, videos, webinars, and readable material, alongside real-time simulations.
Google Certifications for Digital Marketers (All Courses)
The Google Certification course is designed for beginners and experienced users to apply the techniques in real-time environments. This course was structured for practical learning in which learners had the experience of using the latest and most recent digital marketing methods. It also trains the learners for the certification exams.
By gaining certification from Google, one makes their curriculum vitae stand out from the others while at the same time demonstrating their prowess in digital skills. Since it’s difficult for beginners to understand all the information needed online, Web Training provides classrooms and live online sessions. This certification program allows both marketers and business people to gain certification and become accredited digital marketers.
Basic Google Certification courses are as follows:
Google Ads Search
Introduction of Remarketing lists for search ads is given in this. Also, steps to align ad strategies with the requirements of organic niche leads are taught.
Google Ads Display
This course will enable you to understand the principle of display ads and how to advertise on Google Network apps and websites. It also encompasses remarketing campaigns.
App for Google Ads
Support is offered in the organization of campaigns planned to be launched on mobile platforms. Various ways to formulate cross-functional ad campaigns are taught to conform to mobile platforms. You will be able to start mobile app promotions after learning this course.
Google Ads Video
Various ways to use videos as potential tools in advertising are presented and techniques to create convincing videos. The goal of this course is to help you understand both Google Network Video and AdsYouTube Ads.
Shopping in Google Ads
This course aims to illustrate how to display Google Network Shopping Ads. Different methods are shown to build and manage Google Merchant Center Account efficiently. There are various ways to optimize your shopping campaign on Google.
Other courses include:
• Google Ads Measurement
• Google Analytics course
• Google My Business (GMB)course