by Colleen Shifflett | Dec 22, 2019 | Digital Marketing, Work at Home
Free marketing certifications can be a good way to start learning the skills you need to work at home in digital marketing. There are a lot of options out there, and you don’t have to spend a dime!
What to Consider Before You Jump In
These are free, right? So why would you think too hard about jumping in? A lot of these certifications are platform-specific. You’ll want to make sure that earning these certifications will actually help you land clients or get a job and earn money. Think about it – nothing in life is free, especially your time. Do a little research before you get started to make sure the certifications are actually in demand. You also may want to consider whether or not you’ll be able to put into practice what you’ve learned in a real environment until you score a paying gig.
HubSpot Academy
HubSpot sells marketing SaaS products and has a variety of free certifications available on its HubSpot Academy page. Experience with HubSpot is currently frequently desired in digital marketing job descriptions. Also, many of the certifications are broad enough that they can be applied to a lot of different platforms.
Google Analytics Individual Qualification
The Google Analytics Individual Qualification (GAIQ) can be earned completely free online. Google even offers the courses necessary to learn the exam material at their Google Analytics Academy. If you’re going to have a website at all, this is a good place to get a primer on how to use Google Analytics. It’s also a basic requirement for many digital marketing specialist positions.
If you’re not super into numbers or don’t plan on working with websites much, Google Digital Garage may be a better place for you to start. Bonus: You can also find courses here focused on soft skills like networking. Since Google’s not going away any time soon, these are fantastic certifications to earn.
Alison Diploma in E-business
This Alison certification is fantastic for anyone who’s going into business for themselves. You will walk away with a marketing plan and learn more about copywriting and keywords. This site also has a plethora of other courses that can help get you on the road to better conversion rates.
Do you need free marketing certifications?
Maybe, maybe not. There are a ton of other free learning options out there that can help jumpstart your digital career. It may come down to how you learn (structured modules vs. random YouTube videos.) At this time, I personally have none of these free marketing certifications, but I’ve used other resources on these sites to learn how to do what I need to do. Then again, I also have a graduate degree that included courses on digital media, information architecture, and web design. Only you will know what’s best, but these are all solid choices if you’re looking to learn a lot and gain credibility.
Hope this helped you! If it did, will you please spread the word to someone else?
by Colleen Shifflett | Dec 1, 2019 | Digital Lifestyle
2024 Update: This post was written before the pandemic, but the basic principle is still valid today. You can make money from home in a lot of different ways.
This has become a very popular subject and there are currently a lot of social media influencers dedicated to promoting “get rich online” schemes.
This. Is. Not. That.
None of these made me “rich.” All of these helped me make money while I was learning something new, and that’s where the value is.
I want to call out Textbroker in particular in this update because the rise of AI seems to have cleared out opportunity on that platform. Although you may see influencers claim otherwise, it is no longer a way to make money online as I’ve heard they’ve stopped accepting authors and as of yesterday there were no assignments available.
I’ve decided to leave the post unchanged so that you can see the steps I took to get a start in digital marketing. My first two steady gigs came from Flexjobs and it really helped me get started.
Enjoy!
Make money from home! That’s the dream, right? A work at home job means you have no commute and may or may not have to wear pants. It’s easy to skeptical, though, when there are so many scams are out there. Here I’m going to share the work at home job websites that WORKED for me! (As in I got a legit paying gig.)
This one’s best for skilled writers, and it’s also good for people looking to break into copywriting and search engine optimization (SEO.) You created an account and then take a test to be given an author rating. The highest is 5, but a 3 or 4 will get you options for plenty of work. The pay isn’t very high, but you can add a chunk of change to your income if you get organized about choosing assignments and don’t need to spend much time re-writing. You’ll get feedback from clients and from the folks at Textbroker. This site is different from other sites like Upwork in that you choose the assignments on your own, you don’t have to compete for them.
A lot of people are skeptical of Flexjobs from the get-go because they do charge you to have full access to job listings. What you get is access to jobs that they have pre-vetted for you. I’ve made a lot of money on steady work from this site, and it’s also good to start giving you an idea of which companies hire remotely so that you can search their job listings on your own. Look out for occasional discount codes for Flexjobs and it’s an even better deal!
Instant Teams
Instant Teams was launched to help military spouses and veterans find remote positions since they are often on the move. Set up a profile on the site, and you will be contacted when they have an assignment for you to check out. You get paid through them and they have a fantastic Slack workspace that you’ll join. They’re really there to support you all the way with virtual activities and you can meet some great people.
Find your work at home job!
The great thing about all of these websites is they can set you on the path to more flexible work. A lot of traditional workplaces are willing to allow work at home days. You can take the skills that you land from your remote opportunities and work for just about anyone, anywhere. There are a lot of other sites out there that are legitimate and could be life-changing, but I hope by sharing the ones that actually got me some $$$ might be most helpful. What else has been useful for you?
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