I’m a Digital Marketer and Here’s My Free Advice on Learning Marketing

Personal Experience Forum
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If you’re just starting out, don’t fall for any of these free courses being promoted.

I’ve been in marketing for nearly 15 years, and trust me, the last thing I’d want is to teach people how to compete with me. If someone offers you a course or coaching, be cautious.

Most of the time, people selling courses either:
A) Make their money from selling the courses (not actually from marketing)
B) Are newbies themselves who just learned how to sell marketing courses after buying one.

So, how do you actually learn marketing? Get a real job in marketing. That’s how I started—I worked for free for a marketer for two years before I got paid. I’m not saying you should work for free, but if you want it badly enough, you’ll find a way.

If you absolutely need to learn online, Google’s course on Coursera is a decent place to start. Go through that first, then figure out your next steps.

One more thing: Marketing won’t make you rich. I’ve been doing this for 15 years and live comfortably, but I’m not buying sports cars or mansions. Marketing teaches you how to market, not how to run a business—there’s a difference.

And no, don’t DM me for tips or courses. I’m not selling anything. Just sharing advice here.

2

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3

I also learned on the job. Luckily, my boss paid me from the start.

4

But what if some people genuinely want to teach and share knowledge?

5

Blair said:
But what if some people genuinely want to teach and share knowledge?

I’ve been in marketing for about as long as OP. Before COVID, I hosted local meetups where I taught people marketing skills to help them start careers or grow in their current jobs.

I get OP’s frustration with the scams out there, but some of us enjoy helping when we can. That said, I’ve never sold courses or charged for advice.

A good marketer needs more than skills—they need soft skills too. I’ve won clients over people with way better technical skills just because I connect well with people.

6

@Ming
Yeah, I totally get that. Makes sense.

7

Learning on your own is possible, but you need to try out real strategies. Watching tutorials is fine, but don’t rely only on others’ opinions—figure out what works for you.

I’ve been marketing since 2012. I’m not rich, but I’ve earned more than I did in my old 9-to-5. I’m comfortable, have more free time, and enjoy what I do. Just find what you love, and stick with it.

8

OP says courses are useless, but this post feels like a course in itself.

If you’ve been in marketing 15 years and don’t sell advice, that’s cool. Working for free for two years also takes dedication.

Side note: I hated broccoli as a kid, but now I eat it. Life changes, I guess?

9

I’ve been in marketing for over 15 years too and wouldn’t call myself an expert.

Can you share how you handle data-driven attribution versus last-click attribution?

When do you adjust attribution windows, and how do you measure awareness campaigns when looking at CPA?

10

@Remington
Honestly, most attribution tools are overkill for small teams. Channels don’t work in isolation, so just focus on comparing your own results over time and improving.

In big teams, you might need more detailed metrics for execs, but for small setups, just keep it simple and spend your time doing actual marketing.

11

@Rory
Fair enough, but I was kind of hoping for a detailed walkthrough or example.

12

I agree with the idea that marketing won’t make you rich. I’ve done marketing for years and have a comfortable life, but it’s not a millionaire-maker for most people. It’s still worth it for the freedom and creativity though.