16 Training Resources to Stay Ahead of the Curve as a Marketer

by Eshita Durve on 
March 26, 2024 | 
Digital Marketing Resources
Eshita Durve

At Rocket, as a full-service digital marketing agency, we're frequently approached with questions about the best training resources for the continual education of marketers, which resources our agency specialists use and how marketers can stay up-to-date in our fast-evolving digital landscape. 

Drawing from our collective experience in digital strategy, Creative, SEO, Paid Media, Google Ads, Paid Social Ads, Email, and more, we've curated a list of resources that we’d recommend to any marketer aiming to excel in their field. This list includes a range of blogs, podcasts, and certificate courses, with some more specialised than others. Whether you're refining your strategy, building technical skills, or keeping up with industry news and trends, there’s something in here for everyone. 

The depth of the resources can be overwhelming, so make sure you kick off with only those that are highly relevant to you.

1. Marketing AI Institute

The courses at Marketing AI Institute are introductory courses to how AI can help a business drive efficiency, and go on to explore how marketers and business leaders can pilot and scale AI for growth. We recommend you get started with their newsletter and podcast.

  • AI Newsletter: The weekly newsletter shares top AI news, complete with an in-depth analysis of implications. 

  • The Artificial Intelligence Show: Previously The Marketing AI Show, their podcast discusses 3 new AI stories and addresses 2 rapid-fire topics from the industry globally.

Here are some specific courses that may interest you:

  • Intro to AI for Marketers: This 30-minute, live, online class dives down what AI is, how you can find out which use cases require AI, how to find the right technology vendors, the business outcomes it can help you achieve, and more.

  • Piloting AI: From interns to CMOs, this collection of on-demand courses shares practical frameworks and information on the use of generative AI, and exposes learners to several sample use cases and AI tools.

  • Scaling AI: This course explores topics like AI Fundamentals, AI Literacy, and Generative AI Policies, and is an excellent resource for understanding how AI advancements will impact organisational structure and processes, the best ways to speed up AI adoption in your firm, and much more.

2. StoryBrand

The StoryBrand Messaging Framework is a fantastic course for you if your brand is struggling with communicating a consistent, clear message to your audience. This framework is ideal for companies with jargon-filled websites and social media posts, conflicting copy, and blurry value and positioning statements. 

The course comprises a 7-part messaging framework, 28 “no fluff” videos, a workbook, and templates to help you apply the framework based on your business requirements. It also includes assessments and a scoreboard to ensure consistent practice, improvement, and performance.

3. Smarter Marketer Podcast

Rocket’s Co-Founder and B&T Marketer of the Year Finalist, James Lawrence hosts the Smarter Marketer podcast crafted to be the definitive podcast for Australian marketers. He interviews marketing leaders and industry experts to discuss the latest marketing news and trends, and what in-house marketing managers need to do to stay on top of their marketing game and have more successful careers.

Here are the most popular episodes:: 

  • EP 50: Drawing Insights and Forming Strategy with Julian Cole

    In this episode, Julian Cole, a strategy consultant for major brands like Uber and Disney, shares practical tips on crafting marketing strategies and explores the true nature of insights for driving creative endeavors. Key highlights include the 1:2:3 model, innovative strategies from Spotify's Gen X targeting to use generative AI, and case studies from PlayStation, Snickers, and Hilton Hotels.

  • EP 39: Balancing Brand and Performance with Lindsay Rogers and Tristan Velasco

    In this episode, three agency founders tackle the crucial balance between brand building and performance marketing, highlighting the significance of long-term strategies and the synergistic effect of combining both approaches. They delve into storytelling's power, and the strategic allocation of budgets, and provide insights with an Airbnb case study on shifting focus toward customer education during economic downturns.

  • EP 16: Mastering B2B Email Marketing with Eshita Durve

    Rocket's in-house email marketing expert, shares insights on maximizing email as a channel for B2B businesses, covering lead nurturing, database segmentation, and selecting the best automation software. She also addresses common email marketing mistakes and the objectives behind emailing your database.

4. DigitalMarketer

DigitalMarketer offers a comprehensive suite of marketing tools and training designed to help marketers learn from real professionals, connect with industry experts, and gain the strategies and tools needed to grow and scale their businesses. Their courses are designed to cater to both beginners looking for a place to start and seasoned marketers aiming to elevate their skills.

Check out these resources:

  • Digital Marketing Mastery Certificate

    Aimed at both beginners and experienced marketers, this course is for those looking to solidify their understanding of digital marketing principles and practices.

  • Frameworks and books

    The platform also offers a variety of printable frameworks and other tools - such as the TikTok Ad Setup Guide, and the Customer Avatar Worksheet - to help you refine your strategy and marketing approach, while also identifying problem areas.

  • DM Insider Newsletter

    The newsletter combines a variety of resources like tools, tips, and new marketing ideas, which are great for inspiration to try out a new approach, and also for re-evaluating your current strategy and see if anything can further be streamlined.

5. HubSpot Academy

HubSpot Academy is a leading global platform offering a wide range of free, online training courses tailored for professionals in inbound marketing, sales, and customer service/support. They offer comprehensive certifications, singular-topic courses, and bite-sized lessons aimed at growing one's career and business knowledge.

Here are some noteworthy courses:

  • Digital Marketing Strategy
    This practical course covers nine fundamental parts of digital marketing including inbound, content marketing, SEO, website optimisation, video marketing, digital advertising, email marketing, social media, and analytics.

  • AI for Marketers Course 
    Learn​ how to use AI ethically and smartly to generate content, derive customer insights and personalise your marketing like never before.

  • Inbound
    The course focuses on the fundamentals of inbound methodology, emphasising the importance of creating shared goals, understanding buyer personas, and meticulously defining the buyer's journey. You’ll learn to implement a customer-focused inbound strategy that leverages the flywheel model to accelerate the company's growth trajectory.

  • SEO Performance Analytics
    Learn how to set up and run SEO campaigns, stay ahead of incoming trends, and how to evaluate how your SEO performance compares to your competitors.

  • Website UX for Marketers
    Learn more about how to make user-friendly websites that drive conversions (or are at least appealing, easy to navigate, and memorable) with this quick lesson.

6. Econsultancy

Econsultancy is a digital marketing and e-commerce resource that offers insights, training, and reports for marketing professionals and businesses. They focus on providing up-to-date data, best practices, and trends in digital marketing to help organisations improve their online marketing strategies and customer engagement.

Econsultancy’s Data Analysis and Storytelling paid course is a combination of live and on-demand training that helps equip marketers analyse data to derive impactful insights, understand how KPIs and ROI work, and how to craft a compelling story to explain your data and understand why it is what it is.

The course helps refine marketing strategy by developing an understanding of how data impacts long-term and short-term goals, visualising data, and forecasting its impact.

Other resources that you would find valuable are:

  • Case Studies

    Econsultancy's collection of case studies demonstrates top-notch practices and innovative approaches within the broad realms of digital marketing and e-commerce, featuring contributions from global companies. Check out some of Rocket’s case studies on EConsultancy.

  • Live webinars

    Learn about the newest digital trends in advertising, content, customer experience, data and analytics, eCommerce, B2B, and a number of other digital marketing areas.

  • Other courses

    Econsultancy also offers several other courses that explore the fundamentals of digital marketing, like SEO, content marketing, and influencer marketing, and are fantastic for understanding nuances about your marketing strategy that you may need to gain a stronger grasp over.

7. Marketing School Podcast

Quick 10-minute episodes, Neil Patel and Eric Siu’s podcast is a great resource for staying up to date on what’s happening in marketing globally, and they even share an actionable tip that you can try out soon enough. Neil and Eric ask some pressing questions to business owners and current CMOs on how their companies grew the way they did, and what smaller firms can do to address their marketing problems.

8. Social Media Examiner

With an array of different resources covering topics that help marketers navigate murky social media waters, Social Media Examiner is a free newsletter that has built a community of 387,000 curious marketers who meet and share ideas once a month. 

A few of their many resources that are fantastic for ongoing learning are:

  • Social Media Marketing Podcast: Founder and CEO Michael Stelzner hosts this 45-minute podcast and talks about a variety of topics, ranging from Instagram lead-gen strategies that work to email marketing best practices.

  • Marketing Agency Show: Available both as a podcast and on video, this show highlights how agency owners and client-side marketers tackle some of the most persistent challenges that come up when working with different, ever-changing industries, client acquisition issues, and tactics that help them do more than just keep up.

  • YouTube: Social Media Examiner’s YouTube channel takes marketers through the platform’s journey towards growing into a marketing news + insights giant and discusses the answers to some very compelling questions about working as a marketer.

9. Social Media Today

This is an excellent website for the latest news and insights on the social media landscape, Social Media Today publishes and aggregates articles covering updates from Facebook, LinkedIn, Instagram, Pinterest, Snapchat, TikTok, and X. 

These resources by the platform are worth checking out:

  • On-Demand Webinars: Social Media Today regularly hosts webinars with partners like Northwestern University, FedEx Office, and Aspire to explore interesting marketing topics and angles to the latest developments.

  • Survey Reports: It is a great idea to keep an eye out for Social Media Today's survey reports as they uncover new findings across a number of aspects of the customer journey, like mapping affiliate marketing experiences and tactics.

  • Trendlines: Trendlines help marketing managers and business leaders learn more about how their industry is changing, what is on the consumer's mind, and how to adapt strategy to tackle the changes and play to your business strengths.

10. Hootsuite Blog

From articles on how to create an effective social media marketing strategy in 2024, to advice on the best way to schedule YouTube videos, the breadth of information Hootsuite’s blog covers is unmatched. 

The blog comprises two dedicated verticals for perspective - strategy and marketing experiments - and also offers many other free tools:

  • Templates and Guides: Tools like the ‘Buyer Persona Template’ are extremely useful for understanding your customer better - especially when you’re an in-house marketer and need more clarity on who you’re targeting, or who your product/service is best suited for.

  • Webinars: Hootsuite has a webinar for anything you may need - from time-saving tips to social media essentials across different industries, these webinars cover a breadth of topics.

11. Search Engine Journal

For marketing managers and SEO experts looking to stay up-to-date on everything that’s happening in search engine marketing, Search Engine Journal offers several resources that cover not only SEO, but also Paid Media, Content, Social, Digital, and much more. 

Key resources include:

  • SEJ Webinar: From a breakdown of new, technical updates in SEO and other topics, like Google’s new SERP features in 2024, to tips and tricks like website SEO health best practices, the webinar touches on a number of different, relevant topics.

  • Search Engine Journal Show: The podcast by the same name, hosted by Founder Loren Baker, touches on persistent questions that pop up in the minds of both in-house and agency marketers.

12. Search Engine Land

Another great platform for ongoing search and SEO learning, Search Engine Land covers updates on a more expansive array of platforms, including but not limited to Google, Amazon, Apple, DuckDuckGo, OpenAI, Pinterest, Shopify, and WordPress. 

In addition to articles, they regularly push out the following insightful resources too:

  • Intelligence Reports: Search Engine Land’s intelligence reports are very well-researched guides on marketing tools that marketing managers can adopt and adapt to fit their business needs. We recommend checking out their very relevant guide on marketing attribution and performance management since tackling attribution challenges the right way is currently the need of the hour for marketers.

  • Newsletter: The daily free newsletter drops breaking news and the latest research on SEO, PPC, and search engine marketing, and is a great morning read if you’re interested in starting your day off with analysis, expert intelligence, and buyer guides instead of coffee.

Top Resources for Technical Training

The essential technical stack for marketing managers includes SEO, SEM, Google Analytics, Meta, and a few other skills and tools. The following resources are perfect for getting started right from basics, or further expanding your knowledge of these tools if you already possess some.

13. Semrush Academy

Semrush offers some courses and lessons that help learn how to implement effective SEO strategies across several different platforms, and how to make the most of them - regardless of whether you work in-house or in an agency. 

Noteworthy resources to check out are:

14. Google Search Central

Here you’ll find everything you need to know about Google SEO, how ranking works, and how to follow what the algorithm requires to improve your business results in search. 

You can get started with these resources:

  • SEO Starter Guide: This guide includes everything from how much time SEO results start to reflect, to suggestions on using descriptive URLs for better ranking. For anyone wishing to start from scratch, this is a gold mine.

  • Google Search Central Blog: The blog often includes updates to Google’s algorithm, which are crucial for ensuring your SEO tactics continue to play to your strengths. If you’re not regularly following up on algorithm news for not just Google but also other platforms, it’ll probably lead to your SEO going down the drain.

15. Meta Blueprint

Instagram is set to become the go-to search engine for Gen Z, Whatsapp is slowly becoming the platform for real-time communication between businesses and customers, and the Metaverse is inching closer. Meta Blueprint is the best platform to learn how to leverage Meta’s digital marketing tools to your strengths, especially if you’re an in-house marketer. 

Key resources to check out are:

  • Lessons: Bite-sized lessons explore simple and complex topics on how to market with Mets most effectively. Whether it’s a beginner course on how to start marketing with Meta Technologies, or something more specific like creating audiences in Meta Ads Manager, they have something for everyone.

  • Certification Hub: A great way to make sure that you get more comprehensive technical training on how to market with Meta, certifications equip you with A-Z knowledge on ads, strategy, and more while establishing you as a Meta Certified Professional.

16. Google Skillshop

The e-learning courses on Google Skillshop are fantastic for deepening your understanding of how data works, especially with their course on Google Analytics. However, they offer several certifications that are great for understanding how to use Google marketing tools and products in the best way. 

These are the ones we recommend trying out:

  • Analytics Academy: The academy offers a set of free courses from the beginner to advanced level, and explains how to analyse user data and reports generated on your business’ Google Analytics account to derive insights that help improve your strategy.

  • Google Ads: The Google Ads Certification is suitable for people who have a sound understanding of the basics of Google Ads, and intend to become an online advertising expert. Different types of Ads certifications include search, display, video, shopping ads, and Google Ads apps.

At Rocket, our team has access to the best tools and training so we’re up-to-date with what’s happening in the industry.

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Eshita
Eshita Durve
Head of Marketing | Email Lead | Rocket Agency

Eshita is Rocket Agency’s Head of Marketing and Email Lead. Eshita has been a finalist at the B&T Women In Media awards in the marketing category for her success in scaling Rocket’s own marketing efforts.

Previously, Eshita was the Marketing Manager at SalesITV where she was responsible for executing the marketing strategy and operations focused on lead generation, lead nurturing and sales conversion.

She has had in-depth experience in monetising owned media channels and scaling and running successful online webinars. What’s more, Eshita’s experience working closely with sales teams has enhanced her skillset as a proficient marketer who achieves impressive results.

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