Designed to help would-be digital marketing professionals launch their new careers, the Udacity Digital Marketing Nanodegree program is a comprehensive digital marketing training course.
Focused on helping students develop crucial skills in everything from Search Engine Optimization to Facebook advertising, this course requires no prior knowledge and features step-by-step guidance from leading digital marketing experts.
The Nanodegree course takes approximately 3 months to complete and includes a total of 7 focused courses.
Successful students will walk away with a recognized industry credential, as well as numerous practical tips, guidance, and industry best practices to use throughout their careers.
What is Udacity Digital Marketing Nanodegree?
The Udacity Digital Marketing Nanodegree provides students with the tools they need to thrive in the growing digital marketing landscape.
Whether you’re a beginner in the field or you’re looking to expand your skills, this course delivers convenient, step-by-step instructions on some of the most important elements of online marketing, from defining value propositions to creating a content strategy.
The program includes content co-created with Facebook experts, as well as behind-the-scenes case studies so that students can learn from real-world projects and project reviews.
Additionally, like all Udacity programs, this Nanodegree aims to address a variety of learning styles, with video-based content you can consume at your own pace, as well as real-time support from instructors and a comprehensive student community.
The program features real-time support from staff members, ensuring you can receive instant feedback on your projects and ask questions about core course topics.
You’ll also receive a host of career services with your purchase, such as access to a GitHub portfolio and LinkedIn profile optimization, to boost your chances of launching a new career.
Instructors for the course include Dawn Raquel Jenson, a VP of Customer Experience with extensive insights into social media marketing. You’ll also learn from CEO of Global Media Marketing Benjamin Kepner, Digital Marketing Manager Erica Reid, and Founder of SiteLogic, Matt Bailey.
Sessions also include instructions from Product Leader John Triggs, who has worked with teams at Amazon and Capital One, as well as guidance from Digital Marketer Jen Crompton, and Performance Marketing Manager Liana Gross Furini.
Broken down into 7 courses (with various elective options to choose from), the course program is filled with open-ended, hands-on projects to test your skills, a proprietary Wiki, workspaces where you can experiment with code and quizzes.
There’s also a progress tracker included in the service so you can keep an eye on your evolving education.
Students that successfully complete this course will receive a Nanodegree certification from Udacity, which they can showcase on their resumes and LinkedIn profiles.
You’ll also receive the following:
- Access to personal feedback from experienced project reviewers
- Technical mentor support throughout the program
- Personal career services, such as assistance managing your LinkedIn portfolio
- Access to the Udacity selective network for career mentors
How Much Does Udacity Digital Marketing Course Cost?
Students have two options for enrolling in the Udacity Digital Marketing Nanodegree.
You can choose to pay for access to the course on a monthly basis, which could be worthwhile if you believe you can complete the course quickly.
The monthly price is $399, with the option to cancel anytime if you feel you’ve gotten everything you need from the content.
Alternatively, students can pay for the full three months of access recommended by the course creators upfront at a price of $1017.
This method will give you a 15% discount compared to the pay-as-you-go pricing structure. Plus, you can switch to a monthly package after the three months are over if you feel you need more time.
Udacity also offers personalized deals for students, provided they’re willing to answer some questions about their employment status and income.
Scholarship programs are also occasionally available from the Udacity website. Additionally, students can apply for a refund within 7 days of accessing the content in the US or within 14 days in the EU.
Udacity Digital Marketing Nanodegree Contents
The Udacity Digital Marketing Nanodegree breaks down into 7 courses.
The first 2 courses are compulsory, and the remaining five courses are electives in which you must choose 1 to complete the course.
Though Udacity recommends completing all courses for additional insight into crucial skills and methodologies used within the marketing world.
Although no prior knowledge of marketing is required for this course, students will need access to the following software:
- Spreadsheet software (Excel, Google Sheets)
- A presentation tool (Powerpoint)
- A Google Ads account
- Access to SERanking tool
- Access to Screaming Frog Tool
- Subscription with Ahrefs or Semrush
- Google Search Console Account
The course takes approximately 3 months to complete, provided you spend around 5-10 hours per week on your projects and study.
Here is a breakdown of what to expect from each course.
Course 1: Marketing Fundamentals
One of the two mandatory courses included in the Udacity Digital Marketing Nanodegree, the “Marketing Fundamentals” course includes 7 lessons and a hands-on project.
In this course, students will learn how to define business value propositions and branding, map out customer journeys, and create a content marketing strategy using effective channels.
The lessons start with an introduction to Udacity’s digital marketing framework, followed by an insight into the importance of business value propositions, customer empathy maps, customer journeys, and target personas.
As you progress through the course, you’ll learn how different marketing channels influence your marketing strategy and discover how to measure crucial marketing objectives, KPIs, and metrics.
In the final lessons of the course, students learn how to plan marketing content based on their customer personas and develop skills for creating and managing content.
In the hands-on project, you’ll strategize a marketing plan for a sandbox company, summarizing business models, marketing objectives, and target personas.
Based on your framework, you’ll map the stages of the customer journey and plan content and marketing strategies for each stage.
Course 2: Marketing Data & Technology
The second mandatory course in the Digital Marketing Nanodegree looks at the value of data and technology in the evolving promotional world.
You’ll learn how to identify crucial marketing data and use popular tools like Google Analytics to understand your audience better.
The course begins with an introduction to the key metrics covered in marketing analytics strategies and a behind-the-scenes look at effective analysis models, such as A/B testing and attribution.
You’ll set up a Google Analytics account and navigate the basic features of the platform before taking a deep dive into evaluations of customer behaviors and trends.
Other topics covered in the 6 lessons of this course include:
- Insights into user behaviors on different acquisition channels
- Identifying effective conversion funnels with Google Analytics reports
- Identifying and using the most effective marketing tech platforms and tools
- Developing and building eCommerce capabilities for marketing strategies
- Discovering newly emerging market trends and technologies
- Applying agile marketing principles to Campaigns
In the course project, learners will explore marketing data using Google Analytics and derive insights about audiences using available data.
You’ll also be expected to identify key focus areas for future marketing campaigns based on the trends you discover.
Course 3: (Elective) Social Media Marketing
The first elective course in the Udacity Digital Marketing Course focuses on the increasing value of social media for connecting with and nurturing customers.
In this course, you’ll learn about the key differences between social media platforms and how to manage an effective social presence.
Students learn how to build a community, use organic and paid advertising strategies, and build effective content for various platforms.
The 5 lessons in the course start with an introduction to the importance of social media marketing and how to map social channels to your customer’s needs and journey.
You’ll explore how different content types work across various channels and determine how to implement campaigns using appropriate tools for community management and metric tracking.
As students progress through the course, you’ll also learn:
- How to implement the most effective paid advertising campaigns
- The basics of using Facebook (Meta) advertising tools
- How to develop your target audience personas with demographics, interests, and behaviors
- The tasks involved in developing plans for ad placement and budget
- How to evaluate and review ads using A/B testing campaigns
This course also includes a project which asks learners to build a comprehensive social media campaign for a skincare brand.
You’ll be asked to research and create a paid and organic strategy using numerous resources and insights related to business goals and campaign objectives.
Course 4: (Elective) SEO Essentials
The next elective course in Udacity’s Digital Marketing Certification introduces students to the value of search engine optimization (SEO) and how content can be used to boost business visibility.
The 5 lessons in the course examine concepts like UX design, keywords, and link building, to determine how different methodologies influence SEO results.
You’ll begin with an introduction to the importance of SEO throughout the customer journey and learn how to build a keyword list with high volume, low difficulty, and high opportunity scores.
As you progress through the lessons, you’ll learn how UX design and site structure influence your website visibility and define and use different link-building campaigns.
Finally, you’ll discover the importance of SEO audits and how you can evaluate the overall performance of a website in the search engine result pages.
The project in this course asks learners to evaluate a website, recommend ways to optimize rankings, and use insights gleaned from competitor analysis for SEO.
Course 5: (Elective) SEM Essentials
The third elective course in this program guides students through the basics of search engine marketing (SEM).
The course features five distinct lessons, starting with an introduction to Ad Groups and marketing objectives, enhanced by keyword searches and customer segmentation.
Students will learn how to develop keyword lists using long-tail and short-tail keywords and how they can engage searchers with dynamic and text-based advertisements.
You’ll also have a chance to explore the relationship between CPC bid and ad ranking and develop key performance indicators for benchmark tests.
The project for this course asks learners to build and evaluate the performance of Google Ads campaigns.
You’ll start by identifying the best campaign for a product or brand and establishing crucial metrics to track.
In the second half of the project, you’ll evaluate an existing campaign and provide optimization suggestions based on data from A/B tests, keyword analysis, and more.
Course 6: (Elective) Digital Advertising
Course 6, or the fourth elective course in this digital marketing training program, examines the versatile world of Digital Advertising.
Students will learn how video advertising campaigns work across multiple advertising channels.
The course project invites learners to develop and run a multichannel shopping campaign with display, shopping, and YouTube video ads.
You’ll measure the effectiveness of previous campaigns with case studies, then recommend ad optimizations based on those results.
Students are also asked to evaluate their multichannel campaigns to determine whether their strategies generated measurable outcomes.
Throughout the five lessons in the course, you’ll gain all the insights you need to create your hands-on project.
Lessons also include insights into:
- The challenges and opportunities of collecting customer data
- How to use responsive display ads for mobile advertising
- Selecting the targeting options and metrics for programmatic advertising
- Exploring pricing methods and models used by ad leaders
- Setting bids, budgets, and testing strategies for advertising goals.
- Using the right ad formats and specs to engage audiences on channels like YouTube
- Managing and controlling campaigns through the Google Ads platform
Course 7: (Elective) Email Marketing
Finally, the last elective course in the Udacity Digital Marketing Nanodegree examines the enduring power of email advertising for connecting with and converting audiences.
The four lessons in this course start with an introduction to effectively designing and securing contact forms to collect leads for an ad campaign.
You’ll learn how to use MailChimp to build subscriber lists, then draft clear, concise, and compliant copy for each email message.
As students progress through this course, they’ll explore the core strategies used to develop email marketing plans using different types of campaigns and calendars.
You’ll also learn how to evaluate the results of your campaigns with metrics like open and conversion rates. Plus, there’s a behind-the-scenes insight into the benefits of A/B testing and segmentation.
The hands-on project in this course encourages learners to prepare their own email marketing campaign for a Sandbox project or their existing company’s product or service.
You’ll create a campaign, then evaluate the results using common testing strategies.
Is the Udacity Digital Marketing Course Worth it?
The step-by-step instruction and hands-on projects included in the Udacity Digital Marketing Course have been carefully structured to help students start a new career in this field.
You don’t need any prior knowledge to get started, and you’ll develop essential skills through each lesson, ensuring you can take full advantage of the evolving digital marketing landscape.
This course comes with a host of unique benefits to unlock, from professional reviews of projects from market-leading experts to career services to prepare you for employment.
The training program is regularly updated to remain up-to-date with the latest marketing technologies and trends.
Graduates build the skills they need to thrive in various roles, from SEO specialist to social media analyst, SEM leader, or digital marketing manager.
Plus, you’ll receive a Nanodegree you can use to improve your chances of capturing the attention of potential employers in your space.
If your goal is to start a successful career as a digital marketer and develop the skills required to produce optimized and effective campaigns on various digital platforms, this could be the right program for you.
Other Digital Marketing Courses Worth Considering
If you’re looking for more digital marketing training options, you can consider the following courses:
Reliablesoft Digital Marketing Course - priced only $149, this certification course will teach you everything you need to know about modern digital marketing. The program includes 13 highly practical courses prepared by experienced and successful digital marketers.
Google Digital Marketing Course - created by Google employees, this course will teach you how to approach digital marketing and eCommerce marketing. The program includes seven courses, takes 6 months to complete, and costs $294.
For even more great courses and certifications, review the following guides:
