The Best Free Online Courses for Business Owners on a Budget
The landscape of online courses is expansive but if you’re on a tight budget, the best free online courses are what you want. They cover a wide range of topics without sacrificing quality and can be completed on your own schedule. Plus, learning from the couch is way more convenient than traveling to a physical classroom, am I right? Online education is more popular than ever, thanks to platforms like Thinkific, Masterclass, and Coursera. They democratize the learning process for entrepreneurs by leveling the landscape with content that doesn’t require a hefty student loan to access.
Besides any of the following free online courses, we also recommend replaying BlogHer’s digital events for more tips and tricks. We’ve talked with many of your faves who waxed poetic about the ups and downs of their entrepreneurial journeys while teaching the skills they’ve picked up along the way. If you’re on the brink of launching a brilliant idea or revamping an already existing brand, you officially have zero excuses for taking your work to the next level. Sign up and show up for any of these classes to learn something new and put it into action.
Google Digital Garage
Google offers almost 150 courses in collaboration with many reputable companies (YouTube, Grasshopper, OpenClassrooms, etc.). They range in length, offer free or paid certification, and cover an impressive range of topics for all skill levels: Digital Marketing, Career Development, and Data and Tech.
Introduction to Marketing by Wharton University
Over 200,000 people have enrolled in this Coursera class taught by three of Wharton’s most celebrated faculty members. Over approximately 10 hours, students learn the key principles of branding, customer service, and marketing strategies.
How to Build a Start-Up
This intermediate-level course taught by Steve Blank includes nine lessons that cover every part of the startup process, from the history of start-ups to customer development to revenue models.
Email Marketing for E-Commerce
Mailchimp’s Skillshare course is a short an sweet intro (26 minutes, to be exact) to the three key factors that matter when it comes to boosting your email marketing efforts: automation, optimization, and personalization.
How to Create an Instagram Content Plan
Later’s fan-favorite training course teaches you how to identify and connect with your audience through careful content planning that utilizes some of their expert tactics.
Learn How to Build Your Personal Brand on TikTok
If TikTok is a platform you want more brand awareness on, sign up for this masterclass, taught by influencers who have proven success for increasing engagement and follower count.
Social Media Analytics
Quintly’s free data course is for beginners or experienced marketers who need a refresh on understanding the fundamentals of social media analytics and how they can impact your overall brand awareness.
Facebook Blueprint
The Facebook for Business site is a valuable resource for learning all there is to know about marketing on Facebook and its sister platforms Instagram and Whatsapp. Take your pick and learn at your own pace with step-by-step tutorials.
Quick Sprout University
Work your way through this extensive list of articles to learn the basics of digital marketing, starting a website, starting a blog e-commerce, content creation, SEO, and more.
Viral Marketing and How to Create Contagious Content
One of Coursera’s most popular courses is this marketing deep-dive that analyzes the current social media landscape and also provides tactical guidance for making your own, viral mark.
Twitter Flight School
All you need is a Twitter account to take advantage of the free coursework that teaches you how to master advertising on the platform.
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