Teaching digital marketing to the next generation of marketers can be challenging and bring opportunities for a digital marketing trainer. Students today have short attention spans and are used to constant digital stimulation. As an instructor, engaging them through interactive and hands-on learning approaches is essential. I’ve been teaching digital marketing online since 2020, and in this blog, I’ve curated some practical strategies that I implement in my online sessions:
1. Blending Real-world Examples
Gone are the days when textbook knowledge was enough. A digital marketing trainer has to keep the classroom engaged by sharing current case studies, real-life campaigns we’ve worked on, and insights from our industry experience.
We study and curate our analysis on how brands innovate with social media content, paid ads, blogs, and more. I practice showing students how marketing strategies directly apply to challenges companies face every day.
2. Encouraging Experimentation as a Digital Marketing Trainer
Digital marketing is itself a learn-by-doing model. As a digital marketing trainer, I assign mini-projects where students experiment with different tactics, such as creating marketing strategies, designing social media posts and landing pages, and writing copy for ads, posts, and emails.
I’ve seen my students doze off during live sessions. Hence, I allow them to test different approaches, analyze results, and optimize their actions based on data. This experiential learning sticks much better than passive study material consumption.
3. Exposure to Marketing Tools in Class
I teach students all the important tools digital marketers use every day. These tools are easily accessible to them, and by following this, they understand the flow and connection between each process involved in digital marketing.
4. Encouraging Collaborative Experience
Being a new-age digital marketing trainer, I practice fostering teamwork by frequently assigning group projects, conducting case study hunts, and conducting peer feedback exercises. This way, students support each other’s learning and build industry networks.
5. Provide Feedback Beyond Assessment as a Digital Marketing Trainer
Traditional assessment alone does not showcase students’ knowledge of a topic, especially for a practical-oriented course like digital marketing. I also create additional training materials (test your social media marketing skills) and include optional digital templates/checklists as reference material and links to further studies.
A holistic, future-focused approach keeps them invested throughout the term. Apart from just learning, my students also learn to build portfolios, how to ace interviews, and approach and close clients.
Teaching digital marketing well means adapting to the needs of today’s learners. An interactive, collaborative, project-based methodology with fundamental tools and case studies keeps students engaged throughout the course. Most importantly, it equips them with the practical expertise employers and clients seek.
You can WhatsApp me to hire me as a freelance digital marketing trainer or curriculum designer.