Learning Experience Designers bring value from many disciplines — and digital marketing is one of the most transferable, offering audience insight, storytelling techniques, and data-driven strategies that directly improve educational content design and delivery.
Digital Marketing Education Online
The following free courses from Google, HubSpot, and OpenClassrooms cover core digital marketing skills with direct applications to instructional design practice.
Covers a broad spectrum of digital marketing — invaluable for instructional designers looking to incorporate audience-focused strategies into their practice.
Key topics- Building and planning a web presence for online business strategy
- Search engine visibility basics and improvement
- Local and social media engagement strategies
- Mobile marketing and email marketing
- Web analytics and actionable insights
- E-commerce and global business expansion
Focuses on integrating underrepresented perspectives throughout the creative process — directly applicable to designing inclusive and equitable learning experiences.
Key topics- Building diverse teams for varied perspectives
- Inclusion in strategy at every execution stage
- Inclusive creative choices to avoid stereotypes
- Accountability measures for inclusive practices
Covers crafting appealing, share-worthy content that engages audiences and drives action — with strong crossover to learning content strategy and storytelling.
Key topics- The power of storytelling in content creation
- Building a content creation framework
- Planning a long-term content strategy
- Generating innovative content ideas
- Developing topic clusters and pillar pages
- Measuring and analyzing content performance
A practical course on visual and narrative communication — covering the techniques instructional designers use to clarify thinking and present ideas compellingly.
Key topics- Using mind mapping to explore and organize ideas
- Using storyboarding to bring ideas to life
- Creating engaging presentations
- Strategic image use in communication
A focused session on building a simple, effective social media strategy — useful for learning designers promoting their work or building a professional presence.
Key topics- Understanding the role of social media in reaching new audiences
- Building blocks of a simple social media strategy
- Tools to save time when creating social posts
What can we learn from the marketing world as learning professionals?
Both fields share core objectives — engaging an audience, delivering a message effectively, and motivating action. Marketing provides valuable insights that translate directly into creating more engaging and effective learning experiences.
Strategies we can integrate from Marketing
- Enhanced Engagement: Use marketing tactics to grab and hold the learner’s attention.
- Data-Driven Insights: Apply audience analytics to tailor learning experiences.
- Persuasive Communication: Use persuasion principles to motivate and inspire learners.
- Creative Storytelling: Apply narrative techniques to create memorable learning experiences.
Strategic Marketing Topics applicable to Instructional Design
- Understanding your audience: Deeper understanding of learners’ needs, preferences, and challenges.
- Content strategy: Create content that resonates with the audience.
- Brand building: Build and maintain a ‘brand’ for your courses or educational programs.
- Digital presence and SEO: Strong online presence increases visibility and accessibility of educational content.
- Social Media engagement: Use platforms for educational purposes to boost interaction.
- Analytics and Feedback: Use data analytics to measure the success of learning programs.
