Become a Digital Communication Pro: A Guide to the Best Courses and Programs

Digital Communication courses cover a wide range of topics and skills to prepare learners for a multi-pathed career.

As a digital communication specialist, you’ll learn the fundamental marketing tactics and principles to give visibility to brands.

You'll learn how to use online content platforms to share their stories and attract customers using data-driven strategies.

The tools might be multiple: social media, websites, blogs, email or video and audio content, plus more.

What you'll find in this article:

1. What does a Digital Communication Course Teach?
2. What are the possible career paths?
3. The best courses
4. Conclusion
5. FAQs

Let's dive in!

What Does a Digital Communication Course Teach?

Digital communication professionals work with digital products.

Are expected to have an affinity with the various software, applications and tools that facilitate these goals.

The main knowledge areas you’ll study will be:

• Marketing principles
  
• Writing effective content
• Developing video and audio content
• How to create brand and content strategies
• Grasping how data analytics work in business/marketing

All of the skills housed inside Digital Communication enable rapid response and flexibility to shifting market and technological changes.

Your role as a digital communicator is to create valuable digital content.

It has to capture the user’s attention, and gather data that can be transformed into actionable strategies for brands and businesses. 

What Are Digital Communication Career Paths?

Digital Communication courses will open a myriad of career opportunities for participants.

Virtually all interconnected professions involve content creation or strategy on some level, here are a few examples of digital communication careers:

• Digital Marketing Specialis 
• Social Media Specialis 
• Public Relation 
• Corporate Recruiter 
• Human Resources Representative 
• Content Marketing Specialist 
• Media Producer 
• SEO Specialist 

Explaining the Best Courses for Digital Communication 

For the sake of simplicity, we will break our list down. Why? 

Because digital communication is more of an umbrella term for many related skills.

The list will feature exclusively online courses for ease of access regardless of where you are located. 

We’ll have one section dedicated to online Master’s degrees in digital communication.

Due to their depth, they take much longer to complete: often up to 1-2 years+ and carry a higher cost to learn.

The next section will be dedicated to online short courses. They require only a few hours of study, that focus on specific areas of digital communication.

By combining shorter, less expensive (often free) courses you can build up a wide knowledge of digital communication in parts.

These can be completed at your own pace and you can choose which ones match your specific learning need. 

If you want people to have fun, give them the day off. If you want them to learn, engage them with content.

- Karl Kapp

Best Online Digital Communication Courses: Master’s Degrees 

Master of Arts in Strategic Communication, Digital Communication Strategy and Analytics (American University Online)

Duration: 20 months/ Part-time

Fee: Available on request 

This Master’s course will teach you how to plan strategic campaigns, craft persuasive messages and use data to target audiences with your communications.

The course offers two pathways to deepen your expertise: 

A. Advocacy and social impact: Apply communication and social science theory to mobilise and influence audiences around political, non-profit and social causes. 

B. Digital communication strategies and analytics: Learn to leverage and manage the latest analytics technologies in fully integrated communications campaigns that use the full range of paid, owned, shared and earned channels. 

The online master’s in strategic communication covers four fields of study:

- Principles of strategic communication: Examine the elements and principles that underpin the development and analysis of communication campaigns, public opinion and the media. 

- Communication theory: Study relevant theories of public communication including interpersonal, PR, mass communication, persuasion, and traditional and new media. 

- Research for strategic communication: Learn about quantitative and qualitative research methods to plan and examine strategic campaigns. 

- Writing for strategic communication: Explore the relationship between the audience, message structure, and the chosen medium through strategic writing. 

Potential Careers: 

• Media Relations Manager 
• PR Consultant 
• Digital Campaign Manager 
• Media Outreach Coordinator 
• Marketing Manager 

MA Global Marketing and Communications (London College of Contemporary Arts)

Duration: 12 months 

Fee: £10,400

The course will provide you with expert knowledge in contemporary marketing and the strategic skills necessary to navigate the modern business world.

Key areas include marketing, consumer behaviour and digital communication strategies. 

This course helps students improve their creative skills, strategic thinking, and leadership abilities, enabling them to make informed marketing decisions on a global scale.

You’ll combine theoretical studies with practical work to prepare for leadership roles at the forefront of campaigns. 

There are a number of career paths this course provides a platform for: 

• Brand Management 
• Digital Marketing 
• Project Management 
• Strategic Marketing 
• Marketing Management 

As well as PR-related roles, such as:

• Social Media Manager 
• Communication Strategist 
• PR Account Manager
• CRM Specialist 
• Corporate Communication Manager
• Market Research Manager 
• Marketing Insights Executive 

MSc Strategic Digital Marketing (Arden University)

Duration: 1+ year 

Fee: £9500

This dual-accredited course from the Digital Marketing Institute and the Chartered Institute of Marketing will teach you the core skills and fundamental principles of marketing today.

You’ll gain a wide range of technical, creative and leadership-focused skills that are applied in practical scenarios.

By the end of the course you’ll know how to:

• Develop analytical and planning skills. 
• Develop, design and implement marketing strategies in the digital business environment.
• Explore the challenges presented by “big data”. 
• Evaluate, interpret and analyse a range of marketing-focused data sets related to consumer behaviour, user experience, brands and communication. 
• Identify the potential and effectiveness of various digital marking tools and software. 
• Develop transferable digital skills. 

This course is designed to accelerate candidates to a more senior position within the digital marketing and communications sector.

There are several career paths you can take as a result of qualifying from this course, including:

• Digital Marketing Manager 
• Senior Marketing Exec 
• Email Marketing Specialist 
• Market Insight Manager 
• Marketing Director 
• Head of Sales and Marketing 
• Senior Analyst 
• Brand Manager 
• Product Manager 

CIPR Specialist Diploma in Digital Communications (Oxford College of Marketing)

Duration: 6 months 

Fee: £1500

Our final course in this section isn’t technically a master’s degree but as a level 7 qualification, it is similar.

The course structure contains 3 main elements broken down as such:

1. Exploring the disruptive and transformational impact of digital technologies on society, businesses, organisations and individuals. 

• Examine the effect of existing and emerging digital technologies on communications functions and operations.  
  
• Examine the impact of digital communication trends including journalism, social media influencers, media convergence and stakeholder activism on organisational communication. 
• Use frameworks, tools and techniques to analyse online behaviour, media consumption and the formation of network communities. 

2. Learn the concepts and tools used in strategic PR planning with a focus on digital communications management and social media. 

• Research external and internal environments to identify stakeholders and influencers and the issues affecting an organisation. 
• Identify digital tools and technologies to improve stakeholder engagement and crisis responsiveness. 
• How to develop and manage user-centric content and owned, earned, paid and shared media. 
• Match communication strategies to specific platforms and channels. 

3. Manage, plan, monitor, measure and evaluate digital activities. 

• Determine appropriate management approach and resource requirements. 
• Assess relevant methods of evaluating digital strategies. 
• Evaluate the ethical implications of using digital communication strategies. 

Best Online Digital Communication Courses: Short Courses

For the second half of our courses, these will be short courses that either focus on one component of digital communication, such as brand strategy.

Or provide a broader perspective on the key areas of digital communication.

Brand Management: Aligning Business, Brand and Behaviour (Coursera/University of London)

Duration: 17 hours 

Fee: Free to enrol 

The course aims to change the concept of what a brand is.

From simply being an organisation’s logo and visual assets to a more customer-centric experience.

It relishes the customer journey and is embodied by the attitudes and culture of the entire organisation. 

Through this course, you’ll learn the following: 

• How to build brands from a board organisational perspective. 
• How to effect brand-led culture change with human resource practices.
• How to build brands in multi-brand companies across different cultures and locations.
• How to measure brand health both internally and externally.
• Understand employee-based brand equity as a concept and how this differs from brands being seen as intangible assets.   

Integrated Marketing Communications: Advertising, PR, Digital Marketing and more (IE Business School)

Duration: 11 hours 

Fee: Free to enrol 

Learn an integral part of the marketing mix by understanding your marketing communication campaign on a deeper level.

This course will highlight the most important issues in planning and evaluating digital communication strategies and their execution.

Combine theories, models and practical information to make informed marketing communication decisions. 

• Introduction to the field of integrated marketing communications, the marketing process and the important decisions managers must make along the way, and how to establish brand equity and loyalty. 
• Learn how to plan an effective integrated marketing communications campaign, what the challenges are and how to overcome them. 
• Learn about advertising management and design, the possible message strategies, advertising appeals and execution frameworks. 
• Learn about the marketing mix using the latest tools and trends applicable to integrated marketing communications. 

Digital Media and Marketing Principles (University of Illinois)

Duration: 20 hours 

Fee: Free to enrol

Learn about the impacts of digital technologies on marketing communication strategies and practices.

You'll do it by building an understanding of the underlying process of marketing comms and the core features of media technologies.

So you can strategically select the appropriate channels for your messages. 

• Examine marketing as an example of highly strategic communication.
• Understand the impact of digital media and information technologies on marketing and communication. 
• Develop a base knowledge of several digital marketing strategies. 
• Consider the rise of new technologies such as AI, the Internet of Things, and VR as new tools for marketing. 

Digital Communication Certificate (Growth Tribe)

Duration: 2-4 hours per week (approx 10-12 weeks)

Fee: €495,-

Learn how to distinguish your brand from competitors using a sophisticated communication strategy that persuades and engages online communities using a data-driven approach.

This course will appeal to anyone working within marketing, PR, branding, social media and content strategy teams looking to intelligently boost engagement.

In addition, entrepreneurs and small business owners will find value in learning digital communication tactics that drive awareness across marketing channels. 

• Learn how to create persuasive messages for the digital age using storytelling techniques that open communication channels with your ideal customers. 
• Understand the role of data in your digital communications strategy and how it allows you to accurately define and impact your audience.  
• Build a brand identity that goes beyond visual assets. Learn how to communicate your brand values and value to prospective customers. 
• Learn how to plan, develop, execute, monitor and measure strategic communications
• Reflect and evaluate campaign performances using data and transform insights into decisive action.  

Final Thought

There is a massive demand for skilled digital communicators across a breadth of industries.

Learning these fundamental skills will prepare you for a successful career in a variety of roles, most of which are transferable so you’re never in danger of stagnating!

If you’d like some advice on which education route is best for your circumstance, speak to us here and we’ll do our best to help. 

FAQs

What is digital communication?

Digital communication is the use of mixed digital channels  (email, social media messaging, blog posts, ...) to reach your audience with a specific message with a clear goal in mind.  

What is an example of Digital Communication?

Some examples of Digital Communications are blogs, chats, email, chatbots, live chat, video chat, and websites. 

Become a Digital Communication Specialist!

Master the fundamentals of Digital Communication as you learn about: 

• Module 1 - Persuasive Communication in the Digital Age

• Module 2 - Crafting effective content

• Module 3 - Data-informed digital communications: Knowing and impacting your audience

See the full course overview here.

Learning with Growth Tribe couldn’t be easier. All of our courses are designed to be flexible for the learner with self-paced content so you can manage your time and learning, to best suit your lifestyle. 

Join a community of over 35,000 certified alumni who share a passion for growing their skills and positively impacting their careers.