Pardot   •   Training

This blog was written before Pardot was renamed to Marketing Cloud Account Engagement. You can read more about the name change and what it means here.

Upskilling in marketing automation is fundamental to the success of our lead generation and nurture activity. The tech, trends, and best practices evolve constantly. Even for those marketers who are hands-on every day, it can be hard to keep up. This is why marketing automation courses are invaluable.

Previously on this blog, I’ve shared our top online resources for marketing automation. While these blogs and publications are extremely helpful, they don’t give you the focus and motivation that an actual course can.

Why complete a marketing automation course?

No matter how advanced your understanding of marketing automation software, completing the right online course allows you to:

• Validate and develop what you already know about automation theory
• Ensure you are implementing your automation software correctly
• Feel confident that you are executing campaigns in line with best practice
• Provide accessible training for members of your team, especially beginners
• Self-serve your basic marketing automation needs without recruiting an external consultant (at least until you really need one!)

Needless to say, there are a plethora of courses available online and offline.

Some are provided by specific marketing automation providers and are, naturally, relevant only to their own automation tool.

Others are produced by industry leaders, consultants and educational organisations and these can be platform-specific or broad, encompassing inbound marketing theory, automation theory and trends, or general best practice for lead nurture.

The right course for you is dependent on your knowledge gaps, how well you know both the theory and the software, and what your goal outcomes are.

You might feel that reading blogs and news articles daily is enough to keep you on top of general trends and emerging martech. However, you could be implementing a specific platform such as Pardot and really need to understand the right way to do so, to avoid making mistakes that cost time and money later.

On the other hand, you might feel like you know the software you use well, yet planning marketing strategy or lead nurture campaigns are areas you could improve on.

Either way, below I have listed six marketing automation courses I think are well worth considering for a B2B marketing professional.

They include a range of providers, platforms, and topics, and range from beginner courses to advanced.

7 marketing automation courses to consider

Trailhead by Salesforce

In Salesforce terminology courses are known as ‘trails’ and there are plenty to choose from over at Trailhead by Salesforce. From Privacy and Data Protection Law, Admin and Analytics, to Salesforce specific modules, you’ll find helpful courses for beginner, intermediate, and advanced marketers. Plus, they’re all completely free.

Pardot Training On-Demand by MarCloud

Take our 10-week course and join our community of students who are watching interactive videos, taking quizzes, and preparing themselves for life with Pardot. This Pardot training is for people who want to know it all, not just collect the badge.

Marketing Cloud Specialist (Marketing Cloud platform-specific)

Have you recently implemented Salesforce Marketing Cloud or do you use this platform as part of your everyday role? Take advantage of the Marketing Cloud Specialist certification so you can fully understand the nuances and capabilities that come with Marketing Cloud.

HubSpot Inbound Marketing Certification

The HubSpot Inbound Marketing Certification is a really handy course to complete for developing your understanding of the general theory that underpins marketing automation. After all, the tool is only as good as the marketer managing it.

Marketo Email Marketing

Another freebie, the online Marketo Email Marketing course, over at Marketo University, is a practical way to learn the fundamentals of automated email marketing, including compliance and personalisation.

DIY Pardot Implementation Course (Pardot platform-specific)

When getting started with Pardot, like any marketing automation platform, it’s vital to get set up in the best way possible for your business. There’s a lot to consider for both the tech and the high-level theory and approach. Implement Pardot correctly and efficiently with this step-by-step DIY Pardot Implementation Course (full disclaimer – this course is provided by MarCloud Consulting!)

B2B Marketing Automation Training

A highly regarded resource in the industry, B2B Marketing is always at the crux of modern marketing problems, providing education in the form of online blogs, downloadable content, offline events, and their online training arm. One of their virtual courses is specifically in Marketing Automation training and it’s worth checking out.

If you’ve taken a marketing automation course that isn’t listed above but you’d recommend, feel free to add it in the comments! As always, if you have a specific Pardot or Salesforce-related question, we’re here to help. Get in touch at any time.