It can sometimes be frustrating to see inconsistency in the pricing of digital marketing qualifications, our first instinct can sometimes be to go with the cheapest option. We might wonder why if one company can offer a qualification at a lower price, other companies charge more. It can be hard to navigate the confusing jargon of marketing training and figure out if you’re really getting your money’s worth. But cheapest isn’t always the best bargain and there are many important factors to consider that might legitimately drive prices up or down on qualifications.

Some of the more expensive course providers might be so because they have hired the most experienced tutors.

Top course providers may not only have relationships with the top academic tutors in their field, but they may even have secured teaching from industry experts working in marketing, who can provide learners with real-life insights on the skills employers and businesses value most.

No one can provide you with unique insight into how you can apply what you have learned in the real world of work better than an all-star cast of tutors.

Ask:

• How many years of teaching experience do the tutors have?
• Are they well known and respected in their field?
• Will your teachers have both real experience working in the industry and relevant academic tutoring experience?

When choosing a study center, keep in mind that some study centers will be accredited by powerful organizations. For example DMI is a leading international awarding body for digital marketing qualifications and an advocate of best practices in marketing and their accreditation is likely an indicator of a respected study centre.

Courses backed by a well-known and industry recognised accreditor will probably be more expensive. This is because some of the fees will need to go to the accreditor to pay for your assessments and your membership. Study centres are actually thinking of you when getting accreditation as membership to a powerful accreditor will often provide you access to a wealth of extra resources like e-books and webinars. Being able to put a qualification from a well-respected accreditor like DMI on your CV will also elevate your employability and career prospects instantly.

Ask:

• Is this course accredited?
• Who by?
• How long for?

You will likely pay more on courses that offer the most current, up to date content that will teach you the relevant skills to make a difference in your field, since the provider has probably conducted extensive market research and consulted with industry experts and employers to develop better content that will be of great benefit to students and their future employers.

It will understandably cost study centres more to produce the best learning materials such as professionally shot videos or extensive audio-content like podcasts.

Why not check the course materials to see if they’re up to scratch and to your liking beforehand? Most centres will have a course brochure you can download from the website which will have all the ins and outs of the qualification and some might even offer a free trial of some of their learning resources.

Ask yourself:

• Do I like the look/ feel of these learning resources?
• Are they going to be a good fit for me and my learning style?
• Will I enjoy myself working through this content?

As a general rule, more expensive study centres will be the ones that provide you with far more assistance.

It can be a massive benefit for students to find a study centre that will talk to you to understand your needs and goals and make sure you’re studying at the right level and their product is right for you before they sign you up. 

The more expensive course providers often are so because they also recognise the need for continuous tailored support, and the help won’t stop once you have signed up to one of their courses. Some courses offer personal onboarding meetings or phone calls so that you’re properly inducted into the course, as well as dedicated support staff who can respond to your questions within 24 hours. You might receive one on one sessions with your tutors too. 

However, facilitating a robust support system for every individual student doesn’t have any benefit for the study centre themselves, in fact, it costs them time and resources, so it does drive up price. It’s actually a mark of a good study centre if they are willing to put in the effort to provide you with the support you need for a slight increase to the fees. Remember that this added support may balance out the cost.

Ask yourself:

• Will this course provider support me throughout my studies?
• How will they support me?
• Will they respond quickly to any issues quickly?

A course that is more expensive may be so because the institution cares about the learning of its students and offers extensive extra resources, such as e-books or marketing templates you can use in your organization or industry updates and networking opportunities.

If you’re going to pay for a qualification, check what’s included in the core learning package, but also look at what extras come with it as these may be of value to you as well.

Ask yourself: 

• Do I get more, if I pay more for this course?
• What extra resources and benefits are being included?

Learning providers who have vastly more experience and have delivered courses for many years are often more reliable than those who are newer to the market and are still perfecting their methods. Due to their popularity and prestigious reputation, well-known and respected courses can be more expensive due to their increased demand.

Nevertheless, these courses usually have a proven record with thousands of students gaining highly respected qualifications after completing their training which justifies their prices. These kinds of courses will also usually have very high pass rates and generate excellent student feedback.

A business transaction might be used to illustrate this; when you hire someone to do a job, you often pay more for a specialist since they will do it better.

Choosing a course is similar, there are plenty of learning providers offering hundreds of courses in numerous subject areas, but this probably means that they aren’t going to offer the best quality specialist training- specialised providers will pick one or two topics or courses and focus on specialist, quality delivery.

Ask:

• How long has this learning provider been around?
• Does this learning provider have a track record of helping students?
• Has this learning centre formed highly professional standards over many years?

If you choose to take a training course from a well-known and well-respected institute with connections in your field and that can help you get a job through their support systems and reputation, you may be paying more, but you’ll likely get the boost you need to get a job if you do. It’s easy to see how you’d probably be getting a far better return on your investment by paying a little extra and going with them.

The best courses are likely to be able to demonstrate how past students’ careers have been improved and progressed after studying with them. Additionally, their pass rates will be very high and they will receive excellent feedback from students.

Ask:

• Will I get expert careers advice?
• Will this course help me in achieving my goals?
• Is the learning worth my investment?
• What have past students got to say about them?

One big factor that can impact the price of a qualification is the quality of tutors. Some tutors on top courses may also serve as examiners for other cohorts of students as well as other awarding bodies, giving them a much broader view of what learners need to learn and demonstrate to pass.

Although less expensive courses will still try to source the best teaching possible for their price, they may not hire the best academic tutors and industry experts.

Accredited study centers and courses are generally more expensive than non-accredited study centers.

A accredited study center will have to charge more to cover the assessment and membership fees they will be paying to the accreditor for each student.

Centres who are not accredited can therefore be significantly cheaper, but you’ll miss out on the numerous benefits of a powerful accreditation on your CV.

Learning providers deliver courses differently and have different content, so it’s important to understand that course syllabuses will vary.

How a course provider delivers it, as well as how well the learning materials are presented, can affect the cost of the course; many cheaper companies are so because they have chosen learning materials that are cheaper to produce, such as recorded webinars or PowerPoint slides with voiceovers.

While you are taking your course, most providers will provide you with basic support (for example, a virtual learning environment that has a chat function that lets you ask questions to other students and group calls that discuss assignments). Some companies, however, offer more thorough support tailored to your needs.

In general, cheaper learning providers are more interested in getting you enrolled on the course than offering you support during it, as, simply put, better, more individualized support does cost more.

If you go with a cheaper option, you migh