Measuring Digital Marketing Education: What Students Really Learn with Simbound

The article was created with the use of AI to help summarize 24 student responses to an open ended question about what a student has learned with the help of the Simbound simulation made available of a formal education program and also to source and list alternatives to simulations.

Simbound provides an immersive learning experience that brings digital marketing theory to life. After reviewing feedback from students who engaged with Simbound recently, here are the key concepts they reported learning—ranked by frequency— why each one matters in the professional world of digital marketing and a few of the alternatives to simulations. Students who answered the survey come from multiple countries, speak different languages, and study at different levels of education.

1. Website Design & User Experience (UX)

Mentioned by almost all of the students

Why it matters:
Good web design isn’t just aesthetic—it directly impacts usability, credibility, and conversion rates. Professionals understand how layout, color, fonts, and navigation affect user behavior.

 “I can instantly experiment with changes—altering text, colors, fonts, and layout—without affecting the live site. This is an incredibly powerful tool for debugging and learning how other developers have built their sites.”

 “It is essential to have a usable and accessible website, ensuring strong, consistent designs across multiple devices... The website must have a cohesive design and layout to be visually appealing to customers.”

 “This round moved me from a passive consumer to an active creator... altering text, colors, and layout helped me understand why a page behaves the way it does.”

Alternatives:

• Online tutorials (e.g., Codecademy, Coursera)
• Static assignments using wireframe tools or sandbox environments
  Time/resources: ~6–10 hours per topic, limited feedback loops
  Simulation advantage: Immediate setup and experimentation with website building technology and instant feedback on user behavior

2. Pricing Strategy

Mentioned by the vast majority of students

Why it matters:
Digital marketers need to understand how pricing influences perception, sales, and profitability. Even minor price changes can shift customer acquisition cost and brand positioning.

 “Some products were priced too cheaply... I achieved sales, but profit margins were not maximised.”

Alternatives:

• Spreadsheet-based case studies or basic pricing simulation software
• Market research reports
  Time/resources: ~4–6 hours for theoretical frameworks
  Simulation advantage: See live impact of pricing on KPIs like clicks, conversions, and profits

3. Product Selection & Positioning

Mentioned by more than half of the students who responded to the survey

Why it matters:
Choosing the right products and how to present them is core to digital strategy. Aligning product features with audience needs can make or break a campaign.

 “Choosing one brand product over another opened my eyes to the impacts market competition and brand recognition have on visibility and costs.”

Alternatives:

• Competitive analysis assignments
• Consumer behavior case studies
  Time/resources: ~5–8 hours
  Simulation advantage: Test real-time demand scenarios and brand trade-offs in a controlled portfolio setting

4. Contact Forms & Lead Generation

Mentioned by less than half of the students

Why it matters:
Lead generation is critical for customer acquisition. Knowing how to collect and manage user information through website forms underpins email, sales, and remarketing strategies.

“Implementing a contact form on each page helped me understand who is coming to my website.”

Alternatives:

• CRM platform walkthroughs (e.g., HubSpot Academy)
  Time/resources: ~2–4 hours
  Simulation advantage: Students place forms and see immediate lead impact, reinforcing best practices while informing content personalization

5. Search Engine Advertising (SEA)

Mentioned by slightly less than half of the students who responded

Why it matters:
Search Engine Advertising is a central channel in digital marketing. Understanding keyword targeting, bidding, quality scores, and ad copywriting is vital for campaign success.

“I’ve learned to be very careful with wording to fulfill search engine advertising requirements.I have also learnt that SEA is quite complex and that I need to read more about it to use it advantageously”

Alternatives:

• Google Skillshop certifications
• Textbook readings
  Time/resources: ~8–12 hours + exams
  Simulation advantage: Students experiment, fail fast, and learn through action with simulated budgets

6. Campaign Optimization & Strategy

Mentioned by about half of the students who responded

Why it matters:
Marketers must constantly optimize—balancing short-term ROI with long-term brand goals. Learning to prioritize and iterate under time constraints prepares students for real-world digital roles.

“The biggest challenge was prioritizing tasks with time constraints, balancing optimization and long-term results.”

Alternatives:

• Project-based assessments
• Weekly analytics reporting tasks
  Time/resources: Continuous over a semester
  Simulation advantage: Pressure-tested decision-making across multiple channels and campaign elements hones dealing with complexity and many moving parts

7. Conversion Rate Optimization (CRO)

Mentioned by a few students

Why it matters:
Driving traffic is not enough—marketers must convert visitors into customers. Understanding what nudges a user to act (e.g., CTAs, images, layout) is core to success.

“Font, word choice, and color contrast all influenced engagement and conversion.”

Alternatives:

• A/B testing labs
• Heuristic evaluation assignments
  Time/resources: 6–8 hours
  Simulation advantage: Students see cause-effect in real-time and can iterate quickly while they experiment in a risk-free environment

8. Affiliate Marketing

Mentioned by a few students

Why it matters:
Affiliate marketing is cost-effective and scalable, yet complex. It involves partner selection, commission strategy, and alignment with brand values—skills digital marketers must grasp.

“I’ve gained a clearer understanding of how to plan and execute affiliate campaigns.”

Alternatives:

• Affiliate network demos
• Case study analysis
  Time/resources: 4–6 hours
  Simulation advantage: Hands-on testing with measurable ROI and real brand impact without complex setup and tracking

9. Email Marketing & A/B Testing

Mentioned by a few students

Why it matters:
Email remains one of the highest-ROI digital channels. Knowing how to segment lists, write compelling copy, and test versions is essential for engagement and sales.

“I learned how to create effective subject lines and set up an A/B test to compare performance.”

Alternatives:

• Platforms like Mailchimp for student testing
  Time/resources: ~5 hours setup + testing
  Simulation advantage: Integrated with campaign performance to see direct impact of email strategies on all other campaigns and marketing assets

10. Analytics & Data-Driven Decision-Making

Mentioned by a few students

Why it matters:
Digital marketers must use data to justify spend and optimize results. Understanding how to read performance metrics and adjust accordingly is a top industry requirement.

 “I understood how different parts of digital marketing—ads, website, emails—work together to bring better results.”

“Changing ads and budgets showed me how small decisions can impact sales and profits.”

 “Testing different ideas helps improve performance. Marketing choices connect to sales and profits.”

Alternatives:

• Google Analytics Academy
• Weekly reporting templates
  Time/resources: 8+ hours to become proficient
  Simulation advantage: Holistic view of all marketing levers and their outcomes in an integrated environment with no switching in between different dashboards and software

The educational simulation software to use when you want to upgrade your digital marketing course assignments and experience

If you’re new to the Simbound platform, here’s what you should know: it’s one of the most complete and user-friendly digital marketing simulators available and has been reviewed multiple times by external education experts. It allows teaching basic theoretical concepts all the way to high-level strategic responses.

Simbound offers a collection of practical learning exercises that students are likely to remember, and this has been proven to boost course evaluations and will raise chances for graduates to successfully complete the program. Instructors who integrate marketing exercises and simulations often report positive student feedback, higher levels of engagement, and better overall satisfaction with the course.

With Simbound you can set the simulations up to have up to six different digital marketing activities—all accessible from a single entry point. This means decisions and reports are blended in smoothly, just like with professional marketing tools. The platform has been fine-tuned over hundreds of versions to give instructors full control over course setup—whether it’s adjusting frequency in interaction, course length, difficulty, adding content, or managing assessments. All these features work together to create a uniquely flexible environment for learning available at a friendly price point and backed up by stellar course operations support.

Simbound students are the end users of the platform which is supported by an experienced international team of course operations professionals providing support from locations in 6 key timezones around the world.

It's time to set up one of the most powerful simulated digital marketplaces for the benefit of your students. Start by sharing more details around your course and ask for your free instructor credentials.