Building a marketing career isn’t easy. Many competitive professionals are already in the field, and there are thousands of strategies, technologies, and tactics to learn, and the industry is constantly evolving. If you want to survive and continue advancing your career, you need to find a way to develop and build core skills. Your employer may not provide you with an easy route to acquire them, but that’s alright – with a laptop and a bit of diligence, you can develop your marketing skills independently.
The Power of a Simple Laptop
With a laptop and an internet connection, you can access an abundance of resources and tools for developing your abilities. All that truly matters is setting aside dedicated time for using that laptop and focusing on your marketing skill development.
Ideas for Where to Learn
These are some of the best places to learn and advance in the marketing field:
Online classes
Countless online classes can teach about individual channels and strategies in marketing or about marketing more broadly. Some are going to be more comprehensive and better than others, so always check the institution and individual offering the class to do your due diligence before enrolling.
Webinars
Similarly, you can attend more webinars. Many marketing agencies and consultants offer free webinars on important topics as a kind of lead magnet – but they can be awesome sources of information.
YouTube channels
YouTube and other video channels are shockingly full of valuable information, most of which is free to the public. Find an authority you trust and learn from them directly.
Whitepapers
You can learn from dense whitepapers related to the marketing industry on specific issues – though keep in mind that these documents aren’t always educational by default.
Podcasts
There are lots of great marketing podcasts out there. Again, some are better than others, but tune in to a few and see if any can help you develop yourself. Listen to them on a commute or during a workout to save time!
Blog posts
Written blogs aren’t as popular as they used to be, but many marketing experts and agencies publish new material regularly. Subscribe to a few favorites and read them regularly to stay up to date on new stuff.
Forums and groups
Consider participating in forums and groups dedicated to marketing. You might learn from these platforms directly, but you can also use them to find additional solid sources of knowledge.
Mentors
If you really want to launch your marketing career, consider finding and working with a mentor. Your mentor can help you learn all kinds of new skills – and connect you with important people and resources to continue your development.
Getting the Most Value
How do you extract even more value from your efforts?
Focus on evergreen, in-demand skills
There are many possible marketing skills to learn, but not all of them will be equally valuable to you. Some of them are going to be valued more by employers, and some of them may become obsolete in the near future. Whenever possible, it’s better to opt for skills that are in demand by employers and “evergreen” – in other words, likely to be valuable for the foreseeable future.
Get certifications and credentials when possible
Certifications and other credentials that look good on a resume should be your priority. Learning about strategies and tactics you can use to get better marketing results is very useful, but these abstract and vague qualifications are hard to fit on a resume.
Prioritize free channels
There’s nothing wrong with paying for the opportunity to learn something new or acquire a new certification, especially if this is going to be measurably valuable for your career. However, you should generally lean toward free and inexpensive channels for your own development. There are many, and most of them are reliable.
Put your skills to the test
Instead of merely learning something new, get some actionable practice. Consider applying your new knowledge to your own website, blog, or side project. With some practical experience under your belt (and potentially some excellent results to show), you’ll be in a much better position to earn the rewards you’re after.
Be ready to show results
Clients, employers, and even your peers will want to see objective results – not merely insistence that you’ve acquired a given skill. Be ready to demonstrate something objective on a resume or in an interview.
You won’t be able to learn or perfect your marketing skills overnight. But if you’re willing to invest the requisite time and effort, a laptop can be your gateway to launching, reinvigorating, or supercharging your marketing career.
Photo by Christina Morillo: Pexels
