How to pick the right type of digital marketing training
In a recent survey, 69% of UK business leaders claimed they currently have a digital skills gap (Martech Report). As we barrel forward into an increasingly digital-first world, having the digital marketing skills within your company needed to remain competitive is a growing concern for business owners and managers.
Sounds familiar? If hiring new staff or partnering with a freelancer who has the right digital marketing skills isn't an option for you, investing in digital marketing training to plug a skills gap could be the solution.
Working with an experienced digital marketing trainer to upskill your team is an investment in your company’s future performance, but before you go ahead and spend money on training, there are a few things you can do first to make sure you invest in the right type.
Map skills against your marketing plans
What digital marketing tactics do you want to use in your next campaign? What skills are needed to implement them? Once you have the answers, carry out an audit of your team's current skill set to discover where the gaps are. This is a great way to ensure the training isn’t covering “old ground” but instead, will deliver tangible benefits by giving people the ability to deliver your upcoming marketing plans.
For example, if you're planning to use social media to grow customer advocacy but your staff only know the basics of posting, you may want to invest in social media training to give them the know-how and practical skills needed to use the platform as a strategic marketing tool and ensure activity is aligned with your goals.
What skills can’t be taught through peer-to-peer training
Businesses can be quick to look for an outside solution when the answer to their problem may be sitting a few doors down. Before you hire a digital marketing trainer, evaluate what skills already exist in your business to see if there's an opportunity for cross-department training.
Once you know what training opportunities already exist within your business for free, you can hire a trainer confident in the knowledge that their support will enrich your business with new knowledge and skills that couldn’t have been gained otherwise. You may find that other teams are more than willing to share their knowledge and practical skills (especially if it helps them achieve their own team’s overarching goals).
When I worked in-house before my freelancing days, I was always keen to help my colleagues pick up new skills, because the more that people around me knew about digital marketing the better it would be for the company as a whole.
Look for underperforming platforms
What digital marketing platforms aren't pulling their weight when it comes to ROI? Are your competitors thriving on a certain platform while you struggle to make your mark? Once you know which areas of your current marketing activity could use a boost, speak to your team to discover if they are lacking the experience or skills needed to utilise these platforms, or if it's due to other factors such as a lack of time or budget. If a skills gap is the root of the problem, then you'll know what type of digital marketing training to prioritise.
For example, an issue I see frequently is people using Google Ads without fully understanding the mechanics of how the platform works, such as the ad auction, quality score, optimising targeting, etc. When this happens usually the client has automated as much as possible but they don’t know what’s working and where the system is wasting their money, or they are running ads manually without knowing how to reach their audience and simply hoping for the best. In these cases, Google Ads training can help people gain a deeper understanding of how the platform works and give them practical tips on how to improve performance.
Take a survey
Or run a poll or simply get your team together for a chat. Find out what areas of their job they feel under-equipped for and what type of upskilling will help them to carry out their day-to-day duties better. In the recent Martech Report, 70% of in-house employees claim they "haven't even mastered the [digital] skills they need for their jobs today".
That is a concerning stat for most business leaders, especially when you consider that brands are expected to provide customers with a seamless digital experience and compete for attention on social media and search engine results pages. A lack of knowledge about the skills needed to achieve this today risks giving your competitors the upper hand tomorrow.
Talking to your staff to find out what type of digital marketing training they think will boost their performance will give you the information you need to support their professional development.
What digital marketing training does your team need to perform at its best? As a digital marketing trainer and freelancer, I can help businesses upskill their staff thanks to my blend of practical knowledge, real-world experience and best practice know-how.
Get in touch for a chat about how my digital marketing training - including social media training courses and Google Ads workshops - can help your business achieve its goals.