Ongoing professional development is a critical area in which to invest for the long-term success of your organization and your team. The beginning of a new year is an ideal time to consider where your team might need to grow their marketing knowledge in the coming year.
Of all the areas in which your team can benefit from further training, these three are key:
While your department ought to include highly trained data scientists, every member of the team should have a basic knowledge of data analysis. In addition to providing training to help your data scientists keep their skills up-to-date, make it a priority to bring learning opportunities in this area to the rest of the team as well.
Shape your training opportunities to the needs of your team members. Do they have a solid grasp of the theory and purpose behind data analysis? If so, you may be able to go into more detail than you would with a team that needs to start with the basics and gain an understanding of why data is critical to marketing operations.
Everyone can benefit from strong writing skills, no matter their job function. Marketing is all about strong, effective communication. This year, dedicate some time to helping each member of your team brush up their writing skills. You’ll find it pays off in better internal communications as well as external-facing messaging.
It’s likely that there are some members of your team whose main job function is writing, and others who are more focused on technical or design aspects of marketing and may not write as much in their work. Again, tailor the training as much as possible to suit each team member’s needs.
Marketing research ranges from SEO analysis to industry surveys, encompassing everything from online searches to in-depth interviews. Does your team understand when each type of research is appropriate? Even if outside researchers provide key information to your organization, the marketing team needs to know how to interpret it.
You may also want to create an in-depth training to address the best ways to use research findings in your marketing messages and campaigns. For example, what guidelines does your organization follow to make sure they are known as reputable? Does your company have certain tests in place to make sure research fits their needs? For example, does all your research need to meet a certain level of statistical significance to be considered credible in your industry?
What other areas do you plan to better train your team in this year? To prepare them for today’s marketing landscape, read our white paper, Return on acceleration.
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