![\"MarketingAlec\"](\"https:\/\/marketingalec.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/cropped-Favicon-coloured-background_.png\" "\\"\\"")
\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tSubscribe\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tJoin 7k+ Subscribers\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t![\"Image](\"https:\/\/marketingalec.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/Upskill-or-Bust_-Transforming-Your-Digital-Marketing-Team-768x432.jpg\" "\\"\\"")
\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\tMy digital marketing students come for two reasons. They want to get better at Digital Marketing, or their boss sends them to class. Salesforce research revealed that 59 percent of workers have had fewer opportunities for workplace learning since the pandemic.<\/p>\n
Are you the boss or the self-directed student? I have seen hundreds of organizations fail to produce the change they desire. Please<\/strong> align first on the Why of Learning<\/strong> and then tackle the Leading<\/strong> (SEO, AI, Media Buying) and last How<\/strong> to manage it.\u00a0<\/p> \u00a0<\/p>\n To upskill a marketing team effectively, I focus on Why first?<\/strong>\u00a0<\/p>\n Why is the student in my class at UNH<\/a>? Then, What<\/strong> are the 2-3 three items they want to take back to their organization? Most of my students have demanding jobs and need to be highly efficient in getting to the practical marketing tactics that will impact next week.\u00a0<\/p>\n Business owners and managers often head into Upskilling by trying to learn too much too fast, and little ends up sticking with the day-to-day for your Marketing Team<\/p>\n The first step is to conduct a thorough audit of your team’s current abilities<\/a>. I do this in two ways. The first step is a 30-minute interview with the team member, where I cover the following areas:<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n Next, we get Loom out and see their actual marketing work in process. Just have your team send you a Loom (or your video tool of choice) of their current process as they do it. SEO keyword research sends a Loom. AdWords Camaping structure sends a Loom. Attribution deep dive sends a Loom.\u00a0<\/p>\n Very quickly, you can produce a simple spreadsheet matrix that identifies the strengths and weaknesses of your Marketing Team.\u00a0<\/p>\n Once I’ve established where my team stands skill-wise, I set clear upskilling goals that are SMART (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-based). This involves pinpointing which skills will provide the most value to our business. For instance, if we’re lagging in digital analytics<\/a>, a goal might be to have a certain percentage of the team proficient (as demonstrated in a Loom video) in Google Analytics within six months.<\/p>\n Finally, it’s vital to ensure that the upskilling goals you set are going to drive the business outcomes your company needs. This is where many managers get off track. They focus on the shiny digital marketing fad of the quarter (NFT\u2019s \ud83e\udd23) vs timeless marketing skills:<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n I make this mistake all the time. Even if I show someone how to do something, they still need to set aside time on the calendar to practice it<\/strong>. If you manage a team and don\u2019t have the team set aside time on the calendar to get the practice repetitions in, they won\u2019t improve in their execution.\u00a0<\/p>\n I\u2019m frugal, and our learning involves microlearning<\/strong>\u2014short, focused training modules that can keep costs down and conveniently fit into my team’s busy schedule. We prioritize:<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n We all have a CFO or business partner in our organizations who would rather cut the training budget. Just remind them of the expensive consultant or tool you had to buy because you lacked the in-house skills. We can\u2019t be experts in everything, but Digital Marketing has been evolving at the fastest pace in the last 20 years. Keeping your team skilled is a high ROI activity vs obsolescence or the recent story of a client wasting $52,000 in a month because their team did not set up Adwords correctly!<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n For in-house training, I leverage the expertise within my team, encouraging knowledge sharing and peer-to-peer learning. This approach fosters a culture of continuous learning and strengthens the team dynamic.<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n <\/p>\n Concurrently, bringing in external experts offers fresh perspectives and specialized knowledge. These experts can provide valuable insights into current market trends<\/a>, new strategies, and tools that may not be available internally.<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n <\/p>\n Both strategies work in tandem to create a well-rounded upskilling experience for the marketing team, allowing them to stay ahead of industry curves and deliver superb marketing performance<\/a>.<\/p>\n Alec, that works well if my team wants to learn the basics of digital marketing, but how do we master Advanced Topics?<\/p>\n That is simpler than you think. There are a small number of Top 10% practitioners in each area.<\/p>\n I ask three qualifying questions:<\/strong><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n The crux of up-skilling a marketing team lies in leaders taking time to show that we are also going to class and learning regularly. When did you take your last marketing course? What did you share with your team over lunch and learn?<\/p>\n![\"Less](\"http:\/\/marketingalec.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/Less-Workplace-Learning-during-the-Pandemic-1024x576.png\" "\\"\\"")
<\/figure>\nHow Do You Identify Skill Gaps in Your Marketing Team?<\/strong> \ud83e\udde0<\/h2>\n
![\"Upskills](\"http:\/\/marketingalec.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/Upskills-or-Bust-Identifying-Skill-Gaps--1024x576.png\" "\\"\\"")
<\/figure>\nAssessing Current Marketing Skills<\/strong><\/h3>\n
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Setting Upskilling Goals<\/strong><\/h3>\n
Aligning Skills with Business Outcomes<\/strong><\/h3>\n
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What’s Your Time Budget for Team Upskilling?<\/strong> \ud83d\udd70\ufe0f<\/h2>\n
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<\/figure>\nCost-Effective Learning Strategies<\/strong><\/h3>\n
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The ROI in Marketing Training<\/strong><\/h3>\n
How To Upskill Your Marketing Team<\/strong>\u00a0\ud83d\udcda<\/h2>\n
![\"Upskills](\"http:\/\/marketingalec.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/Upskills-How-do-I-Upskill-our-Marketing-Team-1024x576.png\" "\\"\\"")
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Balancing In-House Training and External Experts<\/strong><\/h3>\n
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Advancing Digital Marketing Skills<\/strong> \ud83d\udc8e<\/h2>\n
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Learning Leadership and Team Dynamics<\/strong> \ud83d\udd3c<\/h2>\n
![\"Upskills](\"http:\/\/marketingalec.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/Upskills-Learning-Leadership-and-Team-Dynamics-1024x576.png\" "\\"\\"")
<\/figure>\nProfessional Development<\/strong><\/h3>\n
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