Why should your business invest in marketing training?

1st July 2021

Investing in your business’ marketing has always been a vital contributor to success, but during the pandemic, spending on marketing rose according to a CMO survey. They found that marketing spending as a percentage of firms’ budgets rose to the highest level in survey history. 

The researchers also found that 62% of marketers believe marketing has increased in importance and that a focus on online marketing is now more important than ever before. 

Christine Moorman, the survey founder said:

“As consumers turned digital, so did marketers’ strategies and they sought to increase digital experiences and improve their companies’ go-to-market digital strategies.”

But to succeed in this new digital marketing landscape, you need to be equipped with the right skills. That’s why we’ve organised a series of free training events for Chamber members with Emarketeers and Journolink focused on how you can target the right consumers using the right tools. This includes training for PR, LinkedIn Advertising and Google Analytics. 

But why is it so important for your business to keep your marketing skills and knowledge up to date?

Knowing your customer segment is now more important than ever

The last 12 months have reinforced the importance of communicating in very localised and precise terms and targeting consumers based on their individual circumstances and interests. This is partially due to the shift of consumers to online and a shift towards investing in more tactical activity due to budget cuts.

According to Harvard Business Review, marketing messages should be personally relevant and creating this human connection means that consumer segments must be identified such as age, occupation, or interests. 

A recent LinkedIn report survey found that 38% of businesses said that there had been more focus on the tactical execution of campaigns. They asked businesses how the pandemic had changed their approach, with the Senior Director Digital Media Marketing explaining: 

“We’ve done a lot more to digitally network with them. One example is Adobe Live for Business, a programme where we spotlight industry leaders to inspire others, and share how their businesses are currently addressing challenges, driving new innovations, and developing pioneering ways of working.”

During the LinkedIn Advertising with Emarketeers event taking place on 13th July, you will learn about advanced audience targeting opportunities and getting the most out of your campaigns with retargeting.  

Jonathan Saipe, the training course leader said:

"With LinkedIn approaching a billion users, marketing opportunities on the platform have never been better. It is unrivalled as a B2B social network, and thanks to its purchase by Microsoft for $26 billion, its feature-rich advertising tools offer marketers a full range of products to engage with audiences at every stage of the funnel. 

“Join us on 13 July where you will learn how to maximise the opportunities LinkedIn has to offer."

Your customer expects a seamless experience

When COVID hit, consumers were forced to live more online and in turn, this meant consumer expectations for their digital experience skyrocketed. Now, the customer expects more personalised, anticipatory experiences throughout the whole customer journey. 

That’s why it’s so important to have the right data at your fingertips to be able to provide a seamless journey that takes account of users’ previous activity.

In the Emarketeers training course on Google Analytics taking place on 14th September, you will learn how you can use Google Tag manager to retarget audiences who have visited your website. You will also discover the essential reports you should be creating to ensure your marketing efforts are getting the results you need. 

The importance of PR post-pandemic

With the increase in people spending more time online, there is great opportunity for you to create relevant content to maximise the chances of consumers coming across your business online. 

Digital press coverage is also a great way for your potential customers to click through to your website and find out more about your company.

Recent studies that have tracked customer behaviour have pointed towards a rise in conscious consumerism, where people are increasingly evaluating their responsibility towards society through their purchasing decisions. This provides the opportunity for businesses to convey their brand story through press releases, helping to instil consumer confidence in your company. 

Journolink is running two events on the 7th and 21st July to help you develop your PR strategy.

To stay up to date on all of Business West’s Chamber events, visit this page. 

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