Marketing is one of the most valuable practices there is when it comes to achieving both business-centred and personal, career-based objectives.

Whether it be through promoting a new business, generating new business or marketing yourself to a potential employer, expanding your existing knowledge of marketing could be a valuable way to spend your time during your time in lockdown.

However, since marketing encompasses a large range of communications and engagement strategies, it can be difficult to know which skills are the most important to learn.

That’s where we can help. We have curated a list of marketing-based skills to think about learning during the lockdown, putting you in good stead once the restrictions finally get lifted.

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1. Photography

The visual element can be a crucial part of any successful marketing campaign. After all, pictures can speak a thousand words so, by understanding how to use photography effectively, this could significantly help propel consumer engagement with your business.

Obtaining talents within photography – whether it be via an online course or through self-practice – will provide you with such a skillset, encompassing attributes such as creativity, vision and close attention to detail.

By diving into the realms of design and understanding how to use colour in marketing effectively, you can research specific ways to ensure your photography resonates with an audience exactly as you intended it to.

2. Website and Content Creation

Having an easy-to-use website is a vital ingredient to any business in any industry – whether it be a new startup, a small-to-medium enterprise, or a large global conglomerate. So, why not think about honing your web skills?

Starting with a basic content management system like WordPress, you can quickly learn how to showcase your business’ USP more effectively while also developing your web design skills. Websites often appear as the first point of contact between you and your customer, after all, so understanding how to set one up for a personal, business or marketing-focused purpose could make a significant difference to your traffic, consumer engagement and profitability.

Plus, by knowing how the nooks and crannies of web design work, this allows you to not only create spaces to your exact imagination, but it can also give you the ability to fix any issues if/when they occur.

3. eCommerce Platforms

eCommerce platforms are the systems behind some of the largest online stores on the web. If you are selling tangible products or services in a shop-like format, these platforms are crucial to ensuring your business is successful.

To learn how to use an eCommerce platform effectively, you will first need to research the various types available, weighing up the pros and cons, and then decide which one to develop your skills within.

Popular eCommerce platforms like Shopify and WooCommerce are a good place to start since they offer their own training programmes, enabling you to gain new skills from the comfort of your own home.

By using the online training resources and support lines offered by these and other eCommerce platforms, you will be able to glide seamlessly through your self-training and learn how to build a profitable shopping-based business in no time.

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4. Microsoft Excel

Microsoft Excel is a widely used platform for a multitude of purposes across a multitude of industries. Regardless of where you work, or what sector you work in, knowing how to use Excel effectively could, therefore, make a significant difference to your level of employability.

Microsoft Excel combines several features that enable users to streamline their marketing and business services. Understanding how to use it is undoubtedly a core skill that the marketing industry particularly values in its employees.

Providing the tools needed to organise large sets of data, Excel can help portray information in an easy-to-understand format that aids both marketing teams and investors. Once you have got to grips with the basic formulas through online tutorials, you can then advance your skills further by learning how to conduct more complex processes like how to create a loss/profit sheet or a sales forecast.

Whatever the task at hand may be, learning the features and formulas of Microsoft Excel will provide you with the knowledge required to solidify your skills in marketing.

5. A Language

While learning a new language may not be a solely marketing-based skill, it can give your CV a significant boost and help you stand out when coming up against other candidates. Plus, it will give you an edge should you ever need to travel to any conferences or networking events in the future.

Depending on your native language, some languages will be easier for you to learn than others. German, Spanish and Mandarin for English speakers can all be extremely valuable when it comes to looking for a job and are actually easier to learn at home than you might think.

With hundreds of different language learning apps and platforms available, you can easily find a platform that suits both your style of learning and schedule. However, Duolingo and Rosetta Stone are by far the market leaders, so it could be worth looking at them before anywhere else.

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Final thoughts...

So, there you have it – five key skills that will help you stand out as a marketeer. Whether you’re looking to improve your skills in an area of your existing job, or are simply looking to improve your career prospects, demonstrating a passion to use your time in isolation productively can not only improve your skillset but also make your time in lockdown feel a lot shorter.

After all, once the lockdown has finally been lifted and businesses can resume trading as normal, it will be the innovative and well-researched marketers that will separate the successful from the struggling.

It’s important to make sure you are part of the solution, therefore, rather than the problem.

By expanding your knowledge and placing yourself ahead of the rest of the competition, your newly developed set of marketing-based skills will put you in a good position – whatever the post-COVID-19 world winds up looking like.

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