What do you do if your digital marketing skills are lacking for Corporate Communications?

Figure the need gap, upgrade your skills, keep yourself updated and finally ask the right questions and keep learning along the way!

Knowing that your skills are lacking for the desired domain you wish to work in is the first step in the right direction. It reflects self-awareness and is a key trait. Once you know, it's time to take the right action. Upgrade your skills. Thankfully we live in an age when all the required learning resources are available and accessible at the touch of a finger. Take up online courses and update your knowledge and skillset. Then look for work opportunities to apply the knowledge gained and practice your skills. That will help gain you the confidence to step up in your career.

I sometimes think we oversimplify corporate comms, especially when we look at the expanse of digital communications. For me, this is always about strategy. Simply put, what we do is about content - distribution, no more, no less. When it comes to digital marketing, we need to see it through the prism of distribution; does it reach our audience and help us tell our stories in authentic and personal ways. If we start with this question, especially when accessing the gaps, we can begin to fill these gaps with the mediums and messages that offer us the best value for our messaging.

After identifying your specific needs in digital marketing, such as improving your social media management, content creation, SEO, or data analytics skills, you can start enhancing these areas effectively. Enrol in courses that provide practical assignments and insights into current industry practices, such as those available on LinkedIn Learning, Coursera, or HubSpot Academy. These platforms feature courses tailored to various facets of digital marketing and are taught by professionals in the field. Consider finding a mentor who can provide guidance and feedback, helping you apply your new skills more effectively in your corporate communications role.

In my opinion digital marketing and corporate communications can work together to enhance customer experience. Firstly, it is key to understand where the gaps are and how it is converting/not converting to your goal. Once identified, you must leverage tools which will help remove silos and present one unified message to your internal and external customers.

I'm frequently asked why I don't delve into performance marketing, as it seems like a natural fit for my skill set. While my passion lies more in communications, I see the value in broadening my expertise. It's beneficial to understand various aspects of the ecosystem you're working in. Having knowledge of related departments enhances awareness and provides a comprehensive understanding. This allows for better problem-solving and a holistic approach to addressing challenges

Join learning development programs every year. The communication landscape is rapidly evolving.. to keep up one has to be ahead of the curve. There is no stage where you know enough- learn from the youth - learn from anyone in ur team.. there is no end to learning.

Training is one of the many ways to learn especially with the age of information that we are in. There's way to many institutions and platforms offering social media marketing training at the fraction of most standard medium and short-term course fees, making more affordable and accessible. Platforms include: udemy, LinkedIn, Google, Coursera, Domestika, Facebook, X.com, Instagram, among others - some of which are entirely free. To not be on a journey of continuous learning and improvement is a personal choice. Take the decision to learn today!

Adapt your corporate communications career to current trends and challenges with practical strategies for staying relevant and competitive. A digital communications strategy helps your business share critical messages across multiple platforms. It provides reliable consistency to align campaigns with your company's mission. What is strategic communications, and how does it relate to your digital communications strategy? That's a simple answer.

De acuerdo a mi experiencia, lamentablemente la mayoría de las empresas no ofrecen capacitación constante para estar siempre actualizados, creo es de gran valor una empresa que tenga la posibilidad de que cada persona desde su área de experiencia pueda tener la oportunidad de tener acceso a cursos y certificaciones que los llevarán a tener mejores resultados en cada uno de sus proyectos.

Simply put: practice makes perfect. If you don't use what you've learned regularly, you will lose it. I tell people who are not working in their desired field to make sure they volunteer to use the skills they have acquired in that field. This way, when applying for a position (in their desired field), they can demonstrate abilities. It's hard to do that via a portfolio if you're working in sales and want to be in communications or marketing.

A good way to practice new skills that aren’t necessarily part of your day-to-day job description is to actively seek to become part of cross team projects and deliverables at your work. It gives you the chance to delve into or improve a newly acquired skill set.

Absolutely! As someone who's navigated the evolution of marketing over two decades, I couldn't agree more. Practical experience is the bedrock of mastering digital marketing. It's not just about learning theories; it's about rolling up your sleeves, trying new things, and adapting in real-time. From print ads to AI tools, each step enriches your understanding and sharpens your skills. Keep experimenting, keep growing!

If you're the smartest person in the room, it is certainly time to change rooms. The ability to learn from far more experienced people is probably the fastest way to learn –?by understanding their mistakes and internalizing good practices.

Of course, some networking experiences like conferences or professional gatherings may come with a financial cost. However, there are both online and in-person options that allow us to avoid spending money. Moreover, if we can't find our place, we can create it. How? By organizing meet-ups with colleagues or students through social networks and the internet. We can choose to have a video conference, or why not, a meeting in a public space in our city to get to know each other, converse, and exchange experiences and tools.

Mentorship cannot be overemphasized. When new skills are learnt, the environment to apply/ practice may vary. A mentor guides by pointing out opportunities and critique. A mentor could be anyone - an expert in that field.

Networking and exchange are crucial for the development of one's digital marketing skills ??. I benefit greatly from events, conferences, case studies, best practices, and the exchange of experiences here on LinkedIn ??. I actively participate in discussions about tools, new features, and learnings that my network shares, and I am always eager to contribute to these conversations ???.

Las comunicaciones, digitales o tradicionales, están en constante evolución, lo que promueve una búsqueda constante por identificar nuevas herramientas que nos permitan estar a la par de las tendencias. Soy fanática de las versiones de prueba y constantemente estoy en la búsqueda de nuevas formas de reforzar mis habilidades. De esta forma, puedo aumentar mi conocimiento e identificar nuevas maneras de hacerle llegar el mensaje a nuestros clientes.

I work in corporate communications primarily with an editorial planning tool ??? that we use not only for social media but across various media platforms ??. This tool allows us to automate the publication of organic posts, which is a huge relief ??. Additionally, I use advertising platform tools to run social media campaigns ??. I leverage the data from these campaigns and enrich it with website tracking data to draw valuable insights ??. In parallel, we use a monitoring tool that constantly keeps an eye on our communities, target audiences, and the market, analyzing sentiment to provide us with essential feedback ????.

Be a lifelong learner. The world of communications has changed drastically since when I first started in the profession. And today, it changes almost daily. Look at schools that offer coursework in integrated marketing communications and data, for example. Become a professional who can demonstrate impact on the bottom line with data, insights and KPIs.

Yes, this is where one needs to work on. Stay updated on the day today development. Data keep changing, viewing habits keep changing and there is no way one can blindly follow a selected path.

There’s a lot of useful and free-to-use material and up to date reports out there that are perfect for comms people who don’t naturally feel at home in digital marketing and communications.

An important point to be considered in studies and improvements in digital marketing, beyond the technologies, is understanding consumer behavior in general. This helps us to use contents, formats, and platforms available more wisely, in addition to being an excellent way to bring insights in the area of content marketing, for example. Understanding heuristics and biases, and the basis of behavioral economics helps us to understand how and why contents perform more or less.

If your team's feedback is negative and demotivating, it's crucial to address the issue promptly and constructively. Start by actively listening to their concerns and understanding the underlying reasons for their dissatisfaction. Then, acknowledge their feedback and demonstrate empathy, showing that you value their perspectives and are committed to addressing their concerns. Encourage open dialogue and brainstorm potential solutions together as a team. Provide support and resources to help them overcome challenges and improve morale. Additionally, focus on highlighting achievements and strengths to boost morale and motivation. By addressing negative feedback proactively, you can foster a positive and supportive team culture.

To immediately solve the challenge, you can outsource managing digital marketing whilst you build up your expertise via training and social listening