We all know that traditionally recession in business spells reduction of training budgets, and we all know that at the moment everyone is keen to protect core business. But, given the ever-increasing focus on digital marketing and customer engagement, now really is a great time to review your staff IT skills and look at the resources you can use to affordably increase your chances.
Some of the skills to be developed will be clear and easily planned. Social Media operational skills are very often already evident in your staff due to their personal use of Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, LinkedIn. Finding ways to ensure that staff make the transition to professional use of these tools can be as easy as a one-day workshop to focus attention and techniques.
Cosmic's workshop programme for this autumn is now online here - http://www.cosmic.org.uk/content/training-series
Other skills need to be considered more carefully. What about the leadership in social media and IT within your business? Who is developing the skills to ensure that the wider business plan is incorporating effective use of digital resources, skills and tools? And how are you going to develop those essential skills.
Quite often the use of a good mentor, trainer of support agency is an effective response to both staff and leadership development. The key issue here is often that the person providing your support must be skilled enough to identify precisely what your needs are and the most effective approach.
Top Tips
- Look over your business plans for the rest of the year – where will digital skills improve your chances of success
- Lead by developing your own skills as a business manager - walk-the-talk
- Staff discussions about current skills – find out who wants to improve and learn more
- Generate enthusiasm for web, social media and SEO skills – explain how vital they can prove
- Check the competition – how well are they doing with digital marketing – what do you have to learn to beat them?
- Do a learning review check with each staff member – is their room for improvement, what’s their preferred learning method
- Generate some internal motivation and competition – prizes for the best staff development of digital?
- Seek support and training from a person with the right skills and expertise to understand your business as well as they do the tools of digital marketing
- Review, refresh, develop – learn new things, check what works well, repeat that then learn something new again
- Be positive – sure its challenging, there’s plenty to learn, and not so much time, but the digital space is full of opportunity for business to shine – make sure your's is one of them.
Details of Cosmic's training programme here - http://www.cosmic.org.uk/content/training-series