Things to do as a Marketer in Quarantine

Times right now are uncertain. One thing to be certain of is that as a student marketer, recent grad, or business professional making your way in the industry, you matter and what you do to develop your competency is valuable- all the time. Once the curve flattens, and things slowly start to function at a steady pace, what will you be able to say you’ve learned?

I encourage you to learn something new or deepen your knowledge of a particular skill! Join me as I share a few things you can do that will not only sharpen your skills, keep you entertained and be invaluable to your career in the business industry as a marketer when the time comes.

Update your resume

On the job hunt? Maybe you have recently completed an internship. Updating your resume right now is a useful thing to do. Nowadays, hiring managers have so many prospects to consider in hiring for a position—looking through your resume might only take a few minutes. Try tailoring your resume to highlight the skills you have that match the skills desired for the role. Make your resume stand out---consider making an infographic resume. There are plenty of free templates to get you started on Canva and Adobe Spark!

Consume everything

No not snacks (do that too)! Consuming a little bit of marketing content everyday will help you stay up to date with trends and changes in the industry. While I hope you already do—don’t forget to consume content for entertainment too.

Where to start? Pick a topic you want to learn more about. A great book on consumer behaviors that was recommended to me by a professor is Predictably Irrational by Dan Ariely. Maybe you love music and podcasts. Subscribe to a weekly podcast! Better yet, do you dream of working for a particular company one day? Read their blog. Do research on the company and stay up to date with them. Maybe read up on the competitors’ blogs too. Here are some marketing resources to get you started!

• Websites: Marketing Dive, AMA, Marketing Land, and Adweek
• TED Talks: Choice, Happiness and Spaghetti Sauce by Malcolm Gladwell
• Blogs: MOZ blog, Sprout Blog, Hootsuite Blog, HubSpot Marketing
• Podcasts: Yeah That’s Probably an Ad

Get Certified

In a world that is social distancing, digital marketing is arguably the most important form of marketing today. Want to learn how to develop a marketing strategy that will reach your audience in the best way possible? Thanks to FREE courses you can get certified in new and relevant skills. Jackie Jeffers, an analytics strategist at Portent that I met in my digital marketing class, had advice for recent graduates and students to “Get more exposure to new tools”.

Right now, while spending more time inside the house, it is a perfect opportunity to check out free tools to polish your skills. Below I have listed a few great certifications and courses that do not cost anything and are great resume builders!

Google Analytics

Whether or not you are seeking to specialize in analytics, GA can be used in any part of marketing or applied to any strategy. Google analytics certification is completely FREE, don’t forget to study both Google Analytics for Beginners and Advanced Google Analytics courses before you take the exam.

The best part of Google Analytics is that anyone with a Google account has access to real data from the Google Analytics Merchandise Store Demo Account. This account a really great tool to learn by experimenting. Get familiar with the platform, analyze and interpret data reports.

Not only is Google Analytics the industry standard but big data is everywhere. Don’t wait to start learning how to use it.

HubSpot Academy

Register for a free account with HubSpot Academy and begin learning about the various elements of content marketing. You can also add the certifications you earn to your LinkedIn for employers to see.

• Inbound Marketing: Learn to nurture relationships at all levels of the buyer’s journey. Deepen your knowledge of the methodology, how to create an inbound strategy, and understand best practices of creating and targeting content you create.
• Social Media Strategy: Do you follow some of your favorite brands on social media? I do too. A brand’s reputation is strongly affected by their social media strategy. So it is important to learn how to build an effective social media strategy.

CodeAcademy

As a marketer, having a basic understanding of coding allows you to be a better problem solver when it comes to the web. The free courses offered make learning the complex skill so much fun. Plus, you will have a better grasp for the functionality of a website and simple code to create webpages.

Start your own blog

“If you’re not searchable, you’re not hirable.”

A phrase that we hear more and more in an emergent digital age. Want to be a candidate that stands out to a potential employer? Create your own website. Hiring managers don’t look through your social media accounts anymore (while still keeping those professional is important). What businesses want to do is decide if you are a good match for their team. Showcasing projects you are proud or writing blogs about subjects significant to your academic success is will stand out to an employer. In a time where you can’t meet in person with peers, professors and friends to catch up, the internet is where we are consuming content. Share your content and ask for feedback. From this you can begin to attract an audience through your own content. Overtime you will be able to look back and see where your passions have led you to establish an online presence.

Grow your network

It is a challenge to step out of your comfort zone when it comes to networking. Whether you are looking for a job or just want to expand your network with colleagues, business professionals or individuals who inspire you.

Now is the best time to reach out to them.

Reaching out to recent alumni, recruiters and sending cold call emails/messages via LinkedIn to hiring managers is a great idea right now. Everyone is on their laptops and  personal devices more than ever in this time of social distancing. Did you know networking is responsible for landing near 70% of jobs? Don’t get stuck job searching on your own. Practice your networking- Get in the inbox of the people are valuable to you, who can offer you motivation in this time.

We are in this together, especially in a time like now.

There are a lot of things you cannot do while in isolation, but don’t let it stop you from what you can continue to do to be proactive and set yourself apart as a marketer.

Be well.