Why a Culture of Continued Learning is Critical for Marketing Success

"You may have graduated from university with a flashy marketing degree, but the learning doesn't stop when you're handed a piece of paper," says AZK Media's founder and managing partner, Azadeh Williams.

"It is imperative for marketing, comms and PR teams to constantly learn and develop their skills. Not only does this help them keep up with global trends, but it means they can add the right 'pieces to their toolkits' that will benefit their clients and their own careers - at scale."

Azadeh stresses that at AZK Media, there's a deeper embedded a culture of learning and development, so that every team member has a proactive commitment to keeping their skills and knowledge up-to-date and relevant.

"In fact, we’ve collectively clocked over 1,000 hours of professional development time in the past year alone," she adds. "We're constantly learning, testing and analysing new ways of making 'marketing' happen in today's volatile landscape.

"And it's our passion for continued learning that reflects in our results for clients. Clients turn to us because they know our ideas are fresh, and we approach the B2B landscape from a very multidimensional strategic perspective."

For those who are just investing in the professional development of their teams, here are a few tips Williams suggests you can do:

1. Learn the power of inbound marketing

Take the time to ensure all your team deeply understands the power of inbound marketing, as well as the right tools and systems that can help manage your inbound marketing efforts efficiently such as HubSpot, Hotjar, Cheetah, Marketo and Salesforce.

2. Understand social media 'power tools'

Understand social media power tools such as GaggleAmp and Oktopost. When used correctly, these can generate powerful, organic amplification of your client’s social media message – at scale. On top of this, it's critical to understand the power and potential of paid social and where it fits within the marketing mix.

3. Learn SEO in the context of your client's needs

Quality, search-engine friendly content that truly resonates with a client’s customer can be the fuel that fires up the engine of your inbound strategy. But too much focus on SEO and you may lose sight of the more granular demand gen tactics needed to build customer loyalty and trust at a deeper level. This means SEO-rich content, PR and social media, all need to fit within a highly tactical, holistic inbound strategy.

4. Data-driven marketing

You've heard the saying before, 'data is the new oil,' so start educating yourselves on how to utilise this precious commodity to help your business and your clients. Brands and marketers alike are increasingly using data-based programs to target their customers better and it's been proven before, those who do not utilise their data will get left behind. Many educational institutes offer fantastic short courses on data-driven marketing.

5. Invest in short courses or go to your leading B2B marketing events

Take a day off and invest in learning the latest tricks of the trade. With the internet at your fingertips and social distancing, this is the perfect time to brush up on some skills or learn new ones. There are so many organisations across the world that offer workshops, short and long courses for those in the industry who want to stay across the latest marketing strategies.