Having a 10 month contract is a great thing. Two months off in the summer can be devoted to you! Last year I took an extended trip to Alaska including a cruise, a few days in Vancouver, a visit to Denali National Park and a few nights in Fairbanks. This year I am returning home to England to celebrate my Dad’s 80th birthday. I will be traveling with two close friends who have never been to the British Isles before. Should be a fun trip!
That still leaves several weeks to fill. Yoga, water aerobics, kayaking, hiking and some time at the lake are high on my list. So is continuing education. This afternoon I completed part of one of my summertime goals, which was to learn more about digital marketing.
I had been told that HubSpot offers free certifications in various topics relating to digital marketing. So I signed up for the Content Marketing certificate. Wow! Did I learn a lot! The lessons are packed with frameworks, simple methodologies, best practices and activities to do on the fly. I wrote pages of notes, drew diagrams, downloaded work sheets and thought about how I would apply what I was learning to St. Andrews Equestrian.
I worried about the final exam but it turned out to be fine if you had studied the material and given the process some thought. The resource truly highlights the philosophy behind content marketing.
Content marketing empowers customers, builds lasting relationships and creates content to entertain and educate. ~ HubSpot Academy
HubSpot does this very well. The courses are designed to educate but they are entertaining too. The presenters are positive and upbeat. The longest video is probably 20 minutes and the lessons are extremely well structured. Each lesson is followed by a five question quiz to test what you have learned.
Milestones are celebrated and encouragement is given along the way. Students are encouraged to take their time in planning their campaigns and to be realistic about results. When I return to work in August it will be exciting to start brainstorming with colleagues and mapping out a digital plan for the next year.
Want to discuss digital marketing strategy or find out more about what I learned? Please leave a comment.
Time for me to get back to those other summer activities!