Mediaboss Marketing

Fliss Gibbons is ready to return to WSL action whenever that might be.

The Albion left-back has been adapting to the challenges posed by the coronavirus shutdown.

Similar to the mens squad, Hope Powells team have been given the equipment they need to keep fit at home.

They train as a group via Zoom video link and do their own thing in the afternoon.

For Gibbons, that means going out to a suitably lonely field near her home and doing her own work.

The usual group training is on hold indefinitely, as is the WSL season itself with no certainty as to when or if it will be completed.

Powell is taking the approach of not expecting or predicting anything and being ready to adapt to whatever happens.

Gibbons will do similarly as the absences goes on.

Albions players are not in the same financial bracket as many of the mens Premier League stars who have been posting on social media.

Gibbins said: I dont have a luxury swimming pool or a home gym.

But you have just got to make the most of a bad situation.

I have some equipment which I can make work for an upper body and lower body gym session.

Gym sessions are quite easily adaptable and they seem to be in fashion at the moment.

So many people are posting home workouts and sofa workouts and all sorts of things.

The access to that sort of thing is okay.

In regards to going out on the pitch, Im quite lucky in being able to go out in a remote area where I dont get probably within 20 metres of anyone else.

I can take cones with me and complete sessions as best I can.

I think it is just about being flexible and being able to work around the boundaries.

It is a bit of a makeshift gym session but I am still getting out of it what I need to Whatever the coaches are asking me to do, I am managing to complete it.

Gibbons is keen to keep a structure to her day.

She said: Its a really confusing time for everyone, isnt it?

Everyones going to have ups and downs, good days and bad days I feel quite lucky in the situation I am in and I feel like I still have a structure to my day which involves being in contact with people at football.

I plan my day the night before.

Four days a week we join in with an online gym session we all do together.

That takes up most of the morning.

In the afternoon I often have a gym session.

Gibbons has not had to dip into the wealth of vintage football being shown on television and online as yet.

She said: I havent watched any of it but I have seen there are a few older games.

I know there is a version of Match Of The Day on a Saturday night which I think I might have to get into when I really start missing football!

But staying in contact with the girls is my way of staying attached to the game.

Albions players are proud of the team spirit they have engendered.

Gibbons is happy that will not diminish during their weeks apart.

She added: There is a lot going on with our Whatsapp group, probably even more so than when we see each other every day!

Continue reading here:
No luxury gyms - but Albion ace is ready for this challenge - The Argus

Thomasnet.com is the number one sourcing platform to connect buyers of industrial products and services with suppliers, manufacturers, and distributors across the United States and Canada. While it's a useful tool for buyers to find suppliers, it is also a valuable advertising tool that helps suppliers sell more, increase revenue, and improve their marketing efforts.

We've gathered the top 10 best company profiles on the east coast from the Thomas Network to show you the elements that make up a top profile in order to grow your manufacturing business.

Continental Steel & Tube Co., is a distributor of metal products, metals, and alloys located in Fort Lauderdale, FL and is one of the top ranked company profiles when searching for "Steel" suppliers on Thomasnet.com.

Something that immediately stands out with this profile is that it showcases a featured white paper specific to their industry called, "Comparing Steel Plate Grades." This is a perfect example of how Continental Steel & Tube Co. is utilizing a content marketing strategy to fulfill their lead generation efforts.

Adhesive & Equipment is a manufacturer and distributor of hot metal adhesive equipment and parts located in Winder, GA and is a top ranking company profile when searching for "Printed Circuit Boards" suppliers on Thomasnet.com.

Adhesive & Equipment's company profile not only includes detailed text-based information, but also incorporated a multi-media element by adding a company overview video to its profile. This company overview video gives a quick explanation of what the company offers, it's applications and contact details. In fact, 65% of executives visit a company's website after viewing a video. By utilizing video advertising, Adhesive & Equipment increases it's chances to get specified by buyers.

Engage Your Prospects With Video Advertising

Thomas offers video content production for FREE for OEMs, Distributors, and Service Companies

Action Pak, Inc. provides contract packaging and filling for food and non-food products, located in Bristol, PA. We rank it as a top company profile because of the quality certifications it lists.

A question we always ask our industrial customers is what makes them stand out from their competitors. Certifications can be a great unique selling proposition when buyers are deciding between different suppliers. Adding certifications to your company profile like Action Pak, Inc. has done can give your business the competitive edge it needs to make the shortlist.

Quality Support, LLC is a custom manufacturer of packaging material, wood products and components located in Scottdale, PA. This company profile ranks in the top 10 on the east coast for its detailed capabilities section on Thomasnet.com.

Showcasing what your company can do by listing its capabilities seems like a no brainer, right? Often, we see this vital element missing when businesses are bidding on contracts. Quality Support clearly lists all that it offers on its company profile including things like custom packaging, crating, and industrial lumber services. By providing detailed information like this to potential buyers, it gives them a clear understanding of what you can offer them.

AP&T North America, Inc. is a manufacturer of automation equipments, systems and hydraulic presses that continuously pushes out news related updates landing their company profile in the top ten on the east coast.

Press Releases and news updates not only help manufacturers and industrial businesses boost brand awareness, but they can also drive credibility and sales. AP&T North America's company profile includes several detailed press releases about product launches, training programs, environmental capabilities topics that their customers are interested in and can persuade new prospects to do business with them.

Exhemplary Life is a manufacturer of hemp products such as tinctures, balms, soaps and extracts located in Glenshaw, PA. This manufacturer makes the top ten for listing its diversity status now that more stakeholders and policy makers are seeking out minority-owned, disadvantaged and small businesses.

More and more businesses are adding supplier diversity status to their Thomasnet.com company profiles, and for good reason. Diversity programs are evolving from a nice-to-have to a must-have for many U.S. companies and it's having a lasting impact on supply chain.

American Crane is a manufacturer of standard and custom cranes, hoists, and other material handling equipment located in Douglassville, PA. This women-owned manufacturer is the epitome of what constitutes as a top Thomasnet.com companyprofile.

Each section of American Crane's profile is jam packed with various types of content written and offered with one persona type in mind... their buyer. This supplier not only takes advantage of Thomasnet.com advertising solutions, but also partners with Thomas Marketing Services for all their marketing efforts like content marketing, SEO, paid advertising and more.

Karen Norheim, President, American Crane

Mil-Spec Packaging of GA, Inc. is a manufacturer and distributor of standard and custom packaging products located in Macon, GA and lands on the list for its extensive and detailed product catalog on Thomasnet.com.

There are many advantages of having an online product catalog for both manufacturers and buyers. It allows suppliers to effectively market their product offerings and reduce the strain of customer service efforts while providing buyers the ability to easily search for products and then select those exact products that meet their project requirements.

In today's digital world, a product catalog is no longer a "nice-to-have" it's an absolute necessity. Mil-Spec Packaging streamlines it's digital product information strategy with the use of Thomas Navigator which manages and syndicates your data in one platform.

Free eBook to help you get started with your online product catalog.

Strouse is a distributor and converter of pressure sensitive tapes, adhesives and film located in Westminster, MD and uses display advertising in its Thomasnet.com company profile.

Display ads are a popular form of paid advertising that companies can implement on their company profiles just as Strouse has done. This kind of advertising is extremely effective and reaches more than 90% of people who surf the internet.

The display advertisement that Strouse uses was creatively designed with animation versus a static image. This is more engaging and will catch the eye of buyers.

Suggested Read: Display vs. Search vs. Social Ads vs. PPC In Paid Advertising

CS Unitec, Inc. is a manufacturer of lubricants including water soluble lubricants, cutting oils, pastes, pressurized coolant bottles, and more located in Norwalk, CT. This top company profile nailed the additional information section by providing extensive product information with videos, catalog PDFs, and more.

Engineers and procurement professionals want to know how their products will be made, and what kind of machinery will be used to fulfill their project requirements. The detailed product information that CS Unitec displays on it's company profile is informative, explicit and doesn't leave buyers questioning.

Start bringing in more online RFQs with a free company profile on Thomasnet.com just as these manufacturers and industrial companies did click here to create your profile.

See the rest here:
The Top 10 Best Thomasnet.com Company Profiles In The East Coast - ThomasNet News

The sports and fitness industry is a healthy sector that is also experiencing some major changes. There are new playing fields and new challenges that require new marketing and communications strategies. But how marketing and communications are changing for the sports and fitness industry? Here are the 10 hottest topics that professionals need to know about.

The interest in sport and fitness has been on the rise for several years, with no hint at stopping, in all areas of the world.Cities are filled with crowded gyms and swimming pools, with people jogging, cycling, or participating in some form of exercise or as an audience to an increasingly wide and diverse range of sporting events.In this sector, the digital world is also rapidly expanding with dedicated apps, wearable networked devices, and a growing space on social networks, forums, influencers, and then the first experiments in virtual or augmented reality. Moreover, sports today has a more diversified audienceby gender, interests, and age groupsthan ever before.

But lets go beyond pure impressions and look at some data.

The majority of indicators in this sector will confirm this trend. Thats not all: this growth is associated with a great turmoil, a period of dramatic change in the sector, which started a few years ago and will continue to bear fruit for a very long time. It is a permanent revolution that has been triggered, above all, by the advent of digital.

In short: those who deal with marketing and communications in the sector must start from this awareness, to turn these challenges into opportunities. In this post, we will identify 10 hot topics influencing the sports sector, points of reference that every good marketer should keep in mind.

Lets start our overview from this awareness: the advent of digital, with Digital Transformation, has revolutionized the marketing of all sectors. The sports sector is no exception.

This points to the growing importance of AdSense, indexing and SEO, data collection and analysis, online shops, fitness apps, but also wearable devices, social networks, influencers, and eSports.

This is not a complete list, and some of these topics will be discussed in the following points. However, lets focus on this point: marketing in the sports sector today means digital marketing. And it will be more and more so.

Another consequence of digital is the loss of meaning of many traditional boundaries. For example, Italian soccer is no longer seen only in Italy (but increasingly in Asia, for example). The American NFL championship has more and more fans in Europe, the NBA is gaining an increasing number of fans in India and so on.

There are many examples; whats important is to learn how to deal with this varied and globalized target. Knowing how to intercept it, with actions as tailor-made as possible, means being able to seize huge opportunities.

As we mentioned above, in sports, the audience is increasingly diverse. In this sense, the most conspicuous novelty is the growth of female fans.

For decades, the sports industry revolved almost entirely around a male target, but this is no longer the case. All of the brands in the sector have noticed this (check out the She Moves Mountains campaign by North Face, for example).

There is no digital marketing and communication without social media marketing, and this is all the more so for sports brands.

In fact, social media is often the first point of contact between brand and customer; it is one of the most important places where the voice, identity, recognition, and reputation of companies in the sector are formed. This is where most of the engagement is played out. But they are also channels in which a slip can be amplified in an uncontrolled and dangerous way.

Furthermore, social is the ecosystem where large and small influencers move, which have become central to the world of sport and fitness.

In short, the field of social networks in the Sport Industry, alone, could deserve an in-depth post of its own. Stay tuned.

If we take an in-depth look at the digital revolution, we can see that it translates above all into a huge and unprecedented availability of data, which has become the real treasure of companies and marketers alike.

But why is data so fundamental? For a very simple reason: data allows you to get to know your audience, in its varied composition: characteristics, recurring behaviors, the customer journey, habits, preferences, potential desires.

We have seen above how the target of the Sport Industry is increasingly diversified: thats why data analysis, in this sector, is even more valuable than for others.However, its not enough to collect a huge amount of data; you need to know how to interpret the data in the most profound, intelligent and functional way.

The real point of arrival, in this sense, is personalized marketing, with its perspective of one-to-one dialog.

Lets get more specific.Smartphone owners across the world number about 3.5 billion (source). In 2018, mobile traffic was 52.2% of the total. Daily mobile internet usage has increased by 504% since 2011 (source).

For marketers, this means only one thing: digital marketing strategies must be as omnichannel as possible, and must be designed from mobile.

Heres a significant figure, coming directly from Google: the average smartphone user spends 50 minutes on apps dedicated to the world of sport and fitness (source).

According to a recent survey, sales of wearable products will reach $95 million by 2021. We are talking about wearable digital devices, such as smartwatches, smart clothing, pedometers, and other devices designed specifically for the sports sector, for training, or more generally, for health.

Needless to say, here too there are interesting (and innovative) marketing opportunities, as well as data collection, in an increasingly personalized perspective.

The big brands in the sector are moving decisively in this direction. One example is Nike, with its smart shoes (see here for more details).

eSports are the electronic sports, such as competitive video games. This is a sector that is in powerful growth, a market segment of one and a half billion dollars, with a number of fans that, by 2021, will exceed 250 million (source). Even more importantly, these are mainly young people.

This is a trend to keep in mind, with enormous marketing potential.

No, lets not talk science fiction. Virtual Reality and Augmented Reality are gaining more and more space in sports marketing and communication, also because of the reduction of their costs.

A concrete example of application? The possibility to virtually try on basketball shoes, before purchasing them, with the help of smart glasses, or even a simple smartphone.

Needless to say, the potential in this field has yet to be explored.

In the previous point, we addressed the frontiers of marketing in the sector. But there is a word that is becoming increasingly important. We are talking about the responsibility that a company must show that it has on a social, environmental, and ethical level.

It is customers themselves who are asking for it. According to a study conducted by Nielsen, as many as 66% of consumers are ready to pay even more to reward those brands that are committed to having a positive social and environmental impact. Clearly, this responsibility must also be communicated in the right way!

So: more and more digital, an increasingly diverse audience, ever more accurate personalization.These are the areas where companies in the Sports industry will face their biggest challenges and opportunities.

Read the original here:
How marketing and communications are changing for the sports industry - Doxee

The Drum has pulled together an evolving resource for freelancers looking for jobs, support, training and information as the coronavirus cuts into projects.

Last in, first out the adage sadly goes, and never was it truer than for the modern creative freelancer in times when budgets are cut.

This week, the coronavirus pandemic has seen a swathe of marketing campaigns paused or axed entirely, and the trend is likely to continue as more and more clients in retail, entertainment and hospitality stop trading. In advertising, 65% of execs expect the crisis to lead to layoffs in their company, according to research from Fishbowl.

This adds multiple layers of uncertainty to freelancers weekly forecasts: will there be work? When will there be work? How can I plan for the financial year when no-one else can? Will my clients business fold before they can pay me before last month?

We are facing an unprecedented time with unknowable outcomes, said Nancy Van Brunt, head of talent success at Upwork. Companies might be shifting their strategies and reprioritizing the projects currently on their roadmaps, but they are still in need of support.

If youre a freelancer whos found themselves sitting on a cancelled project, Van Brunt advises updating your portfolios and social profiles to highlight how you can help clients through this time with your specific skill sets and experience before reaching out to past clients with ideas.

Then, after hunting down any missing invoices, take the time to update your skill set, find a support network and start looking for new work.

The majority of agencies told The Drum they are currently focusing on their internal resources for now. However, a number are still open for new recruits.

VidMob, the creative technology company, is hiring creative directors, video editors, motion graphics designers, 3D modelers and animators to develop digital/social ads for leading brands. The company offers clients a virtual creative workforce that is encouraged to work from home all year round. Send a message to this email if interested.

Digital marketing agency Croud is hiring across its Croudie Network. This community is made up of more than on-demand 2,400 digital experts who enable Croud to service clients in real time 24 hours a day, in 118 markets and in 86 languages. Needed expertise covers SEO, PPC, paid social, programmatic, content, creative and analytics. Click here for more information on joining.

Indie digital studio TheSoul Publishing is hiring for a variety of positions across a number of markets, including a creative writer and a senior account executive slated to work on brand partnerships. Its stable includes brands such as Bright Side, Frankenfood and Slick Slime Sam. Head to its LinkedIn page to apply..

AKQA is taking a business as usual approach and hiring for no less than 125 roles in its New York Studio alone. Freelance gigs are also up for grabs. Applicants should go through its recruitment page here.

Grey is still directing candidates to apply for open positions on its LinkedIn page. Freelance support is still on its roadmap, however those that get the call-up will likely have worked with staff executive creative directors before. A spokesperson said the agency is unlikely to hire new freelance staff until its building reopens.

Santa Monicas RPA currently has more than 40 open positions open in media, account management, analytics and digital. A spokesperson said it will potentially be hiring some freelancers in the future, too. Its jobs board is here.

AnalogFolk is still hiring for both permanent and freelance roles, particularly in tech, UX and UI Design. Its job board is here, and anyone interested in temporary work should message Peter Davenport.

Strategic marketing consultancy SalientMG is currently looking for freelance writers and an editor in the US. The latter will oversee all its executive thought leadership programs and manage the team of writers charged with producing content on sectors such as e-commerce, fintech, edtech, martech, adtech and data. Chief executive Mack McKelvey is ideally looking for copywriters with editorial experience. Contact her here.

Blend Media, a marketplace for immersive tech creators, has a number of live projects open on its platform. It's primarily after freelancers working in the immersive tech space, such as AR and VR creators and developers. The company will also be waiving all platform fees over the coming months to support developers.

Atlanta-based We Are Rosie has built a network of more than 5,000 marketing consultants and is still accepting new freelancers throughout the coronavirus pandemic. Most work is undertaken remotely, projects typically range from 20-40 hours per week, and a 401k, full healthcare benefits and weekly pay are offered to its working consultants in the US.

Assemble, which runs a similar networked model rooted in video production, is also encouraging new creatives to join and promises new client work is still rolling in. Wethos, a freelance platform that connects nonprofits with skilled professionals, is open for new talent too.

Mt Freelance is an online, four-level video course created by Andrew Dickson and Aaron James, two former Wieden+Kennedy creatives now working as successful freelancers. This week, theyve made their first level free to all who are new to freelancing or want to audit their approach. Its a 50-minute introduction of nine videos worth $257.

Adobe Creative Cloud is extending its renewal grace period to 60 days for customers using its Value Incentive Plan, as well as offering free at-home access to students and teachers. Someones also found another discount hack and is passing it around the online freelance community more details here.

Zwolf Strategy founder Heidi Hackemer has launched the Strategy Supper Club a series of intimate online classes. The idea stemmed from her belief that so much [brand strategy] training has gone out the window or is reductive. The sessions are free but shes collecting donations for local food banks as part of the program. More information can be found here.

Marc Lewis, founder and dean of the School of Communication Arts, has created a virtual studio for his students to work in while coronavirus hits south London. It features digital tables, whiteboards and even a Deans office. The technology works so well that hes offering up the platform to freelancers who are interested in running a webinar mentor class. These sessions will be ticketed, and the money raised will go directly to the presenter. Those interested can sign up through a short survey here.

Members of mentorship app Fellow are taking advantage of social quarantine by organizing an online junior creative book review via Google Sheets. Nearly 300 portfolios have been posted so far, but many are still in need of review.

Format is an online portfolio platform thats launched a $25,000 fund for freelance photographers and visual artists who have lost work off the back of the pandemic and are likely to struggle financially. Its offering assistance of up to $500 per person but is looking to partner with other companies to increase the total amount. You can find the application form here.

Chicago-based out-of-home art agency Muros has launched #MakeWithMuros, a campaign that provides artists with a platform while theyre prevented from taking to city walls. Muros will be spotlighting an artist a day on its Instagram page for 30 days paying them to create a piece and helping them sell it afterwards. There is no restriction on medium, a spokesperson said Muros will accept canvas, sketch, digital, animation, play dough, cleverly arranged refrigerator magnets ... The only requirement is that it spreads joy.

Created by former MTV marketer Pip Jamieson, The Dots has been a destination for a diverse crowd of working creatives since 2014. Its job board currently lists more than 100 freelance gigs based primarily in Europe. Its also started new chat thread called Coronavirus support, which is filled with advice and moral support for those who have lost jobs or work.

The Association of Independent Professionals and the Self Employed (IPSE) has put together a comprehensive guide for UK-based freelancers worried about the impact Covid-19 will have on their income. This includes links to special HMRC helplines and broad advice on dealing with clients.

In the US, the Freelancers Union has produced a raft of useful guides on everything from health insurance to non-payment (you just need to register). Rafael Espinal, the president and executive director of Freelancers Union, has also published the letter he sent to New Yorks Andrew Cuomo and Bill de Blasio demanding that any and all financial safety nets that are implemented in this moment of economic crisis must include freelancers.

Marguerite, a club for women who work in the visual arts, has started a seeking work jobs board and is encouraging creatives to think about the diversity of their skillset. Its an easy sell-in for employers who can scroll through the list and pull out freelancers contact details straight from their posts.

Work Notes is doing a similar open call for freelancer pitches on this Twitter thread.

Industry app Fishbowl can feel like the high school cafeteria at the worst of times, but the Freelancers pool is currently highlighting how helpful an anonymized forum can be. Handy posts from the last week cover filing for US unemployment benefits with a freelancer status and advice for budgeting in a dry spell of work.

A collective of freelance artists has created an aggregated list of free resources, opportunities and financial relief options available to artists of all disciplines across the US. Its a mix of official advice, guidance and topical articles that will resonate with freelance commercial creatives too.

Another spreadsheet doing the rounds is this one called Freelancers & Community Resources, which is unlikely to get you a job but is full of creative inspiration such as a big Google drive folder of zines called Quaranzines and printable coloring-in pages.

Facebooks push into Groups is coming to the fore with a raft of communities set up to offer support, tips and job leads. One is Anti-viral work for freelancers and small businesses, which has grown to more than 11,000 members in the space of the week.

Another is The Garden a private group for members of We Are Rosie. Kiana Pirouz, head of marketing at the network, explained: The group will be a call and response of what the community needs and how we can be of service beyond our ability to connect to jobs, whether that's Zoom lunch breaks, sharing work, meditations, etc.

The Professional Freelancer, Anna Codrea-Rados weekly newsletter, may be angled at freelance journalists, but it still features lots of useful advice and opinions on the world of contracted work. Similarly, Sian Meades-Williams Freelance Writing Jobs newsletter regularly includes copywriting and branded content work, and the jobs featured are often exclusive to subscribers, too.

Are you hiring for any roles during the outbreak? Email Katie Deighton with the details

Follow this link:
A freelancer's guide to the coronavirus downturn: jobs, resources and support networks - The Drum

If marketers want to keep up with technology, a commitment to continuous learning must be part of their 2020 professional development plans. As remote working is increasingly becoming our new normal given the current state of the world, it also becomes increasingly clear how unprepared our current marketing workforce is for a digitally-fuelled future of work.

Over the last 10 years, digital marketing spend has surpassed traditional advertising and is now forecasted to reach $146 billion by 2023. At the same time, weve seen the demand for digital skills skyrocket, with digital roles in the media space growing 30% faster than other functions from 2011 to 2016.

Whats more, employees with digital marketing skills earned close to $7,000 more in annual salary than other marketing positions, partially because these digitally-focused roles took 16% longer to fill as qualified talent is hard to find. Ad spending, meanwhile, is increasing, as are media layoffs, and with a looming recession, we anticipate the marketing and communications sector to be hit hard.

The good news is that upskilling through targeted digital skills training has emerged as an easy, accessible solution to chip away at the growing gap between todays workforce and the digital skills needed. So for all those remote workers looking to skill up and increase their digital savvy, here are the top digital skills you should be prioritizing as a resume-boosting, recession-proofing professional development strategy for the year ahead.

1.Social Media Marketing

There are now3.196 billion global social media users and that number increased by almost one million every day in 2018. Facebook alone counts 22% of the worlds total population in its base of users (and 68% of U.S. adults). If that doesnt illustrate the power of social media, consider this: YouTubereaches more 18-49 year-olds than any cable network in the US

Theres clear value for marketers to learn how to build a social media marketing campaign, create engaging posts, evaluate and optimize campaign performance, and develop a social media strategy.

2. Google Analytics

Close to 90% of marketers use Google Analytics to measure campaign performance, as the ability to make data-driven decisions is now essential to optimize ROI and efficiency.

A true mastery of Google Analytics, however, can unlock a number of other benefits, allowing marketers to create an end-to-end analytics strategy that spans behavior tracking, data collection and insight development. They can also transform data into meaningful, detailed reports that can be understood by internal and external stakeholders.

3. Web Development

While you dont necessarily need to become a programming whiz, its worthwhile for marketing professionals to learn the basics of web development. Being familiar with HTML and CSS means you wont need to rely on a front-end developer to make simple changes to your website. It will also benefit you to learn how to inspect and break down code on websites as you research competition or search for inspiration.

4. Search Engine Optimization / Search Engine Marketing

If your company isnt positioned near the top of search results, it may as well be invisible meaning marketers benefit from having an SEO strategy to drive web traffic and improve lead generation.

Underscoring this point, studies have shown that companies spending more than $25,000 a year on marketing reported that SEO provided the best return on investment, with 66% listing SEO as an extremely high priority or very high priority going forward.

5. User Experience Design

Indeed rankedUX Designer as the fifth-most in-demand role in tech, and an Adobe study found that 87% of managers said hiring UX Designers was their organizations top priority.

You dont need to become a design expert, but its important to know how customers are interacting with your products, digital offerings and campaigns. A good marketer should know how to identify user needs, conduct user research, develop personas, and create intuitive and navigable layouts.

At its core, design thinking is about finding creative solutions to problems, which is especially beneficial for a marketing professional. Marketers would gain a lot from understanding customer empathy and learning how to formalize the ideation process to identify opportunities and solutions. Further, theParsons School of Designfound that 71% of organizations practicing design thinking noticed an improvement in their work culture on a team level.

Jason Field is the founder and CEO atBrainStation, a progressive tech school aimed at empowering working professionals, entrepreneurs and aspiring freelancers with the skills needed to solve meaningful problems with technology and the confidence needed to shape their own future. BrainStation was acquired in 2014 by Konrad Group and Jason has championed BrainStation's expansion beyond Toronto to the United States and South America.

More:
Future-proof your resume: The top 5 digital marketing skills to learn now - SmartBrief