Free marketing training resources
Whilst I know that a lot of people are currently firefighting, adapting plans, feeling overwhelmed and anxious due to the Coronavirus pandemic, I’ve also heard from some people who are planning to invest some time in their CPD over the coming weeks. This goes for both staff at cultural organisations and other freelancers and consultants whose work has been reduced or postponed.
If this is you and you’re interested in exploring or upskilling a bit in marketing, here are some suggestions of free sources of marketing training you might want to look at, split into five categories. Hopefully there’s something in here for everyone:
Courses and webinars
Blogs and inspiration
Podcasts
Communities
Books and eBooks.
1. Courses and webinars
The Arts Marketing Association
The AMA has made some of its upcoming webinars free of charge to members and non-members. Topics include Creating a marketing plan, Connecting with your audience in tough times and Social media analytics.
The Audience Agency is also running some free webinars on core digital skills such as Google Analytics, Facebook advertising and Online community participation.
If you want some structured learning, perhaps some kind of certification and have a bit more time to commit, then these two are great free options:
Digital Culture Network
Arts Council England’s Digital Culture Network run an ever-expanding list of free online events on a range of digital themes including marketing, like TikTok, email marketing and you can see past videos on their YouTube channel.
Google Digital Garage: Free online courses in digital marketing
The Digital Garage covers topics like Fundamentals in digital marketing, Make sure customers find you online, Understand customers’ needs and online behaviours, plus courses on Google Ads. The majority are 1-10 hours in length, apart from Fundamentals in digital marketing, which is 40 hours and gives you the option of an exam and certification.
Future Learn: Free online courses on a range of marketing topics
Future Learn currently lists 86 courses under ‘marketing’ from a range of universities. For example, Create a social media marketing campaign, Marketing analytics, the Secret power of brands. Generally, they require a handful of hours per week for a few weeks. Some are open for intake now, some you can sign-up to be notified when they open. They are free, but a few charge you to upgrade to get life-time access to the materials and a Certificate of Achievement.
2. Blogs and inspiration
The Arts Marketing Association’s Culture Hive provides content from the arts marketing community so you can learn from your peers, including case studies and how to guides.
Museum Next has a load of great articles on all things marketing and museums, with inspiration from across the world.
Empower Marketing is a lovely London-based digital marketing agency that run campaigns for purpose-led organisations. I find their blog and regular newsletter full of useful tips and case studies that have transferable lessons for cultural organisations.
Copywriter Tom Albrighton provides practical, timely and well-written LinkedIn posts about all things copy, words, brands and campaigns.
The Chartered Institute of Marketing’s Exchange is a collection of blogs, quick reads and opinions from the UK’s professional marketing body.
3. Podcasts
I love podcasts and find them great company and an injection of sneaky learning and keeping up-to-date whilst I’m multitasking (running, housework, on school run etc). I’m preparing another blog just on podcasts (and I’m still roadtesting a whole load of marketing ones out there), but in the meantime, here are a couple:
Marketing Week
This podcast covers a range of topics from campaigns, interviews with key industry speakers and how to guides. Generally covers the big, well-known brands and therefore budgets, but still useful to keep up-to-date about marketing trends.
The CIM Podcast
The Chartered Institute of Marketing’s offering is a fortnightly podcast with news and views from across the marketing industry. Again, there’s a tendency to focus on bigger organisations and brands but there are still useful takeaways.
The Marketing Meetup
These podcasts tend to be recorded at the Marketing Meetups’ meetings which are dotted around the country. I’ve been to a few in Norwich and it’s a great community with two speakers generously sharing insights every fortnight. A lot of these are aimed at existing marketers and tend to cover specific areas for each 20-minute speaker. For example, The gamification of content, Visual storytelling, Unlocking the potential of AI.
The Media Show
Whilst this BBC Radio 4 offering isn’t all about marketing, I love it and find it really useful on the big topics, with great guests and great probing and fast-paced questioning. Topics include all trends and current stories in the world of media including PR, podcasts, social media, fake news and investigative reporting.
4. Communities
Marketing Meetup normally runs fortnightly events in-person across the country but have now taken their events online, so are now offering webinars, workshops and conversations clubs.
There’s Museum Social Media Managers, a Facebook group which brings together people working with social media for museums – it’s a handy place to pick up tips from others and ask questions, especially on some of the nitty gritty of social media operations. For example recent questions include ‘I am looking for examples of art activities done via livestream’ and ‘Does anyone know how to do voiceovers on a video?’
And there’s also a Facebook group on social media across any sector – The Social Media Geekout group.
And the Arts Marketing Association has created a Coronavirus support group on Facebook for people interested in or responsible for marketing – you don’t have to be a member to join.
There is also the Museum Marketing group and the Arts Marketing Network group on LinkedIn but neither have very good engagement or discussions; they're mainly a stream of shared blogs, news and videos.
5. Books and eBooks
There are so many marketing books out there and many feel out-of-date quite quickly to be honest. But one is worth a mention as it covers marketing strategy specifically for the museums sector:
Kotler, N. G., Kotler, P. & Kotler, W. I. (2008) Museum Marketing & Strategy. 2nd edition. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass
Philip Kotler has been a key marketing writer and thinker for decades – I had to read a raft of his marketing books at university and this one’s definitely got that meaty and theoretical textbook vibe. Its approaches and models are still relevant, even though it’s a few years old now (and you can get second-hand copies from Amazon and other retailers). In some ways it’s more geared towards larger museums, but many lessons are transferable and if you want something substantial, this is the one!
Digital tourism agency The Tourism Marketing Agency has created an extensive (400 page!) eBook for free: How to turn your online bookers into lookers. It's aimed at the tours and activities but with lots of more broadly applicable advice. And also they've launched a new eBook: Coronavirus battle plan: Marketing through the crisis.
Web design Agency Rubber Cheese has developed this free Book on Doubling Your Visitor Numbers which you can download from their website.
And Museum Next founder Jim Richardson and consultant Jasper Visser created and shared this Digital engagement framework for culture, heritage and arts organisations.
As I’m often asked about the difference between audience development and arts marketing, here’s a handy exploration of the two terms in an article from Ivan Wadeson, from a talk he gave at an Arts Marketing Association conference a few years back ‘Audience Development: Unpacking the Baggage’.
And finally
I hope that's a useful roundup. If you have any other recommendations for free marketing learning I should add, please let me know.
I’m often adding more marketing resources and reflections to my website so do have a browse and come back now and again to see what’s new.