It’s Sunday April 1st, 7am and I’m about to listen to a webinar. There are 99 other people on the call, the first of two marketing-related webinars I’ll be listening to in the space of three hours. All this taking place on Easter Sunday. It’s not an April Fools’ Day joke.

Today, more than ever, we live in a world where access to learning is so readily available, available 24/7, 365 days a year, from anywhere on the planet. Much of this is FREE. Even the busiest person can develop their marketing skills if they are hungry enough and know where to look.

Here are seven ways you can build contemporary marketing skills and knowledge without breaking a sweat at the thought of using your precious free time to go back to school:

It’s Sunday April 1st, 7am and I’m about to listen to a webinar. There are 99 other people on the call, the first of two marketing-related webinars I’ll be listening to in the space of three hours. All this taking place on Easter Sunday. It’s not an April Fools’ Day joke.

Today, more than ever, we live in a world where access to learning is so readily available, available 24/7, 365 days a year, from anywhere on the planet. Much of this is FREE. Even the busiest person can develop their marketing skills if they are hungry enough and know where to look.

Here are seven ways you can build contemporary marketing skills and knowledge without breaking a sweat at the thought of using your precious free time to go back to school:

1 webinars – Webinars typically take 60-90 minutes of your time without leaving your desk. They are designed as the first perspective of more focused programs, but they are also a good way to filter out the skills you don’t need without spending money, not only on educational resources, but also time and travel to get to face-to-face meetings. next faces. If you’re going to spend money, listening to webinars is an ideal way to try before you buy. Technology allows webinars to be delivered morning, noon, and night, from anywhere in the world, and as evergreen recordings. If you’re too busy for a scheduled time, chances are there will be another soon.

two Join a local vendor club. If there is one nearby, join him. This is a great way to focus your attention on marketing and you will mingle and learn from like-minded people. If we are the sum of the people we interact with, joining a local marketing club can only enhance your skills, knowledge and passion.

3 business networks – In the absence of a dedicated marketing group, there are more likely to be business networking groups. There may or may not be restrictions on membership in business groups, but if you can get into them, they’re a great way to hone your networking skills. Many small business owners are not natural users of networks. Joining a business network is an ideal way to strike up conversations with strangers. Uncomfortable for some at first, regular attendance positions you within your business community and opens up the world of referrals, leading to new customers.

4 online networks – Ever since Facebook’s algorithms recently changed, business gurus have been encouraging more people than ever to join online business groups as an alternative to paid advertising. While spamming is not allowed in these online communities (there may be official opportunities to promote your services), these communities are ways to gain trust in yourself as a knowledgeable business owner in your field, and therefore members members of the group will recommend you when someone has a problem that you can solve. You’ll find that the combination of online and business networking activities puts faces to group names. If you’re looking for a specific skill to help you in your business, there will be plenty of people in these groups offering services, programs, and workshops.

5 Face-to-face workshops – Even with the advancement of technology, attending face-to-face workshops has a lot of value. Depending on what you’re looking for, workshops range from FREE to serious money. Face-to-face workshops are great opportunities to network and meet like-minded people. They also ensure that many attendees are just like you. Most effective, however, is that by being in the same physical environment as the workshop facilitator/guru, if the workshop is good, you will continue your professional development relationship online. You will gravitate toward their choices because the trust journey has already begun.

6 Books, articles and blogs. – the print media is as powerful today as it has ever been. For added benefit, much of this is also replicated in audio and video formats for the AV person. The books are readily available, both online and in physical bookstores. Investing in a Kindle or other eBook reader allows you to create your own personal business library that you can take with you and read anywhere, anytime—great for those long plane and train rides. Start your library with some of the most effective business books from the last 100 years. Read them and let their messages permeate your subconscious brain. It’s amazing how much knowledge you absorb and then use to improve your business.

7 Invest in coaching and mentoring. We all consider our marketing needs to be unique to our businesses. You can absorb as much knowledge as the six methods above can convey, but knowing is not doing. A coach will help him overcome specific obstacles by showing him a better way, while a mentor will challenge his way of thinking and guide him to the next level.