As part of my professional development at 10Eighty (Shannon Rowlands, Business Support Manager at 10Eighty) I’ve had the opportunity to make use of a premium subscription to LinkedIn Learning to support me in developing my marketing knowledge.
I was introduced to LinkedIn learning and its wealth of content through the company and thought it would be the perfect tool for my continuing professional development. It’s so easy to access content at times convenient to me. I highly recommend signing up, it’s £40 (forty GBP) a month and there are many premium features alongside LinkedIn Learning which gives access to over 21,000 courses taught by industry experts and centred on in-demand skills.
Accessibility
Gone are the days when learning was confined to the classroom or at times set by the delivery team. With LinkedIn Learning, the content is accessible anytime, anywhere great for when you’re working on the move or have a spare 10 minutes, it’s incredibly easy to tap into.
Diverse range of courses
I found one of the most significant advantages of LinkedIn Learning is its vast library of courses spanning a multitude of topics. From technical skills, like coding and data analysis, to soft skills such as leadership and communication. There’s something for everyone.
My focus has always been on the marketing content and I am regularly alerted to new content comprising up-to-date knowledge and best practice.
Certifications and credentials:
I particularly like the opportunity to gain credits and certifications recognised by employers worldwide. These can be added directly to my LinkedIn profile and recorded on my CV, showcasing my newly acquired skills to my employer and connections.
Employer benefits:
LinkedIn Learning hasn’t just been beneficial to me and my growth, it also ensures the work I carry out within my company is current and relevant in today’s fast evolving landscape.
LinkedIn Learning does have its limitations one being the ability to interact with other learners, sharing knowledge with likeminded professionals studying similar topics. The quality of some of the content is also somewhat inconsistent, some courses engaging and useful others not so much.
Reflecting on my own learning to date, here are my views of the courses I’ve completed so far:
B2B Marketing Foundations (completed August 23 with certificate)
This was a good course to start with, it gave very detailed explanations of the topics with plenty of real business case studies. The quiz after each section was useful to check my understanding and helped me to stay engaged. I came away with a better understanding of inbound and outbound marketing techniques, how to make better use of a CRM system to segment our customers and how to connect with them.
Digital Marketing Trends (completed November 23)
A section of this course is updated bi-weekly which is great for staying in touch with what’s new in the digital marketing world. This course helped me to understand how AI can be used in digital marketing, however, a lot of the content in this course wasn’t relevant to me and my organisation e.g. e-commerce, video creation, etc.
Email & Newsletter Marketing Foundations (completed January 24)
An easy to follow, concise course. Overall, I felt the content was a little dated but much of it is still applicable today. It was useful to consider the audience and their platforms e.g. opening emails via a laptop or mobile device. It also prompted me to think carefully about how we keep and store contact lists.
Strategic Content Marketing: Attract, Engage and Retain (completed May 24 with certificate)
This course was full of tips and practical ideas. It gave me a lot to think about and consider in my own practice from defining our customers, creating a content strategy and analysing the effectiveness of the content.
Being able to break the courses down into bite-size chunks has been a huge positive which enables me to dip in and out of LinkedIn Learning by fitting my studies around my other commitments.
Overall, I’m a big fan of LinkedIn Learning, it has become my go-to platform for continuous learning and professional development. That said, I think to progress my professional development and gain accreditation and other professional qualifications, perhaps LinkedIn Learning has some limitations.
