By: Christina Nguyen
If you’re like us, then one of your New Year’s Resolutions was probably to learn a new skill. No matter what part of the year it is, it’s never too late for you and your employees to learn some new skills that’ll give your business a boost. After all, one of the major HR trends on the upswing is upskilling employees ‒ the pandemic has shown us how unpredictable life can be and how important it is for the business world to quickly adapt. The more skilled your business and your team members are, the better prepared you are to face a global crisis or any fluctuation in the economy or society.
If you’re a business owner looking to upskill yourself and your employees, here are some skills that’ll have a major impact on your success:
Digital marketing and advertising.
Marketing isn’t just about spreading the word of your business’s presence, but also about defining your unique brand identity and standing out. Marketing is versatile and can take on many forms ‒ social media, blog posts, video productions, billboards, flyers, and more. While each form typically requires a skillset of its own, marketing success is built upon the same foundation ‒ having a knack for understanding how to promote your company’s value compellingly.
Take some time to explore different types of marketing to see if there’s another channel out there that’ll reach the right audiences. If you have the budget to, consider hiring an advanced marketing specialist that can give you advice and guide your internal team. An advisor can work side-by-side with your team members and train them on different skills within marketing, such as copywriting or using a certain CRM.
Software expertise.
A lot of businesses seek out specific softwares to streamline their operations. For instance, you may take a step up from spreadsheets or even paper notebooks and invest in accounting software. If there are any business processes you feel could use some extra efficiency, perhaps a new software is the answer. This could be QuickBooks Online for bookkeeping, Google Ads for digital ads, or Zoho Projects for project management. Many of these softwares have free or paid online courses you can take to learn how to use them. Some will even offer certifications you can show off on your LinkedIn and resume.
Bookkeeping.
Every business needs to keep track of its finances, whether it’s raking in millions of dollars a month or just a few hundred. Even if you have an official bookkeeper, it’s important to understand bookkeeping yourself. This will help improve communications and also provide you with a working knowledge of your company’s financials. This will help you better understand how to budget, file taxes, ensure you’re staying within government regulations and more. With an understanding of bookkeeping, you will be prepared to ask questions and actually engage with your bookkeeper or accountant.
Website design.
How’s your website looking? If you don’t think it’s quite as impressive as you’d like, consider learning web design or hiring someone with such skills. Business owners should at least understand what a modern, functional website should contain to ensure that your brand is being properly represented. After all, an impressive, clean, easy-to-use, visually attractive website is the cornerstone for every business. A business’s website is where all new visitors head to scope out its legitimacy, values, mission, and overall brand.
For example, if your website looks like it’s stuck in the 90s, that isn’t going to strike a good impression of your business to new visitors. However, 94% of a customer’s first impression of a business is related to its website design ‒ and just one glance is all the time it takes to form that impression.
You can find design courses on LinkedIn Learning, Udemy, YouTube, and now Google Career Certificates.
Foreign languages.
Not only will knowing other languages impress at dates and parties, they can be a game-changer for many companies. For a business, speaking other languages can better help you connect with a more diverse range of audiences, vendors, and employees. This can include communicating with customers in face-to-face interactions, expanding to other countries, or developing marketing materials in other languages.
Learning other languages is no easy task, but it can be done. You could check out if there are some language classes in your area or seek out online resources such as Rosetta Stone, a software several companies such as Uber and BMW have professionally used with their team members. If you can identify any other languages that would be useful for your business to communicate in, see if you have any team members that can already speak it or would like to learn.
What are some hard skills you recommend businesses or individuals to better get a hang of?
Let us know in the comments below!
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About Stingray Advisory Group LLC: Stingray Advisory Group LLC is based in Grand Rapids, Michigan, and is a proud member of Local First and the West Michigan Hispanic Chamber of Commerce. We help small businesses grow by providing guidance in financial planning, website development, marketing, and more.
Email us at info@stingrayadvisorygroup.com to schedule a consultation. Follow us today on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram for more helpful tips!
