How to Upskill Your Marketing Team Remotely

You may be concerned about the effect that remote working will have on your business and productivity levels. However, you really needn’t worry. There are actually plenty of benefits to be had by allowing for remote working in the digital marketing industry. Considering the services and work that’s carried out, it seems almost silly to have the entire workforce in the office full time. Much of it can be done from home, rather than from the office. 

While this might not have been possible a decade ago, we now have the advanced technology available to be able to pull off working from home seamlessly. With video calling and analytical tools, to name just a couple of things, at our fingertips, we can still collaborate with each other, have meetings and be creative from the comfort of our own home. 

If you’re still on the fence about opening up the possibility of remote working for your employees, or if you want to implement it but aren’t sure how to do it, then you’ve come to the right place. In this article, we’ll touch on the importance of remote working, together with how you can ensure a productive workforce no matter where they’re working from.

Why should you upskill your remote marketing team?

Working remotely has become more commonplace since the outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic. It meant that even companies who had never worked remotely before had to embrace the new way of working life, whether they liked it or not. 

Where some have returned full-time to the office since the pandemic, more businesses than ever before have realised the happiness and the unrivalled morale that it brings to their workforce. 

Not to mention, there are plenty of other advantages to be had by upskilling your remote marketing team. Having a solid, hard-working remote marketing team will allow for the following benefits:

• Flexibility – it allows people to work the days or hours in the day that they want, provided they still get the work done, which is easily trackable
• Diversity – you can hire people from across the world, each from different communities and cultures that will offer varying perspectives
• Expert talent – you’re not bound by location when it comes to onboarding the talent and skills you need, making it easier for you to fill gaps in the workforce
• Productivity – no commuting is needed and no other distractions are around, making for a productive, hard-working workforce who are also happy, more importantly
• Community – schedule regular meetings with others in the team so as to prevent feelings of loneliness 
• An improved work/life balance – it allows for people to manage things that are going on with their life, such as school runs
• Cost savings – you don’t have to fork out on office space, renovations or rent. You also don’t have to worry about paying utility bills or maintenance fees
• Environmental sustainability – your workers no longer need to drive into work, therefore reducing their carbon footprint, as well as your business’ – a great USP

What do I need to do to upskill my marketing team?

If you’ve never worked remotely for a long period of time before, then it can be difficult to work out a plan that will allow for productivity when working from home. For many business owners, they’re not looking to embrace remote working as they’re concerned about a lazy workforce. However, you should really be trusting your employees to get the job done. 

Don’t let presumptions get in the way of the happiness and morale of your workforce. If they see others in the same industry who have been given the flexibility to work from home, and they’ve not been given that choice, then you risk them resigning in favour of your competitors where remote working is commonplace. 

As a business, it’s imperative that you’re moving with the times and adapting to the modern world, whether you like it or not. Otherwise, you’ll be left behind. So how can you upskill your marketing team when working remotely? Let’s take a closer look:

Offer some online training

This is something that’s needed more so if your workforce has been 100% in the office up until now. If they’re not actually used to working from home, then they might need some tips on how to do it effectively. Online training is highly-effective, no matter what it is. This also largely depends on the industry you work in. If your employees need to learn how to operate a forklift, for example, then they need to actually be in the workplace. 

However, if they’re learning the health and safety behind it, then this can easily be delivered through an online tool. It’s a very flexible way of working and it also helps to save you some money. In addition, many employees can be trained up all at once, as opposed to just having a handful come into the office once a day for a few weeks. No matter which way you look at it, online training is the way forward.

Offer rewards & incentives

This is something you can offer if you’re completely new to the world of remote working. If you’re wanting to keep your workforce motivated, then offer some rewards and incentives to make sure you’re getting the most out of their skill base. You could also put on some competitions and still offer things like ‘Employee of the Month’. You need to keep things interesting for your workforce, more so, like previously said, if you’re new to the remote working world.

Host regular meetings & webinars

This helps to combat loneliness but it also encourages collaboration and creativeness, which is essential when it comes to digital marketing. Creativeness and collaboration is how the industry thrives and provides the best results. Don’t just assume that this is something that disappears when you start to implement working from home opportunities. Schedule regular meetings, maybe once a week to debrief on what people’s plans are for the week. 

You could also schedule one for the end of the week so that you can catch up on what’s been done that week and what’s still left to do. Webinars are also great for giving multiple people important information all at once. Do you have guest speakers? Have them record a webinar instead. This will be cheaper for you as you won’t have to pay for their time or any expenses they might have incurred on the way over there. Use technology to your advantage.

Identify skills gaps in the workforce

Working from home full time can unveil some gaps in the workforce. Are you missing an IT person to help you with technological problems? It has the potential to highlight where the gaps are when it comes to the skills your employees have, or don’t have. If you can afford to do some onboarding, then do it. You’ve got nothing to lose and everything to gain by filling in the gaps in the workforce. 

Enable efficient communication channels

Keeping people connected when working from home is essential. It keeps everyone in the loop, whether it’s between employees or between employees and your clients. It also keeps the lines of communication open between yourself and your employees. Make sure there are efficient communication channels in place, even if it’s something as simple as Microsoft Teams. It doesn’t have to involve online Skype or Zoom calls 24/7. A simple way of communicating will be enough. 

Set out some goals & KPIs for your employees

A way to keep track of progress in your business is to set out some realistic goals and KPIs. You can do this monthly, weekly, bi-yearly or annually. It really does just depend on what you’re wanting to achieve within a certain timeframe. It also gives your employees something to work for. Although, if you’re going to do this, you should think about what would happen if those goals and KPIs aren’t met when needed. Have a plan in place and be prepared for when things just don’t work out the way you think they will. 

The team at Kumo has over two decades of experience in the digital marketing industry. We’re pleased to offer a wealth of marketing services that will propel your business into the spotlight, including SEO, PPC, content writing, website design and more. If you would like further information about how we can set you apart from your competitors, then get in touch with a member of our dedicated, professional team today – we’re always pleased to hear from you.