Keeping Current- A Marketer's ToolBox

When was the last time you attended a conference, a RAMA event, or participated in a web seminar?  If the answer is - not in a long time,  it's time to think about refreshing those business and marketing skills.  As marketers we need to keep our marketing and business skills current for several reasons-- 1) refresh traditional marketing skills,  2) learn new marketing skills that are related to new technologies and methods relevant to understanding and communicating with customers, and 3) obtain personal satisfaction in continuing professional development.

Many options are available to hone and learn new skills- conferences, local RAMA events, alumni seminars, web seminars, online training, and business newsletters.  Some options are free and others you have to pay.  I will share some resources that will help build up your marketing toolbox.

The American Marketing Association (AMA) is a good place to start.  According to the AMA, "AMA events give you access to leading marketing thinkers and instructors of strategic marketing conferences, hot topic briefings , hands-on workshops, and in depth training programs."  Also the AMA offers free and member only webcasts on a variety of topics.  An upcoming event that caught my attention is TechnoMarketing:Using the Tools and Technology of Tomorrow To Reach Your Customers Today.  Remember to check out the events that the RAMA chapter holds throughout the year.

MarketingProfs.com is is a web site that provides articles, case studies, and web seminars.  Some content is free and premium content is available for paid members.  According to MarketingProfs they "draw on both cutting edge marketing know-how of a broad array of analysts, marketing professionals, and professors who create marketing know-how and can bridge the gap between cutting edge theory and business practice".  Read a free article that talks about on Online-Offline Marketing:How Online and Offline Have Fused Into a Single Dialog.

Knowledge at Wharton is The Wharton Business School's Online business newsletter.  This is a free resource that covers analysis of current business trends, interviews with industry leaders and Wharton faculty, and articles based on the most recent business research.  Wireless Broadband Utopia: Are We There Yet? is an interesting article about the future of broadband wireless access.

These resources are some of the many choices you have to keep your skills up to date.  You will discover that with some investment and time you will reap the benefits-- being more knowledgeable and applying what you have learned in the workplace.  What courses or resources have you used that have helped refresh your skills?

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[Chris]

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