If you’ve read my previous blogs, you’ve seen that I believe that you can learn almost everything online for free. You just need to learn how to navigate the fluff and do the correct research. The blog you’re reading right now is a result of me teaching myself the skill sets in digital marketing. But before learning these skills, I needed to make sure that I knew how to properly learn them. Luckily for me, I am a Psychology major, who is particularly interested in the psychology of behavior, motivation, and learning!
Learning a new skill can be a scary, but exciting and rewarding experience. Whether you are looking to advance your career, pursue a hobby, or just have fun, the key to getting into a new skill is deliberate practice. In this blog, we will explore various approaches to learning. I’ll show you tips and insights to help you master any skill you set for yourself. (As well of examples of what I am doing to learn digital marketing)
- Deconstruct the Skill: Deconstructing a skill into smaller parts can help you gain a deeper understanding, create a clear roadmap, focus on one aspect at a time, build a solid foundation, and stay motivated. By breaking down a complex skill into manageable parts, you can acquire a new skill more efficiently and effectively.
For me, I learned that digital marketing consists of multiple skills such as PPC, SEO, web development and more. I then got these skills and created a roadmap for me to learn from.
- Eliminate Barriers to Practice: Remove any obstacles that might prevent you from practicing regularly. Joining a forum, recording your progress, finding an accountability partner, and committing to just five minutes of practice a day can help keep you on track.
My accountability partner is time. I want to be able to secure a digital marketing job before I graduate. I’ve also been recording my progress by writing these blogs.
- Practice Deliberately: Practice is the key to success. According to studies it takes about 10,000 hours to become a master at something. But to become decent all you need is about 20 hours. You can aim for 20 hours of deliberate practice and aim for 45 minutes of practice each day for a month.
I have been studying every day for an hour, and sometimes 2-4 hours, just because I have been so interested in the skills I am learning.
- Focus on Stretching Your Level, Don’t Spend too much Time Reviewing: During practice, dedicate 70% of your time to challenging yourself and working on your weaknesses. Use 10% of your time to warm up and 20% to review what you have already learned.
I actually spent too much time reviewing what I was learning, which is why some of my sessions ended up being 4 hours long.
- Ask Why?: Get immersed in the topic and understand the “why” behind what you’re learning. Understanding the reasoning behind the skill will deepen your knowledge and make it easier to recall later.
Digital marketing is full of so many things you can get into a rabbit hole with it. I created this website; how can I get people to view my blogs? Social media marketing! How can I get a larger audience on social media? Content marketing! How do I differentiate the words that I use for content vs the words I use for my sales pages? Copywriting!
- Learn About Each Sub-Skill: As you deconstruct the skill, take the time to learn about each subskill. This will help you record your progress, practice more effectively, and self-correct.
When I built this website, I was also learning the basics of HTML, but if I went too deep into learning about HTML, I would’ve wasted time and this website wouldn’t be entirely functional. I only need to know the basics of HTML. I am not trying to get into programming.
- Get Feedback: Seek feedback from successful people, a mentor, a teacher, or take a course to help you identify areas for improvement and make progress.
I am currently looking for aspiring marketers to build a community where we can all help each other learn, but I will need to grow larger before that starts to happen. I am hoping to land an internship to learn directly. I also have plans to email my old marketing professors to see if I am taking steps in the right direction. I subscribed to 10 marketers on YouTube and signed up for their email announcements as well.
- Imitate Successful People: Study and imitate successful individuals in your field. Observing their techniques and approaches can give you valuable insights and help you improve.
To learn Google Ads, I followed live campaign creations on YouTube by Surfside PPC, and now I am able to create campaigns by myself.
- Practice Spaced Repetition: Regular practice is important, but spacing out your repetition can help with long-term retention.
While I am continuing to advance my studies every day, after every unit I review the previous unit to see if I can recall what I learned. When I finished learning the basics of HTML, I quizzed myself to see if I still know the steps of a basic marketing funnel.
- Teach What You Learn: Finally, teach what you’ve learned. This not only reinforces your understanding but also helps you identify any areas where you need further improvement.
The purpose of this blog was for me to document my journey in learning digital marketing, but I realized while doing this I am indirectly teaching you guys some of what I learned. Also doing this integrates tip 9 since I am recalling what I learned.
By following these ten steps, you can master any skill you set your mind to. Remember, mastery takes time and effort, but the results are worth it. With the right approach and resources, learning can be an enjoyable and fulfilling journey. The world of online learning is vast and constantly evolving, and with a little effort, you too can master any skill you set your mind to. I hope I have inspired you to take on a new challenge and continue growing. So, get started today and take the first step towards your goals. Happy learning!