When I was a kid I used to think about certain careers that required constant schooling and vowed to avoid them at all cost. It looks like I failed to fulfill my vow.
[inlinetweet prefix=”” tweeter=”” suffix=””]If there is one truth about web marketing it’s that it requires constant, ongoing education.[/inlinetweet]One of the requirements of my company is that every strategist spend at least 5 hours per week on education. That time is built into their expectations. If they are not spending five hours each week growing in their job then they are failing at it. While many colleges are now offering courses on web marketing, there is truly no better education than what you get by actually doing the work. In this field, text books are out of date by the time they are printed. Which means the most up-to-date information you’ll find regarding web marketing strategies can be found on blogs and ebooks published today.
Of course, you can’t believe everything you read, and I suggest you only believe what you can or have verified for yourself. Everything else is conjecture. You have to learn who you can trust. But even still, even the most educated opinions and the conclusions drawn from the experience of others can be faulty. Take it all with a grain of salt and self-verify.
While I expect my team to read blogs, books and examine the conclusions of others, they learn best by doing things for themselves. We’ll start with a framework but branch out with our own ideas and theories and put those to the test as well. This should be the standard for every SEO and web marketing strategist out there.
Web marketing changes rapidly, and if you don’t continue to stay educated, you’ll eventually fall behind. Read, share and argue thoughts and ideas. If you continue your education, you’ll never find yourself doing yesterday’s tactics with tomorrows algorithms.