We’ve previously talked about the importance of digital equity — which is another way of saying everyone should have access to internet-enabled economic opportunities.
As more Eastern Kentucky residents gain access to high-speed broadband at home, we must help them leverage it. One particular opportunity — the remote work economy — presents a significant opportunity to bring prosperity home.
But first, our residents need to gain the relevant skills to help them interview for and earn these remote jobs.
The Bipartisan Infrastructure Law will be providing $2.75 billion in funding for remote work skills development to qualified grant applicants in regions like ours.
Let’s continue exploring how we can bring Eastern Kentucky communities further into the digital economy. Specifically, we’ll review a marketing-focused career path and the specialized software to increase eligibility for these remote positions.
Why specialized software skills are important
Remote work jobs require a different skill set than in-person roles. Demonstrating proven experience with specialized software will help our residents stand out in the hiring process.
That said, Eastern Kentuckians don’t need to pursue training for every major software available today.
You can help them identify a clear and deliberate path forward. Start by advising residents to select a career that matches their skills and interests:
- Marketing — requires writing, presenting, developing creative ideas, project management, and digital/automation software skills.
- Accounting — required skills can include spreadsheet management, Quickbooks, and bookkeeping skills.
- Sales — requires interpersonal, customer relationship management software, and time management skills.
- Administration — requires calendaring, customer service, and productivity software skills.
- Operations — requires interpersonal, project management, and technical software skills.
Once residents identify their ideal career pathways, they’ll need to identify the most relevant software to those positions today. This will help them focus their learning on the platforms that will increase their eligibility the most.
You can help make specialized software training possible for Eastern Kentuckians. Plenty of free resources and training curricula are available online. Check out our guide that’ll teach you how to provide digital training for Eastern Kentucky residents.
Let’s look at two skills relevant to remote marketing careers today: marketing automation and digital marketing. We’ll also discuss the leading software behind them and point you in the direction of helpful training resources.
If you’re interested in other career paths, stay tuned to the SOAR blog. We’ll explore different disciplines and related software in later posts.
What is marketing automation?
Marketing automation is the practice of using software to handle repetitive but critical tasks related to marketing. These tasks help teams manage core marketing channels, such as:
- Web pages
- Social media
- Blogs
- Webinars
Every company needs marketing — and the best teams use marketing automation to increase their capacity. A recent study showed that 82% of companies that implemented marketing automation tools saw a positive return on investment (ROI) for their businesses.
Remote careers that use marketing automation software
For those interested in getting involved in a marketing career, look at the SOAR Remote Work Jobs Board. Entry level positions will come with titles such as:
- Marketing Coordinator
- Marketing Associate
- Marketing Assistant
You can also search for positions via LinkedIn, Indeed, and Glassdoor. You can filter by job title and location (“remote”) on each website.
Training spotlight: Marketing automation software
We’ve rounded up the marketing automation software providers you’re most likely to encounter when applying for remote marketing careers.
These 5 platforms work with 63% of all marketing automation software users:
It’s preferable to have experience with the specific platform used by a prospective employer. But marketing automation skills are 100% transferable between platforms. If you can learn one, you can learn a second — you don’t have to get a certification in all 5 to be qualified!
We recommend selecting one of the following training programs to help your residents prepare for entry-level remote marketing careers. Nearly 1 out of 3 businesses use Hubspot for marketing automation, so you might want to start there.
Each of the following websites provides free courses to prepare to use marketing automation software:
What is digital marketing?
Digital marketing refers to any marketing efforts that take place online.
There are several paths you can take when considering a marketing career. One is specializing in digital marketing, which is particularly remote-friendly because all the work happens through online platforms.
Choosing a digital marketing specialty means getting comfortable with pay-per-click (PPC) advertising, search engine optimization (SEO), social media, and other digital channels.
Entry level digital marketing positions will have the following titles:
- Digital Marketing Coordinator
- Digital Marketing Associate
- Digital Marketing Assistant
- Online Marketing Assistant
Digital training spotlight: Digital marketing
There are two major players that digital marketing specialists need to pay attention to: Google and Meta.
Google runs the show for SEO and search engine marketing (SEM). The main tools digital marketers need to be familiar with are:
- Google Analytics, which measures website performance.
- Google AdWords, where you transact search engine marketing campaigns.
Meta owns some of the most important social media platforms globally — Facebook, Instagram, Messenger, and WhatsApp. Digital marketers must be fluent with the Meta Business Suite, where you can start, review, and analyze social media marketing campaigns across these channels.
Both Google and Meta provide free training resources to help digital marketers upskill and gain certifications for their platforms:
For an overview of digital marketing strategy, channels, and tactics, download the Complete Guide to Entrepreneurship in Eastern Kentucky.
Conclusion: Get funding for remote work software training in your community
As you develop programs to help your residents participate in the remote work economy, keep in mind that potential funding is coming online soon.
Thanks to the Digital Equity Act, the Commonwealth of Kentucky will be applying for planning and implementation grants to support remote work participation in our region. In the meantime, get familiar with best practices for grant applications by downloading the Grants 101 Playbook for Eastern Kentucky.
Subscribe to our blog to read more about digital equity — including the top software training opportunities to help our residents thrive as remote workers.