One of the most interesting aspects of putting on my own training events is figuring out how to make them even better. I have the opportunity to reshape everything from the format, curriculum, exercises, venue…right down to the type of chocolate and coffee served (Soma and Balzac’s!) In-class participant feedback is immediate, always useful (and often humbling). Post-event surveys are also a valuable way to get a handle on the overall satisfaction of participants (posted unfiltered here).
Over the summer, I reviewed all of my past surveys and notes to see how I could further improve the Digital Marketing Strategy Bootcamp. Now that I have delivered the course for over 200 participants, there was plenty to learn from. Two big opportunities emerged:
1. More Participant Networking
Something that I did not fully appreciate when I started hosting my own training events is that many participants are interested in attending for the opportunity to meet others in the digital marketing industry. In fact, during my first event a few participants unexpectedly started their own class contact list, which is something that I now regularly provide (CASL-compliant, of course). Given the trend of training programs moving to online platforms, there seems to be an opportunity to help marketers better connect with each other within the classroom and beyond.
2. More In-Depth Cases
The biggest challenge in delivering a digital marketing strategy course is not that the space is constantly changing, it is that it is constantly expanding. More technology, tools, and tactics. More opportunities, challenges, and questions. I have developed a framework for the Digital Marketing Strategy Bootcamp that incorporates all of the key facets of modern digital marketing within a 1-day format, but participants are looking for more comprehensive case examples. Given the need for marketers to create increasingly complex integrated marketing programs, its no surprise that there is an opportunity to provide a course that remains broad but goes even deeper.
So, it is time to reboot the Digital Marketing Strategy Bootcamp. I have now restructured the course to maintain what people value, while incorporating this valuable feedback (at least that is the goal). The Toronto event will now be held in The Portland Room at The Spoke Club, which will give participants an even greater opportunity to network during group exercises, breaks, and after-class cocktails. The curriculum is also being updated to (1) provide more background material prior to the session, (2) include more integrated marketing planning tools, and (3) demonstrate key strategy points through more in-depth case studies.
Our next Toronto event is going to be held on November 2nd , and I am really excited to run this restructured course. The Bootcamp events sell out and seating is limited, so if you are interested reserve soon at the Early Bird rate here. If you have any questions (or have even more ideas on how to improve digital marketing training), please do not hesitate to reach out. I’d love to hear from you.