Why take a Content Marketing CPD course?

With the rise of digital technologies and social media platforms, many organisations are opting for more organic, non-paid strategies in their digital marketing. Content marketing has become fundamental to this approach and is now a key skill for professionals looking to implement an effective digital marketing strategy.

In this article, we explain the role of content marketing for organisations and individuals, outlining the benefits of CPD for developing strong content marketing skills and why professionals should take a content marketing CPD course to enhance their career growth.

What is content marketing?

Content marketing is the commonly used term for marketing on digital platforms by organically generating growth through content creation. Content type can vary depending on which platform is being used. The different types of content may include images, long and short form video, audio and written text.

Successful content usually reflects the identity of a brand while engaging an audience by being entertaining, educational, or emotionally provoking. Brands will often have a presence on multiple social media channels and will need to generate suitable content for each channel. Brands may also need to match the tone of their content to platform specific demographics.

What are the advantages of content marketing for organisations?

Traditional marketing channels, such as advertising and email, can limit an organisation’s marketing efforts to a closed-loop approach. With the rise of content marketing, brands can now take advantage of digital platforms to develop and expand their marketing narrative. This allows them to present their products or services within the context of the consumer’s real interests, which can often be more relatable and trustworthy.

Content marketing can also help organisations build a reliable following. Organic social media channel growth through content marketing is an effective method of building an audience that can be leveraged for new products and services. If an audience enjoys the content of a brand, they will often be immediately interested in new products or services. This promotes brand loyalty and consistency and can often be more economical, offering a better return on investment than alternative marketing avenues such as paid advertising.

How can content marketing help career growth?

Individuals may utilise content marketing for a variety of purposes. While it may be a fundamental requirement of their specific employment or career, many professionals also use social media to promote their skills and experience, which will be reflected in their personal content. Effectively applying content marketing can help increase employability by enhancing an individual’s personal brand, making them more appealing to potential employers. Building a personal brand can also help expand networking opportunities, connecting individuals with peers and industry leaders.

Additionally, content marketing can enable individuals to build an additional income stream, as many digital platforms offer creator compensation programs. This means that by building a successful content marketing channel and meeting the stipulations of these schemes, individuals can generate income.

What are the benefits of CPD courses for content marketing?

CPD stands for Continuing Professional Development and is the term used to describe the learning activities individuals engage in to develop and enhance their abilities throughout their career. At its core, CPD is about the individual and their commitment to lifelong learning.

As more organisations expand their digital presence, the demand for content marketing skills continues to grow. CPD training in content marketing can enable individuals to expand their understanding of content marketing and develop valuable skills. Engaging with training and CPD courses in content marketing can help professionals in some of the following ways:

Become skilled on a variety of platforms

CPD learning can help professionals broaden their knowledge and digital skills across a variety of areas. Participating in CPD for content marketing helps professionals discover and learn different content platforms, as well as helping them to decipher whether a platform is relevant for their organisation or personal brand.

Specialise in a specific platform

Engaging in CPD for content marketing can also help professionals build expertise in specific digital and social media platforms. This can contribute increased value to an organisation whose target audience are active users of a specific platform. It also presents opportunities for professionals to offer their services to a wider variety of organisations interested in utilising specific platforms.

Stay up to date

Social media and digital platforms are likely to regularly update their products and introduce new, prominent features. Staying up to date with changes to a relevant platform is important as these changes can impact the success of a content marketing strategy. Active CPD can help professionals familiarise themselves with added changes to digital platforms, ultimately helping them align their content marketing strategy to the evolving demands and features of a platform.

Adhere to regulatory standards

Similarly to advertising, content marketing must adhere to regulatory standards. In the UK, all marketing must by law be an accurate description of the product or service, be legal, decent, truthful, honest and socially responsible. CPD can help professionals familiarise themselves with current regulations and avoid potential regulatory and legal issues.

Develop transferable skills

CPD supports developing core skills in content marketing such as copywriting, digital formatting, video editing, trend analysis and photography. Participating in CPD can also help professionals develop a variety of key transferable skills such as leadership, communication and teamwork. Many of these transferable skills can help individuals increase their employability or improve their value within an organisation.

Network with Industry Experts

Participating in CPD activities such as seminars, webinars, and conferences provides valuable opportunities to build a professional network and learn from industry experts and thought leaders. Their insights and expertise offer new perspectives and innovative strategies for the effective application of content marketing across platforms and within various organisational contexts.

Content marketing is a relatively new and emerging profession and CPD can help professionals develop the relevant skillset to take advantage of future content marketing opportunities. If you are interested in learning how CPD fits within the broader field of marketing, you can find more information in our related article here.

Where can I find CPD courses for content marketing?

Within the CPD Courses Catalogue, there are a range of CPD courses for content marketers, as well as other beneficial learning including educational events, eLearning programs, conferences, workshops and seminars – all of which have been formally CPD certified. To find out more about a particular CPD course listed on our website, complete an enquiry form and the details will be sent directly to the relevant CPD provider.

How to become an accredited CPD Provider

We hope this article was helpful. Established in 1996, The CPD Certification Service has over 27 years’ experience providing CPD accreditation. With members in over 100 countries, our CPD providers benefit from the ability to promote themselves as part of an international community where quality is both recognised and assured.

If you are interested in offering training and events suitable for Continuing Professional Development, please visit the Become a CPD Provider page or contact our team to discuss in more detail. Alternatively, if you are looking for a free online CPD record tool to help manage, track and log your ongoing learning, as well as store your professional training records and attendance certificates in one simple place, go to the myCPD Portal page.