Top 4 online courses that can help your business thrive again this year

COVID-19 has shifted the world in so many ways – and business practices need to shift, too. Social distancing is now the norm, and many businesses will continue working remotely even after lockdowns are over.

Consumer habits have drastically changed. According to McKinsey and Company, “Overall spending intent is down across two-thirds of countries surveyed, but more categories are showing positive trends.

“While spending on staples and stay-at-home entertainment has always been elevated, spending on other categories such as food takeout and delivery, snacks, personal care, skincare, non-food baby products, fitness and wellness, and gasoline is slowly picking up in regions that are emerging from the crisis.”

Remote technologies such as videoconferencing, e-commerce and telemedicine are now the new normal. Businesses large and small will need to adopt these technologies and innovate their businesses to prepare for these shifts.

Lockdowns are easing in certain countries such as the UK and Australia to reopen the economy. The financial strain from reduced business revenue over the past few months will soon be felt and will possibly last for at least a year.

While many businesses have collapsed altogether, others are struggling to stay afloat. Business owners and leaders need to think strategically on how to navigate the next few months so that they can survive in the post-lockdown era.

Here are some popular online courses that help you upskill your workforce or innovate your business so that you can prepare for life after lockdown.

Digital Marketing

The digital space is the best bet for marketing your product or business as people are staying at home more than ever. It’s also a highly competitive space so merely posting on your social media pages just won’t cut it.

Taking a Digital Marketing course can give you insights on the best ways to market your business online along with valuable tools such as how to track analytics for consumer trends, advertising on social media, and creating SEO-friendly content to reach your target audience.

Whether you’re a business owner or employee, upskilling through digital marketing online courses can help struggling businesses survive these turbulent times.

Social Media Marketing

Looking to promote your business in social media specifically? With so many platforms out there, you should also identify which ones would work best for your target audience. You can also take specific courses for Instagram Marketing or Facebook Marketing to drive sales and build up your brand.

Cybersecurity

You’ll need to keep your business safe from hackers and malware, particularly in the time of COVID-19 due to the surge of online traffic.

According to the World Economic Forum, “As organisations are making extraordinary efforts to protect their workers and serve their customers during the pandemic, exposure to cyberthreats is increasing significantly.”

If you’ve got a customer database, it’s imperative that you keep sensitive information safe so that you don’t lose customer loyalty and trust.

Cybersecurity for Business courses will help you identify what kind of threats your business could be under and how to defend against malicious cyberattacks and data breaches.

Graphic Design

Need to rebrand your business with an eye-catching logo? Hiring a graphic designer can be expensive. You can take a course in Graphic Design online to help you cover the basics of software such as Photoshop, Illustrator and InDesign and give your business a fresh new look.

Giving your business a brand new makeover can help your business stand out amongst the tough competition online.