As an aspiring marketer (read developer who is learning about marketing), I’ve realized that there is no quick path to learning marketing skills. Much like any muscle in our bodies, our marketing abilities needs practice and dedication to grow, become more adaptable, and ultimately, achieve greater effectiveness.

I am going to talk about how as a developer I have adapted myself to learn marketing skills.

One of the most powerful ways to exercise your marketing muscles is through side projects. Side projects offer a unique opportunity to stretch your creativity and experiment with new techniques in a low-stakes environment. Also side projects give you a chance to build your marketing skill sets.

For example, one of my favorite side projects I’ve worked on is this blog. I started this blog as a way to share my thoughts and ideas with the world, but it has also given me a chance to experiment with different types of content. One thing I have always struggled with is the marketing & distribution of my products. Over the years I have built a number of things but have never been able to sell them. I have started looking into marketing and distribution more closely now. Although I am not a marketing expert, I have started to learn some of the marketing skill sets and I am going to share the journey while I learn on the way.

What are the marketing skills?

If you google this question you will find a lot of answers. I am going to list down a few broad terms that I have come across while working on my side project.

1. Effective communication
2. Content creation
3. Research & Analysis

I will just write 1 liner for each of these skills and will try to elaborate on them in future posts.

Effective communication

You just can’t sell anything if you can’t communicate effectively. You need to be able to communicate your ideas clearly and concisely. You can learn this skill by reading books, watching videos, and practicing.

Content creation

Content creation is the process of creating content for your products, it can be a text, images, videos, audio, etc. It is a very important skill for any marketer. You need to be able to create content to engage with your audience. I selected writing & illustration as my content creation skills. I am not a great writer nor a great illustrator but I am trying to improve my skills.

Research & Analysis

Research & Analysis is the process of gathering information about your audience, competitors, and market. You need to be able to analyse the data and make decisions based on the data. There are multiple tools available to help you with this process for ex - Gummysearch , Ubersuggest Just give yourself enough time to go through the data and make decisions.

Coming from a developer background these keywords might seem a bit vague. I am going to write more about these skills in future posts.

In addition to the direct benefits of improving your marketing skills, side projects can also have a range of indirect benefits that can help you in your career and personal life. The non-negotiable thing here is you need to give enough time. You can’t expect to learn marketing skills in a day or two. You need to give yourself enough time to learn and practice.

With time, effort, and dedication, you’ll find that your marketing skill sets become stronger, more versatile, and more effective – and that your side projects become a valuable and rewarding part of your personal and professional journey.