From a Paint franchisee to an entrepreneur in digital marketing

As documented by Christina Stormson.

I used to own a franchisee at CertaPro Painters and run my Las Vegas business. Things were going well until the economic crisis hit in 2008. Until 2009, staying in this business was not an option, so I headed to San Francisco to start over.

I was looking for opportunities when another owner of a paint franchisee asked me for help with their website. When I started looking at their online marketing challenges, I realized that there is a huge opportunity to build a business with online marketing services. I knew what business owners were doing every day, what their customers were asking, and what their marketing strategy was. I realized that I am in a unique position to be able to talk to any potential customer about their business, not just their website. I ended up working with the franchisee’s company for about a year and a half. Then my previous contacts at CertaPro sought my help to create an online presence for this company as well.

I had the skills and experience to work as a webmaster, but I lacked an understanding of SEO and digital marketing – what they really are, what they can do and how to do them right. Then I discovered Market Motive (now part of Simplilearn) and signed up for their guide online marketing courses. I compared several training companies, read industry blogs, and researched Simplilearn course instructors. I read their books and blogs and I liked that they are industry leaders.

I found that I really like the structure of the course. The learning path offers a 360-degree perspective in digital marketing, with core courses in SEO, mobile marketing, PPC, email marketing and website analysis. I also needed the freedom to study at my own pace, on my own schedule and everywhere. Simplilearn offers this flexibility.

While I was enrolled, I also worked with small businesses, and my datasets were smaller than those of larger businesses. But I was able to discuss my clients’ digital challenges with instructors and figure out how I could use the information in a meaningful way.

Now I understand what great SEO is (and what it isn’t.) I’ve gained skills that will help optimize my clients’ websites. I learned how to measure the results of my decisions on a website and how to communicate what this means to my clients.

In 2010 the foundations Pink iguana services, a company that offers digital marketing services to franchised home service providers and develops reputation management applications for over 200 customers in the United States and Canada. Pink Iguana Services is a strong team of 10 members, which includes account managers and technicians who have been trained by Simplilearn in SEO, PPC and website optimization.

Online training for you and your employees will keep your business ahead of the game. I recommend Simplilearn for people at every stage of their study trip and offer the following tips:

• High school and college graduates looking for their first job – If you want to start a career in marketing, enroll in core courses followed by more specialized courses to understand the digital landscape.
• For small business owners, online training programs like the ones offered by Simplilearn can help you and your team pick up the latest technology and stay one step ahead of the competition.
• For large companies – If you run a business like Pink Iguana, you need to train your regional marketing managers and general managers in digital marketing courses. This will help them fill in the gaps and understand the basics of online marketing.
• For mid-career professionals – To become an invaluable asset for the organization, to continue your career and improve, prove your skills with training providers such as Simplilearn, which are in line with reputable accreditation bodies.
• For veterans – It is important to network and keep in touch with your colleagues. This will help you keep up with the development of the industry.