Cardinal Path Training Series: 10 reasons to update your skills before the new year

Our Cardinal Path Training sessions are designed to give you the knowledge you need to become Google AdWords or Google Analytics proficient. We’ve helped thousands of marketers– from self-taught sole proprietors to Fortune 500 brand veterans– gain the skills, knowledge, and confidence to propel their business forward using data-driven marketing.

Even if you think you’re already up to speed with your knowledge, with so many changes taking place in the marketing landscape, refreshing your skills is always a good idea. Our Cardinal Path trainers and Google experts, Lauren Hock and Nilusha Sanmuganathan, have put together a list of 10 reasons why you need to brush up before the new year.

1. Google Analytics is making some major updates to it’s user interface and reports over the next few weeks. It’s an exciting time, but it means that you’ll need to be proactively learning and able to adjust to these changes so that you aren’t caught off guard in the new year.
2. The end of the year means that it’s time to spend any remaining budget! Why not spend it on training? You are in luck- we’ve got two classroom training sessions left in 2016:
   • Dallas, TX December 5-9
   • Richmond, VA December 12-16

For most of us, it’s also time to start planning our budget for next year. Our 2017 online and classroom training is now posted – take advantage of Early Bird Price Discounts for training in Orlando, Phoenix, Boston, and San Diego!

1. Don’t forget to block out some time on your calendar to study and become certified in Google Analytics or Google AdWords. Psst: taking Cardinal Path training is a great way to fast-track the preparation for your Google Analytics and AdWords Certifications.)
2. Get ahead of the curve with Corporate training:
   • Our process begins with a full knowledge assessment involving your key stakeholders
   • We develop your custom curriculum based on what we learn.
     You choose where and when to host your training, and we provide a highly experienced trainer to lead your session.
3. Consider a  Strategic Navigator Session where our Cardinal Path senior leaders come to your organization and lay the foundation for data analytics success. Walk away with a comprehensive 6 and 18 month strategic digital roadmap.
4. Google AdWords has added some new ad extensions that you may be able to use strategically to help gain more relevant clicks, including price and message extensions.
5. Have you always wanted to test demographic layering onto your Search campaigns? Well, now you can, check out the new addition to your audiences tab.
6. Programmatic display advertising continues to grow at an increasing velocity. And it will continue to do so in 2017 in both scale and reach- “automated buyers of online advertising often analyze millions of ad buying opportunities a second.”[1] This can be a valuable approach to reach customers with appealing and engaging ads.
7. Are you pretty much always on-the-move? Consider downloading the AdWords app so you can make crucial changes even while away from your desk during the holidays.
8. You have until January 31, 2017 to update your ads from traditional to the new Expanded Text ad format – have you analyzed your ad copy lately to see what messaging may work best for ETAs?

We hope that this checklist will come in handy for your 2017 planning. If you’d like to learn more about the training courses offered through Cardinal Path Training Academy, check out our website.