posted by Becky Vardaman on December 23, 2014 in Converge Blog
Higher education is a fantastic industry to work in. We get to spend our days identifying and attracting the best possible fit students. We work on vibrant campuses with palpable energy and enthusiasm at instructions that are literally changing the world by educating the next generation of innovators.
Most of us also get a winter break. (Cue the symphony music.)
While we encourage you to use this time to get away and enjoy family, if you’re like us, you’re probably already thinking of a few ways you can develop yourself professionally in this annual downtime. Here are some of the things we’ll be up to:
COURSES & TRAININGS
Open Culture’s great list of free business courses
Look for everything from Fundamentals of Accounting to Technology Entrepreneurship. Most courses are free and offered through a variety of formats.
Lynda.com ($25/month)
Lynda.com offers some amazing courses from website development, design, video, education, business and more. Lynda’s courses offer a lot of depth for very technical and complex topics.
Taught by Ben Fhala, this 2 hour free video course is rated five stars.
BOOKS
Facebook Marketing That Doesn’t Suck – Facebook for Business Made (Stupidly) Easy by Michael Clarke
This book ($3.00 for the Kindle edition on Amazon) is short, fun and is a great primer on the marketing the largest social network.
Contest Strategy for the Web by Kristina Halvorson
One of the best books on content strategy, recommended reading for anyone who touches web content at your institution.
Inbound Marketing: Get Found Using Google, Social Media and Blogs by Brian Halligan and Dharmesh Shah
Halligan and Shah, cofounders of Hubspot, outline the how and why of inbound marketing. We especially like the chapter on funnel management.
The Art of Social Media: Power Tips for Power Users by Guy Kawasaki and Peg Fitzpatrick
Guy Kawasaki’s newest book takes a deeper dive into social media with netiquette, best practices and checklists. Lots and lots of takeaways for improving your social presence.
Memorable Marketing, Measurable Results by Converge Consulting
Yes, this is our book! But it really is a great way to start the new year. Dive into inbound marketing for higher education with practical tips, case studies and strategy.
Read This Before Our Next Meeting by Al Pittamalli
Ever been in a bad meeting? This quick read is intended to inspire you for a super-effective 2015.
Want more? Check out Hubspot and BookBub’s list of the top business books for 2014.
