According to the U.S. BLS, or Bureau of Labor Statistics, one in every five new small business fail within two years of first opening. Of the total number opened, 45 percent close within 5 years of opening.
There are a number of reasons why small businesses might not make it past their second anniversary, or even their first. A poor business plan or launching a business without enough market demand are common ones. But another is when business owners fail to keep learning and growing their business past the initial launch.
There's no shortage of resources on the web that can help you master new skills and increase your business' odds of success. Linkedin Learning offers a variety of courses targeted at small businesses and small business owners. Keep reading to learn some of the best Linkedin Learning Courses to choose from.
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The Best Linkedin Learning Courses for Small Businesses
Linkedin is more than a great professional networking platform. The platform also offers a variety of resources. One is their Linkedin Learning courses. These courses are designed to help business owners new and experienced succeed.
These courses are entirely online. Each allows learners to work at their own pace, so you can take in the material on your schedule. Some of the courses even offer a Linkedin Learning certificate upon completion. These certificates can be displayed on your Linkedin profile.
With hundreds of Linkedin Learning courses to choose from, there's something for every business. These 5 courses are some of the best choices for new business owners looking to get a leg up right from the start.
Building a Small Business Website with WordPress
When you're launching a new business, one of the first things you need to do is create a website.
Having a professional website built can cost anywhere from a few hundred to a few thousand dollars. This isn't in the budget for many small businesses. WordPress is a great tool for small business owners.
It allows you to build a beautiful, responsive site without needing advanced coding experience. Their pre-built templates are easy to use and customize.
They allow small businesses to not only build their own website but also to do so quickly to get their business launched right away. However, navigating WordPress for the first time can be overwhelming.
Using templates makes it look easy. But if you don't have some design experience, even those aren't enough to create a professional-looking site. It's even harder to make an easy-to-use customer experience.
This course scores high Linkedin learning reviews because it breaks down WordPress. Building a Small Business Website with WordPress is the ultimate beginner's guide to business site-building after you've nabbed the perfect domain name.
In this course, you'll start by defining your goals and what your business and customers need. Then, you'll learn how to use WordPress's tools and backend to find a theme, add images, customize colors and font, add new pages, and more.
You'll also go beyond the basics to learn how to test and secure your site to make sure that it's functioning properly and that you're doing your part to protect your customer's data.
Social Media Marketing for Small Businesses
Social media is an important tool for small businesses. It allows you to connect with existing customers on a personal level and on a daily basis, without their having to visit your location. This can help build brand recognition, allow you to announce new products and services, and help to build a personalized connection with your customers.
Facebook, Instagram, and other social media platforms are also a great tool for local marketing, helping you reach new customers in your area. Around one-third of all internet users now use social media to search for and research new products, brands, and stores.
Just because you enjoy using social media in your personal life doesn't mean that you're ready to tackle it for your small business. Luckily, there are plenty of courses out there that can help.
The Social Media Marketing for Small Business Linkedin learning course is designed for new business owners or those new to social media.
You'll learn how to build a social media presence and how to use that presence to drive traffic to your store or to your website. This course will teach you how to implement other important social media tools, like SEO and hashtags.
During the course, you'll narrow your goals for your business. Then, you'll learn how to build an action plan that helps you reach those goals within your marketing budget.
If you've ever found yourself wondering, is LinkedIn learning worth it, this is the course for you. If you implement what you learn, you'll start growing a social media following and boosting interactions right away, which in turn will mean increased sales and sign-ups.
Marketing for Small Businesses
If you want to learn marketing skills beyond social media, the Marketing for Small Business course is a great choice.
While this course does help you to develop marketing skills, the core of the curriculum is teaching you how to develop a solid marketing plan.
You'll start by learning how to pinpoint your target audience. Identify your market and take a look at your biggest competition and what they are doing right and wrong.
The course will walk you through auditing your current branding and picking the marketing channels that best fit not just your brand but for your customers as well. Only after you've narrowed your focus will the course help you learn some advertising strategies and show you how to flex your creativity.
Unlike many online marketing courses, this one helps prepare you for actually implementing your plan. It offers advice on hiring professional marketing help. You'll even learn how to measure your results so that you can adjust your strategy going forward.
Running a Profitable Business: Understanding Cash Flow
Linkedin learning certificates are a great way to showcase your skills and knowledge on your Linkedin profile. If you are trying to launch or grow a B2B company, these certificates can help bolster your profile, show that you're committed to staying up-to-date with the latest industry changes, and prove your skillset.
The course, Running a Profitable Business: Understanding Cash Flow, is a good choice for anyone launching a B2B company, as well as for small business owners who want to take control of their finances and set their business up for future success.
During this in-depth course, you'll learn what cash flow is, how to analyze it, how to convert income statement data, and more.
Lead Generation Foundations
Marketing is important for spreading awareness of your brand and business. But if your marketing and networking efforts aren't resulting in solid leads, your business is unlikely to last for long.
Learning how to build strong and plentiful leads is a must. The Lead Generation Foundations course teaches business owners everything they need to know about the basics of lead generation.
During the course, you'll build a framework for your business' lead funnel. You'll narrow your target audience and learn the best methods for engaging them.
You'll also learn how to turn those leads into real sales and repeat customers. Master the skills to create a positive customer experience and build brand loyalty.
The Linkedin platform is a great tool for generating leads, especially for B2B companies. As the largest professional network on the internet, it's a great space for connecting with other businesses and entrepreneurs from all industries. Why not learn how to generate leads from one of the platforms that you're likely to try those skills out on!
Choosing the Right Courses for Your Small Business
Starting a small business is an investment of your time, money, and resources. But the need to invest in your business doesn't end once it's off the ground and running. If you want your business to be successful, it's important to never stop learning.
Whether you're looking to build a website for your small business or want to improve your marketing, these are a few of the best Linkedin Learning courses available today. These courses are perfect for beginners and new business owners looking for help in launching their new company.
Once you've mastered these courses, Linkedin Learning has a variety of other courses you can use to continue growing your small business and honing your skills.
If you're looking for more tips and tools to help you take your small business to the next level, check out my curated list of resources that I recommend. These are the tools, books, and products I've used and loved, and that I know small business owners can benefit from.
