Are you a Home based online business owner looking to find updated skills online?

If you have a home based online business you will understand how important online marketing is within the marketing mix and how much it has grown over the past few years. In most home businesses the channel mix will have shifted significantly towards online due to its cost and often speed to market. To think only ten years ago most home based businesses didn't even have a website. Given the rise of the internet as a marketing medium it is in your interest to make sure you are skilled up for the future.

Here are a few ways to make sure you do not miss out on finding updated skills online.

1. Conduct your research online

If you are reading this then you are probably considering setting up a business from home or already have. Either way you are clearly doing your research which is a positive move. This is a great place to start, read advice from the experts who already have set up their business online. You could follow them on Twitter or keep up with their blogs. The key to any business online is having presence on the web and having a strong brand. This will come in time as long as you have you key objectives in sight, a marketing plan of action and an open mind.

2. Join a number of social networking sites

I'm sure you will already have joined Facebook but explore other Web 2.0 sites such as YouTube and Squidoo. You can check out how online marketers are advertising on these sites and learn from them. In marketing it is always a good idea to be on mailing lists to see what your competitors are doing, so there is no reason why you cannot learn about online channels through your own research.

3. Buy or sign up online to the latest Marketing Magazines

These magazines are really useful for staying ahead of the curve on what's hot and what's not. If you do not have the budget to buy these magazines you can always view free articles online and sign up for news feeds to ensure you are on top of the game. Remember the internet is evolving daily so you cannot afford to keep doing the same marketing campaigns if you want to keep attracting new customers or retaining your current ones.

4. Training courses

There are so many online marketing courses available to find updated skills online, from 1 hour overviews to Bachelor degrees. Spend time researching the benefits and potential qualifications you may gain. Marketing education whether formal or informal will help any new home based business owner to ensure they are on the right track to succeed in a highly competitive market.

These are a few quick and easy tips to follow when looking to find updated skills online, watch this space for more in depth marketing strategies to ensure your business is set up to succeed.