Coding Isn't So Scary
I never really thought of coding as being a part of marketing. I would see my boyfriend doing it for his computer science and MIS class and thought to myself, thank G-d that's not me. Well here I am writing a blog post about coding and you are reading it. Turns out I am boo boo the fool.
Through exploring coding for this blog post I was surprised to find out that I actually kind of enjoy it. I am no expert, not even close, but I plan to continue my learning past just this blog because it turns out that knowing at least the basics of coding can really help you out as a marketer.
What is Coding?
Coding is used in everything that has computer programming, phones, cars, tablets, your fancy way too expensive fridge, etc. A code is a precise set of instructions that a computer can understand. We can think of code as like a recipe, with lines of information that need to be followed to a T to get the desired end result of a scrumptious huckleberry scone. Watch the video below for another brief explanation.
What is HTML?
Code is a language for computers just like spoken languages around the world. One of these languages of code is called HTML. HTML is composed of elements that structure a webpage and define the content.
To the left is an example of what an HTML paragraph element looks like made up of an opening tag (<p>), the content (Hello World! text), and a closing tag (</p>). The tag and the content between them are called an HTML element. In Codeacademy I started to learn the basics of HTML. Codeacademy is a very user-friendly way to start learning how to code!
Going through each step of Codeacademy they give you short steps to learn and complete that help you build an example webpage. Below is what the setup looks like. I definitely recommend starting with Codeacademy because it was so easy to use and understand, I will be continuing to learn on this site past this class. Also, did I mention its FREE?
Web Building Sites
To explore more ways to create websites I tried out Squarespace and WordPress. Both sites are meant to help people create gorgeous websites through templates or on their own.
Squarespace
Squarespace is probably the most common website builder. This builder is more focused on the visual aspects of a website rather than all of the coding. It's intuitive and very user-friendly. I enjoyed my time playing around on Squarespace because I have a love for aesthetics and all things graphic design. It is possible to add your own code if the template you chose isn't quite what you want but I have a feeling that option isn't used that often. Marketers can benefit from using this builder because it is easy and saves a lot of time there's also built-in analytics and we all know how important tracking is.
To get a feel for Squarespace I used one of their pre-made templates STANTON to start my site. Once you enter the template there are loads of editing options, pretty much anything you could want is there for us. I really loved the feature of viewing your site on a computer or a mobile phone. This allows for mobile optimization which is extremely important for marketers. Below is what the landing page of my website looked like.
WordPress
WordPress is another great place to start building your website. Personally, this builder felt less intuitive than Squarespace and took me longer to figure out but maybe thats just because I'm tired. WordPress. much like Squarespace also has many templates to choose from that are aesthetically pleasing and can do wonders for any marketer. One interesting thing about this site is that you can also learn code on it! This can help marketers add their own code if they aren't sure where to start. Below are some pictures from my experience with WordPress.
What Did We Learn?
Coding can be freaking cool! I recommend to any marketer that wants to learn new tools for success to try out coding and to start with Codeacademy. There are so many resources out there that it doesn't have to be so daunting. Happy Coding!