A career in digital marketing can be a financially lucrative option for many people. Today, businesses increasingly realize the significance of a strong online presence, which has led to an upsurge in demand for talented professionals in digital marketing.
The wide range of responsibilities for those planning to enter the field includes, among others, SEO optimization, social media management, and content creation.
The world of digital marketing is also ever-changing and requires marketers to constantly come up with innovative techniques and strategies while also ensuring that you are actually producing results and not just an endless stream of technical steps to follow.
Doing this effectively requires a deep understanding of marketing principles, and this sort of understanding is the first step in building a good marketing career. With that said, let’s look at the key steps involved in building a digital marketing career.
1. Acquire the Right Skill Set
Achieving success as a digital marketer involves honing various skills that are necessary for this dynamic industry.
You will need to learn a lot more about consumer behavior and brand management strategies than you might have expected. These are what underlie the tools and techniques that you will also have to learn.
Applying for digital marketing master’s programs can be a worthy investment if you are serious about learning the skills you need in order to be a good digital marketer.
While it is easy to gain surface-level knowledge on marketing principles, if you are making this your career, an actual degree will give you the in-depth understanding that you need to succeed.
The master’s program at Emerson College is a common option that a lot of aspiring marketers take. It focuses on brand storytelling, content optimization, and social analytics, as well as the above-mentioned consumer behavior and brand management as its main themes. Also, the fact that it is a fully online course makes it convenient.
Regardless of what course you take, below are some of the most important skills that you will need to focus on:
Metrics
Depending on the specific area you want to work in, you may need to be proficient with data analysis and know how to interpret data and metrics in order to make strategic decisions. These metrics can range from website traffic statistics to customer lifetime values, churn rates, and clickthrough rates, to name a few.
Search Engine Optimization
You probably expected to see this, but search engine optimization (SEO) is going to be vital for a digital marketing career. Almost every firm looking to hire a digital marketer will be keeping an eye out for how much experience you have with the different forms of SEO. This is going to be one area to pay close attention to.
Social Media Management
Although SEO plays a significant role in digital marketing strategy- there’s one more aspect that requires attention: Social Media Marketing (SMM). SMM involves developing strategies tailored towards engagement with specific audiences via various social media channels such as Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, etc.
Social media management is also becoming increasingly popular since almost everyone uses at least one social platform. Therefore, this skill allows you to promote products and services directly to specific audiences via targeted campaigns.
Paid Advertising
Finally, knowing how to deal with paid or pay-per-click (PPC) advertising is also going to help you out in the long run. While the method is relatively straightforward, the actual skill comes from being able to discern when and where this method can be effective.
For instance, there are niches where PPC is simply not worth it, such as with low-value items, long sales cycles, and non-profit organizations.
2. An Updated Digital Marketer is a Competitive Digital Marketer
The world of digital marketing is constantly changing. Staying updated with its never-ending innovations requires you to be as vigilant as possible.
One way of doing this is by keeping an eye on the blogs of leading digital marketers. They offer a consistent flow of new information regarding what’s hot in digital marketing, and some good examples to get you started include websites Moz, Search Engine Land, and Social Media Examiner.
Following digital marketers on social media platforms like Instagram can also be helpful, and Twitter Spaces has recently become particularly interesting if you are into live discussions with experts and professionals in the field.
You can also go the old-school route and make an account on one of the many online communities that focus on digital marketing and participate in virtual communities. You can find these places on Reddit, LinkedIn, and specific forums like Digital Point Forums.
3. Don’t Ignore the Power of Networking
Networking is obviously going to be a vital component in developing your career as a digital marketer. It allows for the development and maintenance of relationships with new and existing clients, colleagues, and other key players in the industry.
Consistent networking over time is crucial, though. You don’t want to be that person who only starts networking when looking for a new job. Instead, you want to start thinking of networking as a part of your career.
Spend enough time actually interacting and helping out your peers, and you will soon realize just how useful the referrals and recommendations you gain as a result can be.
Conclusion
By following these strategies and remembering that success in this field requires consistent effort, it is possible to build a meaningful career in digital marketing.
A deep understanding of marketing principles and practical knowledge of how to apply the most effective marketing skills in combination with effective networking is the key to building a bright and promising future in digital marketing.