The digital marketing industry is continuing to expand and explode in popularity, with more businesses focusing on building the best digital marketing teams and looking to hire rising talent. For aspiring digital marketers, it is essential to keep on top of your game and know the industry inside and out (which can be tricky, considering how quickly the world of digital marketing changes).
Are you a student fresh out of college looking to land their first digital marketing job, or a seasoned marketer wanting to improve your existing skillset? Read the following guide on how you can take your digital marketing skills to the next level.
Understand the Basics of Digital Marketing
What is digital marketing? If you have a degree or have worked in the industry already, then you are sure to know the answer. However, it is easy to forget about the foundations of what makes an effective digital marketing campaign when a Google algorithm update is released or a new social media platform has entered the scene. There is a lot of noise in the digital marketing scene, and knowing which parts to listen to is an art form in itself.
Return to the basics and understand what makes a good online presence, the key ingredients of an effective website, the fundamentals of an effective SEO campaign, and how to create an online strategy that gets results.
Study and Expand Your Knowledge
Job opportunities in digital marketing are becoming much more popular, and for many, a career in digital marketing is very desirable. But that doesn’t mean everyone went to college and graduated with a degree in the subject. If this is the case for you, then you do not have to fear. Those with backgrounds in arts, social studies and humanities can take their existing skills and translate them into the digital age. For example, if you have a Bachelor’s degree in Communications, click here for more information on how an online Master’s in digital marketing and data analytics could prepare you for a fruitful career in digital marketing.
There are countless online resources and courses for you to take in your spare time while you work or look after your family. The flexibility of online courses allows all digital marketers with an existing job to attain certificates and extra knowledge that will pad out their resumes and make them much more hirable.
Set Up Google Alerts
You’re online savvy, so why not set Google alerts for relevant industry keywords? By doing so, you can remain up-to-date with any big industry news and changes that may impact your business’s current digital marketing campaigns. You should also follow industry leaders and authority figures in digital marketing industries like SEO, content writing, and PPC.
Improve Your Copywriting Skills
Writing is an art form, and learning how to write good copy is a skill (and one any good digital marketer will want to possess). Many digital marketing campaigns revolve around good, clear and engaging copy to resonate with its target market and lead to higher engagement rates. Still unsure on the benefits of good copywriting? Here’s why you should brush up on your copywriting skills:
Search Engine Optimization (SEO)
Any digital marketer worth their salt will recognize the importance of Search Engine Optimization (SEO) and understand that good, quality content is the backbone of an effective SEO campaign. Poor quality will lead to less favorable results and harm a business’s ranking in the SERPs, and considering the fact that Google deems content to be king, you will want to learn how to craft error-free copy that is easy-to-read, informative and well-written.
Higher Engagement Rates
Of all the copy on the internet, you are more likely to engage with content that is easy-to-read, full of interesting and relevant information, and error-free. A spelling mistake or the wrong use of ‘your/you’re’ can be enough to instill distrust in a reader and cause them to click-off your website and fail to complete the steps your campaign was hoping to persuade the reader to make.
Instills Trust in a Brand
Consumers love transparency, and learning how to write content that is honest, on-brand and resonates with your customers can take you to the top of your digital marketing game. Easy-to-read and understand content instills trust in a brand because the reader knows what they are buying into and trusts that your brand is legitimate.
Shareability
Good content gets shared more than content that is riddled with grammar and spelling mistakes and that is unclear and confusing. Learning to write copy that is interesting and well-written is more likely to be redistributed across the internet as consumers share your copy with friends and family members. As it stands, videos with a good script, good use of editing and engaging story are shared more than blog articles. Therefore, you should also consider improving your video content creation skills.
Network and Connect with Likeminded Individuals
With so many online resources available to us, it has become all too easy for us shut ourselves in our offices or homes and learn from a distance. Rather than rely on podcasts, online guides and articles (although they are all great learning resources), attend conferences and networking events and learn from speakers in a lecture hall and seminar environment.
When attending a networking event, you have the opportunity to learn from an industry leader directly and see how they articulate and convey their thoughts and opinions. At such events, there are numerous forms of events to choose from, such as a lectures, presentations, workshops or seminars. You can choose the event that appeals to you most and will be more beneficial to you.
When at a conference or networking event, make sure to speak to likeminded individuals and approach industry experts if possible. While the latter may be unreachable or swarmed by other aspiring digital marketers like yourself, you can always discuss digital marketing best practices and industry changes with fellow marketers. Who knows, if you get on well with a person, you may be able to strike up a partnership and drive business to one another.
Educate Yourself in the Best Tools
With so many tools available to you, how do you decide on the best tool for the job and the one that is not only worth your time and money, but likely to bring a return on your investment? Firstly, you need to determine the business’s goals and objectives, as well as the services that the business sells. For example, if the business sells clothing and your goal is to reduce cart abandonment, learning how to utilize an email marketing tool can streamline the process and save time and money spent on sending out hundreds of emails to clients and/or customers.
That being said, if you are new to the industry and applying for your first job or would like to expand your knowledge, there are common digital marketing tools most companies use. Learn the basics of how to use these tools and make yourself more marketable and valuable.
Tools you should learn the basics of include:
- HubSpot
- SproutSocial
- MailChimp
- Trello
- Google Analytics
- Hootsuite
- Moz
Offer to Help Team Members
Volunteering your time to help other team members can be valuable and useful to all parties involved. Not only will they get additional help, but you will (hopefully) gain insight on a part of their job that you are not particularly skilled in. For example, do you wish to improve your copywriting skills and understand the art of making an article SEO-friendly? Ask a copywriter whether it is okay for them to shadow you so that they can learn the elements of what makes an otherwise well-written article, into an SEO-rich article that appeals to Google. Volunteering and job shadowing is an easy way to learn more skills and suits marketers who work in-house and with many talented individuals, all with their own skillset.
Learn from Your Mistakes and Gain Experience from them
You will not become a pro in all things digital marketing overnight, and making mistakes and learning from them can help make you a more well-rounded digital marketer. While you should refrain from making too many mistakes, you can learn valuable experience that makes you more resilient and confident in your choices. Rather than saying “I cannot,” you should learn how to assess risks and analyze the payoff if all goes well or if it fails. Sometimes it pays off to step out of your comfort zone and embrace new challenges, such as pitching a company rebrand or partnering up with a company to expand your reach.
With a greater emphasis on digital marketing and most, if not all, businesses building an in-house digital marketing team, this is an exciting and in-demand career opportunity for those who love SEO, social media marketing and content writing. Continue to thrive in the digital marketing industry by expanding your knowledge and learning new tips of the trade. The world of digital marketing never stays still, and neither should you.