Companies have used marketing to promote and sell products for hundreds of years. But it’s only since the birth of the internet, and more recently, the booming mobile industry, that digital marketing has really taken off.
This relatively new field is more cost-effective, more precise, and can reach more people than traditional forms of marketing like TV, radio, and newspaper advertising.
The data makes the difference. Digital marketers have bucket-loads of performance metrics they can use to optimize and refine their campaigns. This information simply isn’t available to traditional marketers.
We’ll explain what a digital marketer does, the specializations that exist within the field, and how you can fast-track your marketing career.
Digital Marketer Responsibilities
In a typical organization, the role of a digital marketer includes:
- Developing a strategic marketing plan
- Budgeting campaigns and forecasting results
- Understanding the opportunities of different marketing channels
- Staying up to date with evolving trends, tools, and user behaviors
- Analyzing big data and discovering useful insights
- Understanding the different devices used by consumers
- Maintaining dynamic consumer relations and creating meaningful interactions
- Reporting campaign performance to company stakeholders
Skills Required to Become a Digital Marketer
Depending on the area of specialization you choose, you’ll need to learn a range of both technical and interpersonal skills. Here are some common skills that you’ll need to master:
Video Marketing
The primary goal of a digital marketer is to capture the attention of potential customers. Online videos are a great way to do this. They’re more appealing and easier to digest than long blocks of text. They also allow for more creative expression.
You’ll need to understand how to tell a story through a video. If you can create an emotional response from the viewer, the campaign will have a higher chance of success. Funny, wholesome, or shocking videos tend to leave a lasting impression.
To succeed in video marketing, you should have strong editing skills. You’ll also need to write scripts and storyboard your ideas.
Content Creation
They say content is king. It attracts users to visit a website, watch a video, or subscribe to a social media page. Official blogs, whitepapers, case studies, and general guides for using an application all come under content marketing.
A digital marketer should know the nuances of creating content and should understand its effectiveness. You should know how to select content topics and deliver the type of content that your users want to read.
Data and Analytics
The availability of data is what makes digital marketing so powerful. You don’t just create a campaign and forget about it. You’ll need to constantly analyze performance and track a range of different metrics. You can use this data to optimize campaigns and improve ROI.
For example, you can set up A/B split testing. Where half of the traffic is sent to an experimental landing page. Perhaps you’ve changed the design colors or altered the page layout. You’ll have direct access to the data which tells you which page has more sales.
You’ll need to calculate performance metrics like cost per click (CPC), click-through rate (CTR), conversion rate, and average spend per user.
Google Analytics is a free tool you can use to start collecting and analyzing data.
Digital Marketing Positions
There are many different career paths available to aspiring digital marketers. By learning about each area, you can make a more informed decision on your future. Let’s go through some of the most popular job titles:
- Social Media Manager: A social media manager is responsible for representing the company brand on platforms like Facebook, YouTube, Twitter, and Instagram. You’ll need to create posting schedules and monitor how users respond to your messages. You’re the voice of the company and will need to interact with customers, offer support, and organize giveaways and competitions to help build followers.
- Digital Marketing Manager: A digital marketing manager monitors the overall content strategy and marketing campaign. Your goal is to enhance brand awareness, drive traffic to company sites, and generate new leads. You’ll also need to keep existing customers happy and meet user retention targets. You’ll need to develop a marketing plan that includes budgets, goals, deadlines, and resource allocation. The success of the entire campaign will be your responsibility.
How to Become a Digital Marketer
To land a digital marketing job, you first need to learn the necessary skills, processes, and correct marketing approach. And if your end goal is a new career, then you need to learn the specific skills employers are looking for.
We have a range of online courses that can provide you with everything you need. Enroll in digital marketing bootcamp and learn career-ready skills to fast-track your way into a well-paid marketing position.
Our program is designed by experienced digital marketers who understand exactly what you need to learn. We’ll provide you with expert mentorship throughout the course and even help you in your job search so you can launch your new career.
