Have you considered Digital Marketing as a Career? Is there a market for this popular new choice? This article will answer questions you may have and give you steps to follow to move forward.
Digital Marketing--What Is It?
Digital marketing is a fast growing career option that didn’t exist twenty years ago. It’s the advertisements using digital media such as social media, websites, mobile applications, email and search engines.
You are exposed to digital marketing all the time, and you don’t even realize it. When was the last time you clicked on an advertisement displayed on a website you visited?
Clicked a link in an email? Or used a keyword to search for product options? These are all examples of digital marketing.
A big part of a digital marketer's job is knowing search engine optimization or SEO. Search engine optimization is the organization of content so certain keywords or phrases would bring an article to the top of a search engine. For example, if you conducted a Google search on "how to become a digital marketer," articles with those keywords would appear at the top of your list.
Digital marketers make sure that you find the articles of their businesses or those of their clients. It’s a new form of advertising.
Digital Marketing Benefits
The top benefit of being a digital marketer is that you have a skill that is in high demand today.
It’s not something anyone can say they’re going to do. It takes skill. Education programs geared towards digital marketing are popping up all the time.
Even if you did not study digital marketing, there are many different ways that you can adjust your skills to be relevant in the field. If you have a background in advertising or public relations, you can translate those skills.
If you have a strong writing background, you would be successful in content marketing, which is a subset of digital marketing.
Studying digital marketing in school will enhance your career options. Companies are creating new jobs in digital areas. For example, Microsoft and LinkedIn have expanded their workforces by creating more digital jobs in recent years.
By being a digital marketer, you also increase your salary prospects. In the United States, the salary of digital marketers in various specialties ranges from $45,000 to over $70,000 at entry levels, while management positions pay from around $85,000 to over $120,000 yearly.
Whether you want to be in business for yourself or sell your skills to a company, you can find success as a digital marketer.
Types of Digital Marketers
The most common career options in digital marketing are in the areas of management, web analytics, and copywriting.
In web analytics, you would keep track of the number of visits to a website, the number of clicks, search engine results and email marketing. You would create reports and work with other digital media professionals to ensure that a site is performing to its full potential.
Copywriters create content for many different digital marketing campaigns. They write and organize email campaigns, social media site posts, newsletters, and website content. They use skills in persuasive writing to compel consumers to shop with a company or visit their website.
Digital media managers are experienced in their field and are responsible for supervising others. They communicate with clients to determine digital marketing methods are most effective. They are also responsible for assigning projects to subordinates.
A digital marketer may complete one or more of these tasks on a daily basis if they are self-employed.
Digital Marketing--Getting Started
In the past, advertising students had to compete for internships with reputable companies and build portfolios to gain experience.
Today, a digital marketer can gain experience right from their bedroom. Chances are you are already active on social media. You can begin to establish yourself right away by building followers on platforms such as Twitter. Start a professional blog where you publish articles related to your career field. Participate on discussion boards relevant to your area.
Continue to improve your knowledge of the digital marketing industry by subscribing to trade publications and reading articles. Share them on your social media accounts. Use LinkedIn to connect with other digital marketing professionals. Don’t look at them as competition, but rather peers that will help you to grow. Find a mentor, someone who’s more experienced who will give you regular advice.
Finally, don’t underestimate the power of a college degree. True, many digital marketers are self-taught, but you should obtain a college background if you can. You’ll not only learn many different skills you can use in the field but gain contacts you can use for future networking.
What Skills Would Make Me Successful?
A successful digital marketer will have many different skills. To get started in a field, every digital marketer has to have a natural curiosity. Psychology Today magazine describes this is “as a deep and persistent desire to know.” Everyone has this. It starts in childhood with the simple questions like “Why is the sky blue?” Build on that.
Creativity is another skill you need to be successful in digital marketing.
Every day, advertisers are getting more creative with commercials, print advertisements, and, now, the internet. Your creative skills will help your clients to reach new customers.
You will also need excellent organizational skills. Whether you’re working for yourself or someone else, if you don’t have the organizational skills to execute your projects correctly, you won’t have your career for very long. You need to have excellent time management skills and a strong work ethic to complete your projects on time.
Finally, the skill you need the most is a passion for what you do. If you don’t enjoy your job, you won’t get much benefit and neither will your clients. Do your research and complete some sample projects to make sure this is what you want to do. If you do choose a career in digital marketing, you will find that it’s a great career to make for yourself and you'll have excellent job security in this growing trend.
