For hundreds of years, businesses have used marketing to promote and sell their products. But it wasn’t until the advent of the internet and, more recently, the burgeoning mobile industry that digital marketing really took off.
This relatively new discipline is more cost-effective, more accurate, and reaches a much wider audience than traditional forms of marketing such as television, radio, and newspaper advertising.
Data makes the difference. Digital marketers have a wide range of performance indicators to optimize and improve their campaigns. Traditional marketers don’t have this kind of information.
We explain what a digital marketer does, what specializations are available in this field, and how you can accelerate your marketing career.
Digital Marketing Channels
Top digital marketing agencies use a variety of channels to reach potential customers and build brand awareness. Digital marketing channels include
- Official company websites
- Social media campaigns on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook
- Organic search engine rankings
- Paid search engine advertising
- Third-party advertising
- Email marketing campaigns
- Corporate blogs
- Video marketing on YouTube
- In-app pop-ups and push notifications
You can closely control the budget you spend on digital marketing channels. This way, you can calculate your return on investment (ROI) for each channel. Through analysis, you can identify weak points and significantly improve the effectiveness of each channel. Digital marketers can focus on all channels or specialize in certain areas. For example, ad publishers use Supply Side Platforms to sell their ad inventory over multiple ad exchanges where digital marketers can see the ad space and its metrics before deciding whether or not they think it will yield positive ROI.
Responsibilities of a Digital Marketer
In a typical organization, the role of a digital marketer is to
- Develop a strategic marketing plan
- Budget campaigns and forecast results
- Understand the potential of different marketing channels
- Understand the evolution of trends, tools, and user behavior
- Analyze Big Data for actionable insights
- Understand the different devices used by consumers
- Maintain a dynamic relationship with consumers and create meaningful interactions
- Report campaign results to internal stakeholders.
Skills needed to become a digital marketer
Depending on your chosen field, you will need to master both technical and interpersonal skills. Here are some of the most common skills you’ll need to master.
Video Marketing
The main goal of a digital marketer is to capture the attention of potential customers. Online videos are a great way to do this. They are more engaging and easier to digest than long blocks of text. They also allow you to be more creative.
You need to think about how you can tell your story with videos. If you can evoke an emotional response from the viewer, your campaign is more likely to succeed. Videos that are funny, helpful, or shocking are more likely to leave a lasting impression.
To be successful in video marketing, you must have good editing skills. You also need to be able to write a script and script your ideas.
Search Engine Optimization
Most internet users start with a search engine. In particular, they use Google to find what they are looking for. Search engine optimization (SEO) is the science of improving a website’s ranking in search results.
If you can improve your ranking, you can increase the number of visitors to your website. This will translate into increased sales and profits. This is why SEO is an important part of any digital marketing campaign.
The main advantage of SEO over other digital marketing channels is that you can target customers who are actively searching for your products and services in real-time. Searches using targeted keywords can lead to sales much faster than banner ads or pop-ups.
You need to learn on-page and off-page SEO techniques. This includes adding title tags, meta descriptions, user-friendly URLs, sitemaps, and navigation breadcrumb trails. You will also need to build backlinks and promote your website online.
Content creation
They say that content is king. It draws users to your website, to watch your videos or subscribe to your social media pages. Official blogs, white papers, case studies, and general application guides are all part of content marketing.
Digital marketers need to know the intricacies of content creation and understand how it works. They need to know how to select topics to provide content that users want to read.
Data and Analytics
You can’t create a campaign and then forget about it. And need to constantly analyze performance and track various metrics. You can use the data to optimize your campaigns and improve your ROI.
For example, you can set up an A/B split test. In this case, half of your traffic is directed to an experimental landing page. You may have changed the color or layout of the page. And you have direct access to data on which pages are selling best.
You need to calculate performance metrics such as CPC (cost per click), CTR (click-through rate), conversion rates, and average spend per user.
Google Analytics is a free tool you can use to start collecting and analyzing your data.
Design and innovation
The more users enjoy and feel comfortable on your website, the more successful your marketing campaigns are likely to be. Users are always looking for a simple, effective, and diverse online experience. Companies that master these three aspects will get the best possible return from their users.
Conversion efficiency, page load speed, ease of online payment, and call to action are some of the most important factors on the side of your digital marketing campaign.
Email Marketing
Email marketing has been around since the dawn of the internet. And it is still the best way to communicate directly with new users, potential vendors, and existing customers.
Spam filters have become more sensitive over the years, and care should be taken when sending unsolicited emails. However, if you get permission from your users, you can build a targeted list to promote your products and services.
Email marketing is most effective when it provides real value to the user. For example, you can create a monthly newsletter for your subscribers or send them coupons to entice them to make a purchase.
By using an attention-grabbing subject line and a call to action in the body of the message, you can increase the open rate.
Tools like MailChimp, SendPulse, and HubSpot are powerful online resources to help you manage your email marketing campaigns.
Stay on top of technology trends
The digital marketing industry is technology-driven. As a result, it evolves very quickly. You need to keep up with the latest tools and techniques and constantly upgrade your skills. If you know the basics of programming and have hands-on experience with a content management system (CMS) like WordPress, you can stand out.
