If you aspire to break into the field of digital marketing, there’s never been a better time than the present. According to research, the digital economy is growing at a very rapid rate. Employees working in the digital economy are enjoying high demand, high salaries, career growth, and benefits. Whether you want to work as a digital marketer, data analyst, campaign coordinator, SEO specialist or in another role, the digital marketing industry is undoubtedly booming. As the digital economy continues to grow, there’s only expected to be many more career roles available.
It’s no surprise that digital marketing is a popular option for a career choice. After all, it’s a very modern and current type of career. It provides plenty of options for remote working, freelancing, starting your own business or working for some of the top companies around the world. If you want to kick-start your digital marketing career and help yourself stand out from the competition when it comes to landing work, here are some top tips that you might find useful.
Demonstrate Your Eagerness to Learn:
The digital marketing industry is not only growing at a rapid rate; it is incredibly competitive and subject to constant changes. New digital marketing technologies, techniques, and best practices are always being uncovered. Plus the latest algorithm update from Google can bring about huge changes to the way that work is done.
One of the best ways to stand out in the job market is to demonstrate your eagerness to learn. Additionally show your ability to keep up with the latest developments. Companies are looking for digital marketing professionals who are able to think on their feet, adapt quickly to change, and come up with innovative and creative ideas. You need to constantly be taking in new information in order to succeed, so being passionate about learning as much as you can is essential.
You might want to consider:
- Getting a respected industry qualification in digital marketing.
- Earning a relevant degree, such as a degree in data science or data analytics, will be very useful to you as a digital marketer. The ability to understand and interpret data is also highly sought-after in the industry as data becomes even more essential. Click here to find out more about why data analytic skills are in such high demand and the top skills you need to get ahead.
- Follow high-authority blogs and websites in the digital marketing industry and keep up with the experts.
- Start your own blog, website or video channel where you can demonstrate your own expertise and explore different aspects of the industry.
Staying up to date is one of the best ways to ensure that you’re currently in the industry. Using outdated technologies or strategies isn’t going to get you very far. As major names like Google, Twitter, and Facebook regularly tweak their platforms, not keeping on top of the latest changes is a career killer.
Some good websites to use to keep up to date include:
- Moz
- Search Engine Land
- Social Media Examiner
- Hubspot
- PPC Hero
Networking:
When it comes to networking, one could argue that it’s easier than ever for digital marketing professionals and those looking to get into the industry. Digital marketing professionals are usually more adept than anybody else at getting content online, and successfully using the internet to communicate with others. This means you can usually find lots of different talented professionals who’re actively looking to network on Twitter and LinkedIn.
Put yourself out there and surround yourself with people who are influential and more talented than yourself. The people that you meet within the industry can provide you with a support network for when you run into problems or need advice. Rest assured, digital marketers and SEO experts are some of the most supportive people you’ll ever meet; just look on Twitter and you’ll see.
But, while the internet might be right at the core of your job, don’t restrict your networking to behind a laptop screen. You will benefit from attending conferences and industry meetups in your area, and you might even want to travel to larger events too. This will give you a chance to not only learn a lot of new things through expert presentations and demonstrations. But you’ll be able to meet with and build relationships with other digital marketers and professionals in the industry.
Build a Personal Brand:
Once you are knowledgeable about and familiar with digital marketing, it’s one of the easiest industries to break into. Especially if you are considering working as a freelancer or starting your own business or agency. Since all of your work is mostly done online, you’re in a unique position. You can start selling your services to clients without leaving your living room. Of course, you can rent an office if you like, but many freelancers and self-employed digital marketers prefer to work from home when they first start out.
The key to being successful as a self-employed digital marketer is to demonstrate exactly how well you can do with your own digital presence. Since you’ll need to use the kind of techniques, strategies, and campaigns that your clients will want on yourself. You end up in a unique position where your brand and business doubles up as a testament to your skills and knowledge. Work on:
- A strong, modern, well-designed website.
- A visible online presence through blog content, video content, and social media.
- Good online engagement with your clients.
- Online word-of-mouth marketing.
- Strong PPC advertising campaigns.
- Demonstrating your knowledge and showcasing your expertise online.
Don’t forget; your potential clients will be browsing your website and reading your content to get clues on just how well you know what you’re doing. Consider yourself to be your own most important client!
Work on Personal Projects:
Even if you’d rather work for an employer than be self-employed as a digital marketer, working on your own personal projects can help you get far in the industry. Don’t just rely on what other people are telling you. Come up with new ideas of your own and experiment with new things. There are often many grey areas between best practices and the strategies that can actually get great results for a business when it comes to digital marketing. With the industry constantly changing, trial and error can often be a huge part of figuring out what’s going to work best.
Digital marketing careers present you with a unique opportunity to really innovate and be creative when it comes to your work. Try out multiple different disciplines, such as social media, content marketing, search engine optimization, and pay-per-click advertising. Then develop personal projects that you can use to test out your theories. Figure out different ways of making things work before using these techniques for an employer or client.
Get Technical:
A digital marketing career can often be seen as quite glamorous. However most people in the industry know that it is usually far more data-driven and technical than most would care to admit. While working as a digital marketer won’t mean that you have to develop websites from scratch, unless you want to. You will need to be able to clearly communicate your marketing strategy to teams of developers or designers. They will then incorporate your recommendations into the build of a design.
Because of this, there are many benefits to spending some time gaining a basic knowledge of web design, HTML, CSS, and graphic design. Not only will you stand out among some of the less technically minded candidates, but it will also allow for easier collaboration between yourself and developers when it comes to producing the best products for a client.
Get Certification:
Alongside getting a degree in data science, digital marketing or another relevant topic, there are many other certificates and qualifications that you can earn. These will help you stand out in the industry. Typically, there are no barriers to entry when it comes to a digital marketing career. This makes it one of the very few career options where no college degree is actually needed in order to enjoy a lucrative career with great salary options and benefits. However, since competition is fierce and everybody wants a slice of the pie when it comes to digital marketing, put in some extra time and effort to really understand the industry. Take time to get to grips with all the terminology and earn a certificate to say that you’ve invested in your learning can pay off. Getting industry certification will help you to:
- Land better-paying jobs as you’ll be more qualified to go straight into a managerial position.
- Get more interest from bigger, more successful digital marketing companies.
- Set yourself apart from your non-qualified peers who may understand the industry but don’t have the certificate to back it up.
- Figure out your area of specialization and what you enjoy and are best at within the realm of digital marketing.
- Make it easier for you to attract clients and customers if you decide to launch your own digital marketing agency.
Digital marketing is a fast-growing, impactful industry that applies to almost every business out there. To be more successful as you pursue a digital marketing career, keep these tips in mind.