In today’s world, our lives are much more digitally connected than they were decades ago. With the world chatting, gaming, networking, and shopping online, it’s no wonder that digitization has become a business necessity rather than an option. Companies and marketing agencies now invest heavily in creating brand awareness, lead generation, and conversions on digital platforms.
Knowing that Facebook earned $6.24 trillion in business revenue by 2020, it is clear that there is money to be made in the digital marketing industry. The problem is that things are changing so fast that it’s hard to keep up or learn how the latest tools work. When you think you have understood what’s going on, trends change.
Luckily, there are techniques you can use to become a digital marketing expert. Whether you’re looking for a future career in marketing or advancing your skills, these tactics and tricks can help you succeed in any role. Here are seven tips to help you strategize and optimize your career, specifically as a digital marketing expert.
1. Follow the experts
If you want to learn more about digital marketing, social media is probably your best place to begin. After all, these are the basic grooves of digital marketing, and you already know how they work. The first step is to find as many marketing gurus as possible and follow them. A quick search will show you the right direction. Marketing experts like Larry Kim, Gary Vaynerchuk, and Seth Godin will give you a fascinating insight into the world of digital marketing via personal and professional social media profiles.
They create easy-to-understand content that introduces you to the basics of digital marketing. Gathering information from the people who define the marketing industry is an excellent place to start to find out where you stand.
2. Watch tutorials
By reading reports and studies, watching videos, and listening to podcasts from marketing gurus, you can take the next step and start learning about digital marketing. The Internet is full of free learning resources on all kinds of digital marketing topics. YouTube tutorials offered by successful marketers are an easy way to get practical knowledge, as long as you choose them carefully.
If you prefer video tutorials, you can use services such as LinkedIn’s sister application, Lynda.com, to better understand the various stages of generating sales via digital platforms. It is also a stable platform if you want to develop your creative skills in the digital world. You can also read up on SEO basics to build a sound understanding of optimizing web content for increased search engine visibility.
3. Be well-informed
The world is moving towards more collaboration, and information is being shared more openly than ever before, especially in digital marketing. If you want to learn about digital marketing, it’s essential to be well-informed.
Most digital marketing companies pride themselves on being opinion leaders and trend-setters. They continuously produce informative white papers, e-books, and slide shows. Look for these examples in your local digital marketing agencies and the media. They are also often published on social media, so keep an eye on these sources as well.
4. Sit down with like-minded people
Most marketing agencies expect you to join them for a few days during the summer or do an internship with their internal staff before full-time hiring. Even if you have the opportunity to spend a day at a digital marketing agency, take it and talk to as many people as possible. It cannot be very comforting to work in an industry where, until now, you’ve only worked on a computer screen. Although manufacturing is virtual and mostly automated, it is still human-made, managed, and invented.
And most of them are comfortable explaining how the various pieces of the puzzle work. Contact with the real world is beneficial. To succeed in the digital marketplace, explore the discussion forums and participate in discussions to determine what people are thinking and doing.
5. Discover the latest trends
The best way to become a digital marketing expert is to keep abreast of the latest industry news and trends. From changes in social media algorithms to the influx of with futuristic new technologies, digital marketing can be multi-faceted. Every time a new product, advertising guideline, or trend surfaces, it reshapes the marketing process. Following industry leaders, taking courses, listening to podcasts, talking to people, and reading all PDFs will help you stay up-to-date when something changes.
6. Attend networking events
While knowledge and information about digital marketing are widely available from authoritative sources online, attending professional conferences can give you an advantage that other sources can’t.
At these conferences and networking events, you’ll get to hear secrets of the trade directly from the experts and understand how the industry is evolving. These events often offer fun events, workshops, and courses to hone your skills and understand why you do what you do. These local or international conferences allow you to update your skills and will enable you to build a better business strategy.
7. Learn from brands and digital marketers.
If you are considering or starting a digital marketing career, investing in a professional digital marketing conference may seem like too giant a leap. Fortunately, there is a wealth of advanced and informative content online to help you succeed in your digital marketing career.
These digital marketing “opinion leaders” have the experience, understanding, and expertise to create digital content that is easy for amateurs to concede. And since most of these opinion leaders are digital marketers, they know how to create informative content that is easy to find on search engines.
Conclusion
An excellent digital marketer can adapt quickly and learn independently. You will work with different teams and customers, so you need to communicate well and build strong teams. While you require many things to be competitive in digital marketing, it’s essential not to skip to use and sharpen your diligence and soft skills capacities. Having a sound information base and depth in certain areas will help you more than trying to be a jack of all trades.
Author bio
Sherley Alaba is an eagle-eyed wordsmith; a writer and translator, always interested in ways which can help individuals (especially youth and women) reach their full creative potential. Her focus has been on writing, producing and editing stories on business, finance, interesting personalities, entrepreneurs, culture, the environment, gastronomy, lifestyle, and social issues.
