There is no better time than now to kickstart a digital marketing career. The latest research reveals that the digital economy is currently growing at three times the pace of U.S. GDP with digital marketing employees earning an average of $114,275 a year – almost more than 72% of what other workers in the country earn. Here are our top tips for potential digital marketers who wish to kickstart their digital marketing career right now. Before we get into the article if you are looking for Marketing Director jobs then see here.
1) Eagerness to Learn
The digital marketing industry is quite competitive and fast-paced. Businesses can easily differentiate between the candidates who are willing to learn and who are just there for fun. You need passion and a desire to succeed in the digital marketing industry.
2) Stay Updated
Follow influential people on social media and major digital marketing sites to stay on top of industry news. In fact, Google, Twitter, and Facebook regularly tweak their algorithms and paid advertising platforms. You won’t succeed in the industry unless you are willing to stay on top of the latest changes in the industry. Here are some good websites to follow:
- PPC – Search Engine Land, PPC Hero
- SEO – SEOGadget, Moz, and Search Engine Land
- Content – Hubspot
- Social Media – Social Media Today, Social Media Examiner
3) Networking
Make sure to be around people who are more talented than yourself. These people are going to be your ongoing support network when you run into certain problems in the industry. They can help open doors to new opportunities you may not have found without their guidance.
Attend conferences and industry meetups in the area to build relationships with other marketers in the industry. You should also enhance your skills through in-depth presentations and workshops.
4) Personal Projects
Don’t treat industry leaders’ opinions as gospel without trying out your own ideas. In digital marketing, everything isn’t always black and white. There are many grey areas in between, and you need to try out your own thing sometimes to get results for your business.
A digital marketer should test out theories by having personal projects and try their hands at multiple disciplines such as SEO, PPC, content marketing, and social media. You should take accountability for the successes and failures of projects.
5) Learn the Terminology
Digital marketers should be comfortable with the terminology in the industry. For example, PPC, SEO, and SEM are very different terms and a misunderstanding of these terms is a clear sign that you need further training. You should develop your ability to analyze marketing projects and know what worked and what didn’t. For this, you need to have a good idea of the industry jargon.
Even though you may fancy yourself as a digital marketing hotshot, you won’t amount to anything without a visible online presence. If you want to show a business that you can build its visibility, you should build your own personal brand first.
A good online presence can be the determining factor between two candidates who apply for the same position.
7) T-Shaped Marketer
This term is mostly used by Rand Fishkin of Moz. It refers to a person having a basic understanding of numerous marketing disciplines but specializing in one or two.
Companies may find candidates with multiple digital marketing skills to be valuable assets to their business. It also makes the employee better equipped for opting for a more specific path of focus that he or she can specialize in.
