Are you interested in working in the marketing industry? Perhaps you’re considering switching roles and delving into a more creative career? Maybe you simply want to explore what true digital marketers do in their day-to-day lives? No matter the reason, we are here to explain it all. Let’s explore the projects digital marketers work on, how they navigate the industry, and what skills are needed to succeed in the field.
What is Digital Marketing?
To understand what digital marketers do, you need to understand what digital marketing is. In short, digital marketing is the promotion of products or brands via one or more forms of electronic media. Digital marketing is different from traditional marketing because it offers professionals real-time analytics into their campaigns’ successes and opportunities. They receive this data from various channels and methods to understand how their brands are perceived. In turn, this awareness enables them to pivot campaigns to ensure their audiences trust their brands and that they are seen as authority figures in their respected industries.
What Do Digital Marketers Do?
If you ask most digital marketers, they’ll tell you every day is different from the next. That’s because brands are always changing towards the current trends and seasons. Here’s a better glimpse into what these industry experts do daily:
Develop Marketing Strategies
You can no longer throw a dart at an idea and hope it sticks. These days, you have to be strategic about the approaches you’re going to take when you’re ready to show the world your brand. This process means digital marketers spend a lot of time analyzing the existing strategies of their own companies, or those of their clients, so they can understand where they stand. From there, they begin to develop strategies, such as which social media channels are best for that particular business, which types of content will relate most to their audiences, and what needs to be done to execute these plans successfully.
Manage Marketing Strategies
Digital marketing strategies include everything from social media and Search Engine Optimization (SEO) to email blasts and webpages. Anything that’s online or can be viewed from an electronic device is a form of digital marketing, and the experts are responsible for managing these elements. Digital marketers may be held accountable for boosting engagement, including responding to social media comments, follows, and likes. They might be assigned the task of writing an email blast that’ll go out to a company’s customer base or revamping blogs and webpages to ensure they’re user friendly with updated keywords.
Analyze Campaigns
Once a campaign is off and running, it can’t be viewed as set-it-and-forget-it. Digital marketers need to be keen observers of the content to monitor what’s working and what’s not. Great digital marketers don’t wait until a campaign ends to analyze the results, although that certainly is an important step. Instead, they make it part of their daily regimen to check in on the status of their marketing efforts to ensure everything’s moving according to plan.
Keys to Success for Digital Marketers
Digital marketers are jugglers, peacekeepers, and strategy-seekers. If you’re considering a career in this field, it’s vital that you’re able to handle a dozen tasks at once and wear just as many hats. You’ll need to like numbers just as much as you like people, and you’ll want to have a curious side about you that strives to be creative when the opportunity arises. Successful digital marketers are strong communicators, participate with others well, and love big data because you can’t make the right decisions until you know what the statistics say.
Experience Needed to Get into the Industry
A degree in digital marketing or communications is often preferred in becoming a digital marketer. You will also want to have a portfolio of media-related content you have done. It’s helpful to get up to speed on the latest trends in the industry, as things are rapidly changing in this field thanks to the ever-upgrading ways of technology. Consider starting a project so you can showcase to prospective employers your go-getter attitude and willingness to learn new skills.
Like most industries, digital marketing is filled with its own jargon. Get up to date with marketing vocabulary and take time to cultivate your online presence. These aspects can be a deciding factor for hiring managers when you’re interviewing for your dream position. Also, don’t be afraid to network. A lot of marketers are outgoing people who love to chat with people who speak their language. Join groups on LinkedIn or looks for professional meetups in your area where you can ask questions and receive expert advice.
Choose a Smart Career Path
If you’re considering going into the digital marketing field, this is a great time to learn more about the industry. With a little research and effort, you could soon find yourself managing clients, building brands, and bolstering audience engagements in ways you didn’t know were possible!