Today, it seems like anyone who has placed an Instagram advertisement, or launched Paid Ad in Google is a digital marketing expert, but are they really?
The digital space is developing at a rapid speed, thus the demand for digital marketing specialists has blossomed – making it one of the most demanded industries in the modern workplace. It’s an exciting and challenging career that continuously changes and evolves on a day to day basis, so once you are into it you won’t be able to leave.
Moreover, according to Adzuna the average Digital Marketing Manager salary in the UK is approximately £44,000 (may vary depending on the region). The Bureau of Labor Statistics predicts a 10% growth in the number of advertising, promotions, and marketing managers employed globally between 2016 and 2026.
Given this data and taking into account that the industry is fast moving, with new technologies and updates being released daily, the digital marketing industry is a highly competitive industry. Yet, there are some simple steps that will help you to kick-start your career.
Follow, read, learn
The digital marketing industry is everchanging; Google continues to update its Search Engine algorithms, Facebook is playing around with Business Manager, Google Ads are getting more and more into Artificial Intelligence (AI). So, it’s so easy to separate the ones who are truly passionate about digital marketing, from the ones who know just a few ‘trendy words’ and claim to be Digital Experts.
The industry requires individuals with a strong desire to learn and adapt. The easiest way to continue to grow with the trends is to follow Industry Influencers. If you haven’t heard of Rand Fishkin, Neil Patel, Ann Handley then either you have to start to follow them now, or maybe Digital Marketing is not for you?
Go out, meet new people, learn
Digital Marketing is all about socialising and networking. Go out and surround yourself with talented and smart people who have stories to tell and tips to share. Visit Digital Marketing Expos, meet these people who can help open the doors to opportunities you might not have otherwise found.
Attend workshops and presentations to nurture relationships with other digital marketers and enhance your skill set.
Learn the terminology
Digital marketers love to use acronyms such as PPC, SEM, SEO, CTR, CPA, CRO and many more. They are all very different terms and a misunderstanding of them is a clear sign that you have a beginner’s skill set and need further training. The ability to analyse digital marketing campaigns and understand what elements worked or not is dependent on your ability to understand industry jargon.
Get Technical
Digital marketing is often considered to be quite glamorous. You may think that every day we walk around the office with a cup of coffee from Starbucks and attend various creative meetings to just have fun. Well, the truth be told, it’s much more technical and data-driven than we would care to admit.
You won’t be developing websites from scratch but you will be communicating your marketing strategy to a team of developers or designers who have a responsibility for incorporating your recommendations.
You have to know how to set up Google Analytics, Google Tag Manager, add Facebook pixels and much more. Digital Marketing managers should be able to read HTML and CSS codes. Moreover, you will have to know how to do some coding for Structured Data for example, or how 301 Redirects work.
Basic knowledge of HTML and graphic design will help to make you stand out among the less technically minded candidates.
Get Experience
In order to get experience, why not start with yourself? Optimise your organic Social Media Platforms, make sure that you are posting on a regular basis and sharing content which is relevant to your followers. Thereafter, you can really delve into the technical side of Social Media. For example, you can start writing a Blog on Instagram, or play around with Facebook Ads to promote your personal blog or profile. Just place a target to increase your profile visibility and come up with a solution of how it can be done. This can be a starting point for your career.
Complete Google Analytics training courses and implement what you’ve learned to ensure you’re ahead of the game in the digital space.
Finally, explore the idea of an internship to get the skills, knowledge, and experience you need to get your foot in the door.
If you are at the start of your journey to a career in digital marketing, then don’t forget to read our Blog to learn more about marketing, our case studies and exciting opportunities at mtc.