Many people consider digital marketing as a dream job. In fact, as the world becomes more reliant on digital products and services, many digital marketers have begun popping up left, right, and center.
If you’re considering pursuing a career in digital marketing yourself, then you should know that you’ll face tough competition. To gain an edge against your rivals, you need to have the right skill sets. So as you embark on your journey to become a digital marketing specialist, best pick up the skills below.
Search Engine Optimization
Not every website is equal in Google’s eyes. To make sure yours stays well under any search engine’s radar, you need it to be SEO-friendly. Thus, digital marketers need to know how to optimize websites in search engines like Google and Bing. by adding this skill to your resume, you’ll be able to guarantee your client’s online presence as well as boost their reputation in their industry. In turn, this will help improve your reputation as a competent digital marketing specialist.
Content Creation
Alongside your SEO skills, you need to hone your writing chops. That way, you won’t just make your would-be clients’ websites SEO-ready; you’ll also make sure it has fun and interesting content for everyone to enjoy. Of course, not everybody is cut out to become a great writer. But even if you’re not one, you should still know the basics. At the very least, you need to familiarize yourself with copywriting tools like Grammarly and Copyscape to ensure a content’s quality and originality. And in case you really don’t have what it takes to become a rockstar wordsmith, you can always team up with someone who is.
WordPress
Another thing about websites these days is that most of them are powered by WordPress. In fact, great digital marketing agencies like Reach Digital heavily rely on them. User-friendly, flexible, and decked with countless features, it can easily outrank other content management systems out there. So even if you’re not a web developer, you need to have a basic understanding of how to create websites using WordPress. As you move forward on your digital marketing career, you’ll find that this is a skill worth having. Even the most basic WordPress skill is something clients value. By being able to create and maintain a WordPress-based site, you’ll become a more marketable talent.
Google Adwords and PPC
Pay-per-click advertising (or PPC) not only helps increase brand awareness; it will also expand a business’s reach and potentially boost their revenue. That’s why most companies look for digital marketers who are well-versed in PPC and Google Adwords. If you have this skill, you’ll be able to land many high-paying clients, as well as become a major player in the digital marketing industry. So if you haven’t yet, make time to learn how to use Google Analytics and Google Adwords. Develop skills on how to create, optimize, and present campaigns using these platforms.
Conversion Rate Optimization
One of the biggest roles of digital marketing is making sure the website traffic gets converted into customers. Conversion Rate Optimization or CRO is the skill needed to do just that. CRO allows you to test web pages, content, and call-to-actions (CTA), enabling you to see which parts convert (and which don’t). Subskills include consumer psychology, web analytics, visual design, and A/B testing, to name a few. By learning proper CRO, you’ll be able to help your clients gain more customers online. This boosts their sales and reputation as a brand, while simultaneously establishing you as a great digital marketer.
Influencer Marketing
There are several reasons why brands need to work with influencers. For one thing, it helps train their social media strategy to success. But more importantly, it exposes their products and services to the people following the influencer. As an aspiring digital marketer, you need to learn how to build lasting relationships with influencers, and convince them to connect with your clients. Luckily, tools like Traackr are available to help you spot and monitor online influencers, allowing you to gain an edge over your competitors as well as save time and effort.
Creative and Analytical Abilities
Last but definitely not least, a good digital marketing specialist must possess top-notch creative and analytical skills. That is, they must be well-versed in writing, design, as well as have the technical expertise to do CRO and marketing automation. This will take effort on your part, especially if you’re not technically or artistically inclined. But if you truly want to succeed as a digital marketer, then you need to learn how to juggle both skill sets.
Conclusion
Becoming a digital marketer, much less a successful one, can be quite challenging in this day and age. So as you embark on your career in the digital marketing industry, better pick up a few useful skills along the way. If you don’t know which ones to learn, then start with the seven listed above.
