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How To Become A Digital Marketer

The internet has changed the way companies think about advertising.

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8 Min Read clock icon

How To Become A Digital Marketer

Published

February 17, 2022

Author

Ruth Ng

The internet has changed the way companies think about advertising. In the past, marketing teams would reach their audience using television, radio, newspapers, and similar mediums. But now companies are having to adapt to our changing focus toward technology.

People shop in different ways now, experience advertisements in different ways, and are spending more time online. This has created an opportunity for advertisers to reach their audience in new ways. Recently, companies have invested a lot of time and energy in creating strategies to help target people through social media, apps, and websites — the new frontier in marketing.

But how do you become a digital marketer? That’s the question we aim to answer in this guide. Here, you’ll find everything you need to know to make a decision about whether a career in digital marketing is for you. You’ll also find some additional ASSETS, digital marketer salaries, and training programs to help you get started on your journey.

What is a Digital Marketer?

A digital marketer is responsible for helping an organisation reach their audience using digital technologies, such as social media, email, and online advertisements.

Digital marketers help generate leads — people who may become customers — and raise awareness for an organisation’s brand online.

Types of Digital Marketers

Digital marketing is a broad field, and there are many specialisations for you to choose from. Here are a few of the most popular jobs in digital marketing:

SEO Manager: SEO managers help a business to get ranked on search engine results pages (SERPs). If a business can get their work listed high on the platform, they can earn more traffic without having to spend any money.

Social Media Manager: Social media managers are responsible for managing an organisation’s social media presence. Social media managers will create a content schedule which will determine when a company posts on social media, and will have to work with the rest of the organisation to determine what content should be posted on which social network.

Content Marketing Specialists: Content marketing specialists help plan an organisation's content. They come up with editorial calendars, and create a content strategy that will maximise exposure for the business’ work. These marketing specialists will work with SEO managers and other members of the digital marketing team to create a broader content strategy in line with the business’ goals.

No matter which type of digital marketer you aspire to become, Knoma will help you find the right training program that matches your unique needs and schedule.

Digital Marketer Job Description - What Does a Digital Marketer Do?

Digital marketers create content strategies and execute on those strategies to help an organisation generate leads and raise awareness for their brand.

Digital marketers will use a variety of channels such as email, social media, and web advertisements to reach their audience. Digital marketers are also responsible for keeping a company’s online presence up-to-date, and coordinating new content for the business to publish. Digital marketers often collaborate with management, design, and development teams to craft campaigns which meet the needs of an organisation and showcase new products or announcements.

Digital marketers use Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) for each channel to track the performance of their campaigns. For example, they may track the number of impressions and likes on Tweets or the open and read rate for their email marketing campaigns.

Digital Marketer Job Outlook

The Bureau of Labour Statistics does not track digital marketers specifically. However, the job outlook for marketers more broadly is promising. Overall employment of marketing managers is expected to grow by 8 percent by 2028, and many of those positions will go to people who have a background in digital marketing.

Digital Marketer Salaries - How Much do Digital Marketers Make?

The average salary for a digital marketer is over £47,000 according to CW Jobs. Further, senior positions can offer salaries of up to £63,000 depending on your experience.

The exact salary you can expect to earn will vary depending on the company for which you work and the location in which you reside. The amount you earn will also depend on your experience. Senior digital marketers can earn significantly more than the average. In addition, the salary you earn will depend on what type of digital marketer you want to be.

How Can You Become a Digital Marketer?

There are many different paths you can take to become a digital marketer, but the most common routes people take to get started in digital marketing are as follows:

  1. Pursue a degree in business management or marketing at a university
  2. Attend a coding bootcamp focused on digital marketing
  3. Learn digital marketing through your own studying

In the past, pursuing a degree in business management or marketing was the most popular path toward becoming a digital marketer. However, these programs do not focus specifically on digital marketing. Rather, they teach digital marketing as part of a broader course. There is another common option available to people who want to learn digital marketing, however: coding bootcamps.

Coding bootcamps are an excellent alternative to a college education. Instead of spending four years and tens of thousands of dollars at college, budding digital marketers can spend a few months in a coding bootcamp and build the skills and portfolio they need to get started in their new career.

How to Learn Digital Marketing

There are many ways you can learn about digital marketing. Many digital marketers attend a traditional college or university and pursue a degree in a marketing-related field. Some people have taught themselves about digital marketing through online courses, and do not have any formal education in this field. However, there’s another popular way in which you can learn digital marketing: digital marketing bootcamps.

Digital marketing bootcamps offer a great alternative for people who want to become a digital marketer, without spending years on a degree. These short-term, intensive programs will train you in all of the skills you need to thrive in a career in digital marketing and help you find a job upon graduation.

Top Skills Needed for Digital Marketing Careers

In order to succeed in your digital marketing career, there are a few skills you’ll need to have. Let’s break these down, starting with technical skills.

Essential Technical Skills for Digital Marketers

The following technical skills will come up in almost every digital marketing job, no matter what specialisation you choose. These skills include technologies, processes, and other marketing tools.

Search Engine Optimisation (SEO): SEO is the process of optimising your content or website to rank higher on search engine results. This is an important part of digital marketing because ranking well on Google allows you to get more traffic without spending any additional money on advertising. You’ll need to have a basic understanding of what SEO is, how it affects a business’ overall content strategy, and you’ll likely need to know how to optimise content for SEO as well.

Social Media Marketing: Social media marketing is focused on promoting your organisation and brand through social media channels. In doing so, you can raise awareness for your content, and generate leads who may become customers in the future. Social media marketing involves using platforms like Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram, and Facebook to advertise your business, content, and product or services.

Automation: There are many tools which automate common procedures digital marketers use. You should be aware of any tools relevant to your field of interest which will automate repetitive tasks and streamline your marketing operations. For example, if you’re an email marketer, you may want to automate sending customer satisfaction surveys to customers after a certain number of days.

Inbound Marketing: Inbound marketing is a type of marketing where you attract and impress customers at every stage of the onboarding or purchase process. Inbound marketing involves using digital marketing tools to help create a seamless customer experience that works for them, which will increase the likelihood they become a customer in the future.

Public Relations (PR): PR has been a major part of content strategies for decades. But digital marketers need to be aware of online PR, which is online coverage on digital blogs, publications, and other websites. The main difference between traditional and digital PR is that you’ll be using online tools to attract PR, and your press appearances may only be featured online.

Essential Soft Skills for Digital Marketers

To be a successful digital marketer, you’ll need to know more than just technical skills — you should have a set of “soft” skills as well. The top soft skills you should have include:

Analytical and Problem Solving Skills: As a digital marketer, you’ll need to be able to think through problems analytically and come up with effective solutions. For example, you may be given a limited content budget and you need to run an analysis to determine where that money should be spent. In this case, you would need to be able to analyse the problem in-depth, gather data, and use that data to make an informed decision.

Adaptability: The marketing industry is changing quickly — 20 years ago, social media marketing didn’t exist (neither did social media!). You will need to stay ahead of the latest trends in digital marketing and use what you find to inform your content strategies.

Communication: As a digital marketer, you need to be good at communicating. You should be able to communicate effectively with customers and get to know their needs, as well as work with the rest of your organisation to design digital marketing campaigns.

How to Become a Digital Marketer: Step-by-Step

Here are the main steps you’ll need to take in order to start your career in digital marketing:

  1. Choose a digital marketing career path
  2. Learn about digital marketing through a bootcamp, university, or self-study
  3. Refine your technical skills
  4. Write a digital marketing resume
  5. Craft your digital marketing portfolio
  6. Start your job search
  7. Prepare for your interview

Knoma is here to provide you with the support you need along every step of your journey, from choosing a career path to helping you find a training program. Explore digital marketing courses here.

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