There are many reasons why a career in digital marketing is so exciting. One of them is that the field is constantly changing as more platforms and mediums are introduced. A digital marketer is always updated on the trends and how they impact branding.

A digital marketing career isn’t something that people usually aspire for when they’re in school. However, when you consider the opportunities in such a dynamic field, you’ll see that pursuing this career path is a good idea in this digital era.

Foundational digital marketer skills

As you get started in this industry, you must understand the key specialities. There are many roles to consider, each with their own skill sets to master. Here is a list of skills that help you build a solid foundation for a digital marketing career.

Email marketing

An example is subscribing to newsletters, coupons, promotions, and updates through email. This is an excellent method for building relationships with customers and making sales. According to data gathered by Hubspot, 78% of marketers have seen an increase in email engagement over the pandemic.

Examples of email marketing roles: Email marketing coordinator, email marketing manager, email marketing expert, email marketing specialist

Pay-per-click (PPC)

Many marketers pay to have their services and products show up as sponsored ads when people search for queries related to what they offer. You’ll be using platforms like Bing, Google, YouTube or Facebook to reach potential customers through various mediums including remarketing and sequential.

Examples of PPC roles: Google ads specialist, social media marketer, PPC analyst, PPC specialist

Social media marketing

This is when you introduce a brand to users on social media with the purpose of driving traffic to a website and turning them into customers. For instance, people might interact with certain types of content and the platform shows them brands that are related to the content.

Examples of social media marketing roles: Social media analyst, brand manager, content marketer, public relations

Search engine optimisation (SEO)

This is about improving your content so your digital properties show up on SERPs for search engines like Yahoo, Bing, and Google. The objective is to try and rank certain words or phrases that are relevant to the business so potential customers will find them online.

Examples of SEO roles: Content writer, SEO consultant, SEO specialist, link builder, SEO analyst

Technical digital marketer skills

Now that you know what skills you need to have or build to pursue a career in digital marketing. Let’s have a look at the technical skills you must have to become successful at your job.

Content management systems

Have basic understanding of CSS and HTML or understand how content management systems work. In this way, you’ll have an edge when working with websites. Some of the common CMS platforms are Shopify, Magento, and WordPress.

Design

For any digital marketing campaign, knowledge of user interfaces (UI) and user experiences (UX) is a must. You don’t need to be as knowledgeable as a graphic designer but it helps if you’re familiar with things like colour psychology and more.

Video production

A good way to boost your rankings online and increase retention on your website is to know how to make, edit, and market videos. Consider adding video blogs to your digital marketing campaigns along with video advertisements or highlights on social media.

Data analytics

Become capable of using Google Analytics to monitor and produce reports about customer behaviour and other important data. With this knowledge, you may apply new solutions for increasing traffic and conversions. There are plenty of tutorials on how to use Google Analytics so take advantage of them.

Automated marketing

Most businesses today rely on marketing automation tools. Understanding how these work will save you plenty of time, streamline marketing process, and boost your productivity. Besides, many clients prefer candidates who know how to use the software they’ve already invested on.

Soft digital marketer skills

Technical skills aren’t the only things you need to become a successful digital marketer. While they certainly give you an edge over other applicants, you need to add soft skills to close the deal.

Persuasive

In order to sell a product or service, you have to be convincing. Everything you do in marketing is an experiment so you need the motivation to keep going even if something doesn’t work the first time.

Adaptive

Technology keeps on changing so you have to keep yourself up-to-date with the latest innovations. Strategies that worked for previous algorithm changes won’t necessarily work for recent versions of search engines.

Good listening

You must be able to listen to your client and their customers well. Understand their concerns from their perspective so you know why they’re not buying so you find a better solution.

Passionately curious

Have some love for what you do. The industry is always evolving so if you have no love for it, it’s easy to give up in the middle. It would be good if you enjoy learning new things about digital marketing too.

Goal-oriented

Setting goals, be they short-term or long-term, is important as a digital marketer. As a rule of thumb, check that your objectives are SMART, meaning they’re specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-based.

Multitasker

Online marketing covers a lot of areas and you may have to juggle multiple projects at once. Staying organised is a must so you meet all your deadlines and ensure your output is up to par.

Analytical

This works well with being persuasive as you want to be able to back up your claims. Figure out what the numbers mean and how they are beneficial to your client or employer.

Social

Get the best results for you and the brand you’re marketing by knowing how to communicate well with others, especially target audiences. Not knowing how to communicate is a problem, particularly when working remotely.

Become a digital marketer today

Of course, it’s not possible to become a digital marketing specialist overnight. Learning and honing the skills mentioned above is going to take time and effort. To help speed the process up, you may turn to experts for help in landing your dream role.

We at Remote Workmate are specialists in connecting virtual professionals with employers all around the world. We regularly add people to our talent pools and you might be the next one if you’re qualified. Check out other advice we give for working remotely here in our blog.