Have you ever wondered what’s like online marketing as a career? Digital marketing skills are in serious demand and the digital skills gap is set to widen, the job market is booming and brands are putting more of a focus on digital marketing than ever before. Bigger budgets, increased pay and more career choice are just some of the benefits digital marketing professionals can look forward.
Debating over whether to change career direction or what to study next? You might want to discover digital marketing benefits first.
• Online marketing as a career •
Have you heard of the digital skills gap? There’s 150,000 digital jobs predicted by 2020 and not enough digital professionals to fill them. This provides those studying digital marketing with a unique competitive advantage – you’re gearing yourself up for a career where demand exceeds supply. Always a good move.
During the recession recent graduates were plunged into a world of uncertainty, job scarcity and all around terribleness. Wouldn’t it be nice to gain a fresh set of skills that could future-proof your career, increase your job security and even enhance your career progression?
• Online marketing as a career •
Benefit from More Career Choice
The headquarters of many of the world’s leading digital giants like Google, LinkedIn and Twitter are located in major cities, providing a wealth of job opportunities for digital professionals to choose from. Rarely a week goes by without a new onslaught of digital jobs announced for multinationals, national brands and even SMEs.
With such a wide array of new opportunities available digital marketers can afford to get picky about the type of company they’d like to work for. I’d encourage you to take advantage of this choice and think of what kind of business best suits your career needs.
• Online marketing as a career •
Get Paid More Than Your Peers
You heard about how demand for digital marketing professionals is exceeding supply. In traditional economics we all know what happens next – the value of the product increases along with the price. When you’re working in a fruitful industry with a large skills shortage you can think of yourself like a commodity and negotiate your salary accordingly.
A Marketing Salary survey by The Marketing Institute and Alternatives confirmed the positive findings. The survey revealed quite a few exciting advancements for digital marketing professionals. Here are our favorites: 50% of respondents received a salary increase this year, two-thirds received bonuses and 61% said their businesses are hiring again.
• Online marketing as a career •
KickStart Your Own Career
In more traditional careers like advertising you’d have to wait for a coveted internship or graduate placement to open up so you can gain experience and create your own portfolio. The digital marketing world, however, provides a host of opportunities for you to kickstart your own career before you even set foot in a workplace.
Want to stand out to potential employers? Invest in building a powerful social media presence, gain your own Twitter followers, start your own blog and contribute to relevant online conversations. There are a whole host of online exams like the Google Analytics exam and HubSpot’s Inbound Certification exam you can take to boost your CV and showcase your digital marketing knowledge. There have been plenty of examples of people who have been hired after showcasing their talent and abilities through social media.
But there’s just one teeny tiny potentially life changing thing – you don’t know what skills you need or how to hone them? What are the digital marketing skills you need?
Let’s reveal the most in-demand skills and I even unveil some useful tips on how to break into a brand new digital career.
After years of recession, lots of heartbreak and rejection it’s time you take back control of your career and get a little strategic about its direction. A clearer career path and a more secure bank balance awaits…
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Online Marketing As A Career – Landscape Defined:
The overall sentiment? There has been a significant increase in demand for both specialist skills and more general digital marketing roles across the board. When asked about the digital marketing jobs landscape I would say it is evolving all the time. A lot of companies are still looking for broad digital marketing skills at Manager and Executive level. Although, as the industry matures it is separating out more into specific skills areas, such as Content, SEO/SEM, Analytics and Social Media.
Today, there appears to be a huge demand for brand management and advertising skills as well as the more technical skills. Below I prepare you for when the digital marketing market matures (and it’s already happening) and reveal the most sensible specialist roles to invest in.
• Online marketing as a career •
SEO Specialist
Search Engine Optimization (SEO) isn’t just about getting your website found anymore. As Google’s search algorithm matures businesses are becoming more aware of the importance of implementing solutions like content marketing and guest blogging. SEO is growing, changing and evolving at a rapid rate. What’s more? It has been cited as one of the most in-demand skills.
Employees need to find people who have built up an understanding of the importance of providing value for the customer and building important relationships through inbound marketing practices. You’ll need to be genuinely interested in SEO and keeping a close eye on the constantly changing landscape to succeed in this industry.
Tips to Get Started With An SEO Career:
Create your own website and optimize it for SEO – you can showcase this on your CV.
Showcase your inbound marketing and SEO knowledge by creating relevant content and sharing it on social media.
Start creating relationships on Twitter and LinkedIn to identify and help out influencers online.
Read these blogs: The Moz Blog, Search Engine Land and Matt Cutts Blog.
Complete the free HubSpot Inbound Certification that is open to everyone.
Study for and complete the Google Analytics Individual Qualification.
Learn about how to use Google Webmaster and complete the accompanying questions.
• Online marketing as a career •
PPC Executive
The demand for Pay Per Click (PPC) specialists is heating up as businesses begin to see the important role PPC plays in bringing targeted traffic to their website. The role of the PPC executive is simple in theory: try and get the company’s website to the highest Google ranking possible.
If you’re thinking of getting into PPC you’ll need a little bit of maths, Excel and strategy skills. A firm grasp of both Google Adwords and Google Analytics is absolutely essential to ensure that you can effectively create, optimize and report on results-driven campaigns for your business. Your goal will be to get the most targeted traffic to your company’s website at the lowest cost possible.
How to Become a PPC Executive:
Study for and complete the Google Adwords Exam
Study for and complete the Google Analytics Individual Qualification
Look out for and watch PPC webinars and live chats.
Reach out to PPC influencers online and ask for advice on they made it in their career.
Sharpen your Microsoft Excel and additional maths skills that will help set you apart in the interview.
Create your own sample PPC strategy for a potential client – you can showcase this at your interview.
Read these blogs: PPC Hero, Inside Adwords, Search Engine Land, etc.
• Online marketing as a career •
Content Manager
The importance of content marketing becomes increasingly clearer. The demand for qualified content marketers has surged in the past years as digital marketing managers realize the value of providing valuable content to their customers. Quality content creation feeds into many essential elements of the digital marketing mix, including email marketing, social media and SEO strategy.
Businesses are finding it difficult to find good writers with a firm knowledge of digital marketing. If you are a writer and are interested in becoming a content marketer, you will need to spend some time learning and practicing the digital marketing fundamentals. Even more important? You will need to showcase your ability to create and implement an effective content marketing strategy that can help lead generation and increase engagement and brand loyalty.
Key skills for content marketing specialist roles are; SEO, copywriting, and some basic design skills can be useful too.
Start Your Content Career:
Create your own blog to help you showcase your writing and content marketing skills.
You can set up your own blog for free on Blogger or WordPress.
Build up an active presence on Twitter and social media, highlighting your interest in and knowledge of content marketing.
Identify what you are interested in writing about and guest blog for relevant blogs in your niche area.
Read these blogs: Copyblogger, Boost Blog Traffic, Content Marketing Institute and HubSpot.
Learn basic PhotoShop skills to increase your hireability.
Publish your content on LinkedIn using its publishing platform.
Post your content on targeted LinkedIn groups in the hope that decision makers notice your efforts.
Build up a clear understanding of SEO and social media marketing and how content marketing fits in.
• Online marketing as a career •
UX Designers & Developers
Demand for technical skills are also at an all time high – for example, today User Experience (UX) designers are highly sought after. User Experience Designers plan and create the look and feel of a website (or mobile application) to meet the demands, needs and desires of a brand’s target audience. Businesses are recognizing the growing importance of this role as consumers continue to demand better products and experiences.
Daily tasks are varied but can involve creating wireframes, conducting user testing, creating surveys, analyzing data and sketching out story-boards. A UX designer is responsible for enhancing customer satisfaction by improving the usability, navigation and ease of a product. They have one goal in mind: improving the user’s path.
The prevalence of mobile applications and responsive websites is unprecedented and, as such, sensitivity around the user experience is through the roof. As a result, UX designers and developers are highly sought-after, with freelancers, particularly, commanding significant fees. Expert proficiency within HTML5, CSS and JavaScript is often a prerequisite and many traditional marketers and techy-types are retraining to help derail this digital deficiency. On the flipside, socially-savvy marketers are working to build and protect companies and networks with a prevalence to match the tech guys that built them.
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