Kickstart Your Career with these In-Demand Digital Marketing Skills
Written By: Raelyn Pearson | Reading Time: ~5 Mins
When you think of digital marketing, what comes to mind? Maybe it was Instagram, Facebook, TikTok or Twitter, but in reality, there is so much more to it. Digital marketing is the promotion and marketing of brands, products, and services to an audience through digital channels like search engines, websites, social media, mobile apps, and email.
As businesses shift towards digitalization, the demand for digital skills is rapidly increasing. Whether you want to start a digital marketing career or learn something new, acquiring in-demand skills is the key to unlocking new opportunities.
Today, we’ll explore the essential skills that can kickstart your career in digital marketing.
Search Engine Optimization (SEO) & Search Engine Marketing (SEM)
SEO and SEM improve the visibility of a website on search engines, drive website traffic, and provide audience insights. The difference between the two is key: SEO is the process of optimizing and improving the quality and quantity of organic website traffic. Meanwhile, SEM uses paid tactics to gain visibility on search engines.
SEO essentials include keyword research, on-page and technical optimization, link building, and analytics. In addition to keyword optimization, creating in-depth content for SEO is essential. In SEO, in-depth content refers to comprehensive pieces or articles, usually over 2,000 words, aimed at providing thorough insights and valuable information to users and search engines. It demonstrates expertise, satisfies user needs, and enhances trust, contributing to higher search engine rankings and increased visibility.
For SEM, every digital marketer should understand paid search basics, keyword selection, bid management, effective ad copywriting, and how to utilize analytics for optimization. SEM is a great tool to use in a marketing campaign as it provides immediate visibility, precise targeting, measurable ROI, and control. SEM complements SEO by providing a quick boost in visibility, supporting the long-term strategy of SEO. A blanched approach to SEO and SEM is vital to maximizing online visibility and driving results.
Online is the best place to start learning about SEO and SEM. You can utilize Google’s free resources like Google Analytics Academy and Google Ads Help to gain an understanding of the platforms. Familiarize yourself with tools like Google Analytics, Google Ads, SEMrush, or Moz. We recommend using these tools for keyword research, analytics, and campaign management practice. Many great online SEO and SEM courses and programs are available online at HubSpot Academy, Udemy, and LinkedIn Learning.
Social Media Management
As a digital marketer, knowing the ins and outs of social media is a must. But knowing only how to navigate the apps isn’t enough. Employers are looking for social media strategists who understand how to use social media in combination with other marketing tactics and produce results. Keeping a brand’s profile up-to-date won’t cut it. As a digital marketer, you must prioritize social listening, live-streaming, direct messaging, and hashtagging to stay on top of the social media landscape.
Acquiring social media management skills can involve a combination of education, practical work experience, and staying up-to-date with the latest industry trends. In terms of education, many in-person and online programs specializing in social media marketing are available. For example, Jelly Academy, Udemy, Hootsuite Academy, and Hubspot Academy all offer social media courses and certifications you can obtain online. Look for courses that cover social media strategy, content creation, analytics, and platform-specific skills.
As a digital marketer, real-world experience is invaluable. Seeking an internship, volunteer marketing roles, or entry-level social media position is a great way to gain practical experience. Digital marketers hungry for hands-on work often offer their services to a non-profit organization or a small business at no cost. Working for experience is a great way to develop your skill set and gain real-world experience.
To keep up with industry trends, we at Jelly Academy recommend staying up-to-date on XTwitter, Instagram, and all things TikTok. Following popular brands, influencers, and celebrities can be a great way to keep up with the trends. There are also tons of social media newsletters out there you can subscribe to for the latest news in social media and digital marketing. We recommend you check out Social Media Today, Morning Brew’s Marketing Brew, and the Social Media Examiner.
Copywriting
In digital marketing, copywriting refers to the strategic craft of creating written content to engage, persuade, and ultimately influence the target audience to take a desired action. Copywriting can take many forms in digital marketing, from website to ad copy to social media. The primary objective of copywriting is to drive conversions. Whether it is a form being filled out, a purchase being made, or subscribing to a newsletter, effective copywriting can generate sales and leads.
Good copywriting skills take time, practice, education, and practical experience to master. To learn these skills, you should consider taking an online course like Growclass’s Conversion Copywriting Mini-Course. Online upskilling courses like these can help you quickly acquire the skills you seek.
Data Analytics
In digital marketing, data is essential to understanding your audience, tracking and optimizing campaign performance, predicting trends, improving the customer experience, measuring ROI, and enabling data-driven decisions. Digital marketers must know how to interpret data from different sources to make informed campaign decisions. As a starting point, we recommend that any aspiring digital marketer become familiar with Google Analytics and Google Tag Manager.
To get started with Google Analytics and Google Tag Manager, check out Google Analytics Academy–where there are various free courses where you can learn about Google's measurement tools. As for Google Tag Manager, there is a fundamentals course on Google Analytics Academy, but there are many other resources on Udemy, HubSpot, and more to help kickstart your journey into data analytics.
Content Marketing
Content is at the heart of digital marketing and involves creating high-quality content to deliver to your target audience. The content you produce and put out must be clear and attractive and provide value. Some of the most common types of content you may create in a digital marketing career are blogs, newsletters, white papers, social media posts, and emails. Content marketing will increase online visibility, generate more leads, boost loyalty, and improve brand trust and authority.
If you’re ready to learn more about content marketing, we suggest starting with beginner-friendly resources like blogs and articles to understand the basics. Next, like most skills we’ve discussed, enrolling in online courses is a great way to build and strengthen your skillset. Writing is a crucial skill for content marketing, and one great way to showcase your content and practice is by creating a personal blog or portfolio. Try experimenting with different types of content, such as blog posts, articles, or social media copy, as practice.
If you are deciding to venture into a digital marketing career, remember that it is going to require a multitude of skills. Mastering SEO, SEM, social media management, copywriting, data analytics, and content marketing skills is paramount. These skills will form the foundation to launch a successful digital marketing career and provide you with a competitive advantage to stay on top of the ever-changing, fast-paced, and exciting world we call digital marketing.
