Top 10 skills you need to master to become a digital marketing expert

In 2020, LinkedIn listed digital marketing specialists as one of the top 10 most in-demand jobs. And SEO, analytics, content strategy, and social media as some of the most in-demand skills. In this extremely positive environment, everyone wants to learn how to become a digital marketing expert. While we can’t give you all the answers through one blog post, here we have discussed some ways you can enter the industry and specialize in digital marketing.

• First things first.

Before even entering the industry, creating a website, or advertising your services on LinkedIn, you need to have an in-depth knowledge of what digital marketing actually is and what are the skill sets you need to possess in order to become an in-demand and trusted digital marketer. Here we have listed some of the critical skills a digital marketer must possess. You can acquire these skills through enrolling in a structured, long-term MBA or master’s program or you can upgrade your skills through short-term certificate courses or diplomas. 

• Designing, implementing, and monitoring SEO campaigns
• Optimizing PPC campaigns
• Organizing and leading content marketing campaigns
• Social media marketing (for traffic, awareness, and sales)
• Managing and leading a team of marketers, content writers, and website designers
• Data and performance analytics

Unlike, say an SEO specialist or a PPC specialist, a digital marketer needs to have a broad knowledge of a variety of marketing disciplines. The most important digital marketing methods and terminologies that a digital marketer needs to be aware of are:

• Search Engine Optimization
• Content Marketing
• Reputation Management
• Google Paid marketing
• PPC
• Email Marketing
• WhatsApp marketing
• Web analytic and webmaster
• Mobile Marketing
• Search Engine Marketing (includes SEO and PPC advertising)
• Social Media Marketing
• Affiliate Marketing
• Video Marketing

As a digital marketing manager, you’ll need to know what the role of each channel is and how to use it to maximize returns for your clients.

• Master SEO

Once you have a general idea of digital marketing, the next skill set you need to necessarily master is SEO. SEO plays an extremely important role in the success of a digital marketing campaign. And optimizing a website for search engines is one of the areas where clients will need your expertise. You might work with a dedicated SEO expert in your team. But as a digital marketing expert, you’ll need to supervise them and you’ll need to have the necessary knowledge of SEO to do so. You can become SEO Expert by creating your own blog and website. All you need to design and host your own website or blog is around Rs. 2500 -3000. You can even use your own blog to understand the effectiveness of Google analytics. Install Google Analytics tracking code and explore whether you are getting any traffic. This kind of practical learning will come in handy when you overtake a client’s business marketing strategy.

• Learn and master PPC advertising.

PPC or pay-per-click advertising is an important component of a digital marketer’s arsenal. As a newbie to the industry, you will need to allocate time and budget to managing PPC campaigns through Google ads or Facebook. Therefore, you will need to also ascertain how to run such ads and analyze the results. 

• Explore Social Media Marketing skills.

As a digital marketer, you will need to understand how organic marketing on networks like Twitter, Pinterest, Instagram, and LinkedIn work and how to use them for your particular client or industry.

• How to run Content Marketing Campaigns.

Content marketing is the most affordable marketing strategy that a business owner can use to build credibility and create results. As a digital marketer, you will need to develop expertise in running and supervising successful content marketing campaigns. You will need to know how to check and analyze search engine rankings and conversion rates. You will also need to understand how to compare different forms of content like video, audio, podcasts, etc. to decide what the best content for your client’s industry is. 

• Master Email Marketing.

The seemingly outdated marketing strategy, email marketing remains an extremely popular method for consumer outreach and lead conversion. Email marketing is usually the last step of a marketing sales funnel. All other digital marketing campaigns (SEO, PPC, Content Marketing, Social Media Marketing), generate leads for email marketing and email marketing will do the sales through a series of targeted emails. In order to run successful campaigns for your client, you will need to know how to construct and run an effective email marketing campaign.

• Managerial skills.

As a digital marketer, you will not be handling all the work that comes your way independently. As a freelancer, you may work alone. But it is more than likely that you will be working with a team of content writers, SEO specialists, website designers, etc. And you will need the necessary managerial skills to supervise your team for effective and timely results. Project planning and execution will be a part of your job role and you will need to master these skills in order to deliver consistent results for your clients. 

• Learn about Data analysis.

   

Strategy is nothing without data to back it up. As a digital marketing expert, your clients will demand that you provide the data to back up your success claims. The must-know tools for a digital marketer are:

• Google Analytics
• Google Data Studio
• Google Search Console
• Facebook Ads Reporting

• Digital Marketing Certification

You obviously don’t need a digital marketing certificate. But enrolling in a comprehensive course that outlines the basics of the process will surely help you become better at practicing digital marketing strategy in the real world. A degree will also indicate expertise to new clients who would be wary of trusting an industry newcomer. However, to win clients, you will need more than a fancy degree. Work experience and success stories in the form of completed projects, client reviews, and case studies will help you build the most loyalty.

• Stay abreast of trends.

Google is making thousands of updates per year to its search results and algorithms, Facebook is adding/changing new features all the time. A digital marketing expert cannot afford to miss out on new updates and technology changes. And thus you will need to upgrade your skillset and knowledge base regularly.

Bhavik Sarkhedi is a top online marketing leader in the country. This digital marketer in Ahmedabad has been consistently ranked as the best digital marketer in India and specifically in Gujarat. His businesses Write Right, Taletel and DadofAd have received great national press and his success stories are incomparable. His namesake website will give you details of all the services he provides pan India. Explore today for all your digital marketing needs.

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