Have you ever faced an ad on social media while you’re scrolling down? You must have run onto a paid ad while using google to search for stuff. Or maybe you wondered why some specific pages appear on top of the SERP (Search Engine Results Page) while others stay behind. One thing that ties all of this together, it’s digital marketing .
Digital marketing is the step in the whole process that can’t be excluded from any business. Therefore, the desire of many people to work in e-marketing is increasing exponentially as business owners and companies would like to invest in the element that will bring potential customers and thus increase sales.
Conclusion this conclusively explains the turnout of thousands of people to work in this field. Especially it includes creativity. It is many and varied, and the resources from where you can learn digital marketing are easily accessible.
Digital marketing, in general, is the process of advertising through different channels, including Social Media platforms, search engines, Emails, and others. This process aims to drive conversions and bring leads who are more likely to become regular customers in the future.
Why to learn digital marketing ?
The real question is, why all the hype on digital marketing lately? Is it worth it? And why should you think about starting your career in digital marketing?
We can sum up some of the main reasons in the following:
- The need for digital marketers or people who work in the digital marketing field are in high demand. Therefore, the job vacancies for the related jobs are constantly increasing.
Several statistics indicated that the equivalent of 69% of companies intends to hire more marketers because of their urgent needs.
- E-marketing provides more than one field of action. Thus, you can choose from many fields according to your preferences.
- Digital marketing, and its fields, are easy to learn, and the resources from where you can learn are accessible.
- People who work in this field get well paid.
- Digital marketing allows you to learn and develop your entrepreneurial skills, especially if you were keen on learning from a trustworthy resource.
Since working with different clients requires some communication skills, and dealing with a whole staff you are supervising would need you to be a bit leader.
- By studying e-marketing, you can start working as a freelancer through the sites dedicated to that, which will make you run your business on your own.
- You can also start your own project, through which you provide e-marketing services to various companies and organizations.
- Working in e-marketing In addition to being financially worthwhile, it is one of the professions that requires a creative flair, which makes work fun and atypical.
How to start learning digital marketing ?
We know that learning is not fun all the way, but if you put the right plan, it can be at least fruitful. To become a digital marketer or work in this field in general, you need to learn, learn and learn. And in order to learn effectively, you need to put an effective plan.
Whether you decided to start self-learning or enroll in one of the institutions, the important thing is not to rush. Instead, give the learning process enough time and effort until you master digital marketing in a way that qualifies you to work and prove your competence.
Therefore, we have designed for you an integrated and effective plan that suits learning digital marketing for beginners and takes you from zero to mastering the skill.
1. Learn Marketing!
Imagine building a house without a basis. Do you think it’s going to last too long? Undoubtedly no. The same goes for this case. To learn digital marketing, you need to comprehend the art of marketing in the first place. Because, let’s be practical, digital marketing is nothing but a part of the whole marketing umbrella thing.
Thus you need to find some resources for learning marketing first, which could be books, rich articles, or courses. But, then, you only need to make sure that the resources you rely on are trustworthy.
2. Specify your major
In this stage, you need to acknowledge the majors related to digital marketing before choosing which is most suitable for you.
Speaking of which, we need to point out a common mistake that most beginners get to do, it’s that they think they would became digital marketers directly, while you should first specify in one of the majors related to digital marketing.
Therefore, choosing one major and master it can qualify you to become a professional digital marketer, in general through your practical experience, in addition to the theoretical knowledge that you can acquire through various learning sources.
And in order to make it easier for you to search, these are the majors of digital marketing that you can choose from:
- SEO specialist.
- Content/Copywriter.
- Social Media Marketing Specialist.
- Search Engine Marketing Specialist.
- Search Engine Marketing Specialist.
- Mobile marketing Specialist.
- Integrated marketing Specialist.
- Google Ads Specialist.
- Web Analytics Specialist.
- Conversion rate Specialist.
- Digital PR Specialist.
- Affiliate Marketing Specialist.
- Influencer marketing specialist.
3. Identify your learning resources
Here comes the most crucial step in the whole learning process to acquire digital marketer skills. And now, you have two options to choose from. Whether to start self-learning or to enroll for a specialized institution. So, let’s sort them out.
Self learning
Most people prefer self-learning as it’s easy and lower cost, especially for beginners and fresh grads.
Before we proceed and recommend some resources to indulge and boost your knowledge in digital marketing, let us first point out some essential points that you need to consider during your journey.
- Put a very specific goal (for example: learn SEO).
- Use SMART rule on implement this goal. The SMART goal stands for (S=specific/ M=measurable/ A=attainable/ R=relevant/ T=time bound).
For example, if we want to apply this rule on the goal desired, it would be as follows:
- Specific goal: Mastering SEO.
- Measurable: it’s measurable, as you can measure how far you are succeeded in learning SEO through experience and practical application.
- Attainable: Yes, as there is a specific goal and resources available for learning.
- Relevant: If you think this field is what you want to master, then it’s relevant.
- Time-bound: you need to make sure that your goal is tied with a specific timeline and deadline. Without being time-bound, your goal might seem distracted, and you will end up feeling absent-minded.
3. Don’t settle for one resource when coming to self-learning. It’s better to depend on more than one reference. This will help you enrich your information and allow you to learn from the experiences of more experts; thus, you will have better knowledge.
4. Apply what you learn first-hand. Practical application will allow you to measure your understanding of what you have learned; thus, you will or won’t start your career as a marketer.
5. Create a network of people who share the same passion and the same eagerness to learn. You can set a mutual goal and encourage each other to learn until you master the skill.
However, don’t be entirely dependent on this person or those groups of people in your learning journey, as this can affect your progress if they set back a little.
6. Split the big goal into several small practical goals. This will help you follow up and assess the progress. Plus, you will feel accomplished, which you need to during your learning journey, every time you fulfill a small goal.
Resources for self-learning of digital marketing
Now that you have a clearer vision for how to learn the science of digital marketing, let’s finally point out some resources you can utilize to master the skill.
- Reading books in digital marketing.
- YouTube channels.
- Online courses presented by Google. Of which the most notably is Fundamentals of Digital Marketing Course.
- Online courses presented by well-known websites, such as Udemy, Coursera, Linkedin and Edrak.
- Rich articles on the web are sources that you can refer to.
In order to read articles of real interest, we recommend some of the most important sites and blogs that you can rely on:
- Podcasts are also a good resource which can you learn from.
- Many webinars are also dedicated to digital marketing. Search on google and you find numerous results that can help.
- Attend conferences and seminars hold that host experts in the field periodically. You will also meet with your colleagues from the same field and thus enhance your professional network, which may serve you in your next steps.
- Follow experts in social media, particularly linked in, to enhance knowledge.
- Join groups and pages on Facebook and social media, and stay informed of all that is new about the world of digital marketing. It will also allow you to get to know people from the same field as you.
Learning thorough the training courses
No doubt that training courses, I mean reliable ones for sure, are the revolutionary learning approach that allowed thousands of people to start their careers away from academic education and university life.
Fortunately, when it comes to digital marketing, you have many options. All you need is to ensure the credibility and reliability of the institute you will choose to study digital marketing in.
Whether you decided to learn digital marketing online or offline, you need to be prompt and apply what you’ve learned on an ongoing basis in order to make the most out of what you take in.
The digital marketing courses vary to include online courses, the most famous of which are the training courses offered by Google – which we referred to earlier – and the courses offered by the well-known websites, also mentioned before.
However, some people tend to attend offline courses for better communication with the instructor and obtain the full benefits out of the training.
But, before you proceed and enroll in one of the digital marketing courses, let us give you some tips to consider while choosing one:
- Set a list for all the possible institutions and agencies that provide digital marketing training courses.
- Do your search and fetch information about each one of them. Make sure to have complete knowledge of the course contents, its duration, and its cost.
- Learn about the lecturer, give yourself time to know about their experience, knowledge and ask for reviews from their ex-students. Use social media platforms to do so.
- Shorten your list for the entities that provide practical training. It’s way better than the regular courses that only offer information.
- Now that you have a general idea of the entities and lecturers, you can choose what is best for you based on the information you have collected.
Learning through internships
Not only will you learn, but also you will guarantee a job as a digital marketer after accomplishing the internship. Fortunately, many companies are keen to provide internships to invest in youth and create strong potential teamwork for its future.
Check out the Jobzella complete internship guide to help you get the most out of this experience.
You can find many internship opportunities available at specialized employment websites, you only need to search and apply, and you won’t regret it.
4- Apply, apply and apply!
Don’t ever underestimate this step. It’s crucial, and you need it to kick off your real career as a digital marketer. You need to try yourself out in order to assess your knowledge and check if you still need to work more on yourself.
But the question is, how? Here are our tips for you:
- Get an internship.
- Try freelancing using well-known specialized freelancing websites like Upwork, Freelancer, Mostaql, etc.
- You can seek training from an expert in digital marketing.
- You can start your website or blog – even if it’s just for training – to put into practice what you’ve learned.
5- Get your certificate
This step will not only benefit you when applying to work in digital marketing, but it will also give you a golden opportunity to gauge your understanding of what you have already learned.
In addition, obtaining a certificate will boost confidence and give the recruiter an impression of your seriousness and professionalism at work.
The following list includes some reliable certificates that you can obtain through the most extensive specialized international websites and institutes:
- Google Ads certification.
- Digital marketing Institute.
- Google digital garage.
- Certificate of digital marketing from Udemy.
- Digital Marketing Specialization from Coursera.
How to work in digital marketing
Now that you are fully prepared to break into the world of digital marketing let us delve further and learn about its forms and what areas you can get to deal with.
Areas that every marketer would rely on while creating their digital marketing plan are:
1- Content marketing
Content marketing is the process of generating content with its different forms to serve online existence and marketing purposes.
It’s not only writing articles as some people may mistakenly think. It’s also about generating content for social media platforms, emails, videos, podcasts, press releases, online banners, etc.
Content marketing purposes, however, are not only limited to promoting and serving the company’s existence and market for its services/ products. It has another goal: to provide value for its customers, which eventually will help the product and support the marketing purposes.
2- SEO
Another importance of content marketing is being the seed from which the search engine marketing process begins. Search engine marketing has the primary mission of getting content to appear in the first search results, which ensures that the content reaches a larger group of customers and more visits to the site.
3- Pay per click
This marketing approach differs from its predecessor (search engine marketing). While SEO doesn’t require paying money for Google to appear on the first results but rather depends only on the quality of the content and some technical matters of the site, the pay-per-click approach demands paying Google money.
4- Social Media marketing
This includes all means of marketing through social media platforms, primarily through paid advertisements or through usual advertising that are made across pages.
5- Email Marketing
Email marketing is using the database you have in marketing for your products/ services offered by the company.
But there are some practices that you need to consider in order to create an effective email that drives conversions. That would include creating content that motivates customers to take action, personalizing the email, and allowing customers to set their preferences regarding receiving emails from your company.
6- Mobile Marketing
Mobile marketing aims to reach the target audience through mobile phones and tablets. Focusing on this type has become a necessity as most people prefer to use their smartphones during searching for stuff.
7- Marketing analytics
One of the genuine features of digital marketing is that it’s easy to analyze, especially since tracking customer behavior is one of the effective ways that help marketers develop their marketing plan. Therefore, the areas of work in e-marketing about analytics have become among the most important at all.
The analysis is mainly carried out by the Google Ads Specialist and the SEO Specialist, while some of the analysis can be performed by the digital marketing manager.
8- Affiliate Marketing
Affiliate marketing is one of the most common types of marketing that has been widely spread lately. During affiliate marketing, you start promoting for a specific product or service in return for acquiring a percentage of the profits after being collected.
9- Influencer Marketing
Influencers have been a good source of marketing and promoting services and products during the past few years. That’s why a type of marketing known as “influencers marketing” has emerged. It’s a win-win situation, influencers earn money from these deals, and brands expand their customers’ databases.
Ready to be a marketer?
Now let’s directly move to the steps you need to follow in order to search for a job in digital marketing. Here are some and tips and tricks to consider during this phase:
1. Review your CV and portfolio:
Now you have a solid knowledge over digital marketing and own a certificate that proves it, that allows you prepare a strong CV and create an effective portfolio.
Portfolios are a prove you can provide recruiters with that confirms your viability and they can asses you based on it.
2- Enhance your presence in professional networks
Professional networking has become one of the crucial aspects that can increase your chances of getting a job. Building professional relationships and showcase your skills will eventually has its impact on dragging the attention to you.
3- Follow up the recruitment websites
Recruitment websites have become the new normal during the past few years. Traditional ways are endangered when compared to recruitment through professional websites. Thus, you need to be there, searching and applying for jobs related to digital marketing.
Jobzella provides you with dozens of opportunities in digital marketing and helps you enhance your professional visibility. Register now and increase your chances.
4- Use other websites
Google and other media platforms are to be of use while searching for jobs in digital marketing. Use search engines to type your job title and let it does the job for you. For more accurate results, you can specify which country you would like to work in.
Facebook is also a good place to search for jobs, especially after the newly added feature that allows you to find some job vacancies available for you by using the given data in your bio to match jobs with your qualifications and experience.
5- Get an internship
Internships once again! They are the golden chance that if given to you, congratulations! Your first step inside the digital marketing field is guaranteed since interns are nothing but future employees.
6- Freelancing? Why not!
Freelancing is the new introducing working method that many people have adopted. Thanks to the flexibility it granted workers with. You can kick off your digital marketing career through freelancing.
This will give you the chance to try yourself on a few projects that are limited with time and budget. It would also open doors for you to start a full-time job.
7- Connect with people from the same field
Let’s be honest. Connections are essential, especially while you are taking your first baby steps in the field. You need to be surrounded by people who can help and support you. And while searching for a new job, you can reach out to some acquaintances to ask if they have available vacancies for you.
8- Be prepared to ace the interview
Looking up at some interview tips is one of the most crucial preparation steps you need to consider at this stage. From the first moment of the interview until you leave, you need to convince the recruitment how professional you are and that you are worth taking this chance.
That’s why it’s essential to learn how to use body language, answer the most critical questions, present yourself, etc.