Ways to Advance Your Digital Marketing Career

The digital revolution of the 21st century has shifted the marketing paradigm to a whole other level – the digital domain. Today, businesses have identified the online platform as the “place” where a majority of the customers are present. For instance, no matter what information or product/service you need, the first thing that comes to your mind is Google. Similarly, social media platforms like Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, and Twitter are encouraging conversation like never before. The proliferation of smartphones and the rising influence of social media platforms on our lives have further made the online domain the hub of all the activity now.

The result – Rise of Digital Marketing

To put in plain words, Digital Marketing refers to the marketing or advertising of products/services through digital channels including the Internet, social media platforms, mobile & web applications, email, search engines, websites, or any other such digital mediums.

The reasons for the popularity of Digital Marketing are many. However, increased brand exposure, improved customer-brand interaction, cost-optimization, and maximized returns are the most crucial drivers behind the large-scale adoption of Digital Marketing. Businesses across all sectors are implementing Digital Marketing tools and strategies to reimagine marketing and brand promotion. This, in turn, is fuelling the employment opportunities for Digital Marketing professionals as well as boosting the demand for Digital Marketing Certifications.

How to progress your Digital Marketing career in six simple steps

Define your Digital Marketing career goals

To define your Digital Marketing career goals, you must assess and compare six key metrics concerning your future career goals and your present career situation:

Education and training
Progression pathway
Work culture
Money
Location
Company values

Once you create a detailed picture of your present working situation and your future career vision, it will become easier for you to understand where exactly you wish to be in your Digital Marketing career. Accordingly, define your Digital Marketing career goals and mission. Research on famous Digital Marketing stars (influencers, bloggers, and entrepreneurs) and take inspiration from their success stories.

Choose a specialty

Digital Marketing is a vast field comprising of different aspects of marketing. While it is true that a Digital Marketer has to wear many hats simultaneously, it is also essential to focus on a particular domain of digital marketing (Social Media, Mobile Marketing, Content Marketing, Data Analytics, Copywriting or Web Development and Design, etc.).

Specialization is the best way to market yourself uniquely before your potential employer.

Upskill and refine your skillset

To ace Digital Marketing, you must acquire and develop both hard and soft skills. You must bear a strong passion for learning new things and acquiring new skills.

The hard skills will rely on your capability to churn industry data into cashable profits for the company through various Digital Marketing strategies like data analysis, social media skills, content marketing, CRM skills, etc. As for the soft skills, you will have to display immense creativity, influential power, and listening and communicating skills. It is these fundamental skills that will distinguish you from the crowd of qualified individuals.

Get equipped with the latest marketing tools

A successful Digital Marketing campaign encompasses a lot of complex factors, thereby making the job of a Digital Marketer quite challenging. However, it doesn’t have to be a difficult journey – there is a whole range of tools to help you! Tools like Google Analytics, Google AdWords, Moz, Hootsuite, SEMRush, Canva, MailChimp, Buffer, AdEspresso, to name a few, can make your work so much easier. So, try to get acquainted with as many of these tools as you can.

Stay updated with the latest industry trends

Yes, we said “industry” trends. It means that apart from staying updated with the latest news in the Digital Marketing industry, you should also pay close attention to what’s happening in other sectors including business (customer experience, sales management, and strategy, etc.) and technology [Artificial intelligence (AI) and Machine learning (ML)].

Since Digital Marketing is closely involved with business and technology, it would be beneficial if you stay updated with the latest trends in all these sectors. You could follow Digital Marketing blogs like QuickSprout, HubSpot, Convince and Convert, Econsultancy, and Kissmetrics to read about the hottest industry trends. Apart from this, you could also follow technology blogs like TechCrunch and Gizmodo to follow new about emerging technologies.

Attending seminars and conferences on marketing/technology/business is also a great way to learn.

Find an industry mentor

An industry mentor can be anyone – a former boss, a famous figure in the industry, or someone in the field that you admire – who can guide you and teach you the ropes of the trade. Since mentors are experienced, their advice can help you avoid mistakes and take your brand to the next level.

How can a Digital Marketing Certification help enhance your career?

While the six-steps mentioned above will help you progress your Digital Marketing career, the most crucial starting point of that career has to be a Digital Marketing Certification. Obtaining a Digital Marketing certification has many benefits, including:

Add credibility to your resume
Industry exposure and networking
Better job opportunities
Flexible career options
High salary packages
Opportunities to explore your creative side

Today, Digital Marketing has emerged to be one of the most in-demand skills in the industry. A Digital Marketing certification can help you master this domain through a well-designed and structured approach. It will help boost your competence in this field, thereby increasing your chances of being hired. So, take advantage of this golden opportunity and embark on your Digital Marketing journey with a Digital Marketing certification course!