Thursday, April 5, 2018

DIGTAL MARKETING / CAREER SPECIAL ........WHERE TO START WITH DIGITAL MARKETING


WHERE TO START WITH DIGITAL MARKETING

Vaibhav Vats on how choosing the right specialisation in digital marketing platform can open up myriad job opportunities

With the rise in the internet and digital networks, digital marketing has become an indispensable need for businesses looking to promote themselves. As consumers are turning techsavvy, entrepreneurs and digitallyenabled companies are building their brand on digital marketing platforms, in the next five years, India will add half a billion more internet users, which will compel most companies to turn to digital channels for promotions to reach out to more number of people.
This will lead to a rise in demand for people with digital marketing skills, as a result of which more than 18,00,000 digital marketing jobs will be generated by the end of 2020. This will open new doors for fresh talents with an in-depth knowledge of digital marketing.
Here are some tips to begin an exciting journey into this new digital frontier:

LEARNING THE BASICS
Making a foray into digital marketing can be confusing, in the absence of guidance. Its components, including social media marketing, email marketing, SEO, content, web development, mobile marketing, analytics, AdWords, have its separate rules and operational system. Experts can help you navigate through these different yet connected realms to help you understand the basic concepts well enough to conceptualise, design, and execute online campaigns for different companies with latest online marketing tools. Taking up training and getting certified can help remove the conventional barriers to enter this career.

NEED FOR SPECIALISATION
The internet is vast, and digital marketing has to cater to a variety of different channels and media to communicate with potential customers. The digital marketing field, therefore, offers a wide range of career options that you can choose from on the basis of your interest or existing skills. You could choose to be anything from a digital marketing executive, to social media marketing executive to SEO expert or a Conversion Rate Optimisation (CRO) specialist.
In each of these roles, there is a hierarchy based on your skill-set, experience, and other factors.

WORKING ON A PERSONAL BRAND
Personal branding is one of the tactics to market or showcase one’s talent to attract better opportunities to improve one’s digital marketing career. Make it a point to exhibit your skills and achievements on your social media networks, especially LinkedIn as it is one of the best professional platforms. Create a winning resume that showcases your competencies, to win over a potential employer.

KEEPING A FINGER ON THE PULSE
Unlike some other professions where the basic foundation of required skills does not change over the time, digital marketing is a constantly evolving space. Although the need for skilled and creative people in the field remains unchanged, changing trends mean that the methods and processes utilised can change quickly. If you do not keep yourself updated with the latest industry developments, you are likely to be replaced by someone more clued in. You can keep yourself updated on the latest in digital marketing through online resources such as YouTube channels and blogs.

BUILD RELATIONSHIPS
Knowing the right people can make a huge difference, so it is important to reach out to and build relationships to create a robust network on popular platforms such as LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter etc. Companies looking to hire you would like to have evidence in real-time of your ability to deliver a successful digital marketing campaign; thus, you must have some examples of your work easily accessible on social media. So, make it a point to create blogs or vlogs connected to your area of interest and specialisation. It is important to remember that the best brand builders are constantly building and improving their networks, and you should do the same.

NEVER TOO LATE TO START
Everyone has to take the first step, and your first potential step into the digital market space might be an opportunity at the lowest level. Do not hesitate; you can always keep updating yourself on better options through employment sites, and look for alternatives while building up a portfolio and learning while you work.

(The author is the co-founder of Digiperform-Digital Marketing Training Platform)


No comments: