Kick off your career in digital marketing

Quick Links:

• What does a digital marketer do?
• Digital marketing tasks
• Educational requirements
• Employment opportunities
• What skills do you need to succeed?
• Tips on growing as a digital marketing specialist
• Why choose this career?

 

In the age of technology, digital marketing is a booming career. If you’re creative and you have a passion for technology, this might be the right career for you. This engaging job requires you to create online marketing campaigns in order to build brand awareness and generate more revenue. You can find exciting digital marketing vacancies on Job Mail.

What does a digital marketer do?

Digital marketing specialists are expected to research, develop, and implement online campaigns with the aim of boosting the company’s sales. Once these campaigns are up and running, employees in this position need to monitor and evaluate each campaign to ensure that the strategy is achieving the desired result. Analysing data and reporting back to management is an important part of this role.

Digital marketing tasks

You may be wondering what you’ll be doing on a daily basis if you decide to pursue a career in digital marketing. While specific tasks may differ between brands and companies, here is an overview of what you can expect to be involved in:

• Building a marketing database
• Planning web and social media marketing strategies
• Executing online campaigns
• Monitoring progress of digital marketing campaigns
• Creating and maintaining a social media presence
• Compiling reports
• Identifying innovative opportunities for growth
• Investigating trends with the aim of maximising performance
• Working with a team to deliver the best possible user experience
• Staying up-to-date with the latest technologies

Educational requirements

While it’s not mandatory to study something to become a digital marketer, having insight and knowledge will definitely benefit you. Another alternative is to find entry-level positions at digital marketing agencies or individual companies with digital marketing teams and work yourself up by gaining the relevant digital marketing experience. You can increase your knowledge by reading up on best practices in digital marketing and keeping up with changes in the digital environment.

If you would like to go and study, here are some options to consider:

• Degree in digital marketing – You can study at most universities and tertiary education institutes.
• Degree, diploma or higher certificate in Business Marketing or related fields – Available at both universities and other tertiary education institutes.
• Short or online courses in paid advertising, SEO, Social Media or Web Analytics – Mostly available at tertiary institutes, such as colleges, but online as well.

Related studies include degrees, diplomas or higher certificates in:

• Graphic design
• Web design
• Web development
• Brand management
• Digital copywriting / content marketing

These studies are also available at most universities and tertiary education institutes across South Africa.

Employment opportunities

With the widespread use of technology, digital marketing specialists are in high demand, not only in South Africa but also across the globe. You can find employment opportunities across a wide range of industries at small, medium, and large companies. These companies can include anything from digital marketing agencies or even individual companies. There are endless job opportunities for digital marketers, especially in a world continuously growing to become more digitally orientated.

What skills do you need to succeed?

• Creativity
• Commitment to continuous learning
• Analytical and problem-solving capabilities
• An in-depth understanding of social media, Google analytics, content marketing, and PPC
• Knowledge of metrics and analysis
• Numerical thinking
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills
• Time-management skills
• Ability to work under pressure
• Goal and deadline driven
• Excellent attention to detail
• Ability to work within a team and independently

Tips on growing as a digital marketing specialist

1. Commit to learning

Technology is advancing rapidly, which means there are constant developments in the field of digital marketing. To keep up with it all, you’ll need to be dedicated to continuous development. If you’re willing to learn, you’re more likely to get hired.

2. Networking

An advantage of networking within your industry is that you can learn from more experienced digital marketing specialists. If you’ve built strong relationships, you’ll know where to turn to for help if you encounter a problem when you’re starting out.

3. Build personal projects

Building personal projects is a great way to maintain and develop your skills. Not only will you learn from your projects, but they’re also a great opportunity to showcase your talents. This is your chance to get creative and to cultivate your passion for digital marketing.

Why choose this career?

A career as a digital marketer offers you a stable job and a good salary, depending on your experience and expertise. The ever-changing digital world ensures an exciting and challenging job environment with a lot of opportunities to grow. You also have the option to be self-employed. Another benefit is that you can easily find international positions in this field.

With so many advantages to becoming a digital marketer, it’s easy to see why this career is so popular. You can visit Job Mail to find opportunities to launch your digital marketing career.

 

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