As technology improves and the internet becomes a larger part of our business lives, more and more people are looking to start a career in digital marketing. Whether they want to focus on SEO, PPC or running their own agency, the idea of being a digital marketer is becoming more and more attainable, as well as more and more popular. Business owners everywhere should be looking to the internet for their future, as the overwhelming presence of things like social media tends to play a huge part in both our successes and our failures. However, it’s naive to think that you can jump into the world of digital marketing without some kind of plan, and that’s where we come in.
If you’re looking to start a career in digital marketing, look no further. We’ve collected some of the absolute best tips and tricks that will truly pave the way towards the future of your career and your successes. Knowing the best place to get started is always a surefire way to understand the field you’re going into, and we all know that businesses are built on strong foundations. Let’s get started!
1: Have an Online Presence
The most important thing to remember when you want to start a career in digital marketing is to have a handle on your online presence. Being able to comfortably use things like social media to your advantage is instrumental in your success. Additionally, you want to establish yourself and your corner of the internet before committing to any big plans. If someone wants to work with you but you don’t have anything to show for yourself or your company, chances are they won’t be coming back. Instead, create an online personality and ensure that your brand is cohesive.
2: Know the Latest Trends
The number one thing you’ll hear from people in the digital marketing realm is how fast-paced the environment is. Things change sometimes over the course of months or even a year. Sometimes things can change simply overnight. When you’re looking to start a career in digital marketing, you need to read up on the latest marketing trends that businesses and agencies around the world are using. Even if you can’t implement them yourself from the beginning, having some knowledge about what you should be doing and what you can be doing in the future will give up an edge up above the rest.
3: Seek a Mentor
We all know that people can often be afraid of asking for help in certain situations. In a cutthroat world like marketing and business, asking for help could give you the notion that you’re weak and cannot stand on your own. Don’t listen to that nonsense! If you’re truly a beginner looking to start a career in digital marketing, then you’ll need to know what to expect upon entering the marketing world. Find someone to help you along the way—an expert in the field of your interest, perhaps. You could even invest in a business coach and see what you can learn from the people around you before trying it out on your own.
4: Understand All Fields
Digital marketing can sometimes be used as an umbrella term for a multitude of online processes. Whether it’s traffic and leads, conversion rates, social media management or SEO, you’ll want to make sure you understand them all. You don’t need to be an expert in all of them by any means unless that’s something you choose for yourself. However, to start a career in digital marketing you’ll need to have a basic understanding of what everything means and the parts they play in the digital marketing machine.
5: Be Willing to Learn
In tandem with understanding everything to the best of your abilities, what will set you apart from the rest should be a willingness to learn anything and everything you can. Even if you don’t think it’ll play a large part in your overall marketing plan, it’s better to have some knowledge than no knowledge. When you’re looking to start a career in digital marketing, or any career in a field that you’re stepping into, it’s better to go into that field with a vote of confidence. Having an eager attitude to learn as much as you can in order to truly cover your bases is something you’ll want to keep in mind going forward.
6: Understand the Terminology
All fields of work tend to use acronyms for the important things we talk about often. The world of digital marketing is no different—you’re bound to hear things like SEO, ROI, and PPC on your first day. Part of your journey to start a career in digital marketing will be learning and understanding these terms. SEO, for example, refers to search engine optimization. It’s something important to talk about when you’re trying to curate content to a large audience and gain more traffic through the things you create. Getting ahold of the smaller details, in the beginning, gives you more time to grow as you continue forward.
7: Don’t Be Afraid of Networking
Networking plays such an important part in the world of digital marketing. When you’re trying to build yourself up from the ground, you need to be able to talk to some of the most influential people in the field you’re breaking into. It can be a bit scary at first to try and sell yourself to people, but when you want to start a career in digital marketing you need to be able to rub elbows with the best of the best. Put yourself out there, create a strong sell that shows who you are as a business and as a person, and put faith in your contacts. A community is key!
8: Invest in Online Courses
When you’re starting from the beginning, you want to know what you’re getting yourself into. Thankfully, so many people in the digital marketing world host a variety of online courses, as well as webinars, to get people into the field comfortably, and quickly. These people know what it’s like to start a career in digital marketing, and their expertise can and will guide you towards becoming a digital marketing expert all your own. Give the internet a try, see what teaching styles work best with you, and use that knowledge to put your best foot forward.
9: Build Your Brand
Your brand is everything when it comes to being a business owner. How you want people to both to see and define you reflects back onto your sales and your success. Your brand needs to show off the important things that come with doing business with you. A brand is the beginning of starting your career in digital marketing, and it’s important that you recognize what that brand should be. Be creative, don’t be afraid to take risks and stick to something that you’re truly and completely passionate about. That’s the surefire way to dismiss any doubts about your success.
10: Define Your Niche
Once you’ve settled on your brand, you want to dig deeper and develop a niche. The business world tips into your favor when you become the expert of something that no one else is doing. What you’re passionate about can go hand in hand with something specific about that part of digital marketing. Being a niche marketer ensures that, when you start a career in digital marketing, you’re already putting yourself above the rest. Having an edge means you’re already competitive in the game!
11: Pump Your Resume
Being ready to take on the digital marketing world is just one step of the climb. You need to look good on paper, too. When you’re looking to start a career in digital marketing, making sure that what you’re capable of doing reflects well on your resume can change the game! Your resume is your chance to talk about yourself and the things you’re capable of doing. Don’t hold back! Mention your special skills—maybe you have a history with typography and can use that to your advantage when it comes to entering the freelance world. Mention the hard work you’ve put into learning as much as possible and express that willingness to learn more. It’ll make a splash with employers and get your foot in the door!
12: Set Clear Goals
Once you’re in the position to do so, you want to make sure that you’re setting clear and attainable goals. Sometimes, reaching too far, in the beginning, can be the cause of your downfall. Let yourself start a career in digital marketing by ensuring that the goals you’re setting are goals that you can achieve and goals that will also further your success in the digital marketing field. Being reasonable doesn’t mean you can’t take risks either! Get creative and see if you can push your attainable goals just one level up. That way, if you can pull it off, you’re ahead of the game, and impressive overall.
13: Launch Your Own Projects
The online world moves quickly, and you want to make sure that you’re not missing your chance to hop on board! When you start a career in digital marketing, it’s important that you build your foundation on your own terms. While establishing your brand and your business, feel free to explore your own projects. Regardless of what those projects are, keeping a sense of individuality and independence bears well in the long run. Additionally, when you find your footing in the digital marketing world, you’ve already got some accomplishments under your belt to prove your credibility to your audience!
14: Stand Out
Being creative is important in a field with oversaturation. You need to make sure that what you’re doing is something that you feel comfortable enough with. In fact, most people will often refer to themselves as the expert in their field, and the way they can do such a thing is by standing out. The world of business, and specifically digital marketing, will demand that you make yourself stand out from the rest of the crowd. Whether that be through graphics marketing, your brand title, or whatever it is you want to be doing, the ability to be your own business is important. Don’t be afraid to mess around and redefine standards!
15: Learn Analytics
Analytics are an important part of any business venture. When used properly, analytics are what tell you the number of people traveling to your website and the number of clicks you get on certain pages. Being able to track this online surge of traffic has changed the digital marketing game. So, it’s only fitting that someone looking to start a career in digital marketing would have to learn how to use, read, and input analytics into their own business venture. Resources are abundant online for the basics of analytics, and analytics experts are handy in making sure that you’re getting the most out of whichever software you choose to use.
16: Understand the Basics of HTML
In conjunction with understanding analytics, you’ll also want to make sure that you can master the easy stuff when it comes to HTML. Though you shouldn’t be expected to build a website from the ground up when you start a career in digital marketing, it should be expected that you have a handle on a code. The internet itself is just one massive code—finding resources to teach yourself the bare minimum when it comes to HTML will prove beneficial in the grand scheme of your digital marketing career. Dig down and let yourself get into the coding mix!
17: Build Up Your LinkedIn Profile
One of the most important parts of social media for people in the business world to be using is LinkedIn. While Facebook and Twitter are great for getting your message across to an audience of consumers, LinkedIn is the place where the top business owners rub elbows and make connections. For those looking to start a career in digital marketing, having a LinkedIn profile is a must. Not only can you advertise your business successes specifically, but you can also include a variety of sources that confirm the work you’ve done. LinkedIn makes it easy for you to reach out and network while showing off the things you’ve achieved in your niche field.
18: Create a Blog
Blogging is something that can be viewed in many ways. Though people might often think that a blog is something people use to jot down the daily happenings of their lives, blogging has proven to be very successful in the world of digital marketing. Being able to host your own blog about the very thing you’re passionate about gives you a chance to talk a little more freely. Address problems that people have, explain how you can help and solve them, and offer your audience a chance to get a personal look into what you’re doing. Nearly everyone who’s looking to start a career in digital marketing should invest in a blog that coincides with their work, even if you’re not a writer!
19: Get Certified
Lastly, and maybe most importantly, make sure you get certified! Learning everything there is to know and making sure you’re mentally and emotionally prepared to start a career in digital marketing is one thing. In order to truly get that first level entrance, you’ll want to get certified. Take those online courses and delve deeper. Allow yourself to complete the necessary requirements in order to become certified. Proving that you have experience in this field, even if you’re brand new, sends a strong signal to other business owners and your future audience as well. There’s nothing wrong with a sense of professionalism!
How To Start A Career In Digital Marketing: Follow Your Course
Now, it goes without saying that there’s no definitive guide on how to become a successful digital marketer. Preparing and learning are different than actually committing yourself to the field, and being good at talking to people in order to provide them with your services. You need to make sure that if you want to start a career in digital marketing you’ll be fully invested 100% of the time. Being hardworking, being dedicated, and being willing to explore everything you need to know can certainly help you dig your feet into the ground and get your name on the board. These steps are some of the best ways to get started—from here, the rest is up to you!
