Update Your Portfolio with These 10 New Digital Marketing Skills Jan 4th
Being a digital marketer means understanding the nuances of new web paradigms and how they interact. It’s about knowing how different digital channels operate and interact with each other, and the synergie they create. But despite the increasing value and importance of digital marketing, very few university students are prepared for a career due to their lack of essential skills and knowledge in the field. As such, most of them are unable to contribute right away when joining a digital marketing team.
We’ve outlined 10 important digital marketing skills that every student or professional should have.
1. Copywriting
More and more marketers are being asked to write blog posts and website content. But for the write-ups to be compelling, marketers need good writing skills, so they know how to communicate ideas clearly and pursue users to take action. At the same time, good writing skills help marketers explain ideas and concepts to developers, designers and other team members. If you lack the ability to write in a clear and persuasive manner, you will have trouble communicating ideas and getting things done.
2. HTML
While it’s not expected from digital marketers to code an entire website, basic HTML skills are essential to tasks like formatting blog posts correctly or fixing formatting issues. You are expected to know at least how to change a link color or resize a photo or video to fit within a blog frame. Sometimes, HTML may be needed for embedding links into banners to create on-site advertisements, or even for customising site plug-ins to fit a blog’s theme.
3. WordPress
One of the most important skills a digital marketer should have is the ability to do basic things in WordPress, such as writing, publishing and scheduling posts. When you’re creating a portfolio, adding WordPress on your list of skills can make you stand out from other applicants, especially if you have used the platform for running your own website in the past and know more than just how to write and publish a post.
4. Photo Editing
While you don’t need to be a full-fledged web designer, you certainly need to have basic photo editing skills if you want to be a good potential candidate for a digital marketing agency. However, with modern technology, you can use tools like an AI business photo generator to create stylish promotional images, quickly and easily. If you need to write, say, tutorials, you must know how to take screenshots of every step, then resize each picture and ultimately edit them in Photoshop so they can make your post stand out. At the same time, you need to be able to add captions that draw readers’ attention to key parts of the screenshot or photo.
Photoshop isn’t only a web designer’s best friend, it’s also a tool that can help students become better candidates for a position in a digital marketing agency Sydney-wide.
5. Google AdWords
AdWords is one of the most efficient ways to drive targeted traffic, and despite getting quite expensive at times, it remains a reliable advertising tool that helps get leads and sales. Although creating a Google AdWords campaign might sound relatively easy, this PPC platform is incredibly complicated and requires a very good understanding of the targeted audience. This is especially true in niche markets like digital marketing for franchises, where you may need to tailor campaigns to align with the brand’s overall strategy while also addressing the specific needs of individual franchise locations. Similar challenges arise in sectors such as multi-location retailers or national service providers with local branches, where balancing overall brand messaging with local relevance is crucial. In any case, you’re not expected to be an expert at creating and managing AdWords campaigns, but a solid grasp of the platform’s intricacies can significantly improve your chances of success. Understanding these specialized marketing needs can make you a valuable asset in various industries that require nuanced, localized digital advertising strategies.
6. Facebook Advertising
Due to its powerful targeting options, Facebook advertising has become a must-have of every company’s social media marketing strategy. Facebook ads help drive targeted traffic that provides better branding exposure, therefore helping brands generate leads and sales. But just like Google AdWords, Facebook advertising requires a good understanding of the targeted audience, not to mention that marketers need to know how to target their ads, test an ad copy, and much more. If you have any experience using Facebook ads, make sure to include it in your portfolio as it will certainly help you on your road to success.
7. Mail Chimp
Email marketing is an extremely important part of every digital marketing campaign. Most companies are building lists through third-party software or platforms like Mail Chimp, Constant Contact or GetResponse. The more you know about them, the better of candidate you will be for any digital marketing agency. Luckily, most email management platforms are relatively easy to use, but in-depth knowledge can set you apart from other candidates.
8. Social Media Marketing
Leveraging social media is critical to business success, so knowing how to manage social media profiles can go a long way for today’s marketing professionals. Social media marketing involves engaging with existing and prospective customers, and interacting with people in the target niche before they convert. If you don’t know how to manage Facebook or Twitter profiles, you won’t be able to interact with customers or share content in a way that provides maximum engagement. However, if you can’t spare the time, labor, or resources to train yourself and your employees in this new technique, you could always hire a social media marketing agency to do the job for you. Based on your services, a digital marketing company can strategize and formulate the right campaign for you and put it to use on the most relevant social media platforms. This might give you better results than trying to do it yourself, as such agencies use professional data-focused tactics to increase the reach of your campaign.
9. Conversion Rate Optimisation
One of the most important but least studied aspects of digital marketing is conversion rate optimisation. CRO involves testing different versions of a page to see which one entices the most visitors to take action. In other words, you create two distinct versions of a single web page, and run an A/B test to see which one is the most effective. Unfortunately, CRO tends to be quite difficult and time-extensive, as it requires you to know both your targeted audience and basic principles of web design, copywriting, and user experience. You also need to know how to conduct surveys, utilise user tests and customer interviews.
But once you have conversion rate optimisation on your list of skills, you can easily join any digital marketing company in the country.
10. Search Engine Optimisation
SEO is a complex process that requires a good understanding of how search engines work in the first place. While digital marketers aren’t expected to be SEO experts, they should be capable of distinguishing between the three pillars of search engine optimisation, and of understanding basic SEO principles. Of these, the most important ones include keyword research, mobile friendliness, content marketing, headline length, inbound and outbound links, and more.
Final Word
Digital marketing is not about mastering any of the skills from above. General understanding of each topic can boost your value as a digital marketer, and as long as you have interest in digital marketing and the desire to learn, you can definitely become successful. If you don’t learn these skills in school, don’t worry – you can still learn them on the job and become proficient pretty fast.
Jan 4th
Being a digital marketer means understanding the nuances of new web paradigms and how they interact. It’s about knowing how different digital channels operate and interact with each other, and the synergie they create. But despite the increasing value and importance of digital marketing, very few university students are prepared for a career due to their lack of essential skills and knowledge in the field. As such, most of them are unable to contribute right away when joining a digital marketing team.
We’ve outlined 10 important digital marketing skills that every student or professional should have.
1. Copywriting
More and more marketers are being asked to write blog posts and website content. But for the write-ups to be compelling, marketers need good writing skills, so they know how to communicate ideas clearly and pursue users to take action. At the same time, good writing skills help marketers explain ideas and concepts to developers, designers and other team members. If you lack the ability to write in a clear and persuasive manner, you will have trouble communicating ideas and getting things done.
2. HTML
While it’s not expected from digital marketers to code an entire website, basic HTML skills are essential to tasks like formatting blog posts correctly or fixing formatting issues. You are expected to know at least how to change a link color or resize a photo or video to fit within a blog frame. Sometimes, HTML may be needed for embedding links into banners to create on-site advertisements, or even for customising site plug-ins to fit a blog’s theme.
3. WordPress
One of the most important skills a digital marketer should have is the ability to do basic things in WordPress, such as writing, publishing and scheduling posts. When you’re creating a portfolio, adding WordPress on your list of skills can make you stand out from other applicants, especially if you have used the platform for running your own website in the past and know more than just how to write and publish a post.
4. Photo Editing
While you don’t need to be a full-fledged web designer, you certainly need to have basic photo editing skills if you want to be a good potential candidate for a digital marketing agency. However, with modern technology, you can use tools like an AI business photo generator to create stylish promotional images, quickly and easily. If you need to write, say, tutorials, you must know how to take screenshots of every step, then resize each picture and ultimately edit them in Photoshop so they can make your post stand out. At the same time, you need to be able to add captions that draw readers’ attention to key parts of the screenshot or photo.
Photoshop isn’t only a web designer’s best friend, it’s also a tool that can help students become better candidates for a position in a digital marketing agency Sydney-wide.
5. Google AdWords
AdWords is one of the most efficient ways to drive targeted traffic, and despite getting quite expensive at times, it remains a reliable advertising tool that helps get leads and sales. Although creating a Google AdWords campaign might sound relatively easy, this PPC platform is incredibly complicated and requires a very good understanding of the targeted audience. This is especially true in niche markets like digital marketing for franchises, where you may need to tailor campaigns to align with the brand’s overall strategy while also addressing the specific needs of individual franchise locations. Similar challenges arise in sectors such as multi-location retailers or national service providers with local branches, where balancing overall brand messaging with local relevance is crucial. In any case, you’re not expected to be an expert at creating and managing AdWords campaigns, but a solid grasp of the platform’s intricacies can significantly improve your chances of success. Understanding these specialized marketing needs can make you a valuable asset in various industries that require nuanced, localized digital advertising strategies.
6. Facebook Advertising
Due to its powerful targeting options, Facebook advertising has become a must-have of every company’s social media marketing strategy. Facebook ads help drive targeted traffic that provides better branding exposure, therefore helping brands generate leads and sales. But just like Google AdWords, Facebook advertising requires a good understanding of the targeted audience, not to mention that marketers need to know how to target their ads, test an ad copy, and much more. If you have any experience using Facebook ads, make sure to include it in your portfolio as it will certainly help you on your road to success.
7. Mail Chimp
Email marketing is an extremely important part of every digital marketing campaign. Most companies are building lists through third-party software or platforms like Mail Chimp, Constant Contact or GetResponse. The more you know about them, the better of candidate you will be for any digital marketing agency. Luckily, most email management platforms are relatively easy to use, but in-depth knowledge can set you apart from other candidates.
8. Social Media Marketing
Leveraging social media is critical to business success, so knowing how to manage social media profiles can go a long way for today’s marketing professionals. Social media marketing involves engaging with existing and prospective customers, and interacting with people in the target niche before they convert. If you don’t know how to manage Facebook or Twitter profiles, you won’t be able to interact with customers or share content in a way that provides maximum engagement. However, if you can’t spare the time, labor, or resources to train yourself and your employees in this new technique, you could always hire a social media marketing agency to do the job for you. Based on your services, a digital marketing company can strategize and formulate the right campaign for you and put it to use on the most relevant social media platforms. This might give you better results than trying to do it yourself, as such agencies use professional data-focused tactics to increase the reach of your campaign.
9. Conversion Rate Optimisation
One of the most important but least studied aspects of digital marketing is conversion rate optimisation. CRO involves testing different versions of a page to see which one entices the most visitors to take action. In other words, you create two distinct versions of a single web page, and run an A/B test to see which one is the most effective. Unfortunately, CRO tends to be quite difficult and time-extensive, as it requires you to know both your targeted audience and basic principles of web design, copywriting, and user experience. You also need to know how to conduct surveys, utilise user tests and customer interviews.
But once you have conversion rate optimisation on your list of skills, you can easily join any digital marketing company in the country.
10. Search Engine Optimisation
SEO is a complex process that requires a good understanding of how search engines work in the first place. While digital marketers aren’t expected to be SEO experts, they should be capable of distinguishing between the three pillars of search engine optimisation, and of understanding basic SEO principles. Of these, the most important ones include keyword research, mobile friendliness, content marketing, headline length, inbound and outbound links, and more.
Final Word
Digital marketing is not about mastering any of the skills from above. General understanding of each topic can boost your value as a digital marketer, and as long as you have interest in digital marketing and the desire to learn, you can definitely become successful. If you don’t learn these skills in school, don’t worry – you can still learn them on the job and become proficient pretty fast.
Join us on Facebook
