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How to Learn Digital Marketing and be an Effective Marketer

Many reasons have led to the digital marketing boom, but two stand out — it’s cheaper and highly effective. In fact, today, Facebook serves as the main channel for marketers to distribute their content, according to the HubSpot State of Marketing Report . Considering its skyrocketing scope of growth, digital marketing attracts many young professionals. In fact, many people are transitioning into a career in digital marketing due its enormous scope and flexible work opportunities. Naturally, the question of how to learn digital marketing arises and there is no dearth of answers if you browse the internet. However, if you want to know how to learn digital marketing at a professional level, take the next five minutes to go through this detailed career guide.

What is Digital Marketing?

Have you ever bought a product because your favorite social media influencer recommended it? Or have you ever contemplated purchasing an item only to see an ad for it the moment you boot up your computer or check your email? If you’re nodding, we feel you. But, do you know why that happens? When one markets and promotes products and brands via the internet or through various digital channels to reach out and connect with customers, it is known as digital marketing. It first came into existence in the 1990s when the world had already opened its doors to the internet.

In digital marketing, communication occurs through social media or web-based advertising, email, multimedia, and push notifications. Today, organizations regard digital marketing as a modern method of approaching customers and better understanding their behavior. Within the digital marketing field, there are various specializations like:

Search Engine Optimization (SEO) specialist
Search engine marketer
Social media marketing specialist
Email marketing manager
Content/copywriter

ALSO READ: What is Digital Marketing and How to Ace It

How to Learn Digital Marketing?

Here are some ways for you to learn digital marketing and begin your career path:

1. Enroll in an Online Course

Signing up for an online digital marketing course is one of the best ways to learn according to the Emeritus Impact Survey .

First, it will expand your knowledge of the field
Completing an online course will provide you with a certificate to add credibility to your portfolio
Finally, it can prove your skill and dedication when applying for jobs within the field

2. Learn from the Experts

Reading will always remain one of the best ways to widen your horizon in any subject. Here are some of the best digital marketing books for those who wish to go beyond the basics:

New Rules for Marketing and PR by David Meerman Scott
The Art of SEO by Eric Enge, Stephan Spencer, and Jessie Stricchiola
See you on the Internet: Building Your Small Business with Digital Marketing by Avery Swartz

3. Subscribe To and Read Blogs

Digital marketing is a dynamically evolving field and hence, your knowledge faces the risk of becoming obsolete very quickly. To stay on top of things, one must subscribe to digital marketing blogs like the ones mentioned below to learn more on the go:

4. Create Your Own Blog

Creating your own blog is a fun way of learning about digital marketing. In addition, it will provide you with the practical experience you need to show on your resume. While creating and working on your blog, you will learn some of the most crucial aspects of digital marketing, like SEO and social media marketing.

Note: The blog you create does not need to be about digital marketing. It can be about anything you are passionate about. The idea is to use digital marketing tools and strategies to create and promote the blog.

5. Listen to Podcasts

Podcasts are neat pieces of content that fit right into our daily schedules. It’s all on audio, so you can plug in while you work out or travel. There’s so much learning that can be done through podcasts because rich content is being shared by subject matter experts. You can listen to them at your convenience, any time and anywhere. Some of the best digital marketing podcasts include:

Social Pros Podcast
Social Media Marketing with Micheal Stelzner
Akimbo by Seth Godin
The Business of Digital by Mat Siltala and Dave Rohner
The Old Marketing by the Content Marketing Institute
Marketing School by Neil Patel and Eric Siu
Agents of Change by Rich Brooks
Goal Digger by Jenna Kutcher
Adweek Metaverse Marketing by Cathy Hackl
Everyone Hates Marketers by Louis Grenier

6. Watch YouTube Videos or Webinars

YouTube videos are easy to consume and also very informative. Many digital marketing YouTube channels provide quality content. Here are some of the best digital marketing YouTube channels to subscribe to:

Aside from YouTube videos, you can also watch and learn from live or pre-recorded webinars . These webinars are equally effective, just like learning through other videos, blogs, or even online courses.

Can You Teach Yourself Digital Marketing and Learn It for Free?

Of course, you can learn digital marketing through online courses, YouTube videos, webinars, podcasts, and blogs. But bear in mind that these resources are only a starting point. You will require practical experience to grow and thrive in your digital marketing career.

What are the Skills Required for Digital Marketing?

According to McKinsey , over the last four years, all global advertising growth has come from digital advertising, while spending on traditional channels has decreased. With that in mind, in order to thrive as a digital marketer, you will need the following skills:

1. Search Engine Optimization (SEO) and Search Engine Marketing (SEM)

Deriving, keeping track of, and conducting an analysis of organic or unpaid traffic patterns is SEO. On the other hand, acquiring traffic with the help of advertising that is paid is called SEM. As a digital marketing professional, you must have a basic knowledge of both SEO and SEM. These are basic but vital concepts in digital marketing. You can push the appropriate content to the right target audience with SEO and simultaneously narrow your audience.

2. Social Media Channels

Social media platforms have unique algorithms, allowing businesses to target their content to a specific audience and procure accurate data. You must only post relevant and top-quality online is top-notch, along with a knack for social media strategy. In addition to this, skills like engaging with your audience are significant.

Pro Tip: Each social media channel has its own language. For instance, Instagram is a highly visual medium while LinkedIn is for professionals only. You must be able to assess which social media channels make sense for your brand and strategize accordingly.

3. Design Skills

There is something known as design thinking which refers to finding solutions to various problems through a practical and creative process. User experience is crucial to succeeding in digital marketing, for which design thinking is pivotal. Keeping aside this approach, even having basic knowledge of design skills can enhance content. Thinking, planning, and a basic understanding of design software are all essential to being a digital marketer.

4. Strategic Planning

It goes without saying that as a digital marketing professional, you must know how to create marketing strategies. Some of the critical requirements for this is a great amount of extensive and meticulous planning. Also, always remaining up-to-date on the trends that are emerging is a given in this industry.

5. Data Analysis

Analytics will always be an essential part of the strategies that you develop. Analyzing the data mined from your campaigns will aid in making more informed decisions. The first step is to gather and use the accumulated information to find solutions and make decisions. After this, you analyze the data to further understand customer behavior and provide solutions to boost traffic and conversions. Therefore, you should know how to gather and use the data to your advantage.

Reasons to Learn Digital Marketing

At the beginning of this blog, we delved a little into why digital marketing has become exceedingly essential. Apart from that, it is a field that will continue to evolve through the years, and its importance will only grow.

Another reason you should learn digital marketing is that it pays well . For instance, $63,984 is the average salary that you can expect in digital marketing in the United States. In addition, $100,128 is the salary professionals with experience make, and $45,000 is what a professional in an entry-level position makes according to Indeed.com

Since there is no sign of internet or social media usage declining, the demand for this field is only expected to scale. So what are you waiting for? Explore the digital marketing courses hosted by Emeritus today!

By Annabel George

Write to us at content@emeritus.org