Google will give you more than 7.2 million search results for the keyword ‘digital marketer’ and another 50 million results for ‘digital marketing career’.
Digital marketing is a fast-paced and dynamic industry, with a steadily increasing demand for talent. According to a recent article published by Ad Age, more than 80% of companies plan to increase their digital marketing budgets over the next 12 to 18 months (findings from a study by Mondo, a Digital Marketing & Technology Resourcing company). However, despite the increase in marketing budgets, getting quality talent has been a stumbling block, due to the huge gap between demand and supply.
With Digital Marketing providing areas of specialization such as content, strategy, analytics, video marketing and mobile marketing, people now have the opportunity to switch jobs and find a stream that’s compatible with their interests. Another trend is a rise in contract and freelance job opportunities. Amidst all this action, finding the right opportunity can be a daunting task, especially for young aspirants.
These ten tips could help you:
1) Explore and learn: Digital media is an extensive domain. While it’s a good idea to follow all that’s happening, it’s important to identify an area of interest and specialize in it.
2) Network and grow: Networking is the soul of digital marketing. It’s essential to stay active on social media and connect with the relevant people. Attending webinars, offline events, Twitter chats, etc., are great ways of building your network. Apart from being able to learn new things, you could also meet potential employers.
3) Communicate and exchange thoughts: Offline or online – participate, discuss and build opinions on happenings in the digital space, and share them on a regular basis. Start blogging if you aren’t already doing it; highlight your achievements and strengths. Klout score is a standard for the influence you wield online. A Klout score greater than 60 is considered to be good and shows how influential you are in your network.
4) Never stop learning: The best way to gain knowledge is to read regularly. Subscribe to newsletters and industry updates from market leaders. Investing a few hours on daily updates will go a long way.
5) Start loving numbers: The digital data analytics market is a billion dollar industry. Marketing is incomplete if you don’t have the numbers to indicate performance, which is where analytics comes into the picture. If you have a flair for logic, rationale and analysis, you have a bright future in digital research.
6) Get some exposure: Freelance projects, internships, contests, competitions and certifications. Make the most of opportunities available online, or through referrals.
7) Micro study: Keep a watch on how brands market themselves on social media and develop your favorites. Dig deeper and find more about their strategies, the pros and cons, etc. This will help you gain insights on how branding works and in due course, help you crack job interviews.
8) Polish your software skills: Microsoft Office is one of the most common applications we use in our daily life. Try and learn beyond the basics. Don’t wait for your employer to give you big data sheets or a PowerPoint to work on.
9) Connect and build relationships: Don’t wait for your favorite organizations to post job openings of your interest. Instead, try building a deeper connection by following and engaging with them on social media and look for any opportunity that you can strike.
10) Don’t lose heart: There could be times when even after giving your best, you don’t get a shot at your dream job. Don’t lose hope. It’s a good practice to ask for feedback on a negative job interview outcome. You can work on the feedback and avoid making the same mistake, the next time.
Here’s wishing you the very best!
Good points all around. Truly apircepated.
Thank you for your interest! Keep visiting.