1. Search engine optimization (SEO) specialist
The primary goal of SEO (Search Engine Optimization) or SEM (Search Engine Marketing) is to get a company’s website page or pages to appear on the first page of search engine results in order to increase website traffic.
This includes optimizing the structure, speed, links, images, keywords, page meta descriptions, and other parts of the website.
Off-site competitor analysis is also carried out in order to find additional link-building chances that will help with page ranking.
How to Become an SEO Expert
The most common paths that people take to become an SEO expert are to enroll in an SEO course, improve their own website, work for a marketing firm, accept SEO clients, obtain a certificate or degree in online SEO, and work as an in-house SEO expert.
SEO entails far more than simply changing the meta tags on a website.
In actuality, the best SEO specialists are those that are well-versed in a range of digital marketing areas.
This includes essential SEO skills (like title tag optimization).
It does, however, include other digital marketing skills like writing and web design.
An SEO expert must have the following abilities:
• The capacity to find high-volume, low-competition keywords
• Basic HTML knowledge
• Where and how to place keywords on a website
• Copywriting skills that range from intermediate to advanced
• Visual content expertise, such as video and infographics
• The ability to promote and create links to important pages.
• Understanding of how technical SEO affects rankings
• Knowledge of upcoming SEO methods and Google algorithm changes
SEO specialists use a variety of tools to guarantee that their content ranks high in Google searches.
These include analytics tools, keyword research and backlink building, site auditing software, and content optimization.
2. Social Media Manager
A social media manager is responsible for increasing a company’s social presence and engaging its target demographics.
They must be proficient in each social network and have the know-how to generate compelling social media content for their target audience across platforms in order to boost brand visibility and loyalty.
They must be capable of developing and implementing a successful social media marketing strategy.
How to Become a Social Media Manager
It’s safe to say that there are thousands of social media managers out there bidding on contracts.
It is advantageous for you to stay current on the latest trends, technology, and insights.
There are numerous online marketing courses accessible.
The more ways you can stay ahead of the competition and stand out from the crowd, the better.
While there are a lot of reasonably priced courses accessible, there are also a number of free online marketing courses available, most notably social media marketing.
Courses are available on sites like Skillshare and Udemy, to name a few.
If you want to use graphic design for your social media posts, you should look into Canva and Visme. Users who desire to use their graphic templates can get free training and helpful tips from them.
Employers recruit freelancers based on their abilities.
They need to examine your work because they don’t know you personally and are specific about the talents they require.
People are naturally visual; therefore, providing examples of previous social media postings or content on your page is essential.
If you’ve done any social media work for yourself, friends, or family, this might be part of your portfolio.
After receiving their permission, post samples of your most effective work.
If you don’t have any samples to give, you could do some voluntary work to gain experience and something to show for it for the time being.
Consider volunteering for a non-profit or starting a new business.
They don’t have a lot of money to spend on marketing, so the offer would be appreciated.
It will be beneficial for all parties.
You can increase their following, which will result in more money and profitability, as well as material for your portfolio.
You might also offer to work on a contingency basis with them.
For example, they may only pay you if your posts generate a certain number of comments or shares.
A Social Media Manager Needs the Subsequent Skills:
- Creating a content strategy for each social network platform
- Participating in audience interaction
- Establishing an online community
- Creating and publishing written and audiovisual resources
- Working knowledge of design software such as Adobe Photoshop or Adobe Illustrator is a big advantage.
- Engaging your target audience with direct messages, comments, and freebies, as well as managing user-generated content (UGC).
3. Email Marketing Specialist
The email marketing specialist is another increasingly common position (particularly for eCommerce firms).
It is the person in charge of creating the overall email marketing plan and, in many cases, generating the email sequence that the brand demands.
This is one of the most significant marketing professions in the eCommerce sector, and each firm must work with an email specialist that has a track record of success in their field.
The initial setup of email campaigns or flows may be done in a couple of months, making it ideal for a digital freelancer.
Following the initial setup, your in-house marketing manager or team may be in charge of the ongoing tuning and testing of your email marketing campaigns.
An email marketer is someone who is well-versed in all things email as well as the complexities of your business.
An email marketer can create campaigns that nurture subscribers through every stage of the customer journey, including the retention phase – and, particularly in the B2B business, they can create effective cold emails for a sales team.
Email marketers may also clean their lists, automate their deliveries, and change the email service provider templates (ESPs).
Their primary goal is to encourage as many of your website visitors as possible to give their email addresses and purchase your products.
Simply put, they turn web traffic into revenue.
Skills Email Marketing Manager Must Have
A professional email marketing manager is capable of much more than just sending emails.
They may automate, analyze, and update them to ensure that they arrive in the relevant inboxes at the appropriate time.
a. Creating triggered campaigns
When a customer makes a specific action on your website, these automatic email marketing campaigns are initiated.
These email marketing automations may save your company a significant amount of money.
Triggered programs, on the other hand, are only as effective as the marketers who create them.
Email marketers must be able to see and articulate the customer’s journey to others in order to build triggered programs that contribute to a larger email marketing plan.
They must understand the psychological requirements of their customers as well as the timeliness of those needs.
It becomes increasingly essential as a firm grows.
b. Data analysis
The best email marketers are analysts at heart, always on the hunt for fresh information about their email list clients.
Email marketers look at two types of data:
Performance data assists email marketers in making design and timing decisions.
It enables people to form more accurate judgments about why things function and why they don’t.
Small tweaks may make a big difference in open rates, click rates, and your bottom line – but only if they’re based on relevant data.
Behavioral and demographic data aids in email personalization.
Email marketers are constantly moving people through different education stages, asking different questions, and trying to collect different data points with the goal of narrowing it down to that truly personal one-to-one message that finally gets that customer to take action.
Email marketers, on the other hand, must be able to acquire all of the customer information that will help them construct that one-to-one message.
This demands a data collection, architecture, storage, and testing approach.
c. List Hygiene
Experts recognize that a high-quality list is essential for successful email marketing.
You’re going to tank your IP and you’ll never be able to send emails to people again if a huge number of people start deleting your company’s emails before reading them and you don’t delete them from your list.
Open rates will plummet even further, necessitating the hiring of a deliverability specialist to aid you in rescuing your emails from spam.
You don’t just want a large list; you want a solid list of people who are engaged and active.
d. List Segmentation
It is vital to categorize your contact list based on demographic and behavioral traits.
As a result, you may target each group with customized campaigns that meet their interests and pain points, supporting them in developing their engagement with the product or brand.
In terms of conversion, segmented marketing also outperforms a broad email blast.
Non-segmented campaigns get greater open rates and 100% more clicks than segmented ones.
Users can be segmented to decrease bounces, abuse reports, and unsubscribes.
While you may want information from customers in order to improve your segmentation strategy, lengthy sign-up forms may discourage them from providing you with their email addresses at all.
e. Copywriting
Emails must say something, which is where copywriting comes in.
Images, automation, and data analysis are all excellent, but emails must say something.
The secret to effective writing is demographic and behavioral data, which may help you understand your target audience.
You can’t write for a consumer until you know who your audience is.
However, the copywriting process does not end with the words on the website.
Email marketers routinely A/B test an email’s subject line, body text, and call to action (CTA), ensuring that it works optimally across mobile devices, desktops, and tablets.
Very little, incremental changes have a tremendous effect and you won’t know unless you test and try it out.
f. Developing Lifecycle Campaigns
Customers were more likely to purchase from businesses that remembered where they were in the shopping process and provided personalized offers and recommendations.
However, almost half of shoppers are unsatisfied with companies’ efforts.
This is when lifecycle marketing might come in handy.
Lifecycle marketing emails are designed to transfer customers to the next stage of their purchase journey.
By helping clients to go from brand awareness to consideration, they may increase lead generation and retention.
Expert email marketers look at every single stage of the buyer’s journey and figure out how to optimize to construct lifecycle campaigns.
Once an email marketer understands the complexities of your funnel, it’s easy to find flaws that can be fixed by rewriting and testing lifecycle campaigns, or by running whole new ones.
Email marketers who understand each stage of the buyer’s journey can build more of a cohesive campaign, and then tie it back to the real behavior that you desire.
4. Google Ads / Social Ads Expert
Paid digital marketing activities based on the pay-per-click advertising paradigm are referred to as PPC.
Paid advertisements may be seen on most social media sites as well as in search engine results.
The goal of a PPC specialist is to maximize the return on advertising investment.
Measurable goals, conversion rate optimization, audience targeting, and other marketing strategy extensions are used.
They are in charge of creating a comprehensive marketing strategy, planning and executing sponsored advertising campaigns, fine-tuning the target audience, A/B testing various ad types, formats, and content, and creating new campaigns and ensuring that they are all profitable.
How to Become a Google Ads/Social Media Ads Expert
a. It is best to focus on one advertising platform at a time.
There is so much to learn about Google Ads, Facebook Ads Manager, and any other social media advertising platform you utilize.
As a result, mastering one advertising platform before moving on to the next is typically preferable.
Furthermore, once you’ve mastered one advertising platform, the others become much easier to grasp because many of them adhere to the same fundamental structure, but with somewhat different tools or terminology.
So first, choose the platform on which your target audience spends the most time.
b. Spend Money on Training Programs
If you take a program seriously, it is a free resource and learning tool for you to understand Google AdWords.
There are various Google and social media advertising training programs available.
However, you should choose a training course that will teach you more than just the basics.
If you pick a free training program, remember that everyone else has access to the same information, so you’re unlikely to find anything noteworthy.
Take them if you’re entirely new to this and just get started somewhere, because they’re free.
However, this is about being an ad expert, not merely understanding how to advertise.
So you’ll need to pay for a more complex training program that is willing to reveal trade secrets.
This is the most difficult, but also the most crucial phase.
It will take some time, so make sure you allocate enough time for it in your plans.
Keep in mind that everyone learns differently, and taking a course only once does not necessarily result in learning sticking in your brain for good.
You must begin putting what you’ve learned into practice.
To preserve your new knowledge and expertise, you must put it to use.
c. Get hands-on experience.
Depending on your end goal, you may take a few different techniques here.
This is the place to go if you run a small business and want to learn how to market on your own.
Then use all you’ve learned in your own business.
If you want to make a living from advertising, you may be in a predicament.
Obtain experience by trying freelancing sites like Upwork and just set your hourly rate based on your entry-level experience.
You could also see if any of your friends or family members require any advertising that you could do for them for free or at a reduced rate.
This will only help you build up a portfolio of experience.
People just want to know that you are well-educated in advertising and that you know what you’re doing.
They also want to know that you’re not going to waste their money with nothing to show for it in the end.
d. Work full time for an agency or as a freelancer
Once you’ve developed your advertising skills via experience and practice, you can apply to a digital marketing firm or raise your rates on one of the freelancing websites we already mentioned.
e. Continue to learn and stay up to date
Digital advertising is not something you can learn once and then forget about.
Many high-level methods and processes stay consistent.
But how they are implemented may change as new features are released on a regular basis.
What you learned in the past may become obsolete or inaccessible in the future.
So let’s say you had a pretty successful campaign that leveraged some of those targeting options you must go back and make modifications in order to keep things running well.
Following sites like Adweek.com can keep you up to date on the most recent advancements in digital marketing.
Just don’t get too comfortable with what you’ve learned since being an ad expert requires you to constantly be one of the first to know what’s going on in an ever-developing technology.
5. Content Marketing Manager
Content has grown into an essential component of every successful marketing strategy, and it can be viewed as the fuel for the digital marketing machine.
Content marketing works in tandem with social media and SEO.
When a marketer creates content such as a blog, ebook publication, email newsletter content, a video, or sales page/landing page copy, it may be used for SEO optimization, a social media campaign, social adverts, or a PPC advertising campaign.
Managers of content marketing must also be well-organized.
They can use Google Sheets or a more complex content solution like CoSchedule to keep things organized.
They may also need to be familiar with Google Analytics and Google Tag Manager in order to properly analyze their site traffic and optimize various blog entries.
A professional marketer must be imaginative and have a deep understanding of the demands and expectations of the consumers.
They are in charge of the following:
• Creating a content strategy
• Creating assets (blog content, landing pages, longer guides & lead magnets, video content)
• Supervising a writing crew and/or rewriting existing content
• Creating content (if you’re a one-man show)
• Creating press releases and communicating with members of the media
• Utilization of content management systems and technologies
How to Become a Content Manager
a. Take a content marketing certification course.
If you’re transferring from another sector to content management, you’ll need to re-learn the ins and outs of content marketing to stay up-to-date, regardless of your background or years of experience.
Take a course to help you enhance your content marketing skills.
We recommend that you start with our certification course.
Upon completion, you will be awarded a certificate verifying your knowledge of content marketing (plus, you can add it to your LinkedIn profile).
b. Learn about search engine optimization (SEO).
In many businesses, content marketing is synonymous with SEO, therefore you should understand the concept before applying for a content management role.
If you don’t grasp the rules of SEO, you could create content that isn’t appropriately targeted or has no purpose other than to fill up your company’s blog.
To find “green space” for your company’s website, you’ll need to know how to do keyword research and use the appropriate technology.
Green space keywords are ones with less competition but a high likelihood of satisfying the needs of your target audience.
c. Create your own personal website.
There is no better way to get started with content management than by building a personal website with material that you have uploaded and generated yourself.
This website might be for your own brand, a company idea you’ve been working on for a while, or simply for fun.
Whatever you develop, you should become familiar with the process of building a website from beginning to end so that when the time comes to manage your future employer’s website, you will be prepared.
Throughout this process, you will learn how to upload content and media, how to manage that content once it has been uploaded, and how to properly develop your site.
It will also demonstrate how to use a content management system.
Use what you’ve learnt from this process to deliver relevant responses to your interviewers when applying for content management positions.
d. Apply for an entry-level marketing role.
It’s time to start looking for work.
Unfortunately, because content management is a mid-level role, the majority of content managers have worked in the marketing industry for a few years.
If you’re new to marketing, start with an entry-level role and work your way up to content management.
Not all marketing positions are created equal.
Look for the following terms in the job description to ensure you’re off to a solid start: SEO, Blogging, and Writing.
Avoid job advertisements that are overly general or appear to target more traditional marketing approaches, such as live event marketing or advertising.
The digital component of marketing is almost totally in the hands of content managers.
e. As part of your job, take on content management tasks.
You’ll want to take on the tasks of a content manager in your entry-level position without really becoming one.
For example, might you offer to create a content timetable for your team?
What about offering to upload the week’s new content to the CMS?
It is vital that you continue to develop your technical and practical content management skill set as you prepare to apply for a content manager role.
f. Fill out an application for the post of content manager.
Once you’ve accumulated enough experience, it’s time to move on to content management, either as the manager of a content team or by taking on additional strategic responsibilities within a marketing team.
Remember to use all of your previous experience to illustrate how well you can communicate with an audience and how well you’ve previously given stuff.
Lead with quantifiable consequences from your actions.
Content reach, organic traffic, and other engagement metrics are just a few data indications you may use to illustrate your efficacy as a content manager.
Begin sharpening your content management abilities immediately.
You must first learn about content marketing and SEO if you want to become a content manager.
Refining your skillset guarantees that you remain relevant as the industry changes.
This is critical in terms of content management.
You won’t be able to connect with your audience if you don’t understand how the industry is changing — and engaging with your audience is what will distinguish you as an amazing content manager.
6. Digital Marketing Strategist
A consultant should be a knowledgeable and experienced marketer who has previously taught firms how to build and implement a digital marketing strategy.
They must stay current on new marketing trends and best practices.
They are unlikely to conduct the actual “dirty work,” but they can point you in the right direction and connect you with other service providers who can perform the tasks listed above.
They are in charge of one or more of the subsequent tasks:
• Acting as a CMO in charge of the entire team OR
• Help design or revise the overall marketing plan.
• Manage a certain marketing channel or a group of freelancers.
• Manage development teams in charge of site redesigns and other technological activities.
• Manage paid campaigns from beginning to end.
• Turn a business idea become a reality.
How to Become a Digital Marketing Expert
a. Learn the Fundamentals of Digital Marketing
Understanding what digital marketing is and how it works is the first step to becoming a digital marketing expert.
Digital marketing is a broad term that refers to a range of ways and strategies for advertising a website or products online.
The following are the most essential digital marketing channels:
Website Marketing
Search Engine Marketing (includes SEO and PPC advertising)
Content Marketing
Social Media Marketing
Email Marketing
Affiliate Marketing
As a digital marketing manager, you must grasp what each channel accomplishes and how to leverage it.
b. Work as an SEO Specialist
Once you understand what we mean by digital marketing, the next stage is to learn SEO and become an SEO specialist.
SEO plays a key part in the success of a digital marketing effort, which is why learning how to optimize a website for search engines is essential.
Improving your SEO abilities will also make it easier to deal with other forms of internet marketing.
Although you are more likely to have dedicated SEO specialists on your team, you will have to manage them as a digital marketing expert, and the most efficient way to do so is to have actual expertise in SEO.
c. Be an Expert in PPC Advertising
A significant portion of your time and cash will be dedicated to managing PPC ads on Google Ads or Facebook.
As a digital marketing professional, you must understand the many types of campaigns available and how to properly monitor and analyze the outcomes.
Depending on the size of your team and industry, it is normal for a digital marketing strategy to solely include PPC advertisements, thus understanding PPC is crucial.
d. Enhance Your Social Media Marketing Capabilities
In addition to using sponsored advertisements on Facebook, you must understand how to sell on other networks.
Depending on the type of website you want to promote, you may need to look into additional social media networks like Twitter, Pinterest, or LinkedIn, so having the necessary skills is crucial.
e. Implement Content Marketing Campaigns
To power all of your digital marketing initiatives, you’ll need content with the following characteristics:
• Satisfies the user’s intent
• It will be fascinating to read for users.
• Platform-specific enhancements (SEO, FB, etc.)
• Generates traffic, leads, and conversions.
Content can be in the form of text, video, or audio, and it can be offered in a variety of ways, including articles, YouTube videos, landing pages, podcasts, and so on.
As a digital marketing expert, you must decide what type of content to develop as well as when and how to evaluate the success of each piece of content.
This is the essence of content marketing.
In a well-organized digital marketing team, your aim will not be to supply content (you will have experienced writers for that) but to ensure that the proper type of material is created for the various campaigns.
f. Learn How Email Marketing Works
One of the most common sales tactics is email. Despite the rise of social media, businesses continue to rely on email marketing to close sales, create leads, and connect with customers.
Email marketing is usually the last stage of a marketing sales funnel.
All other digital marketing endeavors (SEO, PPC, Content Marketing, and Social Media Marketing) generate leads for email marketing, which turns those leads into sales (or any other sort of conversion) via a series of targeted emails.
Because most teams lack an email marketing specialist, the duty of running email marketing campaigns falls under the direct authority of the digital marketing manager.
g. Improve Your Team Management Capabilities
You must be able to lead a team if you want to work in digital marketing.
This is because you will be in charge of leading and managing a team of other experts that make up a digital marketing team.
In major digital marketing firms, the digital marketing manager is basically the team manager and he or she must have the ability to manage a team of people as well as technical competence.
This involves understanding how to utilize project management tools, creating objectives and targets, teaching your team, and carrying out any other managerial responsibilities.
If you work in a small team or as a freelance digital marketing professional, you may not have to manage people, but you must know how to create project plans, establish targets, and track project progress.
h. Learn How to Use Data Analysis and Reporting Software
Data analysis and report production, as well as monitoring and optimizing digital marketing efforts, are all part of a digital marketing professional’s everyday tasks.
A digital marketing manager must be conversant with a wide range of digital marketing technology, whether they report to the marketing department or directly to the client.
The following are essential tools:
• AdWords on Google
• Google Data Studio
• Google Search Console (Google)
• Facebook Ads Reporting
• SEMRUSH or something related
i. Obtain a Digital Marketing Certification
One of the easiest and most efficient ways to become a digital marketing professional is to take a complete digital marketing course.
A digital marketing course will teach you all you need to know about digital marketing without requiring you to read several books or search out other resources.
Obtaining a digital marketing certification from a recognized organization is a great way to demonstrate your understanding of digital marketing.
Certification does not imply that you are a good digital marketing expert, but it does show that you have the necessary expertise for the role.
In order to work in a major agency or organization, you must have several years of work experience as well as strategies to exhibit your talents (success stories and case studies).
j. Keep up with the latest digital marketing trends.
Google updates its search results and algorithms hundreds of times each year, Facebook is always adding/changing new features, Google Ads is leaning toward artificial intelligence, and so on.
The changes in the digital marketing industry are frequent.
For digital marketing experts, learning never stops, which makes their work both interesting and difficult.
Because there is always something fresh to learn, there is never a dull time.
If you prefer working in a fast-paced environment, you must keep up to speed on all of the latest trends.
If you are unable to accept this, then being a digital marketing professional is not the best career path for you.
IMAGE CREDIT: Storyset
