As the digital marketing landscape continues to develop, the skill every digital marketer should possess is also growing. These developments have provided room for marketers to keep amplifying their digital marketing skills.
However, though the skillsets are vital for success, the intricacies of digital marketing strategies have left several marketers wondering which skills to make a top priority. Given this, we have assembled the top digital marketing skills you need to make it to the top.
Nonetheless:
Why Are Digital Marketing Skills So Important?
As mentioned earlier, the digital marketing landscape is an ever-evolving trend with intense competition that requires strategic marketing tactics for success. Marketing, in general, offers useful skills in various fields, including data analysis.
So improving or mastering the top digital marketing skills will enable you to excel in any marketing mix. You can also outshine in any job that depends on:
- Data interpretation
- Consumer feedback
- Marketing automation
- Etc,
In fact, these skills required for digital marketing will help you stay informed of current trends in your niche. You will be able to analyze data and other metrics and make better marketing decisions that will grow your business. But without these skills, it becomes a challenge to scale your business.
Thus, these skills are essential because marketing is a challenging issue for several marketers.
Marketing Is The #1 Challenge for Digital Marketers
Mailchimp’s 2019 Small Business Marketing Trends survey reported that marketing is the top challenge for over 30% of small business owners.
Graphic via MailChimp
Also, 62% of decision-makers who responded revealed that they want to test something different while holding on to current best practices. But, the issue is that these marketers do not have the time to find out the existing marketing best practices.
They also do not know how to apply them to their marketing mix. As a result, you are better off than your competitors if you master the top digital marketing skills. Now that we know why you need digital marketing expertise’ let us consider the best skillsets every digital marketer should acquire.
Top 8 Skills That Will Make You a Successful Digital Marketer
1. Business Insights and Analytics
These skillsets come first on the list because we have already hinted about the need to understand data interpretation and marketing metrics. Google Analytics plays a crucial role in this regard as it helps with essential data and reporting by tracking your marketing campaign.
Therefore, having the above skills will help you to know how to interpret your analytics dashboard, understand business insights, and define deficiencies in your business.
Also, you will identify opportunities for improvement and make valuable adjustments that will help to grow your brand. By developing business insights and analytical skills, you can comfortably:
- Monitor your metrics
- Evaluate and manage reports
- Oversee significant databases
- Identify marketing trends
- Pinpoint inconsistencies that can cost you money
- Create a marketing plan that will increase sales
- Forecast subsequent marketing trends
- Etc.
2. Develop Your Copywriting Skills
Copywriting is part of content marketing, but we will separate them since content marketing encompasses copywriting. Creating content copy that sells involves creativity. It is a segment of digital marketing that is responsible for the creation of publicity and advertising text materials.
As a copywriter, your job is to develop written content that targets to establish and increase brand awareness in compelling ways. Your copy will have the power to move users to action.
Have you seen the text on:
- Billboards
- Websites
- Landing pages
- Advertisements
- Brochures
- Catalogs
- Emails
Copywriters wrote those texts. But to become an established copywriter, you need to combine other skill sets that will enable you to create concise content materials.
Your content will be free from spelling, punctuation, and grammar errors.
It should have persuasive calls-to-action. The following skills are vital to becoming a successful copywriter:
- Strong English language
- A database of vocabulary
- Ability to perform in-depth research
- Ability to detect different perspectives
- Willingness to listen
- Adaptability
- Curiosity
These and more will set you up for success in copywriting.
3. Content Marketing Skills
As far as digital marketing goes, content marketing is central — no matter your niche market. As a result, you may be wondering:
Why Is Content Marketing So Important?
Because content helps in building brand trust, attracting new consumers, and retaining your target market. It also assists in generating leads and building long-term business relationships.
Nevertheless, the competition is fierce, so you need to be able to produce highly-informative and SEO-friendly blog content consistently.
Content pieces that will drive web traffic and lure new readers to your site. For example, creating a graduation speech that gets an overwhelming standing ovation requires research and other vital elements that will manipulate and persuade your listeners to give you all their attention.
Similarly, when developing blog posts, you need to do in-depth research to come up with unique articles your readers and Google will love. That means writing SEO-friendly materials and evergreen content.
The main headline, intro, subheadings, body content, and conclusion, including the visuals you may use, must align and connect with your ideal reader. But you need content skills to achieve it. That is why you should improve your content marketing expertise.
Additionally, you should be able to create different content types to serve each segment of your target audience. Your content should align with their journey.
For example, a group of your buyer persona may prefer visual content pieces, such as videos and infographics.
Others may love reading text content, including blog posts and e-Books. Therefore, be their source of whatever content type they need.
4. Develop Email Marketing Skills
Although mobile messaging apps are gaining prominence, email marketing is still a crucial part and a formidable force in everyday digital marketing.
Graph via Statista
For instance, over 290 billion email communications were made daily in 2019. That is according to studies by Statista. The research also predicts that by 2023, worldwide email users would increase to more than 4.4 billion, an increase of about 0.6 billion from 3.8 billion in 2018.
That figure will account for over 347 billion daily emails by 2023. Hence, there is a steady growth in email marketing. That is because, for every $1 investment, you get $32 to $38 return on investment (ROI).
It is no wonder why 80% of marketers (small business owners) depend heavily on emails as their primary source for acquiring and retaining customers.
Graphic via eTAIL-Emarsy
Therefore, if you can master email marketing — the ability to quantify email open rates, bounce rates, and conversions, you can make a huge difference in your digital marketing career. Bear in mind that one of the best ways to keep tabs on prospects and build lasting bonds is through email campaigns.
So learn email marketing best practices and identify the best email marketing platforms.
Study how to use an email marketing software.
5. Grow Your SEO and SEM Skills
A digital marketing strategy that is void of SEO tips and tricks is bound to fail. Why? Because SEO propels user experience (UX) and web usability. These activities are parts of google ranking factors that can improve your search rankings.
You don’t have to be a technical person to understand search engine optimization. Knowing the basics of SEO best practices will significantly help your digital marketing effort. With a basic knowledge of SEO, you can well optimize your content to rank on google page one.
You can also run a viable digital marketing campaign. Furthermore, search engine marketing (SEM) is essential for conversions. It is a marketing practice that involves the use of paid advertising. And because paid advertising connects to conversion-focused sales and landing pages, you can drive massive website traffic through your sales funnel using SEM.
So if you can build both SEO and SEM skills, you’re in for digital marketing success.
6. Understand HTML and WordPress
Several other skills are crucial to your digital marketing career, but every digital marketer should understand basic HTML. Knowledge of coding helps you brainstorm ideas and enhance your problem-solving ability.
It offers you a platform to tackle problems in a logical matter with positive results. Moreover, WordPress accounts for 62% content management system (CMS) market share than any other CMS collectively. 35% of all websites are using WordPress.
The statistics show that WordPress is the most prominent CMS in the world. Your blog and clients’ websites could be using WordPress. So having the necessary WordPress coding skills will save you a ton of stress and money. Here is how to start a WordPress website.
7. Paid Social Media Advertising
To become a success in digital marketing, you also need to become skilled in paid social media advertising. Facebook ads, for example, are so famous that almost every other business is taking advantage of it.
Your company and competitors are probably using Facebook ads campaigns. So you should learn the best practices of paid social media ads to help you scale in the industry. Learn how to analyze and use social media analytics, such as Facebook insights.
*Important* I’m focusing on Facebook because it is the largest social media marketing platform where almost every business has a presence.
Furthermore, Facebook has some incredible features that fascinate me. The “lookalike” audience, for instance, allow users to create a lookalike target audience. Do you know how to use this feature? Get your hands wet with paid social media advertising to help grow your business and career.
8. Social Media Marketing
Although social media sites offer marketers free platforms to distribute content and promote their businesses, it is essential to understand how to use them correctly. Each social site is different, so are the features and usage.
Pinterest, for instance, is a social platform that also works as a search engine. LinkedIn is a professional networking site where you can easily find well-paying jobs if used correctly. The list goes on. So you need to understand how each of these platforms works and what type of content performs well on them individually.
You also need to know how to create click-worthy posts for social media. Posting 15 to 25 posts on Twitter each day is okay, but that’s not ideal on Facebook or LinkedIn. Therefore, develop your social media marketing abilities to enable you to make the best of your digital marketing career.
Wrapping Up The Top 8 Skills Every Digital Marketer Should Possess
There are several other digital marketing skills Every Digital Marketer should know. However, the eight we presented above will put you on the road to success. Digital marketing keeps evolving, and it is here to stay as one of the best businesses you can invest in as an entrepreneur.
Hence, develop these digital marketing skills and take your business to the next height. Would you like to add something we missed?
Tell us in the comments area!
