Effective digital marketing isn’t a one-person job, and only knowing one skill can seriously limit your ability to get results. Content writers need to have a grasp of SEO, ads teams need to know the mechanics of a website and SEO specialists should be clued in on the capabilities of developers.
On the other hand, when you have a broad toolkit, things start to get exciting as more possibilities arise. When you know many different skills in the industry, you can pull from different aspects to create well-rounded, integrative and powerful digital marketing campaigns.
From using analytics to track user engagement, visual design tools to drive visitor movements and SEO-informed content creation to stay on the good side of algorithms, there are many pillars of digital marketing to master. So, where do you need to upskill for a comprehensive understanding of digital marketing?
In this article, we have outlined our top six essential skills to help our digital marketers upskill like a pro and explain how you can go about developing these skills.
1.Create Compelling Visuals
Images are in just about every part of digital marketing. From compelling ads, brand-aligned web pages, content and emails – they’re a powerful part of our messaging. Knowing how to take, select and use photo editing effects to engage your audiences is a key skill in digital marketing. There are levels of capabilities when it comes to graphics, too. For example, content writers need a knack for selecting informative images that help explain what is being written, but graphic designers require a whole repertoire of image editing skills.
But you don’t have to be a designer to practise and develop your image editing skills – just jump onto a platform like Photoshop today, watch tutorials on basic tasks and start practising. Research things like colour theory, rule of thirds and other aspects to apply for more engaging images.
2.Storytelling and Content Creation
While images draw people’s eyes in, your content is the heart and soul of your digital marketing efforts. Brand storytelling builds trust and engagement, reaping success across your socials. For this reason, your written messaging must tell the story of your brand, highlighting your values and mission and how you strive to meet them through your work.
Always aim to make your content engaging and informative – be the brand that delivers helpful, valuable information, rather than fluff. Also, make your content adaptable across platforms. This might involve writing content of different lengths and tones for the same idea, for example.
3.UX Design
With attention spans shortening and internet use growing, visual and UX design on websites is becoming increasingly important to capture and maintain the attention of your audience. Having a basic understanding of best-practice UX design can help you curate your client’s websites to increase the time spent on the page and website. As this metric is also favoured by SERPs, strong UX also helps you improve your SEO skills, so having a well-designed web page that users can easily navigate is a great skill for all digital marketers to learn.
4.Social Media Management
Social media content requires a strategy because, without it, you’re throwing word spaghetti at the abyss and hoping someone grabs it. Creating a social media strategy involves planning content and ideas around a calendar, posting at the most effective time and day, and researching your audience to appease their desires through content, tone and branding.
Upskilling in social media management might also look like training in paid digital ads or staying updated with trends through newsletters and research. It can also involve getting to know each platform more intimately, as they each require a different approach to strategy and content.
5.Mastering Data Analytics
Measuring data and metrics across your social media platforms and web campaigns can give you invaluable feedback you can use to make your next campaign even better. Data can give you everything from metrics on how your ads performed, what keywords your blog is ranking for or outline relevant consumer behaviour – all of which give you more insight and a more effective targeting strategy.
Analytics can be extremely useful for refining your audience, tweaking your strategy or adapting your message for greater success. Many online platforms offer a wide range of courses and free resources on how best to use their tool for your ventures. So if you join something like Google Analytics, you’ll have the tools and knowledge available to start measuring your work and gain insight into how you can improve.
6.Adaptability
As we mentioned above, digital marketing is a continuously evolving game, so above all, one of the best skills is to remain adaptable to change and continuous learning. If you’ve always relied on ads for a specific platform, but they suddenly drop, be ready to switch up your strategy. Or if your keyword strategy once helped you drive traffic, and now you’re seeing a drop off, it’s time to revisit your keyword targeting.
Alongside adaptable strategies, you should continue to upskill through certificates, courses and industry studies. No matter how far along you are in your digital marketing journey, there is always room for personal development and learning.
Advancing as a Digital Marketing Specialist
Upskilling should be seen as an investment in your career and a way to continue learning even after university and wider education. A recent study found that those who invested in upskilling in recent years saw 2.3x more frequent promotions.
Investing in your education and career is what separates you as a professional and can lead to advancements as a digital marketing specialist. Skills in design, content creation, SEO and analytics are incredibly useful in staying relevant and educated, helping you connect with others in the industry and better provide for your clients.
Although you may work specifically in one area of digital marketing, having a basic understanding of other areas will help you perform your own work better because you’re considering broader goals in your work. SO, start with any of the six skills discussed above, and you’ll quickly have a better, more comprehensive understanding of how to drive digital marketing success.
**’The opinions expressed in the article are solely the author’s and don’t reflect the opinions or beliefs of the portal’**
