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In a digital world, whether you are a sole proprietorship or a large international corporation, digital marketing experts occupy increasingly central positions in the company.
Almost 2.5 billion people are on Facebook, around 30% of the world's population. YouTube, WhatsApp, WeChat and Instagram have also broken the sound barrier of over a billion users. 5.5 billion searches are made on Google every day and over 6 billion dollars are generated online on Black Friday alone. Thus, within a few years, online marketing has become an integral part of what a company is to its customers.
Hubspot
Hubspot
What is Digital Marketing?
In general terms, digital marketing is the process of promoting and selling products and services using online marketing tactics such as social media marketing, search engine marketing (SEM) and email marketing. Firstly, it is important to understand that online marketing and traditional marketing pursue the same goal, namely to submit the right offer at the right time and in the right place. Digital marketing solves this task particularly effectively, because it reaches the ideal customers exactly where they are already: online.The Rise in Demand for Digital Marketers
According to the McKinley Marketing Hiring Trends Report 2019, 61% of the companies surveyed said they would add digital marketers to their team. Creative Services (48%), Research & Analysis (46%) and Marketing Operations (44%) are also in demand. Furthermore, the demand for digital marketing skills exceeds current supply in the job market. This time is therefore ideal to acquire the skills in demand. But what exactly do you need to know to get started in digital marketing?The 5 Most Important Skills & Tools in Digital Marketing
In such a dynamic environment as digital marketing, it is almost impossible to master all areas at an advanced level. That is why we recommend that you focus on 1-2 areas at the beginning and then continue your education step by step.Filter Latest Content Trends
Social networks are more than cat videos and selfies. Many users use social networks to discover a brand, to find out about it and only then to deal with its products in more detail. So it is not enough to just post on your own Facebook and Instagram channels. Digital marketers must always keep an eye on the latest content trends and filter out and use those that are relevant to their target group. There are a dime a dozen helpful tools for this. For starters , we recommend using Google Trends, Socialbakers Inspiration and, of course, always keeping an eye on the best performers of the competition.Social Media Ad Strategy
The creation and curation of content is the first step, but since the organic reach on social media platforms is increasingly approaching insignificance, in-depth knowledge of the posting and playing of social media ads is required. The most important tool here is certainly the Facebook Business Manager.SEO & SEM
The best offer is of no use if nobody can find it. Search engine optimization, or SEO, is the key to all levels of digital marketing. Therefore, everyone who works in this area must have at least a basic understanding. You have to be able to find out in which relevant contexts your message can be communicated, where exactly the best places are for it and how you can achieve the highest ROI (return on investment) for your activities. Start by getting to know the Google Keyword Planner. Based on this, we recommend the tools: Ubersuggest, SEMrush and Buzzsumo.Data & Analytics
Even the smallest companies are now producing astonishing amounts of data. Regardless of which aspects of digital marketing you focus on, Google Analytics will most likely play a central role. Monitoring and reporting with such tools is quite easy. The hard part, however, is translating this gathered information into solutions that will increase website traffic and conversions.Affinity for technology
If you understand the basics of web coding, have a good overview of the features of the latest gadgets and devices, and have a clear idea of ​​how the basic content management systems (CMS) like WordPress work, then you will become essential in your dream job. The most important tools are the basic programming languages ​​like HTML, Java, CSS or Python, as well as the most important CMS tools like WordPress , Joomla! or TYPO3 .Do's & Don'ts in digital marketing
Do
- Mobile first: optimize all content for smartphones
- Integrate elements of personalization into the entire user journey
- As much video content as possible
- Always focus on the customer experience
- Always stay up to date and follow all current trends
Don’t
- No unnecessary effects - what is complicated is not used
- Social media postings without an ad budget have hardly any reach and thus hardly any value
- Never underestimate the impact of newsletters and email marketing in general
- Don't ignore Facebook's capabilities for B2B marketing
- Don't trust your feeling - always trust the data
Keep Up with Digital Marketing Royalty!
1 | Neil Patel
One of the top 10 online marketers by Forbes and continues to set new standards with SEO. Not only is he the co-founder of Crazy Egg, Hello Bar, and KISSmetrics, but he's also helped companies like Amazon, GM, HP, and NBC grow their businesses.2 | Ann Handley
Most Influential Woman on Social Media by Forbes and one of the Top 20 Bloggers in the World. She is a partner at MarketingProfs, which offers training programs, online events and free resources for digital marketers. From there she was appointed the world's first chief content officer and paved the way for what we know today as “content marketing”.3 | Gary Vaynerchuk
Famous for his inspiring lectures on productivity and marketing. He focuses on the future of digital marketing and "preaches" amazing principles. So, if you need real inspiration, learn great marketing, and do it outside of your usual comfort zone, just follow him on YouTube .4 | Bryan Eisenberg
A pioneer in online marketing and an internationally recognized authority in digital marketing. He is known for helping marketers around the world increase conversion rates, produce compelling content, and improve the customer experience. Eisenberg was named one of the top 10 user experience gurus by eConsultancy members and a retail influencer by LinkedIn.5 | Sasha Lobo
Author, blogger, microblogger and strategy consultant with a focus on the Internet and brand communication. Together with the people from Spreeblick, Sascha Lobo founded the blog marketing agency adnation at the beginning of 2007, which, among other things, markets five of the six most linked blogs in German. He is commonly regarded as the gray eminence in the German blogger scene.The 5 Best Up to Date Digital Marketing Books
Digital Marketing for Dummies
This book by Ryan Deiss and Russ Hennesberry is an excellent reference, getting a 4.6 on Amazon and is # 53 in web marketing. It comprises 300 easy-to-read pages and covers the areas of customer journey, marketing planning, landing pages, blogging, SEO, SEM, social media, paid display, email as well as data and analysis.Master Content Strategy
Another great book by Pamela Wilson that takes content marketers at all levels through a lifecycle approach to creating valuable and really helpful content for their audience. What awaits you in this book reveals the subtitle: "How to Maximize Your Reach and Boost Your Bottom Line Every Time You Hit Publish."Don't Make Me Think, Revisited: A Common Sense Approach to Web Usability
is considered the user experience bible for all digital marketers. The book is only 191 pages long, has a high-contrast layout and is easy to scan with clear headings and subtitles. Every marketer with a website needs to read this book regularly.Google AdWords for Beginners: A Do-It-Yourself Guide to PPC Advertising
Google AdWords expert Corey Rabazinski explains the basics of AdWords, how it works, why it works, and which proven techniques lead to success. In addition, Google AdWords for beginners includes an eight-step blueprint for consistently positive results.SEO 2018
The number 1 among all SEO books on Amazon is recommended by both SEO newbies and experienced marketers. Author Adam Clarke suggests clear strategies for optimizing content, uses easily scalable techniques for companies of all sizes, and explains sophisticated SEO topics without resorting to technical jargon.
Article updated on: 09 August 2023
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