Signs you’re ready for a career in digital marketing

Digital marketing is everywhere. It’s one of the most demanded jobs nowadays. And it’s well-paid. No wonder you’ve considered becoming a digital marketer. 

But do you have what it takes, and what are the requirements? In this article, I will cover what you need to make a career in digital marketing. By the end, you’ll be able to dictate whether it’s a good fit for you. Let’s dive into it.

Can Anyone Ever Be “Born to Be” a Digital Marketer?

The first question to solve is whether you’re born to be a digital marketer. Some personality traits surely help you become one, but that doesn’t mean anything, really. 

Digital marketing always has something new to learn and explore. Algorithms and social media platforms continuously change and evolve. Who knows what the future of the Internet holds? That’s why no one truly is “born to be” a marketer.

With good training, whether by courses, a degree, or an expert, you can learn the digital marketing fundamentals and make a career out of them. 

Signs You’re Ready for a Career in Digital Marketing

1 You Understand and Accept the Importance of Data and Analytics

The world is data-driven – You must come to terms with this statement to become a digital marketer. From A/B testing to researching the market, you’ll need to understand data and drive insights to make decisions.

• Who’s your target audience? What do they have in common?
• What gets people to sign up for the newsletter? 
• What throws people off when purchasing online? 
• What CTAs seem to boost conversions? 
• What are your competitors doing that your company can upgrade?

A good digital marketer will ask themselves these questions and many more. It proves you are an analytical thinker who understands how important data is.

2 You Understand How to Find Others’ People Interests and Needs

You market a product or service to a target audience. But how do you know what your customers need? A good digital marketer must understand people and their basic needs and desires.

A sign you’re ready to become a marketer is you’re good at reading others. You should also master the art of conducting research to come up with the perfect solution. Here are some questions to ask yourself:

• What’s my target audience searching online?
• What are they already buying?
• What did they stop buying?
• How old are they? What’s their gender?
• Can they afford the product I want to market?

3 You Like to Use or Are Interested in Learning Digital Online Tools and Offline Software

Software and digital tools are here to stay. Whether to research keywords or automate email marketing, you must be familiar with these tools. 

Each company uses different software, so don’t worry – There’s no need to understand them all. Focus on grasping the principles of marketing software, and then master each tool at work. 

That said, some tools are quite important for digital marketers, and you should know the basics. These are:

• AdWords, PPC
• Google Analytics
• The basics of SEO: Keywords, Header tags, Meta-descriptions…
• SEO platforms like Yoast 
• Email marketing tools like MailChimp

If you are familiar with these, and even more, enjoy using them, you’re on the right path to becoming a successful digital marketer.

4 You Like to Experiment

Marketing is a field that allows you to experiment. In fact, I encourage you to do so. Only by playing with words, CTAs, images, and strategies will you grasp what works best for your company.

Good digital marketers perform A/B testing. They compare two different strategies to see what’s the best one. Imagine you’re writing a PPC ad. You have several ideas for short copy, yet don’t know what to write. An A/B tester would try the best two out and see which one brings more conversions.

You can conduct an infinite number of experiments. Any innovative alternative to the current strategy can be tested to determine its quality. If you become a digital marketer, you’ll always feel like a kid exploring the world.

5 You Thrive in an Ever-Evolving Environment

As mentioned above, the Internet and digital marketing are always changing. It’s the nature of digital assets. If you enjoy keeping updated and finding out about things before everyone else, this job is for you.

Take a look at SEO. Search engines’ algorithms change every year, if not every few months. If you stop paying attention, you might lose the opportunity to grow your organic ranking.

SEO is just an example among many other evolving marketing areas. You need to stay up-to-date with every change, even small ones.

6 You Aren’t Afraid to Compete or Lose

Your company competes with others all the time. You compete for the customers’ attention, money, and loyalty. 

Pretend you sell sneakers online – How many companies also sell sneakers online? I assure you hundreds, if not thousands. As a digital marketer, you need to know how to stand out and compete with other brands. 

Losing is also part of the job. You must learn to deal with frustration. Take the loss, analyze and accept the mistake, and do better next time.

7 You Don’t Give Up in the Face of Adversity

Sometimes the market crashes, people lose interest in your product, or something better comes along. You will encounter these challenges as a digital marketer. If you leverage them for success, you’re on the right path!

Maybe a new competitor within your niche releases a product that goes viral, and your company loses some clients. There’s no need to panic. You can research the new features and use them to upgrade your product.

Or maybe the economy isn’t in a great place, leading people to buy less. You can adjust the prices or find something else that they need no matter what. It’s all about encountering problems and coming up with innovative solutions.

8 You Know that Communication Skills Rule All

You need great social skills. Communication is what drives customers in. You want to be open-minded and kind – The type of person that delights clients.

Your target audience has an unmet need, and you’re there to solve it. But how can you convince them if your communication skills aren’t top-tier? 

Learning how to be persuasive and say more with fewer words is key to thriving in digital marketing. This is particularly true if you want to become a copywriter, but it also applies to other marketing areas.

9 You Are a Team Player

I need you to be realistic – Marketers don’t work on their own. If you’d rather work independently, then digital marketing might not be for you.

Digital marketing functions best when there’s a team thinking and coming up with ideas. A team member might be good at data insights, while others prefer writing PPC ads. And what about UX designers?

It all comes together in a long-term marketing plan, so be ready to share thoughts and work closely with your colleagues. 

10 You Love to Get Something Done and Finish it Perfectly

Although perfectionism might be required in other fields, it’s definitely a must in digital marketing. You can’t launch sketchy designs or advertisements, for instance – That would hurt the brand.

But if you think long-term when creating a logo or copy, and want people to be impressed, then digital marketing is for you. 

11 You Like to Automate the Process

Many marketing processes can be automated. From contact or lead information to email campaigns, automatization saves a ton of time. It also makes your life easier, so you should be okay with using automating software.

12 You Spent Much Time Online and Are Familiar With Marketing

If you spend much time online and have an analytical mind, you’ve probably noticed patterns here and there. Here’s good news: You can leverage your tiny social media obsession.

You might have grasped what works in a CTA and what doesn’t, or what words and designs throw you off when purchasing online. This is relevant information you can bring to the equation, so your company avoids making such mistakes.

Have you ever seen an ad or copy that seemed off? Maybe you thought you could’ve done it better. Now it’s your turn to prove it.

13 You Like to Evolve: Learn Something New, Listen and Repeat

There will always be someone better and more experienced than you. But that’s good news: It means you can learn from them.

Listening to experts’ advice and then implementing it in your work can lead to impressive results. Don’t be afraid to repeat and copy what others do – If it works, you should leverage it.

14 You Have Already Tried to Make Money in Digital and Have Experience

Have you worked as a freelance copywriter or designer? If you already know the digital world basics, it will be easier to make a career out of digital marketing. 

15 And Most Importantly: You Want to Make Money Online in Digital Marketing

Digital marketers are well-paid. And I mean very well-paid. Their job is essential to any company that wants to thrive in our fast-paced, digital world.

If you become a digital marketer, you can make money online. But you must be good at what you do. If you’re expendable, the brand might as well just opt for another candidate.

Job Description and Examples of Digital Marketing Jobs

Keep in mind that larger companies usually count on multiple workers. On the contrary, digital marketers at start-ups might have to engage in more roles.

That said, these are the key responsibilities digital marketers have:

• Planning and implementing strategies: SEO, SEM, PPC, email marketing, social media ads
• Creating and maintaining brand awareness and presence
• Ensuring brand consistency across all channels
• Building customer loyalty via social media
• Brainstorming new ideas and team-working
• Researching the market and analyzing the data
• Understanding the customers
• Conducting A/B testing 

There are also different roles and specialties within the marketing niche. Here are some examples of roles:

• SEO/SEM specialist
• Paid Ads manager
• Content manager/strategist
• Content writer/copywriter
• UX writer/designer
• Social media manager
• Marketing manager

So Do You Have What it Takes to Work in Digital Marketing?

Hopefully, I’ve helped you grasp what you need to work in this field.

If you have a creative and innovative mind with solid analytics and marketing knowledge, don’t hesitate to try this job.

And don’t worry if you’re uneducated regarding marketing. There are resources and ways for you to develop essential skills, especially online. I’ll review some in the upcoming section.

FAQ

How Much Does it Cost to Start a Digital Marketing Agency?

It depends on how much you want to invest and the results you expect. Overall, you can run a digital marketing agency for $300 a month.

Note that you need a workspace, business cards, Internet connection, etc. The cost will vary depending on your region, budget, etc.

How Much Do Digital Marketing Agencies Make?

The estimated average income for these agencies is a profit margin of around 10 percent. That means if they invest $10 million, they’ll make $1 million per year.

The average salary of a digital marketer is $57,469 per year.

How to Start a Digital Marketing Agency with No Experience?

• It’s advisable to freelance for a while to get positive reviews to showcase to future customers. 
• Consider networking: Find marketers and hire them or ask for help. You don’t need to (nor should) do it all alone.
• Also, build a website and master SEO to get a good organic rank.

How to Get Clients for Digital Marketing?

• Build a portfolio that showcases your best work
• Pay for social media ads
• Grow your organic traffic via SEO
• Network in LinkedIn and other platforms
• Ask for reference letters from previous employers

How to Sell Digital Marketing Services?

• Attend networking events, use LinkedIn, etc
• Contact with like-minded peers
• Build an email marketing list
• Team up with other freelancers or entrepreneurs
• Find an internship

What is CRO in Digital Marketing?

CRO stands for Conversion Rate Optimization. It consists of increasing the percentage of users that perform a desired action: Buying a product, signing up for a service, clicking a link, etc.

The better the marketing is, the more conversions the company will have.

What is Schema in Digital Marketing?

It’s data: Website code that helps your website rank higher in search engines. You must grasp HTML, its basic code, alt-text for images, how to create relevant links, etc.

Where to Learn Digital Marketing for Free?

• Google Online Marketing Challenge
• WordStream’s PPC University
• Social Media Quickstarter Digital Marketing Course
• Inbound Digital Marketing Course Plus Official Certification
• Alison Free Diploma in E-Business.

These are 5 free courses on digital marketing. Note that some employers will only consider you if you attend formal education. 

Where to Start Digital Marketing?

Here are some key steps to take to begin your digital marketing career:

• Grasp the digital marketing basics
• Start a website
• Understand and master SEO
• Master Google Analytics
• Master paid ads: Facebook, Google…
• Get an internship
• Freelance before running your own agency