How to Get Started in Digital Marketing

Digital marketing careers didn’t even exist 15 years ago, now it is a profession evolving at a fast pace. Those that specialize in this field are always learning new skills and gaining new experience. It is also a diverse profession that provides opportunities for creatives, analysts, math geeks, and techies alike. If you identify as one of these, and are someone who is hungry for knowledge and who craves opportunity for growth, a career  in digital marketing could be for you. 

In addition to formal training programs, the digital marketing community has an abundance of opportunities to network and learn from your peers along the way. And whether you prefer a job that is in-house or one that offers a remote work environment, a digital marketing career has an abundance of both. If you are interested in pursuing a career in digital marketing, keep reading to learn the essential skills and training that will help you excel in this industry.

Essential Skills of a Digital Marketer

You may be curious about what specific skills are needed to excel in a career in digital marketing. There are quite a few, actually. But don’t let this overwhelm you. These skills are gained over time, and with training and experience, you can pick up on them. A digital marketing training program will teach you the most important skills that you need to land your first digital marketing job. These include:

Data Analysis – Data analytics uses tools and modern software to collect and process extensive collections of data from various online interactions. These interactions come in different forms such as online transactions, content consumed, search queries, and other online footprints that are relevant to your business.

SEO and SEM – Google’s algorithm is constantly upgrading, and the importance of using relevant and specific keywords have reached a new high. As a digital marketer, you will need to strategically consider those algorithms in your content creation and distribution strategies to attract and engage people.

Social Media – Social media platforms have significantly evolved to accommodate digital marketing needs. There’s social media advertising, boosted posts, hashtags, business pages, groups, and more. As a trained digital marketer, you will utilize these skills often.

Paid Digital Advertising – Placing ads on social media platforms and other websites takes careful training to be sure the placement is delivering the best results possible. Without a proper understanding of how digital ads work, you may end up spending more than you need to and fail to reach the right audience. 

Basic Design Skills – In the world of marketing, it can’t be all about text. It also involves a well-designed visual appearance. When you have basic knowledge of design principles, it’s easier to convey what you want your content to show.

The following is an extensive list of skills you may expect to gain over the course of your career.

• SEO (search engine optimization)
• PPC (pay per click)
• SMM (social media marketing)
• SEM (search engine marketing)
• Content marketing 
• Social media
• Writing for the web
• Email marketing
• Growth hacking
• Voice search
• The marketing funnel
• CRO (conversion rate optimization)
• Web analytics
• A/B and multivariate testing
• Affiliate marketing
• Artificial intelligence
• Referral marketing
• Augmented reality
• Mobile marketing
• Automation
• App marketing

Getting Started in Digital Marketing

The first step to starting a career in digital marketing is to develop your skill set. This can be accomplished through a training program as well as gaining hands-on experience. Fortunately, you get both when you enroll in a NuPaths training program which helps to develop a strong foundation of essential skills in digital marketing.

One popular entry-level digital marketing job is a . In this role, you would work closely with a marketing team to implement online marketing plans and strategies. You would also assist the team to ensure websites are fully optimized for search engines and online advertising, verify that digital marketing ads and campaigns are well designed and that social media channels are optimally used. Additionally, as a digital marketing assistant, you would be trained to evaluate site analytics and performance to leverage and enhance digital business activities.

NuPaths includes:

• 3 courses
• 6 certifications
• 7 college credits 
• 1 capstone project 
• Business skills workshops
• Totaling 166 hours of courses, labs and workshops

Another popular entry-level digital marketing job is an . NuPaths also has a training program specific to this role. As an associate website developer, you would work with the marketing and graphic design teams to build and maintain websites for your business, or the client’s you serve. This job focuses on web interfaces and user interactions throughout the development application life cycle. In addition to building sites, this role also works on testing, troubleshooting and developing new features to enhance existing web sites. 

NuPaths includes:

• 3 courses
• 4 certifications
• 7 college credits
• 1 capstone project 
• Business skills workshops
• Totaling 218 hours of courses, labs, projects and workshops

What’s most important to remember is that a career in digital marketing is excellent for people who love to learn new things and who enjoy a fast-paced work environment. Whether you consider yourself a “creative” or a “techie,” digital marketing has opportunities for all types of skill sets. And finally, digital marketing jobs are highly flexible offering in-house, remote and freelance opportunities. If you’re interested in exploring digital marketing training programs or learning more about career opportunities, consider starting with a free where, with a few short questions, we can provide you with feedback on career opportunities that are the best fit for your skill set and career aspirations.

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