Digital marketing managers are senior-level professionals assisting businesses in developing powerful online marketing campaigns.
Today, digital marketing professionals are in high demand. Companies are spending more time and money on enhancing their online presence to unlock new opportunities for sales.
To thrive in this evolving industry, professionals must constantly develop their digital marketing skills, exploring new trends and concepts as they emerge.
In this post, we’ll examine some core digital marketing manager skills candidates must develop to improve their chances of earning a high-paying job role.
What does a Digital Marketing Manager Do?
The role of a digital marketing manager can vary, depending on the employer. Primarily, digital marketing managers are responsible for creating, maintaining, and optimizing a company’s online presence by creating and managing various advertising campaigns.
Digital marketing managers work alongside other marketing professionals to produce data-driven and highly targeted online campaigns.
They research target audiences, marketplace trends, and competitors to determine the best possible advertising methods for the company they work with. Using this research, digital marketing managers lead teams of skilled individuals in creating powerful email marketing, social media, display, and search campaigns.
Depending on the size of the company and its specific needs, digital marketing managers may be responsible for not just defining potential ad campaigns but also building assets and sharing them across multiple channels. Managers may devise the full editorial calendar for their brands while delegating certain tasks to other professionals, such as content creation or graphic design for infographics and social media campaigns.
They spend significant time analyzing data and creating reports to help guide business leaders toward using the most effective campaigns with the best ROI (Return on Investment).
In some cases, managers will also present reports and analytics to shareholders to highlight the value of different ad strategies.
For more information on what digital marketing managers do, read the following guides:
Top Skills of a Digital Marketing Manager
1. Technical Skills
Digital marketing managers need to be well-versed in a number of online tools and resources used to create, monitor and promote different campaigns.
While the exact technical skills required may vary depending on the marketing channels companies prefer to use, most employers will expect their digital marketing managers to have a good knowledge of the following:
Search Engine Optimization: SEO is one of the most powerful tools in . According to some studies, SEO drives over 1000% more traffic than organic social media marketing.
Digital marketing managers need to be up-to-date with the latest search engine algorithms and should understand how to use keyword research, backlinks, and technical SEO to enhance a company’s chances of ranking on the search result pages.
PPC: Digital Marketing Managers should know how to budget effectively for PPC campaigns across Google, social media channels, and other platforms. They’ll also know how to analyze and optimize each campaign.
Email marketing: A digital marketing manager should know how to create numerous email campaigns, ranging from welcome series emails to promotional ads. They’ll also understand how to use email automation to boost their chances of reaching customers at the right moment in their journey.
Social media marketing: Social media marketing abilities are one of the most important skills for digital marketing managers.
Professionals must know how to analyze which platforms to use and build engaging campaigns for their audience. They should be experienced in using both organic and paid campaigns to boost audience reach.
Other marketing channels: Depending on the business, a digital marketing manager may also need to utilize other advertising channels and strategies.
Having a solid knowledge of how to create podcasts, videos, and other solutions for promotion is often extremely valuable.
Additionally, a good digital marketing manager will be committed to constantly expanding their knowledge of the marketing space.
They’ll learn new skills and abilities as the advertising landscape evolves and new trends enter the industry.
2. Analytical Skills
Digital marketing managers don’t just produce the campaigns and marketing strategies designed to drive attention to growing companies. They’re also responsible for ensuring the campaigns they introduce generate the right results for each brand.
As such, these professionals need to feel comfortable analyzing metrics and Key Performance Indicators (KPIs).
Digital marketing managers will use their skills and understanding of the marketplace to analyze crucial data and share reports with shareholders and employees. They’ll be able to convert raw data into actionable insights for business leaders to follow using analytical tools and reporting apps.
3. Communication and Networking Skills
Digital Marketing Managers work in a senior role and often lead several other professionals in the .
They also spend much time connecting with clients, sharing insights with shareholders, and advising business leaders. As such, they need to be fantastic at communicating.
Good communication and collaboration skills ensure digital marketing managers can connect with people from different departments and guide them toward their goals.
They’ll use clear, concise language through various channels to share information with each audience so anyone can understand.
Managers will not only consistently develop their digital marketing skills but also learn how to convey complex information to others in a simple format. These professionals have excellent presentation skills and can use tools to create visual graphs and reports. They’re also good at consistently building their network and engaging with other professionals.
In this role, you’ll need to feel comfortable reaching out to clients and customers, building relationships with team members, and acting in leadership.
4. Strategic Thinking
A strategic mindset is a must-have skill for digital marketing managers. Professionals in this field must be able to develop and strategies that can deliver measurable results.
The best digital marketing managers understand the target audience of their clients and the specific goals the company is trying to reach. They connect each marketing campaign they create to a selection of core metrics and KPIs to ensure they can generate high levels of success.
Digital marketing experts can look at both individual campaigns strategically and monitor the bigger picture.
5. Project Management Skills
Strong digital marketing strategies consist of a multitude of different moving parts. The average digital marketing manager will be responsible for running and managing various different campaigns at once, from social media strategies to paid and organic search efforts.
With this in mind, one of the most important skills for digital marketing managers is the ability to manage projects effectively. They’ll know how to prioritize tasks based on deadlines and important business requirements. They’ll also feel comfortable delegating tasks effectively to the right employees based on their talents and abilities.
Digital Marketing Managers spend significant time ensuring timelines are properly planned, and that cross-functional teams are united and communicating correctly.
They’ll be comfortable using project management tools for team collaboration and task assignments. They’ll also be excellent at managing their time effectively during time-sensitive campaigns.
6. Copywriting Skills
While some digital marketing managers will delegate copy creation to other employees in a larger marketing team, they still need basic copywriting skills. A good digital marketer can write excellent copy, so they can share examples of what to produce with their team. They’ll also be able to edit, proofread, and optimize the copy created by others.
Even if they’re not creating copy themselves, digital marketing managers must understand what constitutes “good copy” from a search engine and audience perspective. They should understand how to create optimized content for search engines while ensuring readers can leverage high levels of value from every copy.
Digital marketing managers should know how to produce everything from powerful email newsletters to conversion-optimized landing pages and websites. They may even provide training and coaching to other staff members.
How to Build Your Digital Marketing Manager Skills
Many digital marketing managers develop their skills by committing to constant education and growth.
As you progress through your , you’ll naturally learn more about the key digital marketing manager skills critical to your role.
However, there are ways you can actively work on developing your talent and knowledge, such as:
1. Take Digital Marketing Courses
Perhaps the most effective way to develop crucial digital marketing skills is by signing up for online courses, certification programs, and boot camps.
There are numerous available online that can provide marketing managers with step-by-step guidance on a variety of topics.
Some courses simultaneously focus on developing digital marketing manager skills, from copywriting expertise to email and social media marketing skills.
There are also that focus on specific aspects of the digital marketing manager role.
For instance, you may take a course focusing on using digital tools to enhance your analytical knowledge and improve your presentation skills. You can also find courses dedicated to things like search engine optimization, pay-per-click advertising, and email marketing.
Many of these courses contain videos, quizzes, and other resources to help expand your knowledge. They can also include valuable certifications which allow you to demonstrate your understanding of the marketing world to future employers.
2. Gain Practical Experience
Experience is extremely valuable for digital marketing managers. The more time you spend working on advertising campaigns and collaborating with other professionals, the more your knowledge will expand.
Depending on your career plan, you may choose to start simple, with some basic entry-level roles in digital marketing and promotion.
There are also internships available from some major brands which can help you strengthen your skillset. Offering to work on digital marketing strategies for non-profits and smaller brands can also help you develop your education and even give you assets you can add to your portfolio when searching for future employers.
Some digital marketing managers even build their own websites to produce thought leadership copy to enhance their copywriting skills and promote themselves through various methods, such as SEO and social media marketing.
3. Learn How to Use Digital Marketing Tools
Many digital marketing managers are reliant on a number of valuable tools to help boost the performance of their marketing campaigns. They know how to use commonplace solutions like Google Ads and Google Search Console. They’re also familiar with the advertising tools built into social media channels like Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn.
Developing your knowledge of commonly-used will ensure you can create insightful reports and strategic campaigns based on data.
You may learn how to use solutions like Ahrefs and SEMrush for SEO planning. If you’re going to be producing content directly for websites, you might learn how to use CMS platforms like WordPress.
Some employers searching for digital marketing managers will also seek expertise working with specific tools, such as Buffer and HootSuite for social media, HubSpot for email marketing, and Salesforce for CRM analytics.
As a digital marketing manager, you should also clearly understand how to use marketing automation strategies to streamline, optimize, and automate your marketing efforts through carefully-created workflows.
4. Develop Your Analytical Skills
To develop highly strategic marketing campaigns, managers need to be able to analyze huge volumes of data and surface insights from raw information. As such, it’s important to consistently work on boosting your analytical skills. At a minimum, you should be familiar with using tools like Google Analytics to track the impact of your campaigns.
In some cases, developing your analytical skills will also mean expanding your understanding of using tools like SQL to run queries against data and uncover insights. You should also feel comfortable running A/B and split testing efforts to compare one campaign to another.
5. Build Your Professional Network
Having strong communication and networking skills is essential for any digital marketing manager. You need to be comfortable working with a wide range of professionals and helping your team members achieve specific marketing goals.
Digital marketing managers need to constantly expand their network and connect with new people who can help them unlock new job opportunities, find clients, and even increase their understanding of the marketing landscape.
It’s worth making sure you have a strong presence on LinkedIn. Follow groups connected to your industry and connect with other thought leaders and professionals whenever possible.
It may be worth attending in-person and online events, so you can stay updated with the marketing industry changes and the trends that might affect your clients.
Is a Digital Marketing Manager Career Worth It?
In today’s digital world, it’s becoming increasingly crucial for every company to ensure a strong, engaging online presence. As such, the demand for digital marketing managers is constantly increasing. The average salary for a digital marketing manager in the US is around $97,000 per year.
A career as a digital marketing manager can be extremely worthwhile if you’re looking for a high-paying and satisfying job. Not only will you have an opportunity to work as the head of a digital marketing team, showcasing your leadership skills, but you can also potentially assist various brands with diverse marketing strategies.
If you’re interested in advertising and business growth, a digital marketing manager career can be a highly versatile opportunity to leverage your skills and expand your experience. You could even progress to the point where you can .
Digital marketing managers benefit from a lucrative, varied, and exciting career path, with plenty of responsibilities and opportunities for growth. While becoming a digital marketing manager requires a significant investment of time, it can be a fantastic choice for many advertising professionals.
If you’re willing to commit to constantly developing and honing the right skills, a career as a digital marketing manager can set you up for an amazing life, assisting countless brands. You’ll be responsible for forming the connections between companies and their audiences and will work with countless other business leaders throughout your professional life.
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