The recent pandemic has pushed many companies to adopt new technologies to enable businesses to function remotely while in lockdown. Many small businesses have avoided digital marketing in the past due to skills gaps and budget limitations.
With economies becoming less stable due to the pandemic, it is imperative for businesses to do so in 2021, and a good place to start is by hiring digital marketing talent.
If you are an employee, upskilling yourself in this field can be just what your employer needs. Digital Marketing degree graduates can use take up refresher courses or learn something new to keep up with industry trends. Technology is advancing so rapidly that every year, there is something new to be learned in the industry.
For example, social media trends are always changing, and platforms like Facebook and Twitter are constantly tweaking their algorithms.
With lesser people driving past billboards and audio and television advertising rates shooting up, digital marketing is essential for driving a business forward and utilising social media to get your message across without blowing your budget.
According to the Yottaa 2020 E-commerce Leaders Survey, 72% of respondents said there is an increase in online traffic during the crisis, with food and beverage, home improvement/home goods, and apparel among the highest levels of traffic growth.
Based on a survey of 500 senior digital marketers across North America, Europe, and China, Altimeter’s 2019 State of Digital Marketing report also offered key insights on the upward trends of online consumer behaviour and e-commerce.
Some noteworthy findings include “brand awareness (37%) was cited as the top goal of digital marketing, followed by lead generation (26%) and customer experience (20%)”, and that “websites (56%) and social media (69%) are the best-performing channels for digital marketing.”
Additionally, acquiring the right skills (55%) and scaling innovation (54%) were found to be the biggest challenges for marketing organizations – which is another reason why upskilling yourself in this arena will help you stand out in an organisation. The techniques also enable you to also interact with your audience better through social media marketing so you can get a better understanding of what they’re looking for.
You can also target your promotions to the right audience and search for consumer trends once you get a better grasp of marketing analytics.
So if you’ve got some time on your hands now and are finding yourself lacking in digital marketing expertise, consider upskilling through the several courses in this field offered online.
There are some online courses currently going free like this Digital Marketing Basics Course, or you can study a specific area of digital marketing such as the Digital Branding and Engagement course.
Online courses are not the only way to upskill yourself in the field. If you are interested in staying abreast of the latest trends, follow industry experts on their social media channels or their blogs to see if they are holding webinars or online information sessions during the pandemic.
For example, the Digital Marketing Institute hosts interactive webinars every month for free.
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