The current COVID-19 pandemic has pushed many companies towards digital transformation, as millions of people started working and running their businesses remotely while in lockdown.
If you’re a budding entrepreneur or working in marketing roles, you probably know by now just how important it is to become proficient in digital marketing in 2020.
Many small businesses have avoided taking up digital marketing in the past – whether due to skills gaps or procrastination – but with economies becoming less stable due to the pandemic, it’s imperative that you do so in 2020, especially if you expect your business to be hit.
If you’re an employee, upskilling yourself in digital marketing in 2020 can be just what your employer needs – and will reflect well on you and possibly earn you a well-deserved promotion or recognition for helping the company move forward.
Even those who graduated a few years ago with a degree in Digital Marketing could probably use some refresher courses or learn something new. Technology is advancing so rapidly that every year, there is something new to be learned in digital marketing.
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 marketing message across without blowing your marketing 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 & 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.
Digital marketing techniques also enable you to also interact with your audience better through the use of 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’re interested in staying abreast of the latest digital marketing 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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