How to get started with digital marketing, a comprehensive guide with examples
Digital marketing includes a wide range of online strategies and channels that organizations use to communicate with their target audience, promote products or services, and achieve business goals.
It is a dynamic and constantly evolving field that uses digital technologies to reach and engage consumers in cyberspace.
Let us explore some of the daily roles and responsibilities of a digital marketer and how digital marketing falls under the umbrella of different roles and responsibilities.
Understand the role of a digital marketer
A digital marketer is a marketing professional responsible for leveraging digital channels to promote products, services, or brands.
The scope of a digital marketer's role includes a wide range of digital media, including social media, search engines, email, content creation and online advertising.
Their primary goal is to connect with the target audience, enhance engagement and achieve business goals through digital means.
Digital marketing is constantly evolving in today's digital age. Many traditional marketing methods have been combined with digital platforms, resulting in a more dynamic and data-driven approach. Now, with artificial intelligence and the shift towards personalization, digital marketing has become an essential part of marketing.
Now, there are different roles in digital marketing. Some are very specialized, and some are more general roles with “multiple hats” within the marketing mix.
In a general role, a digital marketer may be involved in content creation, social media management, website optimization, online advertising, and data analysis. In a more specialized role, a digital marketer may be on a team where their role focuses solely on a specific area such as social media marketing, search engine optimization, content marketing, or email marketing.
The role of a digital marketer is multifaceted and adaptable, playing a crucial role in driving online visibility, engagement and ultimately business success.
Key Responsibilities of a Digital Marketer by Role (With Examples)
Whether you specialize in digital marketing or are more specialized in a particular field, there are different responsibilities that digital marketers have. Below are examples of the main responsibilities of a beginner or mid-level digital marketer in different specializations:
Content creation and management
The content creation and management process typically involves creating a content strategy for your brand or organization, as well as creating engaging content for different platforms. Some common tasks for a content creator or manager include:
Developing text for a new landing page for an upcoming webinar hosted by their company.
Writing blogs on topics related to your company's products or services.
Publish product descriptions on the website with a strategy to attract organic traffic and build awareness.
Search Engine Optimization (SEO)
In an SEO role, you will develop SEO strategies and track organic search performance using tools such as Google Analytics and Google Search Console. You'll also conduct keyword research to make sure the content is optimized for your audience's search habits.
Some common tasks of an SEO strategy specialist include:
- Conduct keyword research and implement on-page and off-page SEO strategies for the client.
- Collaborate with content creators to optimize content for search engines.
- Search Engine Marketing (SEM)
- Search engine marketing involves digital advertising on different platforms.
- You will manage SEM campaigns to increase traffic and sales.
Some common tasks of an SEM strategist include:
- Create and manage pay-per-click (PPC) advertising campaigns.
- Conduct keyword research to target ads.
- Monitor ad performance and adjust bidding strategies for better ROI.
Social media marketing
A social media specialist or manager focuses on social media platforms to interact with audiences and manage a brand's social media presence.
Some common tasks of a social media marketer include:
- Create engaging content and schedule it for various social media platforms.
- Monitor social media channels for trends, interactions and engagement.
- Respond to comments and messages, and promote community participation.
Email marketing
Email marketers focus solely on email to segment audiences and improve brand email marketing strategies.
Some common tasks of an email marketer include:
- Design and implement electronic mailing campaigns, including newsletters and promotional emails.
- Segment and manage email lists to target specific audience segments.
- Analyze email campaign metrics and suggest improvements.
- Data analysis and reporting
Digital marketing has become highly data-driven and requires reviewing analytics and reporting those analytics to your boss or leadership.
Some common tasks of a data-driven digital marketer include:
- Use analytics tools to track and analyze website and campaign performance.
- Create regular reports on key performance indicators (KPIs).
- Provide insights and recommendations based on data analysis.
- As a generalist, you may have responsibilities that stem from many of the roles listed above. It all depends on the size of your company, your marketing role, and your level of marketing.
Tools used by digital marketers
Whether you're managing customer relationships, improving websites, or discovering new digital marketing opportunities, there are a lot of different tools that digital marketers use.
Here is a list of popular tools that digital marketers often use:
Social media marketing tools
Sprout Social
Social pioneer
Lumley
Agorapolis
Hootsuite
neutral
Facebook Business Manager
Email marketing tools
Mailchimp
Constant connection
Network transmission
Mooseend
Customer management platforms
Sales force
HubSpot
Search engine optimization and website analytics
Sim Rush
Ahrefs
Clearscope
banana
Google adword (Webmaster Tools)
Google Analytics
Conversion optimization tools
Don't bounce
Optimally
Hotjar
Landing page and lead capture tools
Writing form
Mel munch
Chart creation tools
Canvas
And he calls
Digital advertising
Google Ads
Facebook Ads Manager
Together, these tools help digital marketers with different aspects of their campaigns, from analytics and SEO to social media management and email marketing.
Skills that digital marketers need
Digital marketers have to be familiar with digital platforms, but they also have to have some additional soft skills. You have to adapt to new technologies, work well under pressure, and combine the artistic side with creativity.
Hard skills in digital marketing
- Content strategy
- Brand management
- Social media strategy
- User experience and user interface
- Personal skills for digital marketing
- Technology savvy
- Adaptable
- Problem solvers
- curious
- strategic
- tactful
- creative
- masked
- Passionate
What are the biggest challenges digital marketers face?
As we mentioned, digital marketing is constantly evolving and advancing. Digital marketers need to keep up with the latest trends and technologies, as well as balance creativity with data-driven decision making.
Additional insight into some of these challenges includes:
Keep up with rapidly changing technology and trends
The digital landscape is evolving rapidly with new technologies, platforms and trends emerging regularly.
Example: staying up to date with the latest changes in algorithms on social media platforms or adapting to developments in artificial intelligence that impact search engine algorithms.
Balancing creativity with data-driven decision making
Striking the right balance between creative marketing strategies and data-driven insights can be difficult.
Example: Ensuring creative content aligns with data analytics results to improve user engagement and performance metrics.
Understand and adapt to algorithm changes
Algorithms on platforms like Google, Facebook, and Instagram change frequently, impacting organic reach and advertising strategies.
Example: Adapting SEO strategies when updating search engine algorithms to maintain or improve a website's rankings.
Attribution and measurement of return on investment
Determining the effectiveness of different marketing channels and exact conversion rates can be complex.
Example: Evaluating the contribution of each touchpoint to the customer journey and accurately measuring the return on investment (ROI) for various marketing campaigns.
Data privacy management and compliance
More stringent data protection rules (e.g., GDPR and CCPA) require marketers to handle customer data responsibly.
Example: Ensuring compliance with data protection laws and implementing transparent data practices in marketing campaigns.
Adapt to platform changes and trends
Social media and advertising platforms often introduce new features and trends that require rapid adaptation.
Example: adjusting content strategies to take advantage of new features like stories or video reels on platforms like Instagram.
Saturation of content and quality
The abundance of content online makes it difficult to stand out and maintain consistently high-quality content.
Example: Developing unique and valuable content that resonates with the audience amidst the noise of competitors in the digital space.
Budget constraints and resource allocation:
Effectively allocate budgets across different digital channels taking into account the cost of advertising, technology and tools.
Example: Optimize advertising spend based on performance metrics and ensure balanced allocation of resources to different marketing initiatives.
To overcome these challenges, digital marketers must stay current, adaptable, and combine creative thinking with data-driven insights. Successful digital marketing requires the ability to address these challenges.
Typical career development for digital marketers.
From entry level to senior level, you can find different roles in digital marketing and progress across different areas of digital marketing. This will depend on how far you want to progress and what roles you enjoy performing. Below is a breakdown of the different roles within the different levels of digital marketing jobs.
First level jobs
Job Titles: Digital Marketing Assistant, Social Media Coordinator, Content Coordinator.
Roles: Beginning digital marketers typically start out in specialized roles, helping with tasks like social media management, content creation, or email marketing. They gain practical experience and knowledge of different digital marketing channels.
Specialized roles
Job Titles: SEO Specialist, Paid Media Coordinator, Email Marketing Specialist.
Roles: After gaining experience, individuals may move into specialized roles focusing on specific areas of digital marketing. This may include managing search engine optimization strategies, handling paid advertising campaigns, or becoming email marketing experts.
Mid-level positions
Job titles: Digital Marketing Specialist, Social Media Manager, Content Strategist.
Roles: Mid-level digital marketers have responsibilities
More strategic, such as overseeing campaigns, developing overall strategies and managing teams. They may be responsible for analyzing data, improving performance, and contributing to broader marketing goals.
Administrative roles
Job titles: Digital Marketing Manager, Marketing Manager.
Roles: As digital marketing managers, individuals lead teams and are responsible for overall campaign planning, execution, and performance. They collaborate with other departments, setting marketing goals and ensuring alignment with the organization's goals.
Director/Head of Digital Marketing
Job titles: Digital Marketing Manager, Head of Digital Marketing.
Roles: At this level, professionals oversee the entire digital marketing function within the organization. They play a strategic role in decision making, budget allocation and implementation of high-level marketing initiatives. Leadership and strategic vision become essential components of this role.
Chief Marketing Manager
Job title: Chief Marketing Manager.
The Role: Some digital marketers may advance to the position of marketing manager, where they lead the entire marketing department, including digital and traditional marketing. Marketing managers contribute to the overall business strategy and are crucial in shaping the brand image.
Digital marketing is one of the fastest growing industries as technology continues to evolve and flourish. According to the latest forecasts, digital advertising revenue will exceed US$700 billion by 2025. This represents a significant increase from 2022 when the industry was valued at US$153 billion.
