Digital marketing is a broad field and one that covers a wide range of different titles and roles. From digital marketing managers and digital strategists to PPC account execs and social media managers, there are numerous roles in all aspects of digital marketing. What all these different roles have in common is the use and reliance on digital media in order to reach out to potential customers or collect invaluable information.
As digital marketing is an ever-growing industry, it’s no surprise that it is becoming more competitive. As a result of this, more and more applicants are looking at expanding on their skillset and picking up qualifications to support their CV. For those looking to carve out a career in digital marketing, let’s take a look at 3 key skills that digital marketing recruiters are looking for.
SEO (Search Engine Optimisation)
SEO stands for search engine optimisation and is the practice of optimising a website to make it more appealing to search engines, such as Google and Bing. If you’re searching for a company to do business with, an answer to a question or perhaps items of clothing, then you will likely do a search online. Then, those websites that are listed near to the top or on the first page of the search results will more than likely get the majority of traffic, sales or enquiries. This is what businesses want to achieve and this comes down to SEO.
You don’t need to be an SEO expert, but getting to grips with the basics can put you ahead of other candidates when applying for digital marketing jobs. Getting an understanding of Google Analytics, how to develop an online marketing strategy, content optimisation and learning about page authority can help to shape your digital marketing knowledge. There are SEO courses you can take if you want a more in-depth understanding of SEO, whilst Google also offers some free initial insights.
Website Development
In the same way that knowing the basics of SEO can be enough to make your resume stand out, knowing a few bits about website development can be the difference between you securing a job offer or losing out to another candidate. It pays to have a basic understanding of web coding and software, but if you work at a digital marketing agency, you will usually be able to expand on your skillset by learning from experienced developers.
If you’re interested in pursuing a career in digital marketing, learning about the basics of coding and website development means that you have familiarity with some of the steps behind it, which means that you can discuss this with clients or coworkers if needed. Some of the basics include:
- HTML
- CSS
- JavaScript
- Website Testing
- Website Responsiveness
It would also be helpful to learn about the popular content management systems that most websites use, such as WordPress, Magento and Shopify and the basic coding elements behind these systems to boost your knowledge of website development.
Content Creation
In today’s social media focused world, more and more businesses are investing more time and money in creating content that can be shared to boost their brand awareness. If you have an eye for detail and have some experience in using social media and programmes such as Photoshop or Canva, then you will have valuable skills that most companies can utilise.
Content can come in a range of forms, including copy, photographed or graphic imagery, video and short content or even audio in the form of podcasts. As a content creator, your job focus will likely be on creating engaging and professional content which is on brand and appeals to an audience. It’s worth getting to know a little more about the different content management systems and best content creation tools, such as email marketing software, understanding the different social media platforms, getting to grips with branding and copywriting and cultivating relationships with audiences.
