What Do Digital Marketers Do

Digital marketing is one of the most important aspects of running a successful business in the modern world. Without a strong digital presence, businesses will struggle to reach their target audiences and compete with other companies.

The key player in these important digital marketing efforts is the digital marketer.

But what exactly do digital marketers do?

In this article, we’ll take a look at the role of a digital marketer and some of the skills and duties that are required for the job. And if you think you’d make a great online marketer, I’ll give you some places to start your digital marketing career.

Let’s go!

What is a Digital Marketer?

So, what is a digital marketer?

A digital marketer is somebody who uses digital channels to promote and sell products or services. This can be done in a number of ways, including through social media, search engine optimization (SEO), content marketing, and email marketing.

Digital marketers need to have a strong understanding of their target audience and what they are looking for. They then need to use this knowledge to create engaging and effective marketing campaigns that will reach the right people.

As you can see, there’s a lot that goes into being a digital marketer!

What Does a Digital Marketer Do

Now that we know what a digital marketer is let’s take a look at some of the things that they do. Here are just a few of the many tasks that digital marketing experts are responsible for:

What does a digital marketing specialist do

1. Content Marketing

A digital marketer will often be responsible for creating and managing the content on a company’s website. This includes ensuring that the site is optimized for search engines and writing compelling and informative blog posts and articles.

2. Social Media Marketing

Another common task for digital marketers is managing a company’s social media accounts. A social media manager’s role involves creating and scheduling posts, interacting with followers, and monitoring feedback.

3. Email Marketing

Email marketing is a powerful tool that can be used to reach and engage with customers. Email marketers create and manage email marketing campaigns, which can involve sending out newsletters, special offers, and other types of email content.

4. Search Engine Marketing

Search engine optimization (SEO) is a process that can be used to improve the visibility of a website in search engine results pages (SERPs). Experienced digital marketers use a variety of techniques to achieve this, including keyword research and link building, all with the goal of getting more website traffic.

5. Digital Design

Digital marketers often create a variety of marketing materials, such as brochures, white papers, and eBooks. These materials can be used to promote and sell products or services online and through traditional marketing.

6. Lead Generation

A digital marketer will often be responsible for generating leads online. This can be done through a variety of means, such as online forms, landing pages, sales funnels, and email marketing.

This usually is in tandem with advertising campaigns, SEO, social media marketing, and content marketing, as all the digital channels are traffic sources to help generate leads.

7. Affiliate Marketing

In some cases, a digital marketer may also be responsible for overseeing the activity of affiliate marketers. This can involve recruiting affiliates, tracking their performance, and providing them with support.

8. Advertising campaign management

A digital marketer also creates and manages online advertising campaigns. This can involve setting up and managing pay-per-click (PPC) ads, banner ads, social media ads, and other types of paid advertising.

9. Analyzing data and metrics

A digital marketer needs to be able to analyze data and metrics in order to see what is working and what isn’t. This information can then be used to measure key performance indicators and make changes to marketing campaigns and strategies. This data includes social media statistics, sales data, and web analytics.

10. Market research

Market research is an important part of any digital marketing strategy. Market researchers use a variety of digital marketing tools and techniques to collect data and valuable insight about their target audience, including surveys, focus groups, and analytics software.

11. Planning and managing marketing budgets

A digital marketing manager needs to be able to plan and manage marketing budgets. This includes understanding where to allocate funds and making sure that campaigns stay within budget.

12. Analyzing data to understand customer behavior

A digital marketing expert needs to be able to analyze data in order to understand customer behavior. Using social media analytics, Google analytics, and other data sources can be used to improve a digital marketing strategy and marketing campaigns.

13. Identifying new marketing opportunities

Digital marketing managers are always on the lookout for new marketing opportunities. This can involve exploring new social media platforms, testing new marketing campaigns, and finding new ways to reach customers with digital strategy.

14. Keeping up with industry trends

A Digital marketing manager needs to stay up-to-date with industry trends in order to be able to create effective marketing campaigns. This can involve reading industry publications, attending conferences, and participating in online forums.

15. Creating reports

Digital marketing managers often need to create reports, such as monthly or quarterly reports, to show the results of their campaigns. This information can be used to make changes to future campaigns. This may not be the most fun part of digital marketing campaigns, but being able to see trends over time and see what’s working and what’s not allows digital marketing to be flexible and more cost-effective than traditional marketing strategies.

16. Working with other marketing team members

A digital marketer often works closely with other marketing team members, such as the sales team, graphic designers, and copywriters. This collaborative approach helps to ensure that all marketing campaign goals are met.

Skills Required for Digital Marketing

Digital marketing is a complex and ever-changing field, which means that there are a lot of skills required to be successful. Here are just a few of the digital marketing skills that are needed.

What skills do you need to be a digital marketer?

Creativity

A good digital marketer needs to be creative in order to come up with new and innovative ideas for campaigns or strategies.

Analytical Skills

Being able to analyze data is essential for understanding customer behavior and determining the success of marketing campaigns.

Communication Skills

A digital marketer needs to be able to communicate effectively with both customers and colleagues.

Organizational Skills

As there are so many moving parts to digital marketing, good organizational skills are essential for keeping everything on track.

Time Management Skills

Since there is often a lot of pressure to meet deadlines, time management skills are crucial for a digital marketing expert.

Technical Skills

Familiarity with various digital marketing tools and technologies is essential for the job.

Problem-Solving Skills

Being able to identify and solve problems quickly is an important skill for any digital marketer.

Types of Digital marketers

As we’ve covered, there are many duties and skills required of a digital marketer. Some online marketers choose to do all or most of these duties for a single company.

They are the jack of all trades when it comes to digital marketing, and many of these go on to create their own digital agency, as they have a full view and understanding of the digital marketing space.

Others choose to specialize in one facet of digital marketing and become highly skilled in that one area. These experts can be highly coveted to teach or run strategic marketing campaigns or run specific marketing departments.

Here are some of the most common types of digital marketers:

Content Marketing Specialist

Content marketing includes everything from writing blog posts to creating product pages. Copywriting is an important skill for online marketing and is part of effective website content creation. A content marketing specialist creates the content strategy to build brand awareness, improve search marketing, and improve user experience.

Social Media Manager

A social media manager plans and creates content and makes social media posts for social media platforms like Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. Their duties could also include reputation management, managing social media campaigns, and responding to comments.

Email Marketing Specialist

An email marketer plans and manages email marketing campaigns. This includes creating email lists, writing email content, and scheduling when the emails will be sent.

SEO Manager

An SEO specialist optimizes websites for search engines. Search engine marketing helps ensure that people can find the website easily when they do a search online. An SEO manager will research keywords, plan content, and build links to improve the website’s search engine rankings.

PPC Manager

A PPC manager plans and manages pay-per-click advertising campaigns. This type of advertising allows businesses to pay for ads that appear on search engines like Google and Bing. A PPC manager will research keywords, create ad copy, and set up bidding strategies.

Web Analyst

A web analyst analyzes website data to understand how people are using the site. This information is then used to improve the website experience. A web analyst will use tools like Google Analytics to track website traffic, conversion rates, and other data.

Video Marketer

A video marketing specialist creates and promotes videos. This can include everything from planning and filming the video to editing and publishing it online. A video marketer may also create promotional videos, product videos, or educational videos.

Graphic Designer

A graphic designer creates visuals for websites, social media, and marketing materials. This can include everything from creating logos to designing infographics. A graphic designer needs to have an eye for aesthetics and be familiar with design software like Adobe Photoshop and Illustrator.

Web Developer

A web developer builds and maintains websites. This can include everything from coding to creating website designs. A web developer needs to have strong technical skills and be familiar with various programming languages.

Digital Sales Manager

A sales manager plans and oversees a company’s sales strategy. This can include setting sales goals, developing marketing plans, and managing a sales team. A sales manager needs to have strong leadership skills and be able to motivate others.

As you can see, there are many different types of digital marketers. Each type of digital marketer has its own set of skills and responsibilities. Content marketing, social media, email marketing, SEO, PPC, web development, and sales are all important aspects of the digital marketing industry.

A successful digital marketing campaign will use a mix of these different types of marketers to achieve the desired goal.

If you’re interested in becoming a digital marketing manager, you can pick a specialty that suits your interests and strengths.

How to Become a Digital Marketer

Now that we know what digital marketing experts do and what skills they need, you might be wondering how you can become one.

Here are a few steps that you can take to become a digital marketer:

1. Get a degree in marketing, advertising, or a related field:

This will give you the basic knowledge and skills that you need for the job.

I have a BFA in Advertising from the Academy of Art, San Francisco. All my classes were art and design-related, and I learned skills I still use today, and it set me on a course to success.

2. Take courses in digital marketing:

There are many online courses that can teach you the specific skills that you need to be successful in this field.

Even after I graduated with an Advertising degree, I took additional courses online, workshops in person, and read a ton of marketing and business books. The market is always changing, new media channels are developing, and new skills are needed. I still take courses to this day to polish up on new technical skills.

3. Start working on some real-world projects:

There is no better way to learn than by doing. Try to get some experience working on marketing campaigns or strategies so that you can see what it is really like to be a digital marketer.

No matter how much you learn in courses or in college, nothing prepares you like real work. Luckily, there are an unlimited number of opportunities for new digital marketers to get their feet wet.

My first projects were my own, for friends and family, and referrals of low-budget business owners that were willing to give me a shot.

4. Stay up-to-date with the latest trends:

The world of digital marketing is always changing, so it is important to stay up-to-date with the latest trends. This will help you be able to understand the market and be able to adjust your strategies and campaigns as needed.

Follow some leaders online in the digital marketing industry, read marketing and business blogs, go to industry events and take digital courses to stay fresh.

5. Get certified:

There are many different certification programs that you can take to show potential employers that you have the skills and knowledge that they are looking for.

Many digital marketing companies offer certifications like Meta, Google, and SEM Rush.

What do digital marketers get paid?

The salary of a digital marketing expert can vary depending on experience and location, but the average salary is around $60,000 per year.

Digital marketing is a challenging field, but it’s also a very rewarding one. If you’re creative, analytical, and have a passion for marketing, then a career in digital marketing may be the right choice for you!

The Future of Digital Marketing

Digital marketing is always evolving, which means that the role of a digital marketer is always changing as well. As new technologies and platforms emerge, a digital marketing managers will need to adapt their campaigns and strategies to stay ahead of the curve.

In addition, as more companies move their advertising budgets away from traditional media and towards digital channels, there will be an increasing demand for digital marketing experts.

This means that there will be plenty of opportunities for those who are interested in this field.

If you are looking for a challenging and exciting career, then digital marketing may be the right choice for you. With the ever-changing landscape of technology, there is always something new to learn, which makes this field both challenging and rewarding.

So if you have an interest in marketing and want to use your skills to help businesses grow, then consider becoming a digital marketing expert.

What do you think? Is a career in digital marketing right for you? Share your thoughts in the comments below!

Looking to learn how to market your own business? See how Torie Mathis can help!