What Qualifications Do You Need to Be a Digital Marketer?
What Qualifications Do You Need to Be a Digital Marketer?
The qualifications needed to become a digital marketer can vary depending on the specific role and the employer. However, here are some common qualifications that many employers look for in a digital marketer:
Bachelor’s degree in marketing, communications, or a related field
Many employers prefer or require a degree related to marketing. Having a business, marketing, or communications degree means you have the foundational knowledge of communicating to an audience, which is a crucial component of digital marketing. But possibly more important than a bachelor’s degree is a professional digital marketing certification. The reality is most universities and colleges do not teach digital marketing, or devote very little to it.
Relevant work experience
For a fresh graduate or entry-level position, a marketing or related degree is a major plus. However, for intermediate-level digital marketing roles, employers will look for relevant work experience in lieu of a degree. And if you are trying to break into a digital marketing career, if you have experience running an online business or freelancing as a social media marketer, you already have an edge even if you don’t have a marketing degree.
However, if you have zero digital marketing work experience, you have much higher chances of getting hired if you have a digital marketing certification. For employers, it means you don’t required to be trained from scratch as you already have foundational knowledge in digital marketing. Getting a Professional Diploma in Digital Marketing gives you this edge.
Strong written and verbal communication skills
Much of digital marketing involves writing copy and creating content, as well as communicating with clients, agencies, and team members. Content marketing, social media marketing, email marketing, digital advertising, and SEO all require excellent writing skills.
Knowledge of digital marketing concepts and strategies
You need to be well versed in digital marketing concepts, such as SEO, PPC, social media marketing, email marketing, and content marketing. Many digital marketing professionals know only one area of digital marketing. They know social media marketing but have little experience with SEO, and vice versa.
If you want to have a holistic skill set, consider enrolling in the digital marketing course in the Philippines, such as the Certified Digital Marketing Professional (CDMP) program from the Digital Marketing Institute (DMI), which covers all these areas of digital marketing.
Experience using digital marketing tools and platforms
You will not survive as a digital marketer if you do not know how to use digital marketing tools such as Google Analytics, Google Ads, Facebook Ads, Hootsuite, SEMrush, and others. It is not enough to know how to post content on Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube. You should also be able to use various social media, social listening, keyword research, and analytics tools.
If you want to learn how to use different platforms and digital marketing software, enroll in the the Certified Digital Marketing Professional (CDMP) program, which provides detailed walkthrough videos and practical exercises that let you use different digital marketing tools and platforms.
Knowledge of web and UX design
While you don’t need to know web technologies and programming languages, such as HTML, CSS, and JavaScript, to be a digital marketer, you should have at least some idea about them. More importantly, you need to be knowledgeable of web design and UX (user experience) design. This does not require coding skills but fundamental knowledge of designing a website that is user-friendly, easy to navigate, fast loading, and mobile responsive.
Remember that many digital marketers are responsible for creating and maintaining a company’s website. If you don’t know these things and how they impact search engine rankings and website conversions, you won’t know what to ask of web developers and graphic designers.
Strong analytical skills
Digital marketing is not just writing compelling copy and effective social media posts. While it is a highly creative profession, it is also involves highly analytical work. As a digital marketer, you need to be able to measure and analyze the success of your digital marketing campaigns. You should be able to know which metrics to measure, how to interpret data, and turn those data into useful insights for reporting to the higher-ups and making the necessary changes. So, yes, you should know how to use Google Analytics and the reporting features of different social media platforms.
Creativity and problem-solving skills
Creativity doesn’t mean being artistic. Digital marketers are often responsible for coming up with new and innovative ways to reach and engage with their target audience. It involves figuring what makes your ideal customers tick, how to reach them effectively, and what to do to increase performance. These are all problems that you need to solve creatively.
Experience working with a team
Digital marketing is not a solo effort. It’s often a collaborative effort and many digital marketers work as part of a larger marketing team. Even in smaller organizations where you’re the all-around digital marketer, you still have to report to your boss and coordinate with the sales and marketing teams.
It’s worth noting that the specific qualifications needed to become a digital marketer can vary depending on the employer and the specific role. Some employers may place more emphasis on certain qualifications over others, and some roles may require more specialized skills or experience. If you want to be a complete digital marketer, having a digital marketing certification will fill any of your knowledge gaps and make you a more valued and effective digital marketer.
