From ads to analytics: A beginner's guide to digital marketing
From ads to analytics: A beginner's guide to digital marketing
Digital marketing isn’t rocket science, but it can be hard to get your head around if you’re new to the field. There are so many different acronyms, buzzwords and strategies out there that it can be difficult to tell what’s relevant and what isn’t. This beginner’s guide will help you get started with digital marketing, explain some of the common jargon in plain English and introduce you to some of the best free resources out there.
What is digital marketing?
Digital marketing is a subset of marketing that focuses on using online platforms to increase visibility and sales of a product or service. It includes search engine optimization (SEO), pay-per-click advertising (PPC), social media marketing, and content marketing. Digital marketers can specialize in a certain digital channel where they excel, like SEO or content marketing. They may also be generalists who wear many hats—and who know how all digital channels work together.
As a whole, digital marketing is constantly changing and evolving, so you’ll need quick analytical skills, strong critical thinking and clear communication in order to adapt and learn. Also, you should be comfortable with data visualization and data management; good writing skills are also important if you’re looking for a career in content writing or blogging. If you prefer visual learning methods instead of reading text, consider watching infographics and video blogs that provide visual interpretation of content or industry statistics. Hands-on experience is also essential—getting your feet wet with real client work will give you invaluable insight into how different companies operate in the field.
Where to start?
Many marketers suggest that beginners should start with online advertising since it can be scaled in a cost-effective way. To do so, you’ll need to figure out your budget and audience goals, then choose from a range of different advertising options, such as search engine marketing (SEM), social media, and mobile. Keep in mind that to achieve your business goals—whether it’s driving traffic to your website or selling more products—you’ll also need to know how people are converting at each stage of their journey. That’s where digital analytics comes into play.
How do you become an expert?
Experts make an effort to stay up-to-date on trends and technologies that affect their industry. The best way to do that is often through online forums, blogs, seminars, conferences and other meetups. When you surround yourself with like-minded people who have similar interests, you gain a better understanding of what’s happening in your field—and you get exposed to new ideas. Just be sure not to become too tied down trying to learn everything there is about a particular subject. It’s important for newbies and experts alike not only understand how technology fits into their work but also how it interacts with everyone else’s technology—from programming languages to social media channels. That way, you can create more effective campaigns that reach broader audiences across more devices.
Where to do digital marketing
There are a lot of ways to do digital marketing, including social media (Facebook, Twitter), search engine optimization (SEO), and paid advertising. If you're just getting started, try to pick two or three of these marketing tactics and learn as much as you can about them. As you build your knowledge base, you can continue to add other strategies to your arsenal. Some helpful resources for learning digital marketing include: HubSpot's Inbound Marketing Tutorial : This extensive course covers most digital-marketing areas in detail, so it's an excellent place to start if you're new to inbound marketing. The Smashing Magazine Online Marketing Handbook : Here you'll find a breakdown of various forms of digital-marketing that includes theory and practical guides on how they're done.
How much we earn from digital marketing
Even if you're not marketing a digital product yourself, and therefore don't need a lot of traffic from social media or SEO, it can still be extremely valuable to understand these platforms. How much we earn from digital marketing? In 2017, 40% of marketers said they planned on increasing their spending on content marketing in 2018. While that's good news for many brands and agencies that rely on search and social media marketing (SMM), it also means competition will increase even more.
Feedback
Regardless of what you do, don’t stop asking for feedback. The worst thing you can do is believe that your first draft is perfect. It isn’t; it’s just something to work from. Send your document around and get as much feedback as possible before hitting publish. (Bonus points if you can publish after incorporating some of those revisions.)
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