Top 7 Skills Every Digital Marketer Should Know

The digital marketing world is an exciting and fast moving place, often innovative and frequently evolving. If you’re keen to get ahead in this industry then these are the key skills that you need to develop.

1. A sound understanding of Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) and Search Engine Marketing (SEM)

You don’t need to be a specialist to get ahead in digital marketing but a robust understanding of SEO and SEM is crucial. Optimising content and what constitutes best practice will be essential in terms of SEO. A good understanding of SEM will ensure that you can see how this integrates into every campaign and interact with others in terms of where and how to use it.

2. A good grasp of analytics

Working with data is a given in digital marketing today. Using platforms such as Google Analytics will provide you with key insights but you also need to know how to apply these insights to help generate results, such as increasing conversions. The more you understand how to apply analytics to support goals and strategy in new and innovative ways, the easier it will be to get ahead.

3. Familiarity with technology

From smart phones to a Content Management System (CMS), all are likely to be relevant and useful in a digital marketing role. Familiarity with the most commonly used software and online tools, as well as some knowledge of coding will also be helpful.

4. Being able to integrate video

More than 80% of customers are likely to buy a product after seeing it in a video and video can also provide a considerable boost to search engine rankings. You don’t need to be a video production professional but if you have the knowhow to create quick, basic videos yourself, including familiarity with software such as Apple Final Cut, your skills will be a valuable asset.

5. Stepping up to the content challenge

Being able to create or source fantastic, SEO-effective content is crucial today in digital marketing – but that’s not the only skill required. You must also understand what it takes to get consumers to engage with that content. Being able to work with analytics, social media and a wide range of content types, and to tie all this together into an effective, focused strategy is an essential part of the digital marketing role today.

6. Be comfortable with human-centred thinking

Another term for this is design-based thinking, which applies five key phases – empathise, define, ideate, prototype, and test – to thinking, planning and problem solving. This can be a useful way to ensure that you’re always approaching challenges from the perspective of user experience and will make it easier to work this designers and developers who regularly rely on this type of process.

7. Master the art of persuasion

This is all about being able to convince other people and having the confidence to back your own strategies and ideas.

These are the 7 key skills that every digital marketer looking to get ahead should know. Get in touch with our team today to find out whether we’d be a good fit to work with you.