Digital marketers are problem-solvers who make data-driven decisions. They’re creative and innovative, often coming up with unique and memorable campaigns. As such, they need to have a growth mindset, where they are constantly upskilling and keeping abreast of industry trends and best practices. They must be flexible enough to keep up with this fast-paced field.
Digital marketers also have good business sense. After all, at the end of the day, marketing’s goal is to increase sales and profits. So, the best digital marketers must justify campaign expenses by showing a return on investment.
Roles in digital marketing
There are so many different specialisations in digital marketing that you could be doing something different every day. You might find yourself planning a social media campaign one day and analysing customer journeys on your website the next. You could even be supervising a photoshoot for content for your digital channels too.
Let’s take a look at the various roles under digital marketing. For each one, you can start as a specialist or officer, working your way up to manager and finally, director.
1. SEO/SEM
SEO stands for Search Engine Optimisation, while SEM stands for Search Engine Marketing. SEO involves structuring your website and optimising content to rank first on search engine results for specific keywords. SEM drives traffic to your website through both SEO and paid ads. Be prepared to stay up to date on the best SEO practices and bidding strategies for pay-per-click ads to get the best out of your marketing approach.
2. Content marketing
Content marketing is about establishing trust with the customer by sharing your expertise on particular topics. As you gain their loyalty, they become more inclined to trust in your product or services. In this area, you’ll also be involved in planning campaigns and working closely with SEO specialists to optimise your content for the right keywords.
3. Social media manager
Social media managers are responsible for creating content calendars, planning ad campaigns, scheduling posts, and engaging with customers on social media platforms. You’ll also engage in “social listening” — finding out what customers think of your brand and protecting brand reputation by monitoring social media channels.
4. Email marketing
This field requires you to think strategically and create different messages tailored to different customer segments. Email marketing has evolved into the art of moving people down the marketing funnel by changing them from potential buyers to loyal customers.
5. Digital marketing analyst
If you enjoy working with numbers, this is the job for you. Digital marketing requires using data to maximise resources and ensure the effectiveness of campaigns. You’ll be responsible for monitoring and analysing data – from customer segments and website traffic, to ad spending and revenue.
6. Digital marketing manager
As a digital marketing manager, you’ll oversee all the job roles listed above. You will plan campaigns across all channels, monitor execution, and evaluate effectiveness in increasing revenue. Apart from good project management and leadership skills, it’s important to have knowledge of the various fields of digital marketing.
Why digital marketing
1. It’s an innovative and exciting field.
As technology continues to evolve, digital marketers discover new and exciting ways to attract, retain and engage customers. This includes using AI chatbots and holding virtual in-game events.
2. Enjoy greater job security and a lucrative salary.
Digital marketing is among the five most in-demand tech skills in Singapore and encompasses various specialisations, such as SEO and content marketing. As the industry evolves and changes, you can easily upskill and pivot from one role to another.
Furthermore, the annual salary for a digital marketing manager range from $45,000 to $110,000, while a director role can earn from $84,000–$250,000 a year.
3. There’s a specialisation for different skills and interests.
Digital marketing has a wide range of subspecialties for people with different talents and interests – there’s content marketing or UX design, digital marketing analyst, or an SEO/SEM manager.
4. There’s a lower barrier to entry.
Unlike hard-tech jobs where you may need a solid background in IT, employers seldom look for a marketing degree so long as you have the skills required. There are even online courses you can take to acquire these skills. MySkillsFuture offers courses on topics from digital marketing to SEO/SEM. Google Academy and Facebook Blueprint also provide certificate courses.
5. You can opt for flexible work.
Given the nature of their job, digital marketers can work from anywhere so long as they have a laptop and a good internet connection. Because of this, employers are more open to offering flexible work arrangements. Once you’ve garnered enough experience, you could even go freelance and build a roster of clients.
This article is contributed by Jobstreet by Seek.
