Digital marketers are in demand now. That’s what I see on every ad that pops up on my social feed. My thoughts? Yes and no.
In an infographic by LinkedIn, job postings for marketing roles has seen a 63% increase since September 2020. Of the top 10 jobs posted, half of them are in the digital or media space. While the demand for digital marketers see an uprising trend, not every marketer gets the job.
Every year, hoards of marketing graduates seek employment. With an abundance of marketers available in the market, employers want to pick the cream of the crop. It is no longer sufficient for marketers to just be able to write blog articles and schedule a few social posts.
Copywriting & Editing
This is one of the most essential skills of digital marketers. Copywriting is needed in the core duties of digital marketing such as composing ad texts, social media posts, EDMs and SEO. Additionally, internal campaign reporting also requires strong writing skills. Companies are also expecting digital marketers to have experience in storyboarding and script writing.
Copywriting is more so important now, where content is king. Consumers are faced with so many ads and content daily. How does your copywriting stand out against competitors?
Not like this, I hope.
Data Analytics
This is often missing on the job descriptions of digital marketing job listings. It is important for marketers to measure the effectiveness of campaigns. Excuse me, this is Marketing 101. Without clear objectives and a set of metrics to measure how successful a campaign has been, there is no way to justify ad spend or improve the campaign.
On top of that, digital marketing is driven by data. It is important for marketers to be able to analyse data and derive sensible insights. This will essentially help in campaign optimisation.
Web Maintenance
Web maintenance refers mainly to the update of content on the front end. In the past, websites were written with codes, so only the IT team had the expertise to maintain the website and its content. Whenever there was a need to update the website, IT would have to do it.
The introduction of Content Management Systems (CMS) made web maintenance easier. CMS gained popularity due to its user-friendly interface. In addition, advance knowledge also wasn’t necessary to use CMS. Gradually, updating web content was passed on to digital marketers.
While CMS makes website maintenance easier, there is still a need for digital marketers who can understand basic coding. The two most important coding skills in digital marketing are HTML and CSS.
Creative Designing
Having experience in art and designing definitely puts you at a better position. Generally, though, digital marketers are not designers. Digital marketing focuses on managing content, strategical planning, and data analytics.
Designing is a specialised industry where designers put in years of hard work to hone their skills. Most digital marketers have the skills to edit creatives. But expecting them to create a year’s worth of creatives just so that the company can scrooge on designers is exploitative.
Are you the Digital Marketer?
I definitely agree that digital marketing roles are in demand now. However, not all marketers are the same. Furthermore, the size of the company has a direct impact on your specialisation. An all-rounded candidate will do well in SMEs. While a highly specialised candidate will prefer the environment in MNCs.
At the end of the day, you need to apply for the right role, regardless of its demand.
