If you are considering a career in digital marketing, then congratulations! You have chosen a career path that offers great adventure and opportunity. As the world turns to a digital sphere, the opportunities in this field never cease to grow. There are however, many opportunities within the field that is digital marketing and not all of them are suited to everyone. In order to thrive as an online marketer, it is key to develop the right skillset and gain the appropriate knowledge to do your job successfully. In this article, we will cover several tactics and strategies for a successful transition to a career in digital marketing.
Start A Blog
The first step to gaining the skillset and knowledge needed to succeed in this field is to develop the right mindset. One of the best pieces of advise that I can give you is to start a blog. A successful blog doesn’t mean that you have to have breaking news or be the best writer in the world, it just means that you should be able to pull off the following three things effectively and consistently.
- Create quality content that is useful and educational.
- Engage with your audience through a responsive design.
- Use a content schedule.
A blog teaches you how to write for the web, which is a skill that will serve you well in your career as an online marketer. It also provides you with the opportunity to build a community around your work, which is vital for any career in marketing. The best part about starting a blog is that it doesn’t require a lot of investment. All you need is a place to publish your work, a few graphics, and you’re good to go. If you want to get started, I would recommend WordPress.com. Not only does it have a fantastic free plan, but you can also build your own professional looking blog in no time at all.
Build A Portfolio
In addition to a blog, you should also be setting up a portfolio. This is a collection of your work that will serve as your digital marketing resume. You should be putting together a variety of material that will showcase your skills, both written and digital. This will help you gain the freelance work necessary to support yourself while you gain experience.
A portfolio isn’t just limited to web content, you can also include your own graphics, photos, and any other material that you feel would be beneficial for employers to see. You can use a site like Portfolio.com to build a cohesive portfolio that showcases your work. Make sure that you keep this up-to-date as you continue to build out your career.
Attend Online Marketing Conferences
One of the best ways to stay abreast of industry trends and developments is to regularly attend online marketing conferences. Not only do they allow you to network with industry greats, but they also allow you to discover emerging topics and technologies that you can incorporate into your own work. Conferences aren’t free, but they offer great value and shouldn’t be overlooked by anyone considering a career in marketing.
To get started, simply search for online marketing conferences near you and then attend the ones that seem the most interesting and relevant to your career. Once you have established yourself within the industry, you can begin to specialize in certain areas like SEO or content strategy, and then move towards more prominent events.
Look For Opportunities To Participate In Research/Design Studies
If you have a genuine interest in the pharmaceutical industry, you can look for opportunities to participate in clinical trials or design studies for new drugs. Not only does this allow you to help contribute to medical research, but it also allows you to gain valuable experience alongside some of the most prominent names in the industry. You will need to be in reasonably good physical condition to participate in clinical trials, but the opportunities that you gain from participating in a design study are invaluable and should not be overlooked by anyone considering a career in marketing.
Design studies are basically observational studies where groups of people either get a new drug or a placebo. One of the primary objectives of a design study is to see how well the drug works in comparison to a placebo, so you will need to ensure that you look for these opportunities with a pharmaceutical company. If you have a genuine interest in this area, then I would recommend that you look for opportunities to participate in a design study. It’s an excellent way to get experience in a high-profile role, while also contributing to medical research.
Specialize In Data Analysis
With every new algorithm and change in the way that we access and consume content, data analysis becomes more important than ever. This is especially true for online marketers who want to stay abreast of the most recent trends and developments in their industry. If you can become specialized in data analysis, then it will be a simple matter of time before you become invaluable to any company.
The best way to get started with data analysis is through specialized training, either online or at a college. Whatever route you take, make sure that you stay informed of the opportunities that are out there, and make the most of them.