Online Master’s Degree in Digital Marketing

With the Covid restrictions becoming less stringent, companies can now allow employees to work remotely. Having a remote-working strategy in place during this time of social distancing can benefit businesses in a number of ways.

One of the most effective tools for businesses are digital marketing degrees. These online master’s degrees can equip future employees with the knowledge and skills needed to take on the role of a digital marketer.

Why Online Degrees

With the world shifting to a digital sphere, it’s essential that businesses seek to stay ahead of the competition. By providing their employees with training in digital marketing, companies can equip them for the future.

The benefit of an online master’s degree is that it doesn’t require as much physical interaction as a campus-based degree. Therefore, those who complete it can continue to work remotely for a company.

In addition, since the curriculum is designed to be accessed online, it means that individuals can study at their own pace. Finally, since it is online, there is no need to worry about finding a place to study or to eat every day. You can study where and when you want, potentially making it easier to keep motivated.

Digital Marketing Degrees

With the role of a digital marketer changing to fit the needs of the industry, it’s essential that employees are equipped with the right skills. In order to succeed as a digital marketer, one needs to have a solid foundation in digital marketing:

Sales

The sales component of a digital marketer’s role is largely the same as it was in the physical world. However, since sales will increasingly take place online, digital marketers need to be familiar with modern sales techniques such as:

  • Digital marketing automation
  • Inbound marketing
  • Email marketing
  • Content marketing
  • Social media marketing
  • Performance marketing
  • Marketing analytics

Marketing Management

As a digital marketer, you will be responsible for implementing and managing all marketing activities. This includes overseeing the following:

  • Planning
  • Evaluation
  • Campaign management
  • Measurement
  • Analysis
  • Reporting
  • Updating CMS

To become a successful digital marketer, you will need to understand the foundations of marketing including the following:

  • Overview of the marketing mix
  • Product (Market segment)
  • Price
  • Place (Location)
  • Channel of distribution (How to get the product to the consumer)
  • Allocation of budget
  • Organization chart
  • Operations
  • People
  • Environment
  • Means of measuring progress (Gap analysis, KPI’s)

Skills Needed

Since becoming a digital marketer doesn’t necessarily require a specific degree, you don’t necessarily need to have one to start your career. However, the more education you have, the more options you will have for jobs. Here is a short list of the skills you will need to succeed as a digital marketer:

Communication (writing and speaking)

The ability to effectively communicate both orally and in written form is paramount to becoming a successful digital marketer. This includes being able to effectively convey your thoughts through emails and blog posts as well as being able to take an impromptu conversation and turn it into engaging, detailed written content. If you are seeking to work in a digital environment, then having the ability to rapidly generate appealing, engaging content is arguably the single most important skill you can develop. This content can then be used to market your products or services to online audiences. In order to develop this skill, you will need to ensure you practice regularly and work on improving your writing style and grammar. In addition to this, you will need to ensure you develop both oral and written communication skills. While many employers may not require you to have a formal education in communicating, having these skills certainly enhances your employability.

Computer Skills

Even if you don’t have a formal education in computers, you will undoubtedly have learned a thing or two during your time as a student. With the increasing number of employees working remotely, it is essential that businesses ensure their employees can access the necessary tools to do their work. In addition to this, the ability to use basic computer software such as Word and Excel is also incredibly important. If an employer doesn’t provide their employees with the necessary tools to do their job, then this could potentially be a serious disadvantage.

Since the role of a digital marketer is information-based, you will need to ensure you have the ability to search for and find the necessary information. This could include accessing online marketing tools like Google Analytics to find out how your campaigns are performing or using a content analysis tool like Hootsuite to find and pull together all of the content that is being shared across social media channels. To help you with this, make sure you familiarize yourself with the various terms used in relation to marketing and digital marketing. In addition to this, you will also need to be able to use your technical knowledge to navigate and operate various software packages such as:

  • E-commerce platforms such as Shopify and Big Commerce
  • Email marketing automation platforms such as MailChimp
  • Website builders such as WordPress
  • Social media management platforms such as Hootsuite
  • Marketing and analytics platforms such as Google Analytics
  • Collaboration software such as Slack, Zoom, and Teams

Along with these skills, you will also need to develop skills specific to the industry. Since digital marketing is a constantly evolving field, it is important that employees stay abreast of the latest trends in the industry and are able to continue learning. In order to do this, make sure you familiarize yourself with blogs and websites written by experts in the field as well as keeping up-to-date with news articles relating to digital marketing. In addition to this, since marketing is such a broad field, there is always plenty of room for advancement. Make sure you identify any skills you feel you could further develop and take the time to do so. In doing so, you may be able to land yourself a higher paying job or secure a coveted promotion.

Get A Master’s Degree

Even if you don’t have a specific degree, getting an online master’s degree in digital marketing can open countless doors for you. By gaining expertise in the field, you can begin to position yourself for a career in one of the most in-demand industries.

Since there is no specific degree required to enter the field, you don’t necessarily need to go to university to gain experience. Instead, you can gain experience by continuing your education through a variety of online courses or by getting a job in the field. As a result, many of the skills you will need can be learned on the job or through a formal education combined with continuous learning.

To end, let’s discuss the benefits of an online master’s degree in more detail. Having a job that pays well, allows you to pursue your dreams, and gives you the flexibility to study when you want will certainly outweigh the convenience of getting a degree from a traditional campus.