Digital marketing is no longer a niche industry. It has become an integral part of a company’s marketing activities to boost brand awareness, engage prospects and customers, drive traffic, and generate quality leads.
Brands that want to succeed in today’s fast-moving digital world need marketers with great digital skills knowledge and qualifications that go beyond basic marketing strategies to ensure their products and services are visible online.
The good news for budding marketers is that there’s huge demand, as digital marketing roles are set to grow by 6% (higher than the average job growth rate) by 2032 according to the U.S Bureau of Labor. This growth is fueled by the emergence of new technologies such as artificial intelligence (AI) to automate and streamline many marketing tasks.
So if you’re considering a digital marketing career, a good place to start is by understanding what digital marketers do and the skills required.
- What is a Digital Marketer?
- What are the Key Digital Marketing Skills?
- Desirable Skills to Future-Proof Your Career
- What are the Popular Digital Marketing Roles?
What is a Digital Marketer?
A digital marketer is responsible for using a variety of digital channels to build brand awareness, engage customers, and generate leads.
There are many channels a digital marketer can use, such as:
- Websites
- Social media networks and apps (e.g. Facebook, YouTube, X, and Instagram)
- Search engines (e.g. Google and Bing)
- Email marketing
- Search Engine Optimization (SEO)
- Paid advertising (e.g. Pay-Per-Click and Cost-Per-Click)
- Content marketing
- Influencer marketing
Beyond this, a digital marketer must also be able to track performance across channels using data. This will help to identify any opportunities and gaps to optimize activities or campaigns.
Being able to develop and implement a digital marketing strategy is also important especially for small or medium sized businesses where resources may be precious.
Top tip: If you’re starting out on a digital marketing career, you may wonder whether you should learn a broad set of skills or become specialized in one area. While there is demand for specialties like social media managers and SEO managers, it can be beneficial to gain a range of skills at the start and then figure out which area you’re passionate about.
What are the Key Digital Marketing Skills?
Being a digital marketer is an exciting job because it can change so much from day to day. One day you could be creating a social media content schedule to post content across channels and the next you could be setting up an email workflow to re-engage lapsed subscribers.
It’s this level of variety that requires marketers to have a wide range of knowledge and skills. According to new research by the DMI of marketing, HR, L&D and sales leaders, the top skill that businesses lack in their teams is AI at 54%, followed by SEO (44%), and data analytics (42%).
So what skills should you be looking to acquire and cultivate to become an in-demand digital marketer? Let’s take a look at the top 5.
1. Digital Marketing Skills – Video Marketing
It’s hard to catch people’s attention online. That’s why 91% of businesses use video as a marketing tool and 88% see video as an important part of their overall strategy, according to Wyzowl research.
While YouTube has long been recognized as a search engine, TikTok is becoming a search engine that marketers need to pay attention to.
There’s also Google search which can increase the visibility of a brand and its content through video. People can see videos on Google’s main search page, on the videos Search tab and in Discover.
Important skills for video marketing are understanding how to write a video script, how to use creative platforms to create great short-form videos, and what types of videos perform (e.g. product demos, explainers).
With video marketing now an integral part of a content marketing strategy, make sure you understand how to use it effectively on platforms to engage your audience.
2. Digital Marketing Skills – SEO & SEM
Online searches drive traffic to a website, ad or landing page. Therefore it’s important for anyone interested in working in digital marketing to understand Search Engine Optimization (SEO) and Search Engine Marketing (SEM).
You don’t have to worry about the back-end techy stuff here. It’s more about understanding what SEO is and how it works. This should give you an understanding of how to find and use relevant keywords, the importance of internal linking (such as linking to other blogs internally) and external links (to build authority) as well as content and image optimization.
Here’s a short video to teach you about the nuts and bolts of SEO.
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Search Engine Marketing has the same goal as SEO – to drive people to your site or landing page, but you pay money to achieve that. By using a relevant keyword, SEM enables your business to appear as a top result for that search query.
For example, when you type in ‘summer hat’ a carousel of sponsored posts or paid ads shows up above the organic searches. That’s SEM in action.
Understanding how SEO and SEM work together and impact your online efforts will allow you to work with a digital team without looking like you’re in the wrong business.
3. Digital Marketing Skills – Content Marketing
It’s also become easier to research, brainstorm and draft content by using AI tools for copywriting. Be aware that you’ll still need to review, edit and sense check any content created by AI, the human touch is invaluable when creating content for an audience.
Here’s a walkthrough from AI educator and copywriter, Kerry Harrison on how to use Google’s AI tool, Gemini for copywriting and content creation.
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Understanding all aspects of content, how it’s created, how it’s effective, and how to use it across different platforms and to target different demographics will provide the information you need to perform well in a digital marketing role and grow a business.
You’ll have to understand how best to use content to help a business meet its goals. For example, if a business wants to increase leads (like they all do!), then creating data capture content could help such as an ebook or toolkit.
STAT – 74% of companies say that content marketing has proven effective in boosting lead generation – Forbes Advisor
Content marketing is a crucial part of digital marketing. It helps to attract, engage, influence and convert customers. Therefore having an understanding of it and gaining experience in it is an essential skill.
Top tip: Not every content type will suit a business. For example whitepapers and original research may be more effective for B2B businesses or those with complex products or services. Look at competitors if you’re not sure and don’t be afraid to experiment with new formats (e.g. infographic or carousel).
4. Digital Marketing Skills – Data & Analytics
Analytics is central to every facet of digital marketing. With so many channels providing data, it’s important to be able to generate reports from many sources but also know how to use data analytics to drive better business insights.
Monitoring campaigns and applying findings based on consumer behavior will allow you to come up with data driven solutions that will increase conversions and drive traffic.
Ultimately, analytics will help you plan the optimum consumer journey so you’re communicating at each stage to help inform and convert.
One of the best platforms to use and get experience in is Google Analytics as this can provide insights on any website. Social media platforms also have analytics built in so you can get insights on customer behavior while customer relationship management platforms (with email capabilities) are also useful such as Salesforce, Marketo or HubSpot.
Gathering and using data is essential in a digital marketing role as the information collected by today’s businesses is a gold mine to be used in innovative ways to attract and retain customers.
Top tip: If you have an interest in this area, listen to our expert podcast that describes life as an analyst.
5. Digital Marketing Skills – AI
The advancement of AI technologies like ChatGPT and Gemini has created a buzz amongst marketers.
There are many benefits of using AI as it can take over menial or repetitive tasks, drive automation and enhance personalization. But there are also risks like security and ethics.
So, it’s important to have an understanding of the technology and use some of the tools to see what they can do. In essence, it’s important to have skills that can leverage AI.
Marketers with AI experience are becoming more desirable. A survey we conducted with 277 marketers found that 64% are more likely to hire a new employee who had an AI certification vs someone who didn’t.
From content ideation and generation to SEO and data analysis, AI is a helpful skill for any digital marketer so it’s worth upskilling or even doing an AI course to outshine your peers.
Top tip: Experiment with using prompts on ChatGPT to see how you can use it for generating content ideas, seeing content gaps or even creating drafts.
6. Digital Marketing Skills – PPC
While organic traffic can be effective it takes longer to see an impact. In comparison, paid advertising is used by many companies as it can get quick results and target the right people to drive high-quality leads.
That’s why many businesses look for marketers with PPC experience – otherwise known as pay-per-click.
PPC executives or specialists are responsible for:
- Keyword research
- Optimizing web and landing pages
- Bidding strategies
- Using conversion rate optimization techniques
- Tracking ad performance
- Copywriting
While you don’t need to be in charge of PPC campaigns, it’s worth knowing how they work and the impact on the customer journey.
7. Digital Marketing Skills – UX
The user experience is key to digital marketing success. Thinking about how customers and potential customers interact with your website or apps is crucial as it helps engage them by ensuring their online experiences are seamless.
With so many digital platforms on offer for customers to get information, read reviews and purchase it’s easy for companies to fall down at some point on the customer journey.
For example, let’s say you run an ad campaign on Facebook with the intention of directing people to a custom landing page. In that simple step there are a few elements to think about. Is the message the same or consistent? Does the landing page look the same as the ad (colors, font, etc.)? Is the call-to-action what a customer expects from reading the ad?
It’s important to consider every touchpoint when setting up a digital marketing campaign or even just sending people to the website. Consistency is crucial along with matching the intent at each step.
Desirable Skills to Future Proof Your Career
Along with technical skills, soft or professional skills are becoming more important to employers.
A survey from Express Employment Professionals found that 59% of businesses say finding qualified applicants for open positions is one of their greatest difficulties with 33% saying one of the main reasons is that applicants lack soft skills such as communication, problem-solving and adaptability.
These types of skills give you the ability to see beyond the ideas presented and look at the potential opportunities or challenges it might cause. You may also be able to suggest improvements based on instincts and ensure your ideas are feasible.
Here are some of the skills that will help you achieve that.
Technical Knowledge
Technology is the driving force in the digital world, so you have to understand what the latest technology is and how it is being used.
Many organizations have been slow to progress digital transformation but as a marketer, you need to adapt quickly to changes in the industry and know what’s coming so that your digital marketing plans are up to date.
Using technology has to come easy to you, and you cannot be intimidated by change. No matter where you want to begin (or end up) in your career, some knowledge of web coding, AI and content management systems are a must as experts predict that the future of marketing is a combination of technology and talent.
Persuade and Influence
More than ever you’ll need an understanding of how to engage a customer. You will need great persuasion skills to implement innovative campaigns that will help grow the business.
In addition, you have to understand what gets today’s consumers to make the commitment and convert to making a purchase.
It’s not enough to just get people to follow social media networks. You also have to persuade from within. Your team, other departments, and leaders will need to be convinced that your spending recommendations are on the right digital channels propped up with the right digital strategy.
Understanding all aspects of digital marketing, from SEO to content, from social media to the latest in AI is the best way to keep people on board with your plans.
Problem-solving
As a digital marketer, there can be a lot to juggle and inevitable challenges will arise. That could mean a campaign doesn’t perform as expected or data that doesn’t seem to add up.
This makes problem-solving an important skill for marketers. The ability to take a breath and think about an issue or get a team together to brainstorm possible solutions is one that can help change the course of a marketing campaign for the better.
Problem-solving skills can help you to evaluate results and refine tactics to find solutions that are effective and aligned with broader marketing goals.
By leveraging problem-solving skills, marketers can optimize campaigns, enhance customer engagement, and drive business growth in an ever-changing environment.
What are the Popular Digital Marketing Roles?
If you want to get more specific and explore the types of digital marketing jobs available, there are many paths you can choose including:
- SEO Manager: As an SEO Manager, you will use your SEO skills to help drive content and engagement. Your input would be used to keep content creators on target with valuable insight into the strategy required to enhance performance on search engines and social media.
- Content Marketing Specialist: In this role, you must be able to create and distribute great content aligned to a content strategy to ensure you increase traffic and search rankings. You would create a plan for what formats to use and how to use them; anything from ideas for social media videos, to brand style guidelines to using memes!
- Social Media Manager: A Social Media Manager focuses on social media creating an effective schedule for posts and overseeing or, in some cases, creating the posts. Again, a crossover is always possible so you might work with a content marketing specialist, SEO team, and other digital marketers as part of an overall digital marketing strategy. A social media style guide is a great tool for aspiring Social Media Managers as it helps to ensure consistency across channels.
- Martech Specialist : This position would deal with the effects and results of a marketing campaign. It is also a more technology-focused position in which you would be finding the best marketing automation tools to help discover important customer behaviors and plot funnel conversions. You would be involved in measurement and statistics while tracking campaign performance.
- Digital Marketing Manager: In this position, you would oversee developing the overall content strategy as well as marketing campaigns. As a Digital Marketing Manager, your job is to boost brand awareness while driving traffic to acquire new customers. You’ll often be responsible for keeping up with new technologies to optimize your digital marketing efforts and analyze campaigns to track results and measure ROI.
