Why Companies Need Digital Marketing Experts

The average person spends more than 50 hours a week consuming media via computers, smartphones, tablets, TVs and other devices, and online searches have largely replaced the yellow pages as the go-to source for locating goods and services. That means that a business without a strong online presence is invisible to a large and growing pool of potential customers. Building that presence in the digital world requires a solid, multifaceted digital marketing strategy. Building and implementing such a strategy is a complex endeavor, which is why all virtually all companies need to hire digital marketing experts.

What goes into an effective digital marketing strategy

An effective digital marketing strategy has lots of moving parts, each playing an essential role in creating and managing a strong digital presence to promote a company’s products and/or services. These typically include:

• Responsive web design, enabling access via various devices
• Content management
• Value messaging
• Search engine optimization (SEO) strategy
• Social media strategy
• Email/newsletter strategy
• Online advertising
• Lead management
• Sales enablement
• Marketing automation
• Data Analytics

It takes a lot of skill and expertise to do each of these things well, and even more to meld them into a smoothly-coordinated digital marketing strategy. Business owners have two basic choices when it comes to digital marketing – become experts or hire them. For most, hiring experts is the most practical and cost-effective solution – a fact that is driving the current boom in the digital marketing industry as demand for digital marketing professionals (PDF) continues to rise.

Taking advantage of digital marketing demand

The increasing demand for digital marketing experts means that opportunities abound for people who are interested in breaking into the field. If you are one of them, knowing how to leverage that demand to your best advantage is crucial. Perhaps the most important thing to know is the type of talent that is in highest demand – which, according to market research , is the well-rounded digital marketing professional.

While marketing specialists with narrow areas of expertise are plentiful, recruiters and employers are struggling to fill positions that require wide-ranging digital marketing expertise. They are looking for digital marketing generalists who have cultivated a broad knowledge base and skillset pertaining to all critical digital marketing roles.

What that means for the aspiring digital marketing professional is that a well-rounded education is key to optimal marketability in today’s hiring environment. While it may seem tempting to narrow your focus to making getting educated and entering the field faster, building a broader knowledge base will better serve you over the long-run, increasing your income and career advancement potential.

How to become a digital marketing expert

A better way to jump-start your entry into the digital marketing industry is to begin your educational path with a digital marketing diploma program. This course will provide you with a broad-based foundation of skills and knowledge in the major areas of marketing, preparing you for an entry-level marketing position – the first step in building your career.

Then, you can continue on to an associate degree digital marketing course for the more in-depth education you’ll need to move beyond entry level to become a successful, well-rounded marketing professional. Finally, for the skills you need to climb the career ladder, you can continue on to bachelor degree program to acquire the credentials and education you need to qualify for managerial positions within the marketing field.

These courses can be pursued in the traditional college classroom setting or in an online environment. These options offer the flexibility you need to balance your pursuit of a well-rounded digital marketing education with life’s many other daily demands.