How to Become a Digital Marketing Manager?
Introduction
The digital economy is thriving at an overwhelming rate, which has had a positive impact on job availability and career progression within the industry.
Digital is driving revenue. Its reputation for being a targeted and measurable specialism has meant that digital marketing budgets are expanding aggressively. Organizations have recognized that utilizing digital tools and channels can generate impressive Return On Investment and create a considerable competitive edge.
Digital ad spending worldwide is projected to reach 252 billion dollars by 2018 as it steadily becomes the largest advertising medium, overtaking TV and traditional print and securing its position as the most important component of a successful marketing strategy.
As the demand for digital marketing activity across all industries increases, so does the need for skilled digital marketing managers, who can leverage their core skills to implement and oversee an efficient, effective digital strategy.
There is an urgent need for digital marketing managers
Employment for digital marketing managers is estimated to grow 9 percent from 2014 to 2024, a much faster average than any other occupation.
In an analysis conducted by Moz (which looked at over 75,000 vacancies posted on job websites and LinkedIn to see which job titles appeared most frequently), the most in-demand job titles identified were
If you are looking to advance your career and gain a foothold in a management level position, the digital industry can support your career ambitions. Organizations often look to recruit candidates with a diverse, comprehensive skillset, and a firm understanding of the key practices within digital marketing.
To enhance your employability, all you need to do is consult our essential skills checklist and make sure you’ve ticked the right boxes!
The essential skills checklist
Being an effective digital marketing manager is all about possessing the perfect combination of creative, analytical and technical capabilities. Employers will always favour well-rounded candidates with the ability to conceive high level strategies who can also apply meticulous attention to detail when necessary. To make it that little bit easier for you to achieve your management goals, we’ve outlined the crucial skills you should focus on developing below.
STRATEGIC PLANNING
A digital marketing manager is the architect of an organization’s digital strategy who determines where and how a time’s time and budget is spent.
You may not be involved in executing a strategy at a granular level, but you will need to be able to support your digital marketing team by having a strong understanding of their overall and individual workflows. From setting business objectives, to budget tracking, to measuring overall performance, the more strategic planning experience you can acquire, the better.
Whatever the size of the project, if you can demonstrate and document your ability to manage it effectively, it will benefit your skillset considerably.
ANALYSIS
Being able to assess the effectiveness of your digital marketing strategy is an essential skill for any manager. If you have a talent for leveraging analytics tools, you will be able to identify both issues and opportunities, and ultimately replicate your team’s strategy success.
f you can access and navigate a frequently used tool such as Google Analytics to gain an insight into the wider metrics that matter, you will be better placed to delegate and drive decisions to grow traffic and leads, and drive sales. This will showcase the leadership skills you’ll need to succeed!
BUDGETING
Generally, a large proportion of a website’s traffic is generated by paid advertising, from a sponsored update on LinkedIn or an ad on the Google Display Network. As a digital marketing manager, you will need to be able to allocate and manage budgets and guarantee the best possible Return On Investment for your organization.
Budgeting is a crucial skill for any manager, and one that has a fundamental impact on the success of any digital marketing efforts. Try to gain as much experience as possible in budgeting, whatever the scale, whether it’s a Facebook ad or a Google AdWords campaign. Finding an opportunity within your particular digital specialism to run a budget will significantly help to showcase your management skills
INBOUND MARKETING
A knowledge of key inbound digital marketing concepts is fundamental for a manager. Whether you’re advancing from a specialist role or not, managers are strategic generalists. You need to be able to understand the role of everything from content creation and distribution, personalized email and social media, to the importance of having a search optimized website.
90% of buyers say that when they’re ready to purchase, they’ll find you. You can cement your status as an effective digital marketing manager by encouraging the employment of inbound tactics to help them find you that little bit quicker.
Our students are management material
“Since completing my course with the Digital Marketing Institute, my career has opened up in many directions.
I am presently the Content Marketing Manager at Advance Systems and truly involved in all aspects of digital, including content, lead nurturing, search marketing, social media, analytics, video and so much more. Every day is different.
Since I added my first class honours Masters in Digital Marketing to my LinkedIn profile, my connection requests have gone through the roof, especially from recruiters. “
Pursue your promotion
According to Wanted Analytics, the biggest talent shortage within the digital industry is for marketing manager roles, with an average of only two candidates available per job opening.
You can capitalize upon this urgent demand by strengthening your digital skillset.