Did you know that digital marketing skills make up 20% of digital demand in the UK jobs market? You might also be glad to know that jobs in digital marketing are relatively easily accessible, whether you’re looking to land your first job in the sector, are changing career path later in life, or are looking to access higher level marketing roles.

So how can you excel in a career in digital marketing? Here are 10 top tips from Claire Hoang, Digital Executive Producer at ITV, taken from her session at Digital Skills Fest earlier this year. Find more expert tips from Skills Fest in our Digital Skills Guide here.

1. Know what marketing isn’t (and is!)

According to Claire, marketing isn’t something that gets tacked on at the end of the project. It should be something that’s implemented from the outset and all the way through, no matter what project you’re working on.

2. Know why digital is different

We’re now living in a digital world where customers are bombarded with 3000 ads a day. Platforms have gone from a few players (e.g. newspapers, radio, tv) to fighting for people’s attention, and it’s important to recognise how this changes the landscape of marketing and shapes the digital marketing sector. However, it’s also worth knowing that the basic marketing funnel still applies – so learn it!

3. Learn the difference between organic and paid

Organic reach is who you can access for free. Paid reach is where you’re paying to access specific customers and potential customers. Digital marketing strategies often involve a combination of the two and almost all roles in the sector will require you to understand and be able to implement both successfully.

4. Know what jobs are out there

There are 2 main types of digital marketing roles:

In-house

• This is where you work directly for a company

• There’s usually only one brand priority

• The main stakeholders are other departments

• You’re usually juggling less projects

• These roles require clear decision makers

Agency

• This is where you work with various different clients

• These roles often offer more variety and scope in type of work

• They often also involve longer hours and you may be on call more often

• You’ll also likely be juggling more projects

• Roles require you to offer advice and activation rather than make decisions

5. Know your strengths

As with any industry, you don’t have to be good at everything. But identifying your strengths will allow you to find the right place for you in the industry.

6. Keep learning

The digital marketing industry is always changing, so you must make sure you’re constantly learning and adapting to these changes.

7. ‘Doing it’ beats ‘Thinking it’ every time

The great thing about the digital world is that if you have great creative, you don’t have to wait for someone to find you and tell you; you can just go and do it!

8. Failure is an opportunity

There’s no such thing as a bad failure, as long as you’ve learnt from it.

9. Age is nothing but a number

As long as you’re happy to learn and keep shifting your career, age doesn’t mean anything.

10. You don’t need to know everything to get the job

This point particularly applies to women. Men are more likely to go for a job when they have 60% of the skills needed compared to 100% of the skills in women, and that needn’t be the case. Remember that you can learn new things and you can learn them quickly at any time and any age. Passion is the most important thing.

Find out more about Claire Hoang in this Q&A with our sister brand SocialDay 👉

And of course, make sure to join the waiting list to sign up to Digital Women’s Members Club. Here, you’ll be able to connect one-on-one with other like-minded women and experts in digital and social media marketing.

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