Who Is a Digital Marketer, and How Can You Become One in 2023?

Digital marketing is one of the fastest-growing fields in today’s business world. Learn who a digital marketer is, and how you can become one in Ghana.

The world has gone digital, and people now spend more time on the internet than ever, with the number of internet users increasing with the growing population. Hence, businesses and brands find digital marketing a very effective way of reaching people and promoting their goods and services.

As more businesses incorporate digital marketing, digital marketers enjoy great patronage. As the industry grows, it is becoming more competitive, and becoming a digital marketer is easier said than done. However, this article will provide you with all the information you need to become an expert digital marketer in Ghana.

Who Are Digital Marketers, and What Do They Do?

A digital marketer conducts marketing campaigns by leveraging digital tools and platforms, like social media, email, websites, and search engine rankings, to reach a large audience and promote the goods and services of a business.

The functions of a digital marketer include the following:

• Planning and execution of brand awareness and marketing campaigns.
• Analyzing the performance of marketing campaigns.
• Analyzing the market, consumer behavior, and needs.
• Generating leads for brands and businesses.
• Nurturing and converting leads into active customers.
• Generating traffic to a company’s digital mediums or platforms.
• Driving sales increase by leveraging digital tools.

Why Opt For Digital Marketing?

Digital marketing has permeated our daily lives. In 2022, brands in any imaginable sector are popping up at light speed, and they all engage in digital marketing to shine above the competition. If done right, it can turn millions of first-time website visitors into avid followers. If done poorly, it can forever alienate people from a brand.

Well-trained digital marketers even form their own agencies to manage multiple brands.

That said, the demand for one-of-a-kind digital marketers is higher than ever. Businesses are hunting for professionals, and their expectations are high. However, you might find yourself lost amid a variety of learning options available. Here are the most important skills to nurture and some top-notch services that can help you on the way.

What Skills Do You Need to Become a Digital Marketer?

Today, digital marketing is the only way for a business to maintain a relationship with its customer base and effectively promote its products. Now, you can find a lot of digital marketing courses in the world and in Ghana. But how do you determine which one is best? Experts at the Institute for Digital Marketing and Communication Ghana suggest starting with a certain area of digital marketing that you like.

To conduct effective marketing campaigns as a digital marketer, you must possess certain skills. Each skill serves a specific function and is instrumental to the overall success of your marketing strategy. Here are some of the most widely used ones;

1. Content Writing

Content writing involves using written words or text to inform, educate, engage, or entertain a target audience. Engaging in digital marketing campaigns is only possible using content writing.

Hence, content writing is a crucial skill you must develop to become a digital marketer. As a digital marketer, you’ll use content writing to create ebooks, articles, and blog posts that drive customer engagement and marketing programs.

2. Copywriting

Copywriting is the process of using powerful written words to persuade readers to take action. The aim of writing a copy may be to sell a product, service, or idea to a target audience. Digital marketers use copywriting to create irresistible offers for customers. Hence, copywriting is a vital tool in the arsenal of digital marketers to drive sales.

3. SEO and SEM

Search Engine Optimization involves curating content laced with keywords, updated title and header tags, and other technical SEO tactics to improve its search ranking on the internet. Thus, search-engine-optimized content is easy to find when searched for on the internet.

Search engine-optimized articles make generating free traffic to a company’s website and other digital platforms easy. Then, Search Engine Marketing comes in to promote a company using SEO articles. Therefore, SEO and SEM are important skills digital marketers must possess.

4. Social media management

Social media marketing is using social media to publicize and sell the goods or services of a brand. Seeing the vast, growing population of people and companies who use social media today, learning how to tap this goldmine is an important skill digital marketers must possess.

Whilst this might sound like an easy job to those who spend a large proportion of their time on social media for pleasure, it brings with it huge responsibility when managing the social media accounts of a business. If you work for a digital agency, you might even be managing social media accounts for multiple clients. That means real-time monitoring, posting, and responding to interactions with potential clients.

Whilst most companies will develop a social media calendar and plan, it can also be quite a stressful role if there are unplanned interactions on social media that require an immediate response. Nevertheless, it is easy to see how it can be an ideal job for the right person.

5. Graphic Design

Visual designs are a great way to arrest people’s attention and pass a message to them in the most appealing way. It is always a great idea to accompany your content with a visual design that summarizes the information you intend to convey. Hence, digital marketers should have basic design skills and knowledge of visual tools like Microsoft PowerPoint and Canva.

6. Market Research Analysis

Market research analysis involves the process of gathering, analyzing, and interpreting data about a target market. This data from market research analysis aids a digital marketer in planning the most effective strategy to penetrate the market. Hence, it would help if you learned how to become a market research analyst to succeed as a digital marketer.

7. Effective Communication

Digital marketers typically utilize digital mediums to communicate and effectively convey a message to a target audience. The mode of communication may be through writing, audio tapes, or video sessions. Hence, you must develop effective written and oral communication skills as a digital marketer.

8. Content marketing

This is the most versatile type of marketing. You create useful, high-quality, and engaging materials. They can be Facebook posts, blog articles, YouTube videos, or Instagram shorts.

9. Email marketing

You are introduced to the brand through emails, they offer to tell you more about their product, give you a promo code for a discount, and encourage you to go to the store’s website and buy something. This is the main task of this type of digital marketing, and you can easily master it online.

Email marketing is using email messaging to promote a company or brand. One good reason companies incorporate email marketing is that it provides a one-on-one relationship with the customer, which companies desperately need.

10. Online advertising &Influencer Marketing

Targeting, contextual advertising, banner advertising – all of these are paid ways to promote a company’s goods on different websites. These ads are highly customizable, so they often outperform other types of marketing in terms of driving traffic.

In addition to these areas, there is also influencer marketing. This involves collaborating with famous media personalities, as well as mobile app marketing, CRO, and others.

How to Become a Professional Digital Marketer

Now, having identified the skills used in the digital marketing industry, how can you develop these skills and become a digital marketer?

There are several ways to build a successful career in digital marketing:

Hybrid learning at IDMC Ghana. The best option in terms of a balance between advantages and disadvantages. Especially if you are taking digital marketing courses at IDMC Ghana where digital marketing is mastered in only a few weeks. You can earn Professional Certificates in days while balancing work, family, budget, and life. In addition, at the Institute for Digital Marketing and Communication Ghana, you study only when it’s comfortable for you. The emphasis here is on practice – no superfluous theory, only tools, and actual techniques. The only negative is that most of the courses are not free. But it’s certainly cheaper than classical education and will give you real value for money.

Self-education. YouTube is full of tutorials! It’s free and convenient, however, the material is not structured and can be inconsistent. In addition, the quality can not be guaranteed.

Obtain a Degree in Marketing or Equivalent Subjects. Getting a degree in marketing, business administration, or related fields is a great way to lay the foundation for your career in digital marketing. College education in these subjects helps you learn and understand marketing theory and various industry concepts.

Many universities and colleges offer full or shortened degree programs. The main plus is that they help you search for employment, but there are some disadvantages. First, such training is difficult to combine with work or family. Second, the knowledge that the university provides quickly becomes outdated. It’s also expensive and takes several years to complete. Moreover, most companies will require you to have a degree before employment. Hence, obtaining a university degree is important in your career as a professional digital marketer. Aside the degrees, you will still need some training in Digital Marketing.

Find Digital Marketing Roles to Gain Experience. After obtaining the required knowledge and skills in digital marketing, you need to start gaining experience in the industry to be regarded as a professional. Thus, you can gain experience in the industry by taking up digital marketing roles. A great way to find digital marketing opportunities to gain experience is through freelancing. Freelance digital marketing jobs are becoming increasingly popular as companies look to outsource their branding and marketing needs for cost-effectiveness. Also, you must develop your portfolio by documenting each project and marketing campaign you undertake, as this shows the level of your experience in your career. Building a solid portfolio is especially important because it increases your chances of getting more jobs.

Become a Professional Digital Marketer Today

Traditional marketing is becoming obsolete. Companies now look to digital marketing as the best way to conduct, monitor, and measure the success of their marketing campaigns.

As such, becoming a digital marketer is smart as you can leverage companies to reach wider audiences and build their customer base. In return, you build your portfolio, improve your skills, and earn good money.

Future-Proof Your Career or Business with our professional digital marketing course.

At the Institute for Digital Marketing and Communication Ghana, distance is just a noun or verb NOT a Barrier. Learn at your convenience wherever you are and have extra practical sessions and after-training support at no extra cost.