Whether you’re looking to become a digital marketing expert to further your own brand or get your foot into the digital marketing job market, mastering internet marketing can position you as an expert in the field. And that’s why it’s so important to familiarize yourself with every step of the marketing journey–part of becoming a marketing pro is fully understanding how the Internet works when it comes to marketing and, of course, the goals that your career/brand has.
In this article, we’ll dive into the most important things to take into consideration when you’re starting your marketing journey to ensure you’re setting yourself up for success.
What Digital Marketing Knowledge Can Do For You
Let’s take a step back real quick: before we get into the nitty gritty of becoming a digital marketing expert, we need to review why exactly digital marketing is such an attractive career option–and how digital marketing skills can help you in a wide variety of sectors and roles:
Digital marketing can enhance your creativity: with rapidly increasing levels of competition, digital marketers are tasked with coming up with creative and innovative ideas that will set their product or service apart from everyone else. This proclivity for thinking outside the box can help spark your creativity in everything else you do as well.
Digital marketing experience gives you a wide range of experiences: lots of digital marketers wear lots of hats and that’s because the field is constantly evolving and knowledge can expand into a few different areas. It may seem stressful at times, but varied experiences will enhance your knowledge–and make you a more attractive candidate for future roles.
Digital marketing will teach you valuable analytical skills: knowing how to read campaign results and see what’s trending in your sector is a key part of succeeding in digital marketing. And this analytical experience will add valuable skills to your resume, in addition to making you better at your job.
Digital marketing will make you a candidate with lots of potential: between the wide range of skills needed to excel in digital marketing and the experience working in a fast-paced and constantly evolving sector, your digital marketing experience will make you a valuable candidate for future roles.
Becoming a Digital Marketing Expert
Now that you know exactly what becoming a digital marketing expert can do for you, let’s get to the good stuff: how to become a pro. And while we’ve curated these steps to facilitate your journey into digital marketing, make sure you take your specific skills and experiences into account to make this the perfect plan for you.
Choose your area of interest
It’s true that most digital marketers wear lots of hats and have experience in multiple areas, but as you begin your digital marketing journey, you should try to hone in on one or two specific areas where your interests and skills overlap to set yourself up for success. Below we’ve listed some considerations to help you pick the right area for you:
Weigh your strengths and weaknesses: if numbers and data sets aren’t your cup of tea, that’s totally fine: just don’t choose to focus on roles such as SEO specialists or paid advertisers that rely heavily on data to do their jobs. Similarly, if you know you have strong writing skills, consider a content-focused role.
Shop around until you find the right fit: there are tons of free short courses online where you can get a sample of what a role actually does and get your hands dirty before you commit to pursuing a specific area. This can help you be sure of your decision.
Take your professional goals into account: knowing where you’d like to be in five or ten years is a great way to ensure that the area in which you invest your time and skills will help you achieve your goals in the long run.
Dedicate time to learning digital marketing basics
Although you will mainly be working within your chosen area, it’s a good idea to familiarize yourself with basics of other sectors of digital marketing. There are a few reasons why:
Understanding what your colleagues are doing will help you better communicate with them and work together to achieve the best results.
If you land a job at a startup or smaller company, you may have to take on responsibilities that fall outside of your chosen area and with a strong base to build off of, you’ll be better off.
Positioning yourself as a digital marketer with knowledge outside of your specific focus will make you a more valuable candidate for future roles.
Understand your audience
Even the most experienced digital marketers need to take the time to understand their audience and research their needs and wants. What does this mean for beginners? Well, as you either start your digital marketing journey to help your own company or begin looking for roles at established companies, you’ll have to dedicate time to understanding the ideal buyer persona. Ask yourself these questions:
Who is this product or service for?
What are the other options available to this group?
What does this group want/need?
With clear answers to these questions, you’ll be able to directly target your audience and reach them with more ease.
Becoming a digital marketing expert is a journey that requires dedication, continuous learning, and a deep understanding of your audience. Whether you're growing your own brand or stepping into the digital marketing industry, mastering key skills and strategies will set you apart from the competition.
Online marketing bootcamps like Ironhack’s can accelerate your learning, providing hands-on experience that will help you land a job in this exciting field. Ready to take the leap into the world of digital marketing? Start your journey today!
About the Author: Juliette Carreiro is a skilled content creator with over five years of experience in SEO, content ideation, and digital marketing strategy. She has spent more than two years at Ironhack, where she developed in-depth articles on topics ranging from career growth in tech to the future impact of AI. With expertise across tech, hospitality, and education industries, Juliette has helped brands like Ironhack engage their audiences with impactful storytelling and data-driven insights.
