Summary
If you are a newbie, start with the basics. A strong understanding of Excel is crucial for a newcomer
Understand the language of the market, and weave interesting stories around them so that you can sell your ideas to potential clients or your reporting boss
Elon Musk, the global billionaire, has invested a mammoth sum of money on Twitter. Musk's bonhomie with the digital space started long back when he was heading the digital payment medium, PayPal in 1999. Not only Musk, but there is also a slew of other entrepreneurs who are aggressively investing money to tap into the potential of the fast-emerging global IOT market. Experts believe that the pandemic has fuelled the growth of the global digital economy. This boost in the digital economy has opened a new window of opportunity for digital marketing professionals across the globe. If you are a skilled digital marketing professional in India, then brace yourself for bigger and better opportunities.
Latest reports suggest that the Indian digital marketing space is going to thrive manifold in the coming few years. The Indian advertising industry has hit $11.1 billion in size in 2022. Of this, 34% of spends happened on digital channels. The share of digital marketing spend in India has in fact increased from 12% to 34% from 2016 to 2021. Most startups and SMEs and small businesses are choosing smart and pocket-friendly digital marketing strategies to reach their targeted market. And by 2025, the digital marketing ecosystem is projected to flourish with opportunities.
In this post-pandemic era, most companies are eager to generate revenue with the help of digital media. Large, medium and small-scale enterprises have understood the importance of digital marketing and bagged healthy ROI by investing a minimal amount. The demands for professional, skilled and tech-savvy digital marketers will spike, and professionals in this field will be able to find good opportunities and fat pay packages. However, to earn a competitive advantage in the digital arena, digital marketing professionals should keep these simple steps in mind:
Master Excel-
If you are a newbie, start with the basics. A strong understanding of Excel is crucial for a newcomer. Try to play with data analysis tools and understand the nuances of data analytics, which is the core of this business. You will be using excel/analytics tools to create media plans, analyse performance and gain insights. When learning Excel, you must learn following functions:
- How to create a Pivot table in Excel ?
- How to use V-lookup?
Identify your niche
Digital marketing has multiple fields that you can pick and choose. If you are an analytical person then you can focus on ads management or web analytics. If the creative side appeals to you then you can get into copywriting, design, or can pursue the role of creative strategist.
Here are a list of different opportunities in digital marketing:
- Performance marketing
- Web analyst
- Search Engine Optimisation (SEO)
- Copywriter
- Creative strategist
- Social media manager
- Designer
Pursue certification courses
Once you have identified the niche, you can look for the right courses to hone your skills.
For eg.: If you want to become a performance marketing manager, you can complete the following courses:
- Official Google Ads course on Google Skillshop
- Facebook Blueprint certification by Meta
Learn Storytelling
Understand the language of the market, and weave interesting stories around them so that you can sell your ideas to potential clients or your reporting boss. Ideating and narrating compelling and market-friendly stories are extremely important for a digital marketer. It will help you strengthen your foothold in the market.
Money Minded
If you want to rise and shine as a digital marketing expert then always remember to lay down strategies that would help your client earn revenue. As a professional in the field, one should always stay focused towards opening steady revenue channels with the prudent use of digital marketing. Monetisation is the basic and most important aspect of the digital market so always set primary and secondary goals and head towards them with a clear vision.
Be a constant Learner
India’s digital landscape is changing rapidly and brands are desperate to ride the digital wave and build a digital framework within their company to enhance their product outreach. If you are planning to foray into the world of digital marketing then there are a plethora of courses available in the market which could help you gain knowledge about this fast-evolving field.
After completing the course one can also build their career as a freelancer or blogger, earn from affiliate marketing, unfurl a drop shipping business or become a You Tuber and earn a standard living. A skilled Digital Marketing Expert can also become a trainer or mentor and train the new crop of professionals.
Content is King
Gauge the priorities of the customer and present perfectly cooked content and serve it with a touch of creativity. Social media platforms like Facebook and Google are constantly modifying their content algorithm to maximise their reach. Understand the system and design content as per the targeted social media platform. Try to stay original as genuine content will help in gaining traction.
Adopt, Learn, Unlearn
If as a digital marketing professional you want to make your mark in the market, then learn to unlearn and fiddle with new ideas. Play with new tools and gadgets to find newer business-friendly avenues. Adopt new ideas and use them smartly to excel.
Be Inquisitive
If you are playing your game in a market like India then you have to keep yourself updated to stay in the game. India’s digital marketing skyline is changing with the introduction of the 5G network. The number of mobile internet users will cross 1 billion by 2025. Hence internet-backed marketing mediums will topple orthodox marketing channels and even television.
So charge your hunger for knowledge and stay ahead.
About the Author: Vikas Kumar is co-founder and CEO of Digital ROI. He is a digital marketing expert who inspires and empowers professionals to create marketing campaigns that customers will love. With over 8 years of experience in digital marketing, he has managed over 100 crores of ad spends on digital platforms. He was awarded an INSPIRE scholarship by the Department of Science and Technology, India back in the year 2009. It was awarded under the Scholarship for Higher Education(SHE) programme. Furthermore, he is also a Gold medalist in Mathematics that was issued by Education Assessment Australia - University of New South Wales in Jan 2007.
Last updated on 01 Dec 2022
