Step-by-Step Plan for Becoming a Digital Marketer

As of 2021, we recommend you get a bachelor’s degree. It isn't necessary to be a great digital marketer, but it's almost always required to get an interview.

If you can't afford to get a bachelor's degree, or if you already have a degree in something else, don't despair. Bootcamps provide a structured way to build the hard skills needed for the job.

Bootcamps provide much more relevant training for becoming a digital marketer than a marketing degree.

Unfortunately, degrees still carry more weight in the hiring process—but this is not an obstacle that can't be overcome, especially if you already have a bachelor's degree in something else.

SEM is the process of increasing traffic to your website through the paid ads that appear at the top of search engine pages. When someone searches for keywords that relate to your business, you can show them ads for your website.

The best place to start learning SEM is Google Ad Manager. It allows you to create ad campaigns without having to spend money. Since Google is the biggest search engine, it's also the most important platform for any SEM you do.

Creating campaigns—even made-up ones—teaches you to think through targeting, copywriting, objectives, and measurement.

Social media advertising is a key part of any digital marketing job. The best place to start learning it is Facebook Blueprint—an online educational resource designed to teach digital marketing basics for Facebook-owned platforms (Facebook, Instagram, and Whatsapp). It's more in-depth on the creative side than the Google certifications. What you learn will also be applicable to other social channels.

Inbound marketing is the process of attracting potential customers by creating valuable content and experiences tailored to them. Learning the fundamentals of inbound marketing will help you better understand the buyer's journey, from the first touch to an eventual purchase.

The practice of search engine optimization (SEO) is how you get websites and content to show up on the first page of Google. Knowing how to do this is a key part of digital marketing.

So-called “experts” have been shouting about the death of email for nearly a decade. The truth is that email is still one of the most effective marketing channels for selling anything.

You can’t manage what you don’t measure. Being able to configure and interpret marketing analytics is one of the most important skills you can have as a digital marketer.

For a long time, knowing the ins and outs of Excel could put you way above you peers. New tools like AirTable are making spreadsheets more powerful and accessible, but most still draw on the concepts from Microsoft Excel.