In the 21st century, the new face that has been driving the business world is that of Digital Marketing. From the early 1990s onwards, with the advent of the Internet, there has been a consistent shift in the way people shop, entertain themselves, and consume information. This shift has also brought about a change in the way marketers target potential customers, with digital channels making it easier to target them at the right place and the right time. Moving ahead, AI is also set to revolutionize Digital Marketing by enhancing accuracy in data analysis, more efficient customer interaction and behavior prediction. So, the field of Digital Marketing is set to stay relevant for years to come.
Digital Marketing is everywhere. You receive emails or messages from a restaurant you had ordered from recently, offering you discounted offers on ordering again. If you skim through Amazon to buy a pair of Nike shoes, you see the same shoes on your Facebook feed the next day. This is because companies deploy Digital Marketing tools to attract, engage and convert customers.
Many people have heard of the term, however, there are very few who fully understand what it entails. This article will explain what Digital Marketing is, career opportunities in this field, and most importantly, how to build a career in Digital Marketing.
Recommended Read: Getting Started with a Career in Marketing: All You Need to Know
What is Digital Marketing?
Digital Marketing is a form of marketing, which helps businesses or organizations promote their products or services and target the masses with the help of digital devices such as laptops, desktops and cell phones. It utilizes various digital channels for this purpose, including emails, social media, google search, etc.
How to Pursue a Career in Digital Marketing
Unlike other major career options, Digital Marketing doesn’t require an individual to pursue a specific degree at the undergraduate or postgraduate level. However, it is recommended to have a degree in Business Management, Mass Media, Journalism, or Marketing as they would help you get a basic understanding of Marketing, Content and Business.
They should ideally be backed by a certification in Digital Marketing, which would help you enhance your skills and knowledge and raise your chances of getting a job in this field.
These are all comprehensive online courses that integrate live projects, simulated learning, instructor videos, course material, etc., and are well-recognized in the industry for developing the skills needed for a career in this field.
Certifications in Digital Marketing
Some of the major Digital Marketing certification courses in India are:
Coursera
The Coursera digital marketing course is a 7-course specialization that covers all major areas of digital marketing. These courses can be taken separately or as part of the specialization which culminates in a fully online accredited Master of Business Administration (iMBA) from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.
UpGrad
UpGrad is an online higher education platform, which provides a Advanced Certification in Digital Marketing and Communications. For this certification, UpGrad has a partnership with MICA, Ahmedabad, a reputable business school in India. Their courses allow you to use real-time money to build social media campaigns and track their progress. They also provide a certificate from Meta on course completion.
Manipal ProLearn
Manipal ProLearn’s digital marketing certification program covers various aspects of digital marketing such as SEO, SEM, ORM and Analytics. The course is certified by Google.
Emeritus
Emeritus has various Digital Marketing Certifications in collaboration with premier Institutes like IIT Delhi, ISB executive education, IIM Indore, IIM Lucknow, etc. It covers a range of topics including emerging technologies in marketing, marketing tools, understanding consumer behavior, marketing management, etc.
Udemy
Udemy offers a digital marketing course that covers topics like Web Analytics, Web Copywriting, Social Media Channels, Email Marketing, Search Engine Optimization, Content Marketing, ChatGPT and AI in integration with Digital Marketing, etc. Some of their course material has been developed with the support of top professionals from The Oxford College of Marketing.
TalentEdge
TalentEdge provides a specialized Executive Programme in Digital Marketing from XLRI, and is suited for graduates with Minimum of 3 years of work Experience.
Digital Vidya
Digital Vidya offers Digital Marketing (CDMM), Mobile Marketing (CMMM) and Social Media Certification programs (CSMMP) in association with V-Skills, a Govt. of India initiative. The programs offered are interactive and practical in nature and students receive their certificates from Meta blueprint, Linkedin, Google and Hubspot.
Simplilearn
Their Social Media Specialist Master’s Program has online instructor-led classes in digital marketing that provide hands-on experience in various Digital Marketing domains. They also provide access to forums and mentoring sessions in the program along with various case studies to make the learning application focussed. It leverages ChatGPT and other integrative AI tools for Digital Marketing and is certified by Meta.
Career Opportunities in Digital Marketing
A question related to Digital Marketing that might arise in a curious mind would be- “What exactly will I do in my career as a Digital Marketer?”
Described below are the major areas in Digital Marketing that a Digital Marketer is expected to know about and can specialize in:
1. Search Engine Optimization (SEO)
It is an act of using strategies and methods to direct and increase the amount of traffic to a website, by enhancing its ranking on the search results page of search engines like Google, Yahoo, Bing, and others. Every business, big or small, requires a dedicated SEO team, and owing to the increased demand as stated by a report in Forbes magazine, SEO experts are going to be the most sought-after by the year 2024.
2. Search Engine Marketing (SEM)/ Pay Per Click (PPC)
It involves the process of promoting a website online, by using paid advertisements that show up on the top of a search engine results page to drive targeted traffic to the company’s website. Advertisers bid for keywords in a search engine like Google, Yahoo, and Bing, for users who are searching for products or services similar to the ones being offered by their business.
3. Content Marketing
Content marketing involves the creation and promotion of relevant and regular content to attract and retain the target audience. The form of content used for content marketing isn’t restricted to written content. Videos, podcasts, articles, images come in handy, and are all considered a part of content marketing. If the content is right, it’s also easier to rank on search engine results.
4. Social Media Marketing (SMM)
Social Media Marketing (SMM) is a form of Digital Marketing that uses social media networks to help a business increase its audience reach. Social media sites like Pinterest, Facebook, Twitter, Threads, LinkedIn, and Google+ can all be used to draw in traffic and generate leads to grow a business if it is done well.
5. Affiliate Marketing
It is the process of promoting someone else’s products or services in exchange for commissions from the sales of the products. Each time a person recommends a product or service using someone else’s unique affiliate link and it leads to a sale or a completed action defined by the company, s/he earns a share of the money from the revenue earned.
6. Email Marketing
It is a method marketers use to communicate with or send commercial content to their target customers using email. It is used to promote content and direct the audience to a company’s website. It is also used to communicate about products, services or special offers and discounts. Email marketing helps in building customer relationships and brand awareness.
7. Web Analytics
Web Analytics is the analysis of qualitative and quantitative data from one’s business. The data collected by the website is studied to check if the marketing strategies deployed are yielding the best results, and how to build/modify marketing strategies to target the audience effectively.
What are the responsibilities of a Digital Marketing Manager?
A Digital Marketing Manager has a knack for all the areas mentioned above, and he/she is able to:
- Create and manage content for blogs, websites, e-journals and newsletters publications.
- Boost social media shares for content and marketing campaigns.
- Run and manage advertisements on Google Adwords, Facebook Adverts, etc.
- Create strategies on how to attract customers through various channels.
- Develop and manage marketing campaigns in the digital space to target specific audiences and drive traffic to the company website.
- Target the number of clicks in a given budget to increase the reach of a brand, specific website or campaign and ultimately get more users to buy the organization’s products.
- Track traffic to the company website and marketing campaign pages over time to understand what works and what doesn’t.
- Plan, implement and manage email marketing campaigns.
- Acquire new customers, registrations, downloads etc. by figuring out what the visitors expect from a website, and giving them the same.
- Keep track of changing trends in the digital space.
Should You Pursue a Career in Digital Marketing?
Deciding whether or not to pursue a career is a hard task. However, knowing that you possess certain skill-sets needed to be successful can surely be helpful.
You Should Pursue this Career if:
- You have the creativity and patience to be updated on changing social media and industry trends.
- Numbers excite you, and you have strong analytical skills.
- Your instincts and feelings on a topic are backed by reasoning and knowledge.
- You can learn and grasp new concepts easily, as the digital world is a rapidly changing world.
Digital marketing is a trending career option, and is here to stay as businesses and products are shifting online. There are very few careers that allow you to think creatively and logically both at the same time, and it is one of them.
We are excited to announce that we offer a Virtual Internship Program. This program covers essential topics such as search engine optimization, social media marketing, and email marketing. Don’t miss this opportunity to learn from industry experts and take your business to the next level.
Have anything to add about a digital marketing career in India? Share with us in the comments!
