Jul 15, 2016
The digital marketing industry can be cut-throat. This means that making sure the skills you offer are relevant and in-demand is essential to landing and retaining that lucrative role you’ve got your eyes on for your future self.
Take action by building on top of your already impressive hard skills, so that you’re not only competitive now but also well into the future. That way, you won’t get left behind by the rapid evolution of technology and rise in job seekers.
Here are four ways to help you stay ahead of the game and market yourself as a high-performer:
1. Tools to brush up your CV
Curiosity, data-led decision making, productivity and culture of collaboration are desired traits in candidates. There’s no better way to prove how your interests can feed into your role than showcasing your knowledge and use of digital marketing tools. So take your tools to the next level:
Trello
Excellent project management skills are a must. Chances are, you’ll be tracking multiple campaigns at once. Being able to suggest smarter ways stay organised and collaborate with your new colleagues efficiently will boost your competitive edge. That’s where Trello comes in handy. It is a digital collaborative tool which organises projects into “boards”.
At a glance, you’ll be able to see who is working on what and the current status of each task to make sure everything is on track and you’re doing your bit. It’s also great for personal admin, too. E.g. planning holidays, property renovations, etc.
Google Analytics
A working knowledge of Google Analytics (GA) helps make you more comfortable crunching, interpreting, and comparing data, and reporting the ROI of digital marketing efforts. You’re going to have to measure and improve strategies consistently, and GA will be your pal for this. It’s a very powerful tool to help tell a story, back up a claim, or change someone’s mind. If you hold GA IQ certification, that’s a cherry on top for your CV.
Slack
Emails can be a productivity killer. Integrating Slack into your working life can reduce inbox clutter and promote a better way to communicate with teams. Slack is a cloud-based team collaboration tool. It offers dedicated group chat rooms (“channels”), so relevant people have complete visibility of comms. All files can be dragged, dropped and shared directly into channels and there’s also a Twitter-like personal messaging system. Interestingly, Malcolm Turnbull embraces the new technology, going as far as to advocate that Cabinet uses Slack.
Screaming Frog SEO Spider
Understanding the top-line technical ins and outs of a website will help you evaluate it quickly. Screaming Frog is humble, yet powerful SEO Spider and Crawler desktop program to conduct technical site audits. You’ll be able to identify simple optimisation fixes that could otherwise be hindering your digital marketing efforts.
Canva
It can pay to visually present your ideas and results, or create killer onsite and social media content using Canva. It’s a fun and fast way to demand attention if Photoshop is out of reach. The graphic design tool is simple enough for anybody to drag, drop and create straight from within a web browser. Even better, you’ll have access to a free and paid library of more than 1,000 images and visual elements. You can also upload your pictures, too.
2. Build your personal brand
Practice what you preach if you’re in the digital world. Have you ever created a website or run your own? Are you active on several social media platforms? Do you regularly guest blog and generally have your opinions read and followed with authority? A citizen of the web would answer yes to at least one of the above. You eat, sleep, live and breathe your work outside of the office, which exemplifies a hands-on, experienced approach to digital marketing.
Similarly, it pays to make an effort to build personal and business relationships across the web. This means that no matter where you are in the world, you can always get in touch with those important contacts.
And offline visibility? Demonstrate thought-leadership by speaking at conferences and networking at events in your industry to further build future trust in your name.
3. Understand working across multiple channels
Gone are the days of putting your eggs in one basket. Top notch digital marketers are those with a broad knowledge of all digital marketing disciplines and concepts. Although you’ll most likely specialise in one discipline, it is ignorant not to understand how other channels and skill sets integrate with your speciality area. This simultaneously makes you less reliant on others, while maximising your results.
For example, a qualified conversion rate optimisation specialist will have a fair idea of web design and development principles to make solid recommendations to improve a web page. Content marketers benefit from understanding structural and technical SEO aspects, so page content is optimised. Digital account managers familiar with Google Analytics can draw insights to prove value and strengthen planning.
4. Stay up to speed
Hunger to learn and keep up with industry trends is imperative. Algorithm updates, the rise in mobile usage and constant introduction of cutting-edge technology all impact the digital sector in one way or another. So make a conscious effort always to know what solutions work ‘now’ and always be thinking about what’s going to work better or be available in the future.
Take coding for example. In the past, only web development jobs were required to have an in-depth working knowledge of coding languages. Fast forward to today, and you’ll find that it is common for digital marketing roles to need essential HTML and CSS capabilities. Some even require more great JavaScript or PHP knowledge.
So, there you have it. Acquiring new skills and strengthening your personal brand allows you to spot opportunities, solve problems and excel, setting your future self up to be equipped to adapt.
How do you stand out from the pack in your industry? Kick off the conversation below with your comment.
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