The answer to this question always depends upon your personality and motivation. Do you love having a passion project? Do you enjoy multitasking and keeping track of data? Is creating content for social media followers your idea of a good time? Then it probably wouldn’t be hard for you to learn digital marketing and change careers.
What is Digital Marketing?
Digital marketing uses channels and tools like email marketing, social media marketing, paid and unpaid search marketing, and search engine optimization (SEO) to promote products and services on the internet. Knowledge of digital marketing can be an asset to entrepreneurs and owners of businesses large and small. Digital marketing offers companies a chance to extend their reach, do marketing research, and foster connection and brand loyalty.
Digital marketing is a broad sector with diverse channels within the field. If you are curious about working in digital marketing but aren’t sure where to start, you can explore different areas depending on your interests. When you are first starting out, it’s a good idea to explore a bit at first, and then take a deeper dive into a particular channel. Whether your specialty is brand management, search engine optimization, advertising, content creation, or a combination, there is likely a niche in the digital marketing world for you.
Job Prospects in Digital Marketing
As the internet continues to expand at an astounding rate, there is no shortage of jobs for digital marketing professionals. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics expects that job demand in the marketing industry overall should increase by 10% by 2026, which is an increase above the average for all careers. With demand for online presence continuing to climb, digital marketing job prospects are likely on the higher end.
Getting Started in Digital Marketing
One of the best ways to get started in digital marketing is to create a website and some social media accounts. You can learn a lot on your own and by following tutorials, reading blogs, and listening to podcasts. A great place to practice your digital marketing skills is to create a website for yourself (or help out a friend!) and use it to test out different techniques. Being able to implement various strategies and compare what works and what doesn’t will help you when the stakes are higher. A website of your own gives you a chance to work on content marketing skills, drill down on the ins and outs of email marketing, and figure out search engine optimization.
Create some social media accounts and learn how they work. Start an Instagram account and begin creating content. See what resonates, what people respond to, and what flops. Create a YouTube account and practice making videos. You’ll learn more about video marketing by actually working on recording and editing videos than you will by studying it in a book. This might feel difficult at first, but as you learn the ropes, it will become easier and you will enjoy it more.
Learn What Tools Are Out There
There are many digital marketing tools that can help you plan and execute a digital marketing strategy. From tools that can help you stay on track with timing by creating a calendar and posting content on a schedule to ones like Google Analytics that provide valuable information about your target audience to design tools like Canva and Filtertune to help with aesthetics even if you’re not a Graphic Designer, there are plenty of options that help digital marketers get ahead. These tools can make learning digital marketing much easier.
Narrow Your Focus
One of the things that can make digital marketing feel overwhelming and difficult is that there is so much to know. When it comes to digital marketing, embrace the T-shaped model. The T-shaped concept means having a broad understanding of the field as a whole and then cultivating deep expertise and understanding of certain elements. When it comes to digital marketing, knowing how the industry works is important because it provides context and overall understanding, but trying to master every channel at once is too much. Although the channels within the digital marketing field are all connected, it’s not necessary to be an expert in social media marketing AND search engine optimization AND video marketing AND Google Ads. Start with one.
As your familiarity and understanding grow, you can always add more skills to your digital marketing toolbox. While exploring the various channels, see what you enjoy working on or what you’re good at, then learn everything you can. A great way to add skills is by taking a course with an experienced instructor.
Enroll in Training Classes
Noble Desktop’s digital marketing courses teach skills that can help you start a career in the industry. Those ready to dive into the field can attend in-person classes at Noble Desktop’s New York City location or attend live online digital marketing courses from anywhere in the world. You can also find other digital marketing courses, bootcamps, and certificate programs in your area using Noble Desktop’s Classes Near Me tool. Noble Desktop also offers more detailed courses for those looking to hone their skills on specific channels such as Facebook Marketing, email marketing, Social Media Content Marketing: Blogs & X (formerly known as Twitter), and Video Marketing: TikTok & YouTube, among others.
Other Noble Desktop resources that can help prepare for a career in digital marketing include its digital marketing blog which has detailed articles about social media marketing, SEO, and other essential tools for digital marketers. Further resources include Noble’s seminar on YouTube entitled The Pillars of Digital Marketing Success.
Play a Long Game
While the field of digital marketing is always changing, it can take a while to see results from your efforts. Don’t get discouraged! Keep going. It might feel difficult at first, but if you stay with it, it will get easier.
Conclusion
It can be daunting to learn new digital marketing skills or to start a new career completely from scratch, but digital marketing is a fast-growing industry that will only continue to grow. Those completely new to digital marketing can consider digital marketing classes as a way to learn foundational skills or to upskill their current knowledge in a niche subject within the field. While it’s possible to get a bachelor’s and even advanced degrees in marketing, they are not required to find work in the digital marketing sector. Enrolling in a digital marketing bootcamp can take less time and be less costly at jump-starting a career in the industry.