The Path to Becoming a Digital Marketer

If you are a recent high school graduate, consider majoring in marketing, communications, or business in college to begin your digital marketing journey. The lessons you get will be useful when you work as a full-time digital marketer later.

While you are in college, try to take on digital marketing freelance jobs or volunteer work. This will allow you to apply what you are learning in college to real-world projects. These experiences can be showcased during the hiring process without having to create digital marketing case studies.

Digital marketing tools will help you to do the daily tasks, such as setting ad campaign budget and target audience, monitoring traffic and ranking, setting an email, etc. On the other hand, operating those tools is not an easy one.

You need to get used to operating the tools by trying the free version first, such as:

• Semrush,
• Google Keyword Planner,
• Google Trends,
• Google Analytics,
• Mailchimp,
• Buffer, and
• HubSpot.

Furthermore, if you have a small business, try advertising your own services or products using Meta Ads or Google Ads. Not only will you learn how to use the tools, but you will also be able to market your services and products.

Here are the lists of digital marketing tools you need to learn, both free and paid:

• SEO: Ahrefs, Semrush, Google Search Console, Google Keyword Planner, Google Trends
• Paid search and social: WordStream, Google Ads Editor, Meta Ads
• Social media marketing: Hootsuite, Buffer, BuzzSumo
• Email marketing: Mailchimp, HubSpot
• Data and analytics: Google Analytics
• UX and design: Canva, Figma, Hotjar, Google Optimize
• AI: ChatGPT, Jasper, Murf, Perplexity

If you don’t have any access to formal education, utilize free online courses from top digital marketing companies, such as Google, Meta, and HubSpot.

No need to question their credibility, their course and certifications already helped many people get knowledge and jobs in digital marketing.

Each platform provides various topics, starting from digital ads, content marketing, SEO, social media, etc.

On every course session, have a mindset that you join it not only for the certification sake, but also for the lesson. Certification will help you in the resume screening stage, but for the rest, your skills will.

Below are some certifications that you can join:

• Google Ads Certification
• Google Analytics 4 Certification
• Google Digital Marketing and E-commerce Certificate
• Meta Blueprint Certification
• HubSpot Inbound Marketing Certification
• HubSpot Content Marketing Certification Course
• HubSpot Social Media Marketing Certification Course
• HubSpot Digital Marketing Certification Course

If you already have experience handling various projects, gather them all and choose the best ones to be showcased in your portfolio.

In the digital marketing recruitment process or in getting a client, people want to see your past works so they can visualize your working style and outputs.

After you decide which projects or campaigns you want to show in your portfolio, break them down one by one by explaining:

• Client or company you work for
• Problem statement
• Solution
• Your proof of work
• The impact on data

Explaining all of these elements will give your readers a context for what you have been working on.

Say you are a social media marketer. Your client is Starbucks and they want to launch an Earth Day campaign where, based on their data, only 40% of consumers in Jakarta use tumbler when buying Starbucks. This Earth Day they want to encourage their consumers to increase the use of tumblr to reduce plastic.

You can share this problem statement and how you can help them through social media content. Mention the results of the content, such as engagement rates, comments, or other measurements.

Take courses, earn certifications, get the job. The journey of becoming a digital marketer doesn't stop there.

Digital marketing itself is a thing that keeps evolving at a rapid pace. So, you need to keep yourself updated with the latest trends or news by doing:

• Join a community
• Subscribe to digital marketing newsletters
• Connect with digital marketing professionals on LinkedIn and check LinkedIn regularly for digital marketing news updates
• Follow digital marketing social media accounts

If the updates require further learning, don't hesitate to take a class. For example, the rise of AI is also impacting digital marketing. Join AI course will help you to know about AI and how to use AI in your digital marketing work.

Apply the best practices that you find in Internet can also be one of the ways to make yourself relevant to the current trends. If the best practice is successful, keep using it. If not, try using another one.

Last but not least, keep yourself open to any opportunity as long as it adds value to your skills and experience in digital marketing. Opportunities here are not limited to full-time jobs, but also volunteer and freelance jobs.

If you are new to digital marketing, you can start your journey by applying for entry-level positions. An entry-level position can be a full-time position or an internship.

By working at this level, you will be able to gain practical experience from the ground up. Once you are comfortable, your manager will be confident to give you more advanced assignments, which will also be beneficial for your skill growth.

While working, don't forget to ask for regular feedback from your manager and your colleagues. This is to track your progress and know their opinions about your growing skills. Then you can use the feedback for your personal development.

It is no secret that networking is the key to everything. Knowing many people in your industry will pave the way for better career opportunities and even mentorship.

Connect with digital marketing experts or professionals on LinkedIn. Engage with them by direct messaging or commenting on their LinkedIn posts.

Attending networking events can also be a way to connect with other digital marketing professionals. Discuss your digital marketing confusion with them.

Don't forget to maintain your relationship with them, because we don't know what the future holds. Who knows, one or two of your connections may lead you to another opportunity.

As you can see from the job market, many companies are looking for specialists who can optimize their channels, such as SEO, performance marketing, social media, content marketing, and data analytics.

So try to consider getting a formal education or specialized training for that channel. You can choose between taking formal education in a college by attending online or offline, or a paid course which is cheaper.

The goal of taking advanced education is to increase your expertise in digital marketing, increase your value in the market, and help you get better opportunities.

There is no right or wrong answer to how long you will be a professional digital marketer. If you are consistent in learning and taking advantage of opportunities, you will get there as soon as possible.

Keep improving your skills and keep up with the latest digital marketing trends.

Further reading:

• How to become a digital marketer: Career options, steps, and expert tips
• How to become a digital marketer (2024 guide)

Popular digital marketing jobs in Singapore:

Digital Marketing | Email Marketer | Online Community Manager | Web Content Writer | Account Manager | Customer Service Representative