Start Your Career with an Online Digital Marketing Certification Program

Start Digital Marketing Career
A snap of all digital marketing students 2016-2017. Image: BDN Exclusive

Are you considering rebooting your career as a digital media marketer? If so, now is a great time to switch careers.

Why?

Succinctly stated, the global economy is paused right now due to the rampant spread of the novel coronavirus, COVID-19, across the world. More than 50% of the world’s population is in a state of lockdown, where they are mandated to stay at home. The only time anyone is allowed out is to purchase essential items like groceries or to seek medical attention.

Therefore, every business that can has pivoted is brick-and-mortar operations online. And, because of the high numbers of people who have lost the jobs or furloughed, the number of online startups is likely to increase as people look to leverage the online space to generate an income.

Statistics show that there were 1.92 million online shoppers in 2019. This number is predicted to rise to 2.05 million digital buyers in 2020. However, it must be noted that the predictive models that generated this forecast more than likely have not taken the impact of COVID-19 into account. When looking at the 2020 historical data in 2021, we might find that these numbers will be substantially higher than this prediction.

WPForms.com estimates that there are between 12 and 24 million eCommerce sites online right now. And, because of the COVID-19 pandemic, as highlighted above, many more are expected to be created every day. Unfortunately, because the world has never experienced the current global impact of the coronavirus, it is extremely difficult, if not impossible to forecast 2020 to 2021 trends.

Nasdaq has estimated that 95% of all purchases will be online by 2040. Again, these statistics were calculated before the global pandemic, so it is more than likely that this metric has currently been reached. And, it will continue as a major trend for the foreseeable future.

Tips to help you start as your career as a digital marketer

The good news is that digital marketing is a vital part of a company or brand’s success. And, because of the increase in online businesses, there will be an increase in the need for knowledgeable, experienced, expert digital marketing specialists.

Thus, here are several things you can do to bootstrap your digital marketing career:

Complete a certification program

Digital marketing is one field where you can work without a degree or a formal qualification. However, it is preferable to earn a digital marketing certification. Not only will it help your “stand out in a crowd” as it were, but it will provide a solid platform from which to build a successful, well-paid digital marketing career. And, because of the move of all business operations online, you can easily sign up for an online digital marketing certification program.

Start with entry-level jobs to gain experience

The only way to develop a reputation as a professional digital marketer is to gain experience. Therefore, you might have to start out doing some pro bono work to gain the necessary experience. Instead of looking at the unpaid work as a loss of income, rather see it as a long-term investment, coupled with the means to garner the necessary experience that will put you in the position where you can start bringing in paid work.

Create an online business brand and a personal brand

Because we are currently in the Engagement Economy, consumers want to know who the person is behind the brand. Therefore, it’s vital to use your personal brand to inform your professional brand’s target audience about you.

Secondly, it is vital to engage or communicate with your target audience to find out what will instill a sense of brand loyalty in them. In other words, you need to determine how to adjust your business’s value proposition to reach your target audience. Your brand’s core focus is still digital media marketing. The question that must be asked of the consumer is how should you package your brand to make it attractable? What should you do to convert the consumer into a returning customer?

Base your creativity on data-driven methodologies

Digital marketing is quintessentially a creative field. And, the more creative you are, the more likely you are to succeed. However, it is equally important to base your creativity on a foundation of data-driven methods.

For example, one of the many ways to determine what your clients’ target audience wants, is to use data mining software to collect and analyze client interactions with the brand, both on social media and interactions with customer service staff. This analysis will help you determine what message will attract the brand’s target audience. Consequently, you can use your creativity to package the marketing message in a unique and eye-catching way.

Leigh Wells
Author: Leigh Wells

Chief Executive Editor. The founder of Firecrabwords.com and a professional writer who loves to write. Request her free Snackable Writing Course and learn how to enchant the leaders to win more business.