Udemezue John
Introduction.
The way businesses connect with people has completely changed. Almost everything is online now, and this shift has created a huge demand for digital marketers. If you’ve ever wondered how to start a career in this field and make money, you’re in the right place.
Digital marketing is all about promoting brands, products, or services using online platforms. It’s not just about ads; it’s about connecting with people in a meaningful way.
This industry is booming, and if you’re looking to jump in, there’s no better time. Let me walk you through the steps to becoming a digital marketer, the skills you’ll need, how to get started, and how you can turn this into a profitable career.
What Exactly Is Digital Marketing?
Digital marketing covers a wide range of activities aimed at building an online presence. This includes:
- Search Engine Optimization (SEO): Helping websites rank higher on search engines like Google.
- Content Marketing: Creating valuable content to attract and engage customers.
- Social Media Marketing: Promoting brands through platforms like Instagram, Facebook, and LinkedIn.
- Email Marketing: Sending targeted emails to build relationships and drive sales.
- Pay-Per-Click Advertising (PPC): Running paid ads to drive traffic and increase visibility.
The beauty of digital marketing is its versatility. You can specialize in one area or become a generalist who knows a little bit of everything.
Why Should You Consider Digital Marketing?
1. High Demand.
Companies are always looking for skilled digital marketers. According to LinkedIn, digital marketing is one of the top 10 most in-demand skills.
2. Freelancing Opportunities.
You don’t have to work for someone else. Many digital marketers work for themselves, setting their schedules and picking their clients.
3. Growth Potential.
This field is constantly evolving. If you like to learn and adapt, you’ll never get bored.
4. Good Income.
Digital marketing jobs often pay well. Entry-level positions can start at $50,000 per year, and experienced marketers can earn six figures or more.
How do I Become a Digital Marketer and Make Money?
1. Learn the Basics
Start by understanding the fundamentals of digital marketing. There are plenty of free and paid resources to help you get started:
- Google’s Digital Marketing Courses: Free certification to help you understand the basics.
- HubSpot Academy: Great for learning inbound marketing and content strategies.
2. Pick an Area to Focus On
While you can learn everything, it’s smart to specialize in one or two areas. For example, if you’re interested in writing, content marketing might be your thing. Love numbers? Analytics or PPC could be a better fit.
3. Get Hands-On Experience
The best way to learn is by doing. Create your blog, manage a small business’s social media, or run a personal ad campaign. These real-world projects will help you build confidence and a portfolio.
4. Build Your Skills
Some essential skills include:
- SEO: Learn how to optimize websites for search engines.
- Analytics: Understand tools like Google Analytics to track performance.
- Social Media Tools: Familiarize yourself with platforms like Hootsuite or Buffer.
- Content Creation: Know how to write blogs, emails, and social media posts.
I wrote an article on getting started as a website designer; click the link to the article below.
5. Get Certified
While certifications aren’t always necessary, they can boost your credibility. Some popular ones include:
- Google Ads Certification
- Facebook Blueprint Certification
- HubSpot Content Marketing Certification
6. Apply for Jobs or Start Freelancing
You can either apply for full-time positions or freelance. Platforms like Upwork, Fiverr, and LinkedIn are great for finding clients. Build a strong profile and highlight your skills.
Becoming a digital marketer is an excellent career option for those who are creative, tech-savvy, and have a passion for marketing.
With the increase in the number of internet users, the demand for digital marketing professionals has also surged.
In this section, we will explore some tips on how to become a digital marketer and make money in this field.
Other Things You Should Know
1. Understand Basic Search Engine Optimization (SEO) Terms.
The next concept to grasp as a starter in digital marketing is to understand search engine optimisation.
A search engine is another medium of digital advertising; failing to grasp basic concepts properly can cause you to miss out on incredible opportunities.
I wrote an article on how to get started with search engine optimisation; click the link to the articles below.
2. Learn How To Use Facebook For Business.
Social media is another very potent digital marketing tool every potential digital marketer should grasp; I can remember starting my digital marketing career by learning how to place paid ads on Facebook.
Facebook remains a hotspot destination for digital marketers worldwide; with over 2 Billion people across its network, you can be sure to reach out to a broader range of audiences.
I wrote an article to help you get started with Facebook as a digital marketing tool, and I recommend you read it.
3. Learn How To Use Instagram For Business.
After mastering the use of Facebook, the very next platform that needs to be studied should be Instagram.
Facebook also owns Instagram, it was acquired in 2012, and since then, the Facebook team has ensured that Facebook and Instagram work in sync.
This means that more productivity comes when you learn to use both platforms. I wrote an article on starting a business on Instagram, and I recommend you read it.
4. Master The Use Of Other Social Media Platforms.
There are other social media platforms on the internet; most of them offer paid advertising services like Facebook and Instagram but may not drive quality engagement as the previously discussed social media platform, but you should still learn to use them to your advantage.
Top platforms like Facebook and Instagram usually localise their ads, restricting ads to only the advertisers’ location.
Still, with a platform like Pinterest, LinkedIn, and TikTok, your brand stands more likely to get to an international audience.
I wrote an article on using other social media platforms like Pinterest, LinkedIn and TikTok, and I recommend you read it.
5. Learn CopyWriting.
The following skill set to acquire as a digital marketer is copywriting. Copywriting is the act of creating sales materials informing of text, images and Videos; in digital marketing, you should be able to think like your customers and tweak your ads to convert sales, one of the significant factors that determine the success of any online campaign is the effectiveness of that copy.
For example, two different eCommerce companies create an online ad to drive shoppers; the only difference between their success lies in the effectiveness of their copy skills.
6. Understand Pay-Per-Click Advertising With Google.
Besides using social media advertising, another very lucrative spot for targeted online marketing is the search engine.
Search engine marketing has proved to be much more effective than any online marketing strategy because ads are shown based on users’ search experience.
Search engines such as Google have privileges for users to place targeted ads on their search engine platform, YouTube, Android devices and Partner websites.
7. Understand Email Marketing.
The critical aspect of digital marketing that should not be ignored is email marketing. Email marketing has been discovered to be one of the very effective strategies because potential leads tend to be interested in what you offer, thereby converting more sales.
I recommend you read this article on email marketing to get started
8. Get Certified.
This is not very important, but I usually recommend getting certified if you want to be able to sell yourself to other people as an expert.
This is because certifications portray you as an expert in the field and compel brands to work with you.
There are free and paid digital marketing certifications both offline and online; you can get certified by reputable companies like Udemy, Coursera and Google.
If you are broke and need to get certified, you can obtain free certification from the Google Digital Skills Garage.
How Do Digital Marketers Make Money?
Now that you have skills in online marketing, the next thing on your mind should be how to convert these skills into a cash-flowing machine, and here are very few ideas to get started with.
1. Start a Blog.
Starting a blog can make you very good money as a digital marketer; you can constantly publish content on digital marketing, drive traffic, and make money from sales of eBooks, Adsense, or even offering your services.
I wrote an article on this blog on how you can start a blog and make money. This article contains crucial information on setting up your blog from scratch to the very point of monetisation; click the link below to get started.
2. Freelancing.
Freelancing is another avenue to make good money as a digital marketer. There are online platforms that help you outsource your services, and skill can also talk to people very close to you about your services. If you want to learn how to sell your skills on Freelancing platforms like Fiverr, click the link below.
3. Start Selling Online (Ecommerce).
The main objective behind digital marketing is to be able to sell anything you desire and make money from it.
After successfully mastering digital marketing, one of the following money-making businesses is eCommerce; as a digital marketer, you can start selling online without hassle; all you need is a website and products to get created.
I wrote an article on how you can start an eCommerce business and start making money instantly, click the link below to the article to get started.
4. Start a YouTube Channel.
Another legitimate avenue to help you make money as a digital marketer is starting a YouTube channel.
You can create a YouTube channel to offer digital marketing tutorials and monetize it at your own pace.
I wrote an article with full details and walkthroughs on starting a YouTube channel and making money; click the link to the article below.
5. Start Selling E-books online.
There is so much for digital marketing books online; you can author an eBook on your knowledge of digital marketing and distribute it on your blogs or online bookstores.
I wrote an article on how to start writing eBooks and make money; click the link to get started now.
6. Start Selling Courses.
Selling online courses is another avenue to make money as a digital marketing expert. Creating online courses in videos and text can serve as a significant source of income.
You can also leverage a free or paid online course creation platform to host and monetise your courses.
Here is an article I recommend you read to help you create and sell online courses.
More Details On How To Become a Digital Marketer?
1. Learn How To Use CRM Tools.
There are so many moving parts when it comes to SEO; you have the content side (Blogging), Paid advertising, Social media and even influence marketing working on the other hand.
The primary purpose behind using these tools is to put your business on the centre stage, which will result in prospective customers seeking out your business.
When you begin to get those prospective customers in, you need to devise a way to manage them effectively; this is where Customer relationship management comes into play.
Customer relationship management (CRM) is a technology for managing your company’s relationships and interactions with customers and potential customers.
The goal is simple: Improve business relationships to grow your business. A CRM system helps companies stay connected to customers, streamline processes, and improve profitability.
CRM tools manage customer relationships across the entire customer lifecycle, spanning marketing, sales, digital commerce, and customer service interactions.
A CRM tool lets you collect customer and prospect contact information, identify sales opportunities, record service issues, and manage marketing campaigns, all in one central location. It also makes information about every customer interaction available to anyone at your company who might need it.
If your business lasts, you need a strategy for the future that’s centred around your customers and enabled by the right technology. You have targets for sales, business objectives, and profitability.
However getting up-to-date, reliable information on your progress can be tricky. How do you translate the many data streams from sales, customer service, marketing, and social media monitoring into valuable business information?
This is where CRM comes into manifestation; as a digital marketer, you need to learn to use CRM tools to speed up essential tasks. There are various CRM tools; I will be spelling them out one after the other in this section.
1. FreshMarketer.
Freshmarketer is one of the best CRM softwares that allows you to explore more data and insights as a digital Marketer.
Freshmarketer offers a heatmap tool that summarises visitor clicks and mouse movements. In addition, users can track revenue and measure the monetary value generated from each click.
The solution also provides tools that allow users to detect device types, and heatmaps can be generated for mobile, tablet and desktop devices. In addition, the funnel analysis tool helps users identify the visitor drop-off on a multi-page website.
Freshmarketer provides integration with Google Analytics, which allows users to view reports and analyse variations in real time.
Freshmarketer comes bundled with unique features that allow you to Contact Lifecycle Stages, Create custom fields that will enable you to capture more details, Set up unique email domains to build domain authority, Landing Pages, Email Builders and campaigns, and Use Facebook, Apple and Whatsapp Business chat, Chatbots, Heatmaps and Splitesting, and the ability to connect with your various work tools such as Asana, Zapier and Trello.
TRY IT NOW – Freshmarketer.com
2. Freshsales.
Freshsales is a sales customer relationship management (CRM) software from Freshworks that eases sales teams to streamline processes, close deals faster, and gain greater customer insight.
Freshsales is just one of a suite of CRM solutions offered by Freshworks, which combine phone, email, and messaging. Each solution is intuitive, has a user-friendly interface and boasts robust sales features.
Freshsales is a capable CRM that offers advanced contact management, workflow automation, and AI insights.
It’s ideal for ambitious sales teams in small and medium-sized businesses looking to reach their prospects more strategically.
In addition, Freshsales’ customisable interface makes it a good choice for those new to CRM software and means that it does not require extensive team training to set up.
Built-in phone and email capabilities enable you to communicate directly with contacts from the CRM, while the mobile app allows you to capture data on the go.
As a Digital Marketing expert, you will deal with managing multiple customers from initial engagement to the completion of the sales cycle.
Freshsales comes with tons of features such as; contact management; Built-in cloud telephone features to help you converse better, Email integration and sales analytics.
TRY IT NOW – Freshsales.com
3. Keep.
Keap is a huge cloud-based sales and marketing solution that delivers customer relationship management (CRM), marketing automation, and e-commerce functionalities in one solution.
Keap helps small businesses and digital agencies execute the best strategies for sales.
While using Keap, Users can segment contacts, track customer interactions, send emails, and run campaigns with personalised communication triggers based on emails opened and clicks, with more features being added.
Users can also handle e-commerce, from inventory management to payments and purchase fulfilment, set up online shopping carts, track digital storefront activity, send quotes, invoices, appointments, mobile app, SMS messaging, business line, one-time payments and contact management and receipts.
As someone who seeks to build a career in digital marketing, Keap can help you build a reputation for your business while providing critical and handy tools to help you scale.
Keap starts at $40 per month for the first three months with up to $100 per month.
TRY IT NOW –Keap.com
4. FreeagentCRM.
FreeAgent CRM is a robust work management system that helps teams get everything in one place, and track and improve performance.
Digital marketers and businesses can use FreeAgent CRM to improve the sales cycle of their business without having to do much.
FreeAgent CRM helps teams stay on task, whether it’s a deal, a project, or a support ticket.
It logs and organizes team emails, calls, and meetings so tedious tasks can be removed from to-do lists.
FreeAgent CRM is designed for the new world of work. Remote teams thrive with complete visibility into day-to-day activity, real-time collaboration, and powerful code-free customization.
By eliminating time spent searching for information and reducing manual data entry, FreeAgent CRM empowers leaders to optimize sales, marketing, customer success, and project management.
TRY IT NOW – Freeagentcrm.com
2. Gain Hands-on Experience.
Once you have the necessary digital marketing skills, it’s important to gain hands-on experience.
You can start by working on your website or social media profiles, or by volunteering to help with digital marketing for a local business or nonprofit.
This experience will help you develop your skills and build your portfolio, which will be crucial when looking for job opportunities.
3. Network with Other Digital Marketers.
Networking with other digital marketers can help you stay up-to-date with the latest trends and technologies in the field.
You can attend industry events, join online communities, and connect with other professionals on social media platforms like LinkedIn. Networking can also lead to job opportunities and partnerships with other digital marketers.
4. Build Your Portfolio.
A strong portfolio is essential for landing job opportunities in digital marketing.
Your portfolio should showcase your skills and experience, including examples of digital marketing campaigns you have created and the results you achieved.
You can create a portfolio website or use platforms like Behance or Dribble to showcase your work.
5. Look for Job Opportunities.
Once you have developed your skills and built your portfolio, it’s time to start looking for job opportunities.
You can search for digital marketing jobs on job boards like Indeed, LinkedIn, or Glassdoor. You can also reach out to digital marketing agencies or companies directly to inquire about job openings.
6. Consider Freelancing or Starting Your Own Agency.
Another way to make money in digital marketing is by freelancing or starting your own agency.
As a freelancer, you can work with clients on a project-by-project basis, and as an agency owner, you can work with multiple clients and build a team of digital marketing professionals.
Freelancing or starting your agency can provide more flexibility and potentially higher income opportunities.
FAQs
Do I Need a Degree to Become a Digital Marketer?
No, a degree isn’t required. Many successful digital marketers are self-taught or learned through online courses.
How Long Does It Take to Learn Digital Marketing?
It depends on your pace and dedication. With consistent effort, you can grasp the basics in 2-3 months and become job-ready in 6-12 months.
How Much Can I Earn as a Digital Marketer?
Salaries vary based on experience and location. Entry-level jobs pay around $50,000 annually, while experienced professionals can earn over $100,000.
What Tools Do Digital Marketers Use?
Some popular tools include:
- Google Analytics
- SEMrush or Ahrefs for SEO
- Canva for design
- Hootsuite for social media management
Conclusion
Digital marketing is an exciting career with endless possibilities. Whether you want to work for a big company, start your own business, or freelance, the opportunities are there. It’s about taking that first step, learning the skills, and being consistent.
So, are you ready to start your journey as a digital marketer? What’s the first step you’ll take today?
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