Digital Marketing: Components, Characteristics and Career Options- Updated on 23rd January 2016
Marketing is to business what oxygen is to body. No business, whether large or small, can expect to survive without proper marketing. It brings your business into the public view, informs customers (actual as well as potential) about your products/services and keeps them connected with your company. An essential part of every business undertaking, marketing has been in practice since ages and will continue to exist, as long as businesses exist. The only difference that you will see is in the tools and strategies that are employed to get results.
You must be already feeling the gradual shift towards the digital spectrum as more and more marketing/promotional campaigns are run in virtual space. The traditional mediums such as print and electronic are still there but internet and social media have emerged as very impactful mediums that are no less than essential in the current times. For small and medium scale businesses they are the only mediums and sufficient enough as well. In fact, the birth of the World Wide Web has led to the emergence of many businesses that would have never seen the light of the day had the online space not been there.
Today, every business entity, worth its salt, has an online presence and the bigger its size, the more widespread is its digital marketing ambit. And digital marketing is slowly turning into a specialized profession with companies hiring digital marketers in good numbers to manage their online marketing strategies. A career in digital marketing is associated with good money, growth and development. Thus, more and more youngsters are opting for digital marketing as a full-fledged career option. If you are also looking to join the group, you have miles to go. Digital marketing jobs for MBA freshers in Mumbai, Delhi, Hyderabad, and Bangalore or for that matter in any part of India looks quiet promising with bright prospects.
Though digital marketing is a core function of marketing, marketing knowledge needs to be supplemented with technical knowledge and there are many components that cover the term digital marketing and includes:
SEO (Search Engine optimization)
Whether your site will come into Google and other search engine results, is determined by the quality of SEO that has been done for your site. It is related with page ranking and as an SEO specialist, one needs to be aware of keywords, HTML coding, link building and other things that influence your page rank. A very vital part of digital marketing, SEO enhances the visibility of your site and also brings about an increase in the amount of traffic coming to your site which can be capitalized for further gains and generating successful marketing leads.
Social Media Marketing
Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, YouTube and its ilk are the staple food for digital marketers. These social networks are fabulous platforms to promote your business and require specialized domain knowledge to catch the interest of the audiences. Every update or post or tweet has the capability to create a ripple effect and engage the online audience. It is a very potent medium and to make the most of its reach, you need to be proficient at web analytics. You should also possess a sound knowledge of online communication strategies that will work in the favor of your product or brand. The fan/business pages are powerful platforms for interaction and engagement and need to be harnessed to the optimum.
Content Marketing
You must have heard the saying “Content is King”. Well, it has become a cliché but this does not mean it is no longer relevant. Content plays a vital role in getting eyeballs and traffic. But merely good content is not enough. According to Li Evans, search marketing guru “Content does not win. Optimized content wins.” And hence, proper marketing of content is important. You need to publicize your blog posts and audio/visual matter through proper channels to make the most impact.
Digital marketing jobs scenario
The job prospects are very bright for those who want to make a career in digital marketing. One can find a good number of digital marketing jobs for MBA freshers in Mumbai, Delhi, Bangalore, Hyderabad and other such cities. Even if you are looking to start as a freelancer, you can easily do so. The demand for digital marketers is quite high and on the rise. The starting salary revolves in the range of 1.5-2.5 lakh. As you gain experience and exposure, it increases and after 4-5 years it can reach anywhere between 5-10 lakh.
Initially, you can expect to be endowed with the responsibility of marketing a particular product/service and slowly you can progress to comprehensive digital marketing for the entire company. A versatile career option, it is a field that is constantly evolving and thus, you get copious opportunity to learn and flourish. You are also encouraged to experiment and be creative. In short, as a digital marketing professional, you will be joining a dynamic job profile that will always keep you up-to-date and in the center of action.
Qualities and skills
To succeed in this evolving field, you need to possess the mindset of a student that is always willing to learn. Though technical degree is not mandatory, a certification will help and you should be aware of the working of web technology. A creative bent of mind and innovative approach are also needed as they help in creating effective promotional campaigns. You should know how to think out of the box and demonstrate a flair for quick learning.
In the field of digital marketing, there are no written rules to make things work and the digital medium is very fickle. Hence, you should be adaptable to changes and have a knack for solving problems. You need to be flexible and also have good analytical skills. It is a lot about learning and keeping abreast with the new developments and updates. Last but not the least, hard work and commitment are very important because it is consistency and continuous efforts that bring results.
