The growth of the internet has created a lot of opportunities for many people, regardless of age, gender, race, or location. Many people have been able to make a living online by taking advantage of the opportunities coming their way, especially with the rise of gamification making it especially enjoyable for both marketers and consumers.
There are many different niches and specialties you can focus on, each having its own pros and cons. There is no better time than now if you are looking to break into the digital marketing industry. The growth of digital marketing is higher when compared to traditional forms of marketing. I have listed below the best tips that will go a long way in helping fellow Latinxs in the US grow and succeed in the world of digital marketing. I encourage you to really think about my advice, even if you are wanting to enter a similar field. These concepts can essentially be applied across numerous industries.
Eagerness to learn
The single most-important element. There is a fast growth in the digital marketing industry, but it is important to remember that it is competitive. Many businesses will be looking for marketers who are eager to learn and get rid of those who have lost their motivation or are just there to ride along. There is a level of passion and desire needed to succeed in this world. People with desire and passion tend to achieve more than those who don’t, trust me. Don’t just learn about the industry, but set aside time for self-reflection and I even encourage you to take some behavioral assessments to find your own behavioral and learning styles. Tony Robbins has an amazing and insightful DISC Profile self-assessment you can take to discover how you can maximize your personality traits to leverage and achieve your goals.
Stay updated
It is always important to stay on top of industry news, this is especially true in search engine optimization given that Google Search has undergone multiple updates just last month. You can easily do this by following major marketing sites and influential people on social media, like Search Engine Land, State of Digital, SE RoundTable, Moz, or even SEMrush Spanish community. There are a lot of changes happening that may be crucial for your career. Social media sites keep changing some things in their platform while search engines update their algorithms from time to time. Know what is trending and the techniques that are being used by many people. Take your time to learn more about something new in the industry, this will pay in the long run.
Networking
This is where a platform like BeVisible’s comes in, and probably the second-most-important element. Surrounding yourself with people more talented than you is a good way to ensure you have a successful career in digital marketing. The people you meet online and offline will be able to help you when you run into problems or help you open doors to opportunities that you may not have seen before. There are many conferences and meetups BeVisible has been hosting across the country that you can attend to help you build relationships with other marketing professionals. You can learn a lot from networking with the right people.
Personal projects
My personal favorite, as it is the most fun and one that lots of digital marketers promote. It is a good idea to try your own ideas without having to treat industry leaders’ opinions as the gospel. What works for you may not necessarily work for another person, and what worked last year may not necessarily work today. Trying out will enable you to know the weakness and strength of your strategies, and even make some extra money along the way! There are tons of techniques out there, it will be up to you to know which ones work for you. Through research and experimenting your own ideas, you will be able to take accountability if the project is successful or fails. And at the end of the day, even if your project fails, what you will learn from it is the most important aspect.
Develop your personal brand
This element builds upon and is strengthened by, engaging in personal projects. It can be hard to market yourself as a digital marketing expert when you yourself don’t have a visible online presence. It is easier to convince an employer that you can help them build their company’s visibility when you can show that you have built yours. Having a strong personal presence online could be the line between you getting the job and not getting it. Maybe you are among two candidates battling for the same position and the employers decide to use this as a determining factor.
Be a little nerdy
Many people see a career in digital marketing as something simple that doesn’t need a lot of investment in terms of time and effort. This cannot be further from the truth. Digital marketing is more technical and data driven than many people think. In SEO, for example, you are essentially hired because of your expertise in understanding the theoretical and practical principles that make up search engine algorithms. You may not be the one to develop a website from scratch, but you are required to communicate the marketing strategies to the designers or developers who will then incorporate your recommendations into the project. Having a little knowledge of HTML and web development will go a long way.
Certifications
Marketers love certification courses. Completing a certified digital marketing course will go a long way in making you stand out from your peers in the industry. Many employers are looking for marketers who stand out because they are in a better position to bring something new to the company, and have the qualifications to back up their knowledge in the industry.
With the right resources and mindset, you will be able to join the world of digital marketing and be as successful as your passion is willing to take you.