Digital Marketing is a relatively new branch of marketing that uses technologies such as the internet, mobile devices, search engines, social media, and related channels to reach out to the customers. Experts consider it to be a completely new endeavour that is radically different from the traditional forms of marketing as it requires newer ways of approaching customers and understanding how they behave in the digital environment. The career prospects in the field are high since there is a lack of skilled candidates for the profile since it is a newer field. Graduating with an MBA (Master of Business Administration) degree in Digital Marketing is the best bet to kickstart a wonderful career in the world of technology, and pursuing MBA in a top tier institute or university is a must for better job prospects. Look no further than the CAT (Common Admission Test) to get into the premium colleges in the country. It is the premier all India management entrance test conducted by IIMs (Indian Institute of Management) with more than 2 lakhs candidates competing every year.
An internet marketing agency is a company that offers services such as web development, SEO, social media management, content and blog writing, graphic design and more.
What Specifically Is Digital Marketing?
Digital Marketing targets a specific segment of the total customer base. The techniques used are interactive that makes the customer take part in activities. The field is gaining popularity rapidly with the rise of search result ads, promoted/sponsored content, email advertising, etc. Digital marketing tends to be confused with Internet marketing. Internet marketing is a form of advertising that is solely on the internet, but digital marketing covers a wider spectrum. It does not necessarily require an Internet base. It can happen through a video game, a smartphone application, or even a digital platform on the subway. In the annals of digital marketing, the advertisers are known as the sources and the target audience is known as the receivers.
It offers a highly paid profile in almost all of the top companies who are on the lookout for graduates from the stream. Therefore, getting selected in a reputed institute through CAT should be the most important objective for students seeking a career in the field.
What are the Alternative Options?
With only about 1500 seats offered across all the IIMs, most candidates are bound to miss out on the most premium institutes in the country every year. But do not let that let you down. There are still very good alternatives for your aspirations. There are still many premium and/or reputed institutes in the country other than the IIMs. CMAT (Common Management Admission Test) is the second-largest MBA/PGDM entrance test in India after the Common Admission Test. It is a national level exam conducted by the NTA (National Testing Agency) for getting admission in the 400+ NTA and AICTE approved business schools. Some of the top institutes accepting scores include K.J Somaiya Institute of Management, Goa Institute of Management, Welingkar Institute, XIME, etc. These institutes provide excellent ROI (Return on Investment) and have the support of a strong alumni network that ensures highly paid internships and placements. CMAT is also popular in the case that it is easier to prepare and score in.
What Does a Digital Marketer Do?
Digital marketers have two primary roles: driving brand awareness and lead generation. They are to generate both through digital channels which may be free and paid at the company’s disposal. It includes handling social media and websites, SEO (Search Engine Optimization), email advertising, and maintaining blogs. Digital marketers are to focus on several KPIs (Key Performance Indicators) for each channel to maintain and measure the performance on that channel. For example, the amount of Organic Traffic is a KPI for search engine optimization.
They should also be focusing on the weaknesses of the channels used by their company. There is various measurable analytics that can be used to identify such areas and work towards improving them. Smaller companies usually require one or two digital marketers to be responsible for all the said digital strategies while larger organizations may give you teams to work with and manage.
The Roles
The field of digital marketing has various facets that people are mostly not aware of. You can either be a jack of all trades or be a master of a specific one. Taking additional certifications will improve your resume in the field. These are some of the various specific areas in digital marketing one can focus upon:
- SEO: Search Engine Optimization helps in bringing organic traffic to your websites. It is a technique that is commonly used to boost sales and brand awareness. Having knowledge ofSEO is very important to succeed in the field.
- Multimedia: In the online environment, you get a mere two to five seconds to capture the target customer’s attention. Research says that video is the easiest way to increase engagement with the users. Having good editing skills and a creative mind is what makes you stand apart.
- Content Marketing: One of the biggest and most common mistakes that companies and their managers do in digital marketing is overlooking the content. For all the attractive designs and catch phrases they make, at the end of the day, it is the content that matters to a serious customer. You need to have a good understanding of how to use the content to help the company meet its Content strategy and analysis are the fields to research into.
- Data & Analytics: Google Analytics is a very useful tool that is effectively used by digital marketing teams. It can help in various tasks like tracking reports etc. But one should have a definite idea ofhow to use the information. Simply collecting loads of data without any specific purpose is of no use. Data is a crucial element in today’s world and only those who know how to effectively use it succeed in the market.
- Design Thinking: The most important facet of any online material is the user experience. Companies and their digital managers need to keep on finding new ways to engage the customers and keep their interest as times pass. Hence design thinking is crucial in digital marketing. Ensuring simple and effective online experience will help keep the existing users as well as attract new ones. Along with search engine optimization, this is another method to improve the natural/organic traffic into the website.
Keeping up with the latest advancements in technology and finding ways to incorporate those into the field of digital marketing will bring about huge success.
What will be the Future?
With huge investments going into the field, studies predict that about 85% of all digital display ads will be presented via automation in the next three years. The shift towards AI (Artificial Intelligence) means a more seamless, efficient, and accurate approach with very low customer acquisition costs. Also, with voice assistants like Alexa, Siri, Cortana, and Google Assistant taking over the market, voice search is predicted to take over typed searches. Hence, SEO should be focused more on voice searches also. Lastly, with the evolution of big data and the availability of in-depth customer information, personalization of content should be the next major step in marketing. Determining relevant content for everyone that will be key to customer satisfaction and loyalty will be the next challenge.
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