What are the Essential Digital Marketing Skills?

As you can see from the graph above, the most in-demand skills of the future include technology, creativity and analytical thinking.

The beauty of a career in digital marketing is that you can choose to be a jack-of-all-trades or focus on one or two core skills to set you apart. It’s a field where experience or a good internship speaks volumes. Certifications are the new degree and are a great way to demonstrate skills and add to your credibility. A digital marketing certification as a generalist or in one key area will not only boost your employability but help you create promotional opportunities so you can demand a higher salary.

The flip side is that there’s also things to avoid doing when it comes to your career. Check out our article ‘11 Things Everyone Gets Wrong in their Digital Marketing Career’ to make sure you know what not to do!

Let’s take a look at the top overall skills and areas of expertise for a digital marketer.

What Does a Digital Marketer Do?

What is a Digital Marketer?
In general terms, a digital marketer is responsible for using a variety of digital channels to generate leads and build brand awareness. Digital channels include:

Company websites
Social media networks such as Facebook, YouTube, and Instagram
Search engines including Google and Bing
Email marketing
Mobile apps like TikTok and WhatsApp
Online display ads
Blogs
Beyond this, a digital marketer must also use measurable analytics to identify weaknesses and find ways to improve performance across these channels. In this role, you can be responsible for all aspects of a company’s digital strategy or just focus on one.

There are pros and cons to becoming a digital marketer or specialist. Smaller companies tend to have one general specialist or manager while corporations can spread the responsibilities around to an entire team or across several different departments.