There is so much more to marketing than pitching to your customers. Communication is key but it’s the understanding what will resonate with them and how you can deliver value to their business.
It’s not as simple as asking them to buy, you have to build trust so that when the time comes for them to make the decision on who to choose, they will willingly choose you.
When it comes to digital marketing it’s pretty much the same thing only dialogue occurs over electronic platforms.
The soft skills involved in marketing haven’t changed that much, things such as communication, empathy, curiosity but the hard skills needed for digital marketing are somewhat different.
We are going to cover 5 digital marketing skills that are essential for success so whether you are looking to grow your career or business or perhaps both, these skills will help build a solid foundation.
1. SEO
As part of our customers’ journey, SEO plays a regular part. Whether they are looking for the closest beauty salon to sourcing venues for an upcoming event, our customers look to search engines to help them make purchasing decisions whilst feeling confident in doing so.
Getting your business to appear for relevant searches is an essential digital marketing skill.
It’s a complex subject with technical and creative aspects, you will need to know how to produce and promote content that is useful, how to build effective directory listings along with structuring and securing your own website.
There is no doubt that SEO is an ongoing investment but showing up on the first page of Google is hard to beat.
So if you’re just getting started or brushing up on your skills, it definitely is well worth your time and investment.
At Gekkoshot we have proven SEO results for clients, so if you want to talk about your SEO plans, please get in touch.
2. Copywriting
In short, this is written material aimed at promoting and prompting action.
It’s a must-have digital marketing skill considering the number of online channels that exist today.
Event invitations, paid ads, social media posts, landing pages, and emails to name but a few all require copy.
Blog writing or technical writing is different from copywriting because you need to be able to command attention, communicate value, and most importantly inspire action, all with a limited number of words and space.
Good copywriting should be easy on the eye, pleasant to read, and interesting enough to take in.
3. PPC
Also known as pay-per-click advertising which is an option for gaining relevant visibility more immediately.
If you opt for PPC your business is guaranteed to show in the top spots BUT you pay for each click your ad gets which can get very expensive very quickly if you aren’t getting a return.
Also paying more doesn’t necessarily mean you will show up more because ad relevance and quality are also factored in.
What makes PPC a skill is the relevance and quality aspect, not only do you need to know how to balance or allocate your budget, you also need to know which keywords to target, the best channel, and ad format to use as well as creating a cohesive experience for your customers.
PPC advertising isn’t just applicable to search engines, it applies to social media, websites, apps, directories, and more, therefore, it really is an essential digital marketing skill.
4. Conversion Rate Optimisation
If you have your SEO, PPC, Copywriting, and email all in order and you are using them to generate tonnes of traffic to your website then Great Work! But all is not done yet, what if all these potential customers are coming to your website but not taking action?
This is where the skill of conversion rate optimisation or CRO comes into play.
Conversion refers to the specific action you want your visitors to take on any given pages on your website. This might be in the form of a quote, to sign up to your mailing list, to download a free guide etc.
There are lots of factors that influence whether your visitors perform the desired actions so CRO seeks to identify the conditions which drive the most engagement.
If you are not familiar with CRO, these skills involve A/B testing, conversion funnels, and engagement metrics like bounce rate.
You will also need to be familiar with elements that influence conversions such as copy, layout, button colours, speed, site structure, and navigation.
5. Email
Last but not least is good old fashioned email. It’s been around for years but it still comes out on top as one of the most effective marketing strategies.
Its versatility is what makes email such a popular digital marketing skill, it can be used to convert leads, build loyalty, and engage dormant customers.
You can also use it to send useful content, exclusive deals, event invitations, and much more.