I originally wrote a version of this post in response to a question on Quora titled “what are good ways to learn to become the best digital marketer?”.
It’s a great question because it’s a universal one for anyone looking to establish their digital marketing career. I’ve certainly been asked this by people of various experience, from graduates to seasoned professionals.
Answering this question prompted me to think about how I learnt along the way (and how I could accelerate the journey for others).
In general, I find the best way to learn is by blending Theory and Practice. Read a little, then put it into action. That’s stood me in good stead in my career and also many other forms of training (sports, lecturing, etc).
So, let’s get to it. These are some of the top tips I would have for others:
1. Build Up a Good Influencer List
Find those people on twitter, linked in, and in blogs that you aspire to be like. Follow them. Connect with them. It never hurts to send a note to these people to say hi, as long as its done with professional respect.
2. Setup Your Feeds
I have many blog feeds from my favorite digital marketers, so I can always see their latest posts. I do this to get inspiration as well as build up my own ‘theory base’. Digital marketing moves quickly, and this keeps me on top of things. If you’re interested, I wrote a on how to set this up (How to Build Your Intelligence System in Less Than 30 Minutes).
3. Start Something
The only way to learn digital marketing is to have skin in the game. I’ve known many digital professionals in my career, and the ones I respect most are those that are ‘on the tools’ every week, whether that’s posting from their social media account, or writing a blog. So, wherever you are in your career, start something. It takes less than $50 to start up a blog (some are even free), and with Twitter and Pinterest anyone can curate content. As well as being valuable ways to contribute creatively in the world, these tools also refine our skills at being great digital marketers.
4. Get involved in Social
When I sent my first Twitter post, I was actually nervous. I didn’t know the first thing about how to curate links, let alone share content with others. But since then I’ve probably learnt more from Social than any other tool. As well as setting up accounts, try some of the tools that let you schedule content, as well as analyse its results. Tools like Buffer and Hootsuite are great.
5. When You Hit the Wall, Read
There will be a time when you hit the wall, and you think, ‘yikes, what’s the point’! When this happens, pick up a new book on digital marketing or read a blog. Because digital marketing is an ‘always on’ job, digital marketers can get burnt out quickly. So finding a new tip or piece of theory to re-energise you and get you inspired toward your mission can help. I know I’ve been in those situations more than once.
6. Build Your Mind for Metrics
Finally, I’d suggest dabbling in many digital analytics tools. The day-to-day role of a digital marketer is immersed in analytics, whether that’s Google Analytics or a new A/B Testing Tool. Digital Marketers that are familiar with these tools and can quickly interpret numbers definitely stand out in today’s crowd.
Again, I recommend highly blending a weekly practice of reading and doing (or theory and practice). And digital marketing is certainly an exciting and fast-moving career (and we’re lucky to be in such a rapidly growing area of all industries).
If you are thinking about a change in career or role, you may find my article on factors to consider in your career decision useful.
Feel free to also share your perspective with others by leaving a comment below.
