Start A Career In Digital Marketing And Land Your First Job As A Beginner With No Experience ( No Degree Needed)
Since the pandemic back in 2020 coupled with the skyrocketing rate of inflation, Many have lost their source of livelihood.
Getting a job has become even more difficult.
Despite all these, there’s one industry that continues to grow at a fast pace.
With over 4.66 billion active internet users worldwide, more businesses are increasingly relying on digital marketing strategies to stay competitive, reach a bigger audience, and generate sales.
This brings 2 things to mind;
1. There’s more money flowing towards online marketing, thereby creating a wealth of opportunities for beginners.
2. The demand for skilled digital marketers has never been greater.
Digital marketing is without a doubt one of the most in-demand and rewarding careers in the world today.
Whether you want to work as a freelancer, join an agency, or start your own business, this guide will show you how to start a career in digital marketing and grow your knowledge, salary, and income.
Interesting Digital Marketing Facts;
There are about 4.5 million job openings for digital marketing roles worldwide, according to a recent report by LinkedIn, as at the time of writing. The Opportunity is huge, and this number will keep growing.
Digital marketing spending is projected to reach $835.82 billion by 2026, according to Statista. This staggering figure underscores the tremendous growth potential and significance of digital marketing in the global economy.
it’s also expected to grow by 22% from 2023 to 2033, faster than any other sector of the economy
Equipping yourself with the right skillset will help position you to take advantage of this boom.
But,
what if I have no experience in digital marketing? Can I still pursue a career in it?
how do you break in and land your first job as a beginner with no experience?
Research conducted by Google indicates that there is currently a global shortage of skilled digital talent, providing high potential for beginners to get in.
Contrary to the myth out there, you don’t need a degree in computer science or related field, to break in and make significant contributions. You can land your dream job or client in digital marketing, even if you’re just starting out.
Nearly half of all digital marketers in the United States have no formal training in the field.
we will cover;
• What is Digital Marketing
• The different areas of digital marketing
• Why start a career in digital marketing
• How to get started in digital marketing
• How to land your first job in digital marketing
I will also provide some resources that you can use to learn more about digital marketing and to start building your skill set.
What is Digital Marketing?
Let’s say you are a small business owner who sells handmade jewelry.
To promote your products and brand, you would have to utilize various digital marketing strategies:
A website optimized for search engines that provide information about your different products, specifications, features, prices, and customer reviews.
- Build awareness – an online presence to engage with your target audience on social media.
Advertising campaigns on search engines and social media platforms like Facebook and Instagram.
Target customers based on location, demographics, and past online behavior.
- Send promotional emails to your existing customers with information about new product launches, discounts, and offers. Generate repeat purchases and customer loyalty.
Through these digital marketing strategies/activities, you are able to promote your brand, target the right audience, generate leads, and convert more website visitors into customers.
From the above example, we can see that;
Digital marketing is the use of digital channels to reach and engage with customers.
The key benefit of digital marketing is that it provides businesses access to a large customer base at a lower cost compared to traditional marketing methods
Different Areas of Digital Marketing
There are many areas of digital marketing, each with its own set of skills and responsibilities.
Some of the most in-demand areas I suggest you should pay attention to are;
SEO – This is the process of optimizing your website so that it ranks higher in search engine results pages (SERPs). This helps drive organic traffic from search results.
Content creation/marketing (Text, audio, videos, presentations.) – Creating useful content like blog posts, videos and social media posts to attract and engage customers.
Copywriting and sales closing – Direct response copywriting, email marketing, sales pages, and landing pages
Social media marketing – Building a presence and engaging with customers on platforms like Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and LinkedIn.
Email marketing – uses newsletters and campaigns to reach customers who have subscribed to receive your emails. To promote your products or services.)
Display advertising – shows your ads on websites and apps across the internet to reach the right audiences. You pay when people see or click your ads. (pay-per-click advertising like Google Ads where you bid on keywords and show ads to relevant searchers. You only pay when people click your ads.)
Marketing automation – uses software to automate repetitive tasks like email campaigns, lead scoring, and nurturing leads.
Analytics and conversion optimization – analyzes data and metrics to improve your marketing campaigns, websites, and funnels to boost conversions and results.
Others are – Video marketing, Affiliate marketing, Influencer marketing, Blogging, Online community building, and E-commerce.
Why Start a Career in Digital Marketing?
Digital marketing is one of the fastest-growing industries in the world, and for good reason;
Exponential Growth Opportunities – We see more businesses move their marketing efforts online. This means plenty of job opportunities for those entering the field.
The Skills are Transferable – The skills you learn in digital marketing like SEO, social media marketing, content creation, and analytics are applicable to many different industries. You can take these skills with you as your career progresses.
Flexibility to Explore Your Creativity – Digital marketing allows you to be creative in how you craft marketing messages, design campaigns, and tell brand stories through various channels. It’s a career that rewards creativity and innovative thinking.
High Potential for Career Growth – As you gain experience and master more digital marketing channels and strategies, you can take on more senior roles with higher pay. There are many opportunities to advance your career in this field.
Exposure – Digital marketing involves using the latest marketing technologies to reach audiences and measure results. This exposes you to things like AI, machine learning, and data analytics.
It Offers Versatility – Digital marketers can work in-house for companies or at agencies. You can also become a freelancer or start your own agency. It gives you options when it comes to charting your career’s journey.
Work-life Balance – Many digital marketing jobs offer flexible work arrangements, which can give you more control over your work-life balance. This is especially important if you have a family or other commitments outside of work.
How to Get Started in Digital Marketing
If you don’t know where to start your digital career? follow my 5-step process;
1. Take Online Courses
You definitely have to start by getting the necessary knowledge and skillset.
You can decide to learn everything yourself by trial and error, but this might take you longer time, more money spent, and in some cases loss of your social media accounts (like when I lost my Facebook ad account due to a silly mistake that could have been avoided if I had someone to guide me).
There are several online courses that can teach you the basics of digital marketing(the terminology and concepts that you will need to know).
You should also consider getting certified. This will show potential employers/clients that you have the skills and knowledge they’re looking for.
You can get a free digital marketing certification by enrolling in the Google Digital Garage
A good rule of thumb is to focus on learning the fundamentals of each of the digital marketing areas I listed above so that you can gain a broad overview of how everything fits together.
2. Join Niche Specific Online Communities
There are online communities, forums, and groups where you can connect with other digital marketers and learn from them.
Networking is a great way to learn about new opportunities, share ideas, ask questions, and make connections with people in the industry that could help you advance your career. You get to learn from the insights, mistakes, and experiences of others.
Participate in relevant groups; Facebook groups, LinkedIn groups, attend industry events, conferences, meetups, and webinars.
Connect with other digital marketers on social media, share your knowledge, meet people, give value, and build relationships that could lead to job opportunities.
Most influential people you know grew their influence from networking and meeting new people. Begin To Network Intentionally
3. Volunteer Your Services
The next step is to gain experience. This can be done by volunteering your services, starting a blog, or working as an intern.
Find opportunities to practice and apply your knowledge. Look for ways to get hands-on experience with digital marketing tools & strategies.
You could volunteer to manage the social media accounts for a local business or nonprofit organization, create a content strategy for a startup company’s blog, or run small paid Facebook Ad campaigns for your personal projects.
You could also start your blog or website and experiment with different marketing techniques.
Don’t be afraid to try new things and experiment with different approaches, The more experience you have under your belt, the more attractive you will be to potential clients or employers.
4. Create an Online Presence
Use the knowledge you have garnered to build your personal brand.
Set up your profile across different social media platforms LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Medium… Furthermore, you should create a website or start a blog where you share your knowledge. In other words, Build Your Portfolio
Best Domain and Hosting For Digital Marketers
A portfolio is a great way to showcase your skills and experience to potential employers or clients. Make sure to include examples of your work that highlights your accomplishments. This could include case studies, sample campaigns, landing pages, email templates, your work on your blog, your volunteer projects, or your internship work, etc. Look for opportunities to apply what you’ve learned, even if it means working on projects for yourself or for friends and family.
As you gain experience, start collecting samples of your work in a portfolio. This will show potential employers what you’re capable of and help you stand out from the competition
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5. Stay Up-to-date on Trends
The digital marketing landscape is constantly changing. To stay ahead of the curve, you can’t afford not to be up-to-date on the latest trends and technologies.
Read industry blogs, set up Google alerts, podcasts, and youtube channels.
Here are 2 Bonus tips,
6. Practice Your Knowledge And Aggressively Implement
No matter how much you learn and read, without implementation, nothing will change. No amount of learning can substitute for actions.
Nobody Learns to drive an actual car on paper. You would eventually have to get into an actual car, hit the road, and get better with consistent practice.
Don’t shy away from putting out your content, and don’t let imposter syndrome hold you back.
Gain the Necessary experience, “Experience does not necessarily mean the number of years you have been doing this, you might have been a digital marketer for several months if not years but what stands you out is what you were able to achieve with the knowledge and skills that you have and what you have to show for it”.
7. Be Patient
It requires time and patience to break into the field of digital marketing. Don’t get discouraged if you don’t land your dream job right away. Keep learning, keep networking, and keep building your portfolio.
How to land your first job in digital marketing?
Once you have some experience, you can start applying for jobs in digital marketing.
Visit gigs and Job boards frequently,
Upwork, Freelancer, LinkedIn job board, Fiverr, people per hour (there are more, you can do your research to find out more).
If you’re going the route for a hire job at a company, tailor your resume and cover letter to each job you apply for: Make sure to highlight the skills and experience that are relevant to the job.With 30 to 60 days of consistency and implementation, you can literally take your digital marketing career from zero to hero.
