As social media has become part of traditional marketing and an essential piece for networking, especially in the middle of a pandemic, everyday more people are wondering if getting trained in digital marketing would be a good decision to develop their careers. “Although there are many options to choose from, there are three areas that will prove useful in any career. These are a good understanding of human behaviour, excellent writing abilities and a strong set of digital skills,” stated recently Carmen Schaefer, head of On-Campus Education at Red & Yellow Creative School of Business.
Schaefer believes that with the increasing number of entrepreneurs, and most of them deciding to take the ‘one-man-band’ approach at least to start their businesses, it is a good initiative to study an area that will give them a broad spectrum of skills that will open multiple doors. “The key is to study for the career you think you want, but also choose something that teaches you the skills that could be useful in other careers”.
Every major business area has embraced online marketing
With more people having their own social media profile, the marketing landscape has changed from flyers and printed ads, to focus on digital presence. Especially during the pandemic, when physical distancing it’s a priority to keep everybody safe, video calls, messaging and chatting came to fill in the void of human interaction.
According to a survey conducted by Ecommerce 360, 72% answered that their social media consumption has increased during the COVID-19 pandemic, and 43% are now posting more on these channels. This change forces companies to shift their way of getting noticed, or even enter the digital world for the first time, since being absent from it will keep them from getting noticed. As reflected in that same report, “82% of respondents indicated that social media is the most common channel from which they get information about a brand and its products; and almost a third, (29%) indicated that most of their new purchases come from social media discoveries”.
Businesses need people who understand the landscape of online marketing
As more businesses have entered in online marketing, or have found that their online audience has grown, they also need employees who understand how digital marketing works, and how to address the new customers, since amateur work can lead to mistakes, or to not taking full advantage of the new landscape.
The magazine Canadian Immigrant recently reported that online marketing was among the five most in demand skills in Canada: “Every major business area has embraced online marketing and it is definitely the future. More than ever, businesses need people who understand the landscape of online marketing, which covers social media, Search Engine Optimization (SEO), content marketing, blogging, email marketing and more. If you pick one area and become an expert in it, you will definitely be a valuable asset.”
Right now there’s a plethora of free and paid options to study digital marketing, depending on the depth and knowledge the person would like to gain. At ERP College we have a Certificate program that will train students in research and market intelligence, content optimization, Google Analytics and even User Experience (UX), so they can graduate with a holistic perspective that will make them confident to apply for an online marketing position.
Half of online shoppers start their purchase journeys on search engines
Just by looking at your own or a family member behaviour, you will find that most of the buyer journeys nowadays begin doing a search on Google, Yahoo, Amazon, or even one of the social media channels, and this trend reflects how crucial it is for companies to have an online presence. “About half (48%) of more than 14,000 online shoppers surveyed start their purchase journeys on search engines, making this channel attractive for retailers. Retailer sites are where one-third (33%) of consumers start their product search (multiple responses to the questions were allowed), followed by other marketplaces (25%) and the website of the customer’s desired brand (21%)”, according to a recent study done by Wunderman Thompson Commerce (WTC).
This is important because if a company doesn’t have online presence, it will lose about half of its potential customers, and increasing the awareness of the brand will be an uphill battle. Another aspect to keep in mind is that much of this consumer behaviour, even though it was fueled by the pandemic, it will stick even when most of the world goes back to normal, which will force businesses to adapt to this new way of doing business in order to survive.
Professionals with digital skills, including coding, web development, and digital marketing, will be more important than they are now
The context of physical distancing, closed stores and the call to stay at home as much as possible, has pushed a lot of companies to speed up their transition to a digital setting or start one altogether. This has increased the demand of professionals with digital skills to build a website, code, and guide managers through what are the best decisions to take to guarantee success.
“The COVID-19 pandemic is fast-tracking digital transformations in companies as they are trying to become more resilient to future outbreaks and disruptions. The reality is that technologies such as artificial intelligence, big data, the Internet of Things, virtual and augmented reality, and robotics will make businesses more resilient to future pandemics, and anyone that can help companies exploit these technologies will be in a great position. Whether you work in a factory or an accounting office in a post-coronavirus world, you need to be comfortable with these tech tools as well as be able to work with them effectively”, stated Bernard Marr in a Forbes article.
Given the new demands expected by the current workforce, consider enrolling in the Digital and Social Media Marketing program we have at ERP College. You can find more information here or give us a call if you would like more details.
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