10 Top Digital Marketing Skills Needed in Business’s

Everything digital is on the rise these days and it’s had a significant impact on how we connect with each other and with our favorite brands. This change in our social engagement has influenced how brands approach marketing. While this trend may have gained momentum in larger countries first, South African businesses are also on board.

Digital marketing is steadily growing in popularity among South African brands and entrepreneurs.

As local companies make the leap into the competitive digital world, the demand for digital marketing skills has increased.

If you want to get ahead, the best move you can make is up-skilling yourself with a digital marketing course or three. If you’re wondering which skills to arm yourself with first, we’ve got you covered. Let’s break it down.

10 Digital Marketing Skills Every SA Business Needs

In order to compete effectively on the global stage South African businesses need to ensure their digital marketing skills are on point. These skills should include the following…

1. Communication

Communication is more of a human skill than a digital skill, but it’s an essential part of digital marketing. These days communication between businesses and their audience is instant, making good communication skills a must. No one in business wants what they say online to be misinterpreted. Master your interactive skills so that your responses on social media or blog comment threads are clear and to the point.

2. Social Media

Social media is an amazing digital marketing tool. It allows businesses to connect with an ever growing audience in an environment that is fun and casual. Engagement is instant and direct which allows you to answer questions and solve problems in real time. It’s a great way to create leads and build strong customer relationships.

3. Social Media Marketing

Social media marketing places its focus on value-based selling. Due to its popularity with businesses, social platforms have evolved cater to digital marketing requirements. Social media offers digital marketers advertising options, post boosts, sponsored posts, business pages and more. By mastering these aspects of social media you will be able to create incredible marketing strategies and increase your brand authority.

4. Search Engine Optimization

If your business wants to get ahead in the digital world you need to have SEO skills. SEO is about positively affecting the online presence of a website through the use of targeted keywords and phrases. The result is an increase in organic traffic and a higher website ranking on SERPS. While it may seem a little technical, SEO is actually used on every website, blog, display advert or article found online.

5. Email Marketing

Email marketing might not be the trendiest form of digital marketing but it’s still super effective. It’s still an awesome way to maintain a good relationship with your customers. To create an amazing email marketing campaign you need to be skilled in content creation, design and click-through-rate analysis.

6. Data Analysis

Digital marketing is all about data. Businesses have to go through mountains of information about their strategies, customers and workforce. But data is more than just a bunch of numbers and graphs. Being able to read and analyze data is crucial to understanding the future of any business. Organizations need people on staff who can extract useful information from their data. This skill can also be integrated into more roles.

7. Search Engine Marketing

It’s pointless having the best content on the web if no one can find it. Search marketing is about increasing your online presence, traffic and visibility on internet search engines in the least invasive way possible. This is done by using paid (PPC) and unpaid (organic) marketing strategies. With a deeper understanding of search engine marketing you will be able to increase website traffic and improve your ranking on SERPS. As a result your digital marketing efforts will be more effective and reach more people.

8. Content Creation

Content is a key element in the digital universe. Everyone is always trying to be the most original when coming up with content for their online persona. Advertising and marketing campaigns are built around content. So creating content that is relevant, engaging and informational is essential. Having the skills to create this type of content across all forms of digital media such as (blogs, websites, and social media) is a must.

9. Mobile Marketing

There’s an app for everything these days. This is why most people prefer to use their mobile phones for browsing the internet. It’s just more convenient than a laptop. This means that organizations need to adapt to this shift accordingly. It’s now essential to create mobile-friendly content so that you can engage with your audience via social media apps. More ways to connect is great for business and who wouldn’t want that?

10. Design Skills

Digital marketing isn’t all about written content. It’s also very visually intensive. An advertising campaign that doesn’t have a single image isn’t going to do so well. Websites with themes and designs related to the business are popular with visitors. Social media platforms also do well when captions and images are incorporated into a single post. Having a basic knowledge of design principles will help you create content which coveys your message in the most creative way possible.

Get in touch with the Digital School of Marketing

We would love to hear from you – if you are interested in any of our courses. Please contact us and our trained consultants will be ready to assist you.