Finding Your Job Role in the Digital Market

• by jakeaull

Want to get into digital marketing, but you’re not sure what role is best for you? Digital marketing today has many niches. So what to focus in where you’ll thrive? You have to identify what your brain is – is it more analytic, coding or creative? More talkative or focused? Here are some tips to consider:

• If you’re more creative or a designer, you could go IA (information architecture) or UX (user experience design/planning).
• Analytics is what’s hot; but your mind has to be ready for that deep dive into technology and data analysis.
• More coding in nature? Then build websites.
• If your personality is more analytical, then get Google Analytics certification.
• &/or if you have interests in any of those areas but you’re more of a talker (rather than sitting at home, coffee shop or cubicle just coding all day), then be a project manager (in any of those areas).
• Of course if you’re more of a copywriter, you can be an SEO copywriter. But FYI copywriting & social media posting is generally cheap (even SEO copywriting) unless you’re an expert in a specific industry.
• I always say that if you’re a good project manager, you can do whatever you want in digital – because all the pieces have to be done somehow/someway, & it ties you closer to the project. So, e.g., you may not make much as a graphic designer but if you’re a good project manager you can do the ad designs & project manage (PM) the SEMs & talk to the clients.
• & PM might be a good way to break into digital anyway; there are a lot of techs who can’t talk to a client or meet deadlines. If you can do that, that’s huge & it has big advantage when surrounded by hard core techs & young social media marketers.
• Also if you attend Startup Weekends here in major cities they are great visibility to different digital people & roles & networking, all within 1 weekend.
• & co-working spaces and startup incubators have open house days where you can see the different types of roles people have.
• Also you can volunteer with digital marketing associations & get good understanding & networking.
• Digital people (especially many developers) are often not great at in-person networking. So if you can do that, it’s an automatic edge. There’s always a necessity for people who can talk well with customers & manage deadlines – in any industry.

Thanks for reading, Jake Aull, Zen Fires Digital Marketing