Digital marketing is a type of modern marketing that mainly involves the use of the internet. Using mobile phones for this purpose is an upcoming trend in this industry. Recently, the influence of social media has increased significantly in our social life, and the companies have come to realize its importance to maintain their reputation and to solve customer queries on time. Digital marketing includes activities like search engine optimization (SEO), search engine marketing (SEM), content marketing, e – commerce marketing, social media, etc.
Search Engine Optimization is the process of analyzing the people’s choice of search on the internet like what do they search for, the actual keywords typed etc.. According to (Blake, 2011), selecting the appropriate key word or phrase is the most important thing in SEO. It also involves driving traffic from various sites like Pinterest, Google and social media sites to the desired website for which the SEO manager is working.
Search Engine Marketing is the process of promoting the website upon the ranks of the search engine results, mainly by the means of paid advertisements (pay – per – click). This is an advertising method in which small ads will be displayed on the search result page, and a specified amount is paid whenever the ad is clicked b a visitor. ~Boris Mordkovich, Eugene Mordkovich [2007, p.6]
Qualifications Required
A bachelor’s degree is all that you would require becoming a digital marketer. Graduation in any stream or course could help one becoming a digital marketer; however, graduation in internet marketing is preferred though not mandatory. There are various institutes that offer courses for this program both short as well as long-term (almost the same, the only difference is that the long-term courses also guarantee you an internship and hence are a little costly). One will learn each and every skill in the course itself like SEO, SEM etc. so there is no need to have prior knowledge about them. However, if you aim at becoming a director or a digital marketing manager at a big reputed firm, then you may also require a post graduation degree. The pay scale varies depending upon the degree that the person possesses. On an average, a person with bachelor’s degree can earn $41,000 whereas a person with master degree may earn $63,000.
Digital marketing is a wide industry that involves several employment opportunities. A person can work as Search Engine Optimization Manager, Search engine marketing manager, Content Marketing Manager, Marketing analyst, E – commerce marketing manager, Social Media manager, etc. My area of interest is the post of a ‘social media manager’.
Job Description
A social media manager is a person who manages the company’s social media websites like Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, etc. He also develops strategies and campaigns to spread the key words and phrases on the internet through these websites. Many times he also joins hand with the company’s customer care department and answers questions asked by the public on the company’s social handles. A social media manager is responsible for creating, executing, and managing marketing strategies for the company’s social media websites.
Skills Required
This is the primary skill that is required by all social media managers. In other words, they are hired to enhance communication and posting on company’s social handles. The communications between the manager and the customer takes place over the internet. In order to foster this interaction, frequent posts and updates are necessary. Therefore, in order to become a successful social media manager, one should master the skill of content writing.
Graphic designing
Posts with images get more views especially when the major target-audience of the company is children. When compared to plain written content, images ensure that the customer will definitely look at what the company has to say. It also increases the interaction time. Therefore, it is important that the Social Media Manager knows graphic designing.
Customer service attitude
The manager should have a customer-first mindset. He should be always ready to answer the customers despite time variance. A customer will form a good opinion about the company if they receive quick and witty replies furnished with intermediate level of vocabulary.
SEO
Knowledge about search engine optimization is also important so that the people see the information/new posts about the company once they search for topics related to the company or the specific industry. According to Enge, Spencer, Stricchiola and Fishkin (2012, p. 20), tight budgeting has shifted the focus to the highest ROI investments hence increasing focus on SEO.
Social media knowledge
This is the most important part for a social media manager, he should be familiar with the terms and conditions that a particular social website has before posting anything on it.
Responsibilities
A social media manager is responsible for designing a social media strategy. He also administers and controls budgets for the strategies, coordinates with different departments especially the customer department to ensure customer satisfaction. Posting new articles on the social handles of the company whenever there is a new change or an offer that the company wants to inform the public.
A typical day of a social media manager is spent in front of a computer screen starting right from the beginning of his shift he tweets, retweets, publishes, performs follow-ups, and answers the questions asked by the public.
Conclusion
In total, taking up the job of a digital marketer is a good and promising choice. There is an option of work from home, part time or full time depending on your availability and the company’s needs. A good amount of money can be made from small and easy works. Many people do it at home simply by scrolling through Facebook, posting on Twitter, retweeting etc. Chatting with the public, asking for feedback, emailing new offers and notifications to the existing customers, and acquiring new customers are some of the works done by a social media manager. One needs to be very witty to maintain good public relation and a good reputation of the company. One wrong move and false news will spread across all social media websites and spoil the organization’s name in no time.
References
Blake, G. (2011). SEO on a zero budget. Glenn Blake.
Enge, E., Spencer, S., Stricchiola, J & Fishkin, R. (2012). The Art of SEO. "O'Reilly Media, Inc.
Lieb, R. (2012). Content Marketing :Think like a Publisher. Que Publishing.
Mordkovich, B & Mordkovich, E. (2007). Pay per click Search Engine Marketing Handbook by Boris. Lulu.com.
Story, M. (2012). Starting Your Career as a Social Media Manager. Skyhorse Publishing Inc.
