Dropping Gems: Advice for New Marketers from Our Digital Experts
Digital marketing is a bit of a mystery. Although it’s becoming an increasingly common career path, it’s not as clearly mapped out as, say, a career as a doctor or lawyer would be. Look around an agency floor and you’ll see a wide variety of people from a diverse range of backgrounds. There are so many entrance points to a successful career in DM that a newcomer is almost sure to get overwhelmed.
So, how does a budding, young digital marketer break out in the industry and grow their career? A few of Arcane’s industry experts weighed in on what qualities lead to success. Keep reading to find out!
Joanna Suntres, Social Media Manager
The digital marketing industry is ever-changing and extremely fast-paced. You need to be on the ball, eager to learn, and willing to work. This means having a positive attitude, being solution-oriented, and constantly striving to do better for yourself and your clients.
Starting out can feel overwhelming, especially in such a dynamic industry, but staying true to yourself and putting your best foot forward is what will take you far. Get out of your comfort zone. Ask for help. Ask for feedback. And ask to take that executive out for coffee. Put yourself out there, and you will never regret it.
Michelle Hogarth, Director, Special Projects
When it comes to client relations, don’t be afraid to be honest and transparent, even when you have difficult news to share. Let your clients know when timelines may not be met or if budgets may be overrun — the earlier, the better. Always make sure you have a backup plan ready. Being upfront and demonstrating your ability to problem solve shows the client you have their best interest at heart.
Be honest, but be tactful and strategic.
Qyn Bayley-Hay, Digital Marketing Specialist
Learn to be unattached to your work. Digital marketing is constantly evolving, and tactics that worked last year, month, or week may no longer be viable today. Getting hung up on your past success leads to future failures and can cause you to be quickly overwhelmed when Google introduces a new ad format or a new platform emerges, for example. Instead, focus on becoming a better marketer by trying to learn why something works rather than how.
The ability to demonstrate this type of thinking will help you look better to potential employers as the technical skills (e.g. how to post a Facebook ad, how to run a report, etc.) are relatively easy to teach. Being able to say why you’re writing the copy you’re writing, why you’re using a Broad Match strategy targeting terms hikers use to sell quick-drying shirts, or why you think a TikTok ad is a bad idea for the brand you’re working with is what’s truly valuable.
Alex Paisley, Senior Lead, Digital Marketing
I would say three things:
- Learn how to read the data. The data always tells a story, but you have to learn how to read what it’s saying.
- Marketing is and always will be creative. Creativity is sometimes sucked out of digital marketing, but creativity and great ad copy/creative are usually the biggest improvements you can make to any campaign. This fact is often overlooked.
- Be customer-obsessed. Always think about the customer and what they would want to hear. Think about how the ad would make you feel if you saw it as a customer. If in doubt, ask the customer. It seems simple, but we so often create a barrier between advertising and the customer. Using surveys, asking for feedback, and looking at the data is so important to understanding how the customer is engaging with our ads.
Reading data, being creative, and having the ability to really get to know the customer will set you apart to be able to create the best performing ads and highest converting customer journey.
Trevor Carter, Senior Manager, Digital Marketing
Do your best to understand not just the individual tactics, but the big picture. Learn what matters most to businesses and how digital marketing can impact those objectives.
Ad platforms, social media channels, SEO tactics… these will all change constantly. What matters most is understanding how everything works together to achieve an outcome. That way you’ll always be able to find the right solution for a client’s needs.
There is a concept known as Maslow’s Hammer or the “law of the instrument,” and I think every digital marketer should understand it. Abraham Maslow said, “it is tempting, if the only tool you have is a hammer, to treat everything as if it were a nail”.
Ready. Set. Launch!
Mystery or not, one thing is certain: digital marketing is all about being a fearless creative and strategic thinker. And although it’s not the doctor or lawyer your dad dreamed of you becoming, marketing is not for the faint of heart. It’s fast-paced, high stakes, and constantly changing — and that’s just the beginning.
Still have questions about a career in DM? Reach out to our team!