The Vital Digital Marketing Skills for Business Growth

Digital marketing skills are more important than ever for businesses and marketers to master. With increasing internet and mobile device usage, more customer journeys are starting online. As more businesses build an online presence, this will inevitably lead to more intense competition. Therefore digital marketing skills will be invaluable for your business to develop. 

This blog post will outline the key digital marketing skills you should develop, including search engine optimisation (SEO), content marketing, copywriting and web analytics.

We’ll provide tips on the most in-demand tactics within each of the critical digital marketing skills – from keyword research and on-page optimisation for SEO to crafting engaging social media content for content marketing. 

Whether you’re looking to boost your employability and stand out to hiring managers, or take your freelancing services to the next level, developing expertise across these areas is key. Read on to discover the digital marketing skills and knowledge that are most worthwhile investing your time and energy into in 2023 and beyond.

Skills to Develop

SEO

Search engine optimisation is one of the crucial digital marketing skills that involves optimising your website and content to achieve higher rankings in search engines like Google. As one of the top methods for customers to discover content online, appearing on that critical first page for your target keywords is vital.

Some specific SEO skills to develop include:

1. Keyword Research: Identifying high-traffic, low competition keywords that align with your offerings as a business. Tools such as Google Keyword Planner, Ahrefs, SEMrush, and Ubersuggest can uncover lucrative keyword opportunities.
2. On-Page Optimisation: Crafting websites and content to target priority keywords, including elements such as meta descriptions and title tags.
3. Link Building: Acquire high-quality backlinks from reputable websites to enhance website authority.
4. Content Creation: Producing high quality, valuable content such as blogs and videos that will target paramount keywords.
5. Technical SEO: Ensure website architecture, code structure, and mobile-friendliness meet search engine guidelines.

SEO requires ongoing commitment and learning as search engine algorithms change. The ability, however, to drive traffic to your website without paying for search or display advertising gives developing your skills in this area and incredibly high return on investment. 

Content Marketing

Content marketing involves creating and distributing valuable, relevant content to attract and retain a clearly defined audience. Developing the following content marketing skills can set you apart:

1. Audience Research: Understanding who you are developing content for. This involves analysing demographic and psychographic data to understand who you are targeting.
2. Content Creation: Producing blogs, videos, podcasts, and other media that provides value to, and engages your audience.
3. Analytics : Using Google Analytics and other tools to track content performance across metrics like page views, social shares, and conversion rates. This enables you to continually improve and adapt your content strategy.
4. Storytelling: Skillfully weaving narratives and themes throughout your content to better engage and connect with your audience on an emotional level.
5. Consistency: Committing to regularly publishing content to continue providing value and to stay top of mind. 

Content marketing, as one of the core digital marketing skills, enables brands to foster two-way communication with their audience and to develop media that resonates with their audience.

By consistently producing high-value content, businesses can establish themselves as industry experts, attract a loyal following, and drive organic traffic to their websites. Engaging content not only generates leads and nurtures customer relationships but also enhances brand reputation and fosters trust among the target audience.

Copywriting

Copywriting involves writing compelling text designed to motivate readers and move them closer to a desired action. Whether you’re crafting website pages, blog posts, emails, or social captions, strong copywriting is fundamental. Useful skills include:

1. Audience Targeting: Tailoring copy to resonate with a specific demographic.
2. Concise Writing: Communicating critical information as simply as possible without losing its impact. Short, scannable copy performs best.
3. Craft Compelling Headlines: Grab the audience’s attention from the outset with headlines that pique curiosity and entice the reader to delve further.
4. Effective Calls to Action: Craft clear, compelling calls to action that guide the reader towards the desired outcome, whether it’s making a purchase; subscribing to a newsletter; or visiting a website.

Being able to write effective copy enables you to increase engagement, leads and sales conversions for your business.

Measuring Performance and Analytics

Understanding metrics and analysing data are core skills for effective digital marketing. By tracking key metrics, marketers can gain valuable insights into what’s working and what’s not, enabling them to make informed decisions that optimise their campaigns and drive results. Some of the essential analytics skills to develop include:

1. Understanding data collection and analysis: A level of proficiency will be required to use web analytics tools such as Google Analytics to collect and analyse data from websites and marketing campaigns.
2. Identifying Key Performance Indicators (KPIs): Define relevant KPIs that align with business goals and target specific aspects of marketing performance, such as website traffic, lead generation, and conversion rates.
3. Identifying Data Trends: Utilise data visualisation tools to create charts, graphs and dashboards that effectively represent and interpret campaign data, identifying trends and patterns.
4. Attribution Modelling: Determining which channels and campaigns are driving conversions. 
5. Improving Site Metrics: Using data to make tangible improvements. For example, analysing exit pages to reduce bounce rates. Or, doubling down on high-converting keywords.

Data-driven analytics play a pivotal role in achieving digital marketing success. By analysing data and identifying patterns, marketers can optimise campaigns, allocate resources effectively, and make informed decisions that drive measurable results. This data-driven approach will lead to increased ROI, improved customer satisfaction, and enhanced brand reputation.

Tips for Developing Your Digital Marketing Skills

Continuous skill development is essential within the digital marketing sphere to stay ahead of the curve in this dynamic industry. Here are some of our top tips to enhance your digital marketing skills and expertise:

• Take Online Courses and Earn Certifications: Online learning platforms such as LinkedIn Learning, HubSpot, and Google Skillshop offer in-depth digital marketing courses. Certifications are often offered from these platforms once you’ve completed your course.
• Listen to Marketing Podcasts: Subscribe to podcasts like The Digital Marketing Podcast and Social Media Marketing Podcast.
• Contribute to Online Communities: Actively participate in online forums, communities, and social media groups related to digital marketing. Share your knowledge, answer questions, and engage with others to expand your network. 
• Continually Experiment: Practise your digital marketing skills, for example, set up a WordPress site, run a Google Ads campaign and draft up some Instagram or Facebook posts. 

Key Findings

As customers increase their online presence and engagement, developing your digital marketing skills is no longer an option. Standing out with proficiency across high-demand areas like search engine optimisation, data analytics, content creation, and social media marketing can elevate your career or business. This post has provided actionable tips on where to focus your efforts.

Start by developing expertise in evergreen digital marketing foundations like SEO and analytics. Being able to drive traffic, track meaningful metrics and gain data-backed insights fuels success across all campaigns.

Likewise, creative skills in copywriting and crafting engaging content give your digital marketing enhanced value, enabling your business to connect with audiences. Mastering messaging and storytelling that emotionally resonates compels audiences to buy, subscribe or share.

Make ongoing education across emerging digital marketing skills part of your routine too. Consider getting Google certified, listening to marketing podcasts during your commute or running small experiments to sharpen first-hand abilities.

If you found this article insightful, check out some of our other digital marketing posts: What Is Digital Marketing? The Essential 2024 Playbook for Online Success | How to Choose an Online Marketing Course + 4 Tips for Success | Digital Marketing Benefits: Inspiring Ways To Thrive Online