How to Take Digital Marketing As a Career in South Africa
Are you interested in a digital marketing career in South Africa? Are you curious enough to understand content marketing, social media marketing and email marketing? Not forgetting using google analytics, stats and much more.
If you think you are ready to take a career path in digital marketing in south africa you should definitely read this.
The question for digital marketing beginners in South Africa is, is it on demand? Well, the truth about digital marketing in SA is the fact that,
Digital marketing is in demand in South Africa because companies now depend more on making sales, services and consultation online. Since online there is unlimited reach of audience and costs are less for advertising unlike using traditional marketing strategies such as billboards, TV, Radio etc...
Nowadays digital marketing is so easy to learn for the fact that you are reading this article right now. It was part of our digital marketing strategy we used to grab your attention.
The point here is to make you understand from Point A to Point B on how you can pursue a career path in digital marketing in south africa. We will discuss what digital marketing online courses teach you so that you are prepared on what to expect.
Also we will have a bit of look were a digital marketing career can take you since there are lot of opportunities out there within this emerging industry.
Digital Marketing Jobs in South Africa by list
- Digital Marketing Specialist
A digital marketing specialist works in managing marketing departments by ensuring that the business’s digital marketing goals are met. By applying online marketing strategies, campaigns, lead generation, content, social media and other aspects that evolve around digital marketing for that particular business.
Being a digital marketing specialist requires experience, hard work and dedication.
- Social Media Manager
If you are always on social media, sharing posts and connecting with friends. Why not turn that in to a career? You can become a Social Media Manager or Marketer.
By making use of social media marketing tools to content marketing campaigns, content strategy and more. We will explain a little bit on the article what a social media marketer do..
- Content Strategist (Marketer)
Content Strategist is fairly responsible for managing, creating and blending the company’s brand based on what It offers online. By making use of posts, reels, videos, infographics and much more.
Content Strategists focus highly on how content performs online. Then creating strategies that align with the followers/audience.
Also, this is similar to being a Content Creator yet quite different depending on the positions where you work.
- SEO Expect
You can be a search Engine expect by applying marketing strategies that evolve around search engine marketing.
By using keyword research, Content ranking, Search Optimization, Website optimization to match your customers’ needs on search.
If you want to learn more about how search works you should consider checking out this blog Search Engine Journal to help you learn search engine marketing.
- Data Analyst
Almost similar to SEO Expect, this digital marketing career is based on statistics and data that the business uses to make informative decisions.
For example, Analysing the company’s website progress on search engine, google analytics and other platforms that the business uses or depends upon. A Data Analyst focuses on the overall data of the business on how it performs.
If you are a curious person and love working with data, analysis and statistics. Being a data analyst might be for you.
You might also want to look: Top 7 Work from Home Platforms to Make Money Online in SA
What Skills You Need to Have to Become a Digital Marketer?
There are not set rules or skills that you need to actually get started on a digital marketing career.
Skills can be exercised, trained and mastered overtime. Yet, we will look in to short skills that you may be having among these.
- Creative thinking
- Good observer
- Curious
- Open minded
- Critical thinker
And many more.
How To Start a Digital Marketing Career in South Africa?
You have to be familiar with digital marketing concepts, take marketing online courses and also acquire some basic skills of how become a successful digital marketer in South Africa.
01. Be familiar with Digital Marketing Concepts
Understanding the basic concepts of what digital marketing is will put you at least two steps ahead. There is no actual difference between online marketing and digital marketing.
Because these are similar terms used to explain one thing. You should try to learn at least concepts that evolve around digital marketing such as.
- Email Marketing
Email marketing is a form of marketing where you create email marketing campaigns, collect email lists, using email marketing tools to meet your business goals.
Email marketing is used for engaging with potential customers or subscribers. In order to convert them to buying customers using tools, strategies and other email marketing methods.
- Social Media Marketing
Social Media Marketing is another marketing method used for engaging with audience on real time. To socialize with followers, learn their behaviour and personalize the business services and products based on follower’s interests.
You can also choose a digital marketing career as a social media marketer or manager.
Responsiblities:
- Creating Social Media Marketing Campaigns (eg. Facebook Ads)
- Managing pages, groups and profiles
- Optimizing content
- Lead Generation
This is a good digital marketing career because you will be exposed to learning more about people, brands and how social media works.
- Content Marketing
Content Creation has become popular especially on social media, if you love creating content and have a clear understanding of how it influences people. You should consider being a content marketer or creator.
By creating videos, infographics, articles and interactive content that actually helps people. You can be one step ahead of starting digital marketing career,
You can be a Content Strategist if you feel like this relates to what you love, or thinking maybe it suites the skills you have.
- Search Engine Marketing
Search engine marketing is mainly for people who love working with technical analysis on how websites work. Doing keyword research, optimizing websites to rank higher on search engines such as Google.
You can become a SEO Expert by learning how Search Engine Optimization works. Or even start your own agency and help businesses that want to take their first step on google or any search engine.
Any of these concepts are for any unique person, for example if you love working with statistics and graphs to study how people behave on sites this might be for you.
Now let’s more on to the next step…
02. Learn Digital Marketing Fundamentals
Everything evolves around basics; they are very important. So, understanding how marketing works offline and online will be a huge advantage for you.
In marketing we have what we call the four-marketing p’s, these are used to make informative decisions when you are marketing a product or a service.
Even online these marketing fundamentals still apply. The difference now is that we use digital marketing tools, software and other online marketing methods.
So, these 4 Marketing P’S simply stand for:
The 4 Marketing P’S
- People
People stands for your audience, followers or customers. Highly used to determine how the customer behaves and their interests. We use things such as Customer Profile, Customer Persona to make informative decisions when we market our product.
- Place
Where to promote your product and where your customers reside according to their geographical location.
- Price
The price of the product, how much it costs and is it good enough for the market to be able to compete.
- Product
The product its self and how it works. Combining all these other p’s to make good marketing decisions.
There are many other digital marketing fundamentals you could learn. Especially if you decide to take a course. These are some of the things you should to expect to learn about.
Be sure to learn digital marketing fundamentals, basics and principles so that you can be more familiar with how you can work around this career.
03. Take Digital Marketing Online Courses in South Africa
By now you probably might have landed on an online course offered by google for digital skills in africa. If not, then you should know that Google offers online courses on digital marketing. These courses are beginner friendly and they are totally free.
If you want a formal qualification from a university or college. Then you should consider enrolling at University of Cape Town or Vega School for earning a qualification on digital marketing.
What do Digital Marketing Courses in South Africa teach you?
If you are wondering, how will you even benefit from taking a course in digital marketing. You should know that you will earn a long-life skill that is highly on demand.
You will learn:
- How to analyse data and come up with solutions that solve people’s problems. (e.g., Google Analytics)
- Convert followers in to buyers, customers or clients using online marketing.
- How to Create Content, Content Strategy and
- How marketing campaigns work (advertising, email and social media)
- How to use digital marketing tools
- Generate leads, Conversions and buyer’s cycle
And more…
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04. Search For Digital Marketing Jobs in South Africa
There are lots of junior digital marketing jobs every day. These jobs are mostly found on sites like LinkedIn offered by hiring agencies or companies themselves.
You are not advised to look for a digital marketing job if ever you have not yet learned anything. Be patient with your self and do these steps until you are qualified enough to start searching for digital marketing jobs in South Africa.
How to Search for Digital Marketing Jobs in South Africa?
Job hunting is not easy that’s a fact, though you need to at least have a strategy on how you can find what is meant for you.
Which is a digital marketing job in South Africa. We have some few tips which you might find useful.
TIP1: Create a LinkedIn profile and connect with industry expects. Share your thoughts regularly on digital marketing topics. Share your input, this might become a benefit if it is time for you to apply for a job on LinkedIn.
TIP2: Try Freelancing on platforms like Fivver.com to at least work with clients and get real experience before you start applying for digital marketing jobs that need experience.
TIP2: Search for Digital Marketing Agencies in South Africa to check if they have any jobs available for junior digital marketers.
Conclusion
By follow people who are on the digital marketing industry such as youtubers, business personnel’s, public figures and more.
You give yourself the opportunity nourish your knowledge about how a digital marketing career truly is. Reason being, when other people such as expects tell you about their experiences on their careers.
You find is easy to learn and follow through their steps by doing, implementing and making mistakes that can be learned from.
So, taking advice from expects is a good way to starting knowing more about how to pursue a career in digital marketing in South Africa.
Good Luck! On your journey
