Digital Marketing: Skills High-Quality Agencies Look For

In 2020, the worldwide digital marketing and advertising industry was worth $350 billion.

Experts estimate that the digital marketing sector will grow to $786.2 billion by the close of 2026. The millions of professionals currently operating in the industry are joined by new graduates or self-taught professionals daily — so the competition to get a place in this well-regarded sector is fierce. 

With that in mind, we have curated a list of all the skills a well-rounded digital marketing professional should have at their disposal if they want to have the hope of climbing the ladder to work with the best in the business. 

Digital Marketing Defined

Digital marketing is any marketing that takes place online and through different forms of digital media. This encompasses all promotion of paid services or products for sale of any description. This marketing can take place through numerous channels — like social media, Search Engine Optimization, emails, and more.

What Kind of Digital Marketer Are You?

It is important to note that not all digital marketers need to have the same set of skills, as not all digital marketers operate in the same sectors or in the same way. Any agency marketing position that is more general than channel-specific will require applicants to have a strong set of skills in the spheres of:

• Pay-per-click marketing

• Search Engine Optimization

• Social media marketing

More specialised positions will require a more specific list of skills, which may include:

• Account management

• SEO account management

• Communication skills

• Client management skills

• Content strategy skills

General Digital Marketing Skills

If an agency is looking for a non-channel-specific digital marketer, these are the skills you should have to succeed in your application.

SEO

In a digital world where Google is king, SEO is a must-have skill if you are going to make it as a digital marketer. SEO is essentially the practice of helping your client’s business appear as high as possible in search engine results. This will include link building, optimisation of web pages, keyword application, and ensuring that all written content on your client’s site and feeds align with the most recent SEO guidelines — which change often. You’ll need to grasp platforms like Ahrefs, SEMrush, ScreamingFrog, and Google Search Console.

Social Media Marketing

As a marketing professional, you must know how to connect with potential customers through social media. An incredibly high percentage of sales occur from or begin on social media, so it's essential. You should be familiar with the workings of all the major platforms and trends (which change quickly) and able to manage ad campaigns. Some media professionals specialise in paid advertising alone. Understanding platforms like Sprout Social, Hootsuite, and Hubspot is essential here.

Data Analytics

A successful marketer needs to understand whether their strategies are working. To do this effectively, you need a strong background in analytics and the ability to implement changes to your strategies based on the data you gather. Several tools are used to monitor analytics, but the most commonly used one is Google Analytics, with Meta Business Suite coming in a close second.

Pay-Per-Click Advertising

Customers often find their preferred services and products by clicking a link in a seemingly unrelated blog post or magazine article. Pay-per-click advertising focuses on this process and encourages users to click their client’s links: every click generates revenue through platforms like Google Ads and SEMrush. It's vital that you have a good understanding of budgeting to get the best results in every campaign.

Email Marketing

Email marketing is one of the most common and direct ways to reach a customer or client base. As a digital marketer, you’ll need a clean understanding and grasp of this form of advertising to get a foot in the door of a reputable agency. You’ll need to understand the platforms (such as Gmail and Hunter.io) used for this but also be able to write strong, clear, and commanding copy to keep readers engaged and interacting by clicking through to sites. 

Other Advantageous Skills

While not necessarily required by agencies for general digital marketing positions, there are a few skills that may make you a more appealing candidate to someone hiring a new employee. These include:

• Photography: The skill to take aesthetic images to accompany a copy. 

• Web design: The ability to understand and construct a website page that aligns with the target audience. 

• Strategic planning: An overarching understanding of strategy that will help you target ad campaigns more effectively.

• Automation development: Automating things like email campaigns to improve workflow.

• Video production: Creating and editing videos to incorporate a multimedia approach into your marketing strategy. 

• Influencer marketing: An understanding of influencers and how to work with them to uplift a brand, product, or service. 

The Digital World

The skills above are needed if you want digital marketing agencies to look at your skill set and see you as an aspiring professional digital marketer who is a serious and suitable candidate for their team. Each candidate will bring a different set of creative skills and personality to the team, so remember that compatibility with the rest of the office or agency is also an essential component in the situation. With these skills and a strong sense of what you bring to the table, you’ll find the right fit before you know it.