Careers in digital marketing are diverse, lucrative and plentiful.
In this Business Matters exclusive, the acclaimed author and marketing guru Hafiz Muhammad Ali reveals his top five reasons why professionals everywhere should consider making the transition.
With the need to become more visible and reach more customers, the digital marketing requirements of tomorrow offer today’s professionals a unique opportunity.
The industry is on the crest of an innovation wave that offers those with experience in emerging technologies more benefits than ever before. What’s more, analysts – myself included – are predicting a digital skills gap that will require a major influx of new marketers to fill it.
The five points, below, summarise the benefits of becoming a digital marketeer and should prove useful to any professional looking for a sensible career change.
Earn more than your peers
We’ve already talked about how the digital skills gap is widening and how, by definition, demand for digital marketers is exceeding supply. As the value of the product on offer increases, so too does the price. In other words, you’re a valuable commodity with a price tag that’s only ever set to increase.
I conducted the first major piece of research into the earning potential of digital marketers and published my findings – which will surprise you – earlier this year. You can find out more about how much digital marketers earn, and how much you can earn, by reading the Digital Marketing Salary Survey 2018
Work from anywhere
In addition to the financial benefits on offer, digital marketers are often able to restore their work-life balance through remote working. In a practical sense, that means no daily commute, no 9-5, and no unnecessary spending on British public transport.
The same advancements in technology that allow employers to run their businesses from virtual offices is in turn enabling a new generation of marketers to work from home (or anywhere else with a WiFi connection); the only tools most marketers will need are accessible from their laptop.
Ideal for all personality types
The digital marketing industry is about as inclusive as they come. No other industry I know of offers such a wealth of opportunities to so wide a talent pool. Whatever your background – from sales and accounting to science and mathematics – there’s a successful role to be found.
I’ve developed the industry’s first psychometric test which examines personality type, abilities, interest, experience and aptitude to determine which area of digital marketing is likely to be a good fit. Find out yourself by taking the Digital Marketing Career Assessment Test, HERE
Strike out on your own
More than two-fifths of Britons dream of becoming their own boss, research suggests. But for most, the financial risk of going solo can outweigh the benefits of taking the plunge.
The digital marketing industry is different, though. As we’ve seen, the digital skills gap is widening and demand for digital skills is far outstripping supply; companies large and small are desperate for your valuable skills. This means that marketers who strike out alone are more likely to win business from the outset, regardless of the size of their portfolio and years of hard-won experience. By showcasing your talent online and through social media channels, you have the opportunity to reach and engage with potential customers worldwide.
A future-proof career
Thanks to digital innovation, technology has and continues to impact and influence the way that companies view their communications. The emergence of disruptive technology is further driving brands to re-strategise and protect their own fragile position in today’s fiercely competitive, digitised world.
For many offline businesses and those within them, transformational technology makes for an uncertain future. But the digital marketing thrives in uncertainty; in uncertain times, companies need the skills of marketers to navigate them safely through the tide of technology.
As long as technology evolves, those digital marketers who continue to learn, adapt and develop new solutions will always be in demand.
Hafiz Muhammad Ali is a serial entrepreneur and one of the UK’s leading digital marketing career and leadership coaches.
He is the founder of international digital marketing agency, Omnicore and a regular contributor to Entrepreneur.
His new book, Digital Passport: Your Pass to a Promising Career in Digital Marketing (Omnicore Publishing), is a comprehensive guide to launching a digital marketing career and is available now on Amazon UK priced £9.14 in paperback and £4.98 as an eBook.
Find out more at www.hafizmuhammadali.com
