Level Up Your Digital Marketing Career

Digital marketing is a super fun career and it’s well-suited to those that thrive on change, enjoy shiny objects here and there (techy geeky stuff), and making a difference for those they help market their products or services. Whenever you’re looking to make forward strides in careers of any kind, it can be frustrating to know exactly what steps to take that will make a difference. I get it – your time is limited, so you need to know that whatever you’re investing it in is going to pay off in terms of forward progress.

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We all share a passion for digital marketing at StringCan and we support the growth of our team continuously. We share our educational experiences, tips and tricks, and there isn’t a week that goes by where a process, procedure, or deliverable isn’t improved upon. If you are the kind of digital marketer looking to level up your career and make an even bigger impact, I’m your gal and these are the tips:

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Get Your Educational Motor Running

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You probably didn’t fall out of your chair in surprise when you read this first one. “Of course education is important to moving on up the ladder of success,” as you roll your eyes at me. But I don’t mean taking on more student loans or cramming in Masters level courses in the wee hours of the night after you’ve already worked a full day. Even though those traditional forms of education are very valuable, pursuing them in conjunction with a full-time job can quickly lead to burnout. Instead, I suggest taking as many courses online, on your own time around the specific skills you want to acquire. An MBA is awesome, yes. But if all you need to go from an Account Coordinator to an Account Manager are a few certifications or just experience in a new format, like HubSpot for example, then you don’t need to go through a full Master's program to get there.

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There are plenty of platforms available online that deliver worthwhile courses at very attainable prices (or occasionally even for free). Two of my favorites are Udemy and Moz, and I encourage you to check out both to see which might better fit your needs. Also, if you’re entrenched in digital marketing, you’re familiar with HubSpot. HubSpot offers a free inbound marketing certification course that will teach you valuable skills you can apply immediately to your job. Whatever avenue of courses you choose to go after, just remember to make sure it aligns with your ultimate goal.

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Reach Out and Look Up

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Beyond engaging in learning, there’s another secret to an upward trajectory in digital marketing – and it’s interaction with other people. I’m not suggesting you attend a heap of networking events and simply participate in small talk about how hot or cold the weather is while sheepishly exchanging business cards. No, no, no. Certain networking events can be extraordinary for your career, so they can be worthwhile! But when your time is limited and you want to make as big of an impact as you can, as quickly as possible, you might want to engage intentionally with others in a one-on-one setting first.

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One way to do this is by finding a mentor. I’m sure you’ve heard this piece of advice, but it’s not as daunting as it might seem. Think about the various people whom you admire in business. If there’s a digital marketing superstar at your company who is also a female, she might be the perfect person to ask to mentor you. Or if there’s a successful entrepreneur at a different company that you’ve read about and really look up to, maybe he’s the man who could be your mentor. Most successful people are very busy, but still many of them make time to mentor people who really want to learn.

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All you need to do is find someone who is where you’d like to be in your career, and email them (or contact them through LinkedIn if you don’t have an email) and tell them you admire them, are looking to learn new skills and advance in your career, and wondered if they’d be willing to meet with you to talk about mentorship. Then see where it goes from there. You can often gain a lot of important knowledge from others who have been there, done that. And if you are the type who enjoys gathering in groups and learning from your peers in a larger environment, it can also help to join a digital marketing Meetup or other group focused on the field.

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If you do nothing other than brush up on your skillset and learn from a business leader you admire, you can change the course of your career path for the better. Great digital marketing careers are out there, for those of us who are willing to work hard and take our paths into our own hands. Give these tips a try.

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Contact us if you would like to learn more about moving up in digital marketing, or would like to talk to our passionate people about how we can help you with your business’s digital marketing hopes and dreams.