Top Ten Ideal Attributes of a Digital Marketer

Digital marketing is part of what makes innovation possible on the internet. 

Using digital marketing techniques, startups can compete with entrenched companies and even one day take center stage. The world wide web might not be a meritocracy, but that doesn’t mean it doesn’t reward time and effort. 

With the right mix of creative and analytical thinking, you, too, can make a difference. 

Here are the ideal attributes of a digital marketer. 

1. An Equal Mix of Creative and Analytic

Digital marketers filter their creativity through data-backed analysis. They need to put feelings into words in an emotionally evocative way while making sure metrics and research inform their decisions. 

Luckily, SEO tools tend to be intuitively designed and feature plenty of pop-up explanations, which is becoming increasingly useful given that digital marketers are more and more expected to be able to explain the data that justifies their selections.

2. Respect Data

As a digital marketer, not only do you use data, but you rely on it as well. 

You may feel that a particular set of words is more likely to resonate with your audience, but you should defer to the data if the it says otherwise. 

Data is what makes “best practices” best practices. 

3. Roll with the Punches

Being a digital marketer means being able to shift gears on a moment’s notice. 

That’s because you never know when you might stumble upon a piece of data that requires your immediate attention or get the call that something’s gone wrong with a client. When a particular topic grips the national conversation, you have to immediately check your scheduled social media posts and advertising placements to avoid potential PR issues. 

You may also find out that the latest update to Google’s algorithm has caused a significant drop in organic traffic that you have to fix ASAP. 

4. Go the Extra Mile

It’s not enough to answer a question or meet demand; it has to be done as thoroughly as possible given the resources available. 

That’s the difference between reading only the first Google result for a particular subject and reading all the results on the first page. 

5. Be a Self-Starter

Many digital marketers spend time as freelancers or work with significant autonomy within an organization. This means that being able to manage your own time effectively and meet goals that you set for yourself are indispensable.

6. Lifetime Learner

Technology is always changing, and digital marketers have to be willing to change right along with it. That’s why it’s so essential for marketers to be committed to learning. That includes:

• Going to conferences
• Networking
• Reading industry news
• Studying the basics
• Staying sharp with courses
  
  

You’ll have plenty of opportunities to pass on the fruits of your knowledge to others because digital marketing is a team sport!

7. Be Collaborative

A collaborative rather than competitive approach is useful for digital marketers. 

It’s helpful to think of the competition as a source of inspiration rather than headaches. You build on what others do well and make their weaknesses your strengths. 

Other companies also help you through promotion and networking. You might appear on a podcast, write a guest blog, get a review for a product, suggest yourself as a citation for an article, or tag someone in a Tweet. And you do the same for others because you respect where others are coming from. 

Let the digital marketing community bring out the best in you so that you can bring your best to the digital marketing community, and your work. 

8. Have Patience

As excited as you may be, it’s essential to recognize that it’ll take time to see your work’s impact, especially if you’re refining your campaign.

Sure, you have to be dependable enough to meet your deadlines and specific benchmarks, but you also have to pace yourself not to get burned out and enforce proper boundaries. 

You don’t want to be taking hour-long calls when you’re only being billed for 30 minutes!

9. Be Confident

One of the great things about digital marketing is that it is data-based, which means many of the tools available to you are also available to everyone else. Put in enough work, and you’ll know how the tools work as well as anyone else, which means you should also be able to speak as confidently about them as anyone else. 

What you do with those tools is an expression of your personality and what, ultimately, makes you indispensable because only you can do what you do. Know your worth! 

10. Commit to Social Justice

Now more than ever, digital marketers need to be aware of what they’re intentionally and unintentionally communicating and doing.

The SEO software company Moz recently conducted a study about digital marketing and gender. Of the 652 participants, men outnumbered women 2 to 1. 

Similarly, Moving Traffic Media put together a list of Black digital marketing influencers after combing through 25 lists of influencers and discovering that Black representation was severely lacking despite an abundance of Black talent. 

As shapers of culture, it’s paramount that digital marketers commit to social justice and to taking anti-racist actions whenever possible. 

Bottom Line

Unlike many other professions, digital marketing lets you track everything you do. 

In this way, data adds a level of gamification to digital marketing. You’re monitoring your progress as much as you’re tracking the progress of your campaigns. With every skill you learn, connection you make, and tool you master, you get better.

The question is, at the end of the day, are you ready for this adventure? If you are, then digital marketing is a quest that never disappoints, always pushing you with new challenges and rewarding you with growth and victory. Join a digital marketing bootcamp today and start your education in digital marketing.