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In-Demand Digital Marketing Skills You Need in 2021

By Megan |  Feb 20, 2022 (5 min read)

Marketing | SEO | Social Media | Training

If your business doesn’t have an online presence in 2021, the odds are you’re losing a lot of potential customers and profits. 

With the current COVID -19 crisis, there has been a large spike in the volume of online traffic and transactions. As online traffic has increased, online ecommerce transactions have also increased by over 40%.

With everyone moving their business online there’s stiff competition for customer eyeballs. By adapting to the new normal and embracing digital marketing skills, your brand can leverage the online marketplace for future success in 2021 and beyond.

You must begin to think of yourself as a digital marketer if you are serious about moving ahead of traditional marketers. Knowing how to optimize a landing page and build a facebook ad campaign are now viable digital marketing skills that every person should learn.

Being a savvy digital marketer in 2021 is a key skillI. In this article, we will share the most important and in-demand marketing skills your company will need to leverage in 2021. 

Search Engine Optimization 

Knowledge of SEO provides a strong backbone for all digital marketing skills that you can learn.

SEO stands for “search engine optimization” and it’s the practice of increasing not only the quantity of your web traffic but also the quality of the traffic.

A recent study by Hubspot showed that 64% of marketers actively invest time in search engine optimization.

It might not give you fast results like paid search (PPC), but at a time where websites are replacing physical storefronts, you can’t afford to ignore SEO. Inbound marketing is becoming one of the best ways to grow attention from your target audience. And that requires your digital marketing strategy to be built around SEO and growing your SERP rankings.

Best of all, SEO is about much more than just 1st-page rankings and clicks. In 2021, SEO campaigns focus time on creating a streamlined user experience (UX). Customers know what they want and they want to get it fast.

A quality SEO specialist knows how to work with developers and designers to optimize the online experience and increase conversions. If that’s not enough, anyone familiar with SEO is invaluable when it comes to developing a content strategy that will actually rank. 

Marketing Analytics 

Marketing analytics is the practice of measuring, analyzing, and managing the performance of your marketing strategy and marketing campaign in order to gauge success and optimize your return on investment (ROI).

In 2021, data is more powerful and readily available than ever before. Traditional marketing depended more on guesswork, but today that has all changed.

Every digital marketing specialist worth their salt will have a handle on marketing analytics. That means companies need to utilize skilled data analytics professionals who break down the data into useful insights. Growing your analytical skill will greatly impact your digital marketing career because you can make more accurate predictions and judgements.

The best part about having knowledge of analytics is that it can help streamline your PPC, SEO, content, social media, and email marketing campaigns. A good digital marketing manager will be able to use the data they gather to make better decisions.

Having a basic knowledge of marketing automation tools like Google Analytics, Adobe Analytics, and HubSpot reporting allows you to track important metrics like bounce rate, click-through-rate (CTR), conversions, and a lot more. Without the ability to interpret data, your marketing strategy is running blind and you’re most likely losing out on a substantial amount of revenue.

Social Media Marketing

In 2021, Americans spend an average of 3 hours per day on social networks and messaging. This is why marketers need to stay relevant by leveraging social channels like Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Tik Tok, Snapchat, and LinkedIn.

With that being said, the successful use of each social media platform relies on more than just a nice photo and a couple of hashtags.

In 2021, social media marketers must understand their customer base, what kind of content they search for, and how to get people talking about your brand. True marketing skill requires tying all these factors together so that your content resonates with your target audience.

Just as important as organic social content, paid social media marketing and influencer marketing are great ways to supplement your current strategy in 2021.

The ability to find a niche influencer within your space and partner with them may be all you need to get your brand or business to the next level. Gone are the days where companies can ignore social media in a well rounded digital marketing mix. 

Video Content Creation

Today over 85% of all internet users in the United State watched online video content monthly on all of their devices.

Video marketing is cheaper and easier to make than ever before, but it’s also more important than ever before when it comes to creating a successful digital marketing campaign. In less than 5 minutes you can create a captivating marketing video with just your iPhone.

Visual marketing is essential if you want to create brand awareness. Video helps add an extra layer to your marketing channels and helps you break through the noise and excess of content inundating the world wide web. More specifically, adding a video component to your website can significantly increase your traffic and move up the search engine results pages (SERPS). You digital marketing effort is amplified when using tools such as video. 

In 2021, mobile marketing is everything and mobile users are addicted to quality video content. If you want eyeballs, the first thing you need to do is start filming. 

Content Writing and Copywriting 

Approximately 60% of marketers rate content marketing as extremely important or very important to their marketing strategy.

You’ve heard the digital marketing cliche “content is king” and the sentiment still holds true in 2021. Quality writing is the cornerstone of any digital marketing discipline from SEO to PPC and email marketing.

More specifically, quality content marketing benefits audience retention, social media traction, lead generation, and site authority. While quality graphic design and working with a ux designer can help keep people interested, the actual words must also be of value.

Customers nowadays want to know the story and mission behind the brands they consider before buying. Quality content marketers can do just that by forging a brand narrative and knowing which medium to share it on.

If you’re struggling to gain traction with your marketing efforts, a competent writer might be just the skill you need. Customers want to know about the brands they’re considering. More specifically, 

Web Design and Development

You don’t need to be a programming wiz, but a general knowledge of HTML, CSS, and other coding languages are in-demand skills within every facet of digital marketing. In a recent study, 48% of people cited that a website’s design is the No. 1 factor in determining the credibility of a business.

Design and development skills allow you the ability to make changes to a website’s front and backend without the need of a dedicated web developer.

 A quality designer who understands the technical side of websites as well as the importance of user experience (UX) is an invaluable asset. In 2021, customers immediately judge your brand off of the quality of your website and first impressions are hard to break. 

Build Your Digital Marketing Skills in 2021

While it might seem overwhelming if you are new to the world of digital marketing, the good news is that there is a ton of information available to help you learn.

The technical skills of digital marketing must continually be updated as each new trend and marketing tool emerges in the marketplace. Every digital marketing professional needs to follow the experts and keep experimenting with new approaches.

If you are part of a marketing team, or a digital marketing manager, 2021 is a time of great opportunity to learn and thrive as the business world grows increasingly more integrated with online marketing tools.

Ready to reach more customers online? Brandastic is a digital marketing agency with offices in offices in Orange County, Los Angeles, and Austin. We can help your businesses grow your online attention and engagement, and drive more business to your website. Get your FREE marketing audit to discover ways we can support and help your business innovate.

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