If you’re looking to transition into or build a career in the sphere of digital marketing - and we know there are more and more people in Hong Kong looking for such options in the field - you’re most likely looking in the right place. This is because there are a ton of different careers in this arena, each of which is quite varied in terms of required skill sets as well as aptitude and natural abilities.
Whether you veer towards business and management, tech or the creative end of the spectrum, there will always be digital jobs available. Here’s a breakdown of some of the areas that are expected to be in demand and have a solid salary trajectory in the coming years.
1. Content Managers & Strategists
Content management is really a central role for any agency or digital marketing team as it touches on almost all levels of marketing – and it encompasses much more than just writing and social media activity.
Content managers need to understand not only how to create SEO-friendly content from the ground up, but how to organise, store, and manage it as well. They need to understand how it feeds into different subsets of the marketing plan. They also need to have a grasp on how to develop and share the huge variety of content that is out there.
Content managers may be in charge of social media strategy, managing a team of writers, developing editorial calendars, creating engaging videos, reporting and strategising using analytics, and a whole range of related activities. They need to be able to coordinate teams and work with a diverse range of clients.
To this end, they not only need to be great writers, but they also need to be able to create stellar content that works across multiple channels. They also need to be good at relationship building, creative, organised and self-motivated.
2. Virtual Reality Developers and Editors
This is quite a high-tech job but it’s so new and interesting and there’s plenty of room for those who are in the realm of creative – tech. If you are someone with a background that combines technology and creativity, if you are into graphics or even special effects, virtual reality might be a great field for you.
People come into virtual reality from the video arts or if they are well versed in various creative software suites. You may end up with a director type role or start out as an assistant, tester or editor.
As a product, VR is still quite expensive to purchase and is a highly specialised field. It is being used more and more in digital marketing campaigns and to this end, those that have a strong foundation in technical arts and digital marketing management will be highly valued.
3. SEO/SEM Specialists
SEO and SEM are crucial for solid digital marketing campaign and to this end, anyone who can demonstrate a solid technical knowledge and combine it with digital marketing expertise, especially in the managerial end of the spectrum, will be the highest earners in this field.
SEO and SEM are difficult to specialise in, in part because search engine algorithms are always fluctuating. Businesses must stay up-to-date in order to have a consistently high ROI and the bigger the business is, the more complex this can be. In addition, e-commerce sites and those that depend highly on internet traffic for profits will be particularly dependent on a strong SEO / SEM strategy.
Basically, most businesses will want to rank high, so they will need people with deep expertise in these areas and this trend is not likely to slow down, especially as digital technology continues to permeate more and more aspects of our lives.
4. UX Designer
User Experience (UX) designers are responsible for the end-to-end development of websites and digital marketing applications. They may or may have a deep technical background or they may be better versed on the design end of the spectrum.
UX designers are focused on understanding the website from a whole marketing experience, and to that end they need to understand audiences as well as have an in-depth knowledge of the product or service a given client offers.
They will typically take the lead role in project management for visual design and testing, with a specific eye on the usability of a website or application from start to finish.
5. Email Marketing Specialist
Email marketing is an example of a specialised area of content development and marketing. People in charge of email marketing are typically extremely well versed in marketing as well as copywriting and editing.
Email continues to be one of the strongest modes of content out there. To do this well you need to be able to write persuasively. You’ll also be in charge of campaigns, launches, and PR activities based on extensive databases of customer data and various lists.
Email marketing is primarily a lead-generating activity and thus specialists would likely be working in tangent with digital marketing and/or content managers on targeted campaigns.
6. Digital Marketing Managers & Directors
CMOs and VPS can expect to make a lot of money per year, as can creative directors. This takes years of experience in the field but this may not take too long if you have plenty of managerial experience under your belt.
An effective digital marketing manager or creative director needs to have a solid grasp of everything to do with marketing and business. They must be extremely well versed in strategic planning and execution, as well as financial forecasting. And they must be able to delegate while taking risks and holding firm on decisions.
7. Analysts & AI Specialists
Unless you’ve been living under a rock, you’re probably aware that AI (Artificial Intelligence) is one of the hottest up-and-coming technologies and it’s not about to go away soon. And with the rise of big data, anyone who can create systems to analyse this information in such a way that it can be applied to strategic marketing will be highly in demand.
Most people who specialise in these areas will have technical degrees and a computing science background. If this is something you’re interested in, you’ll want to get a solid understanding of data optimisation and machine learning, as well as have an in-depth knowledge of programming.
Data analysts will always be in demand as the world becomes more and more data-dependent because of, for instance, the Internet of Things.
Tips for Improving and Transform your Digital Marketing Skills
Anyone involved in business marketing or leadership should consider their current and potential level of digital marketing skills as highly valuable – because indeed they are. Even if they’re not super high tech.
But if you don’t feel that you’re that technologically aware or advanced, don’t worry! There are plenty of ways to acquire digital marketing training to learn and grow your skills, even if you don’t feel you have the time or resources to go back to school full time. Online learning and e-learning are keys to success for many, especially those who want to pivot existing skills mid-career.
Here are a few ideas:
Build your own website
Network like crazy in the field or specialisation that you are interested in
Conduct informational interviews
Subscribe to blogs that offer free learning resources regularly
Engage in Facebook groups in your area of interest
There are a few specific subsets of skills that you can work to improve on from the comfort of your own home. For instance, content development and marketing, WordPress, SEO, and marketing automation are all areas that will continue to be in demand.
No matter what you choose to specialise in, everyone will need people with digital marketing experience, and even if you’re not technically minded, there are still plenty of opportunities to develop the career of your dreams in digital marketing and earn a comfortable income.
Source: Digital Marketing Institute
Photo by Ashwin Vaswani on Unsplash