Is digital marketing hard to learn?

Digital marketing is vast, expansive and ever-evolving – all of which might lead you to believe that it is hard to learn. However, truth is, it’s not as difficult as you think.

This should come as good news, as digital marketing is essential for online business growth and success. In fact, it is a routine activity for any business that wants to showcase its product or service to its audience. If you are planning to learn the basics of digital marketing to apply it to your business, then it’s a step forward in the right direction. As with learning anything else, like a language or a skill, you will need to be consistent in your efforts and keep applying what you learn to become confident and effective. We believe one can learn pretty much anything. Here’s how you can slowly ascend the digital marketing ladder.

Understand what digital marketing is

Most confusion arises from an improper or incomplete understanding of what digital marketing is all about. It also doesn’t help that most definitions you find online are wordy, complicated, and jargon-filled, creating barriers to learning right at the start. And let’s be honest, it may not sound like fun at all 🙂

At its very root, digital marketing is nothing but traditional marketing done via digital tools. Also, once you become familiar with a few important digital marketing terms, you can better understand what it’s all about and how to navigate the digital landscape.

Understand why digital marketing is important

The simple reason is, it’s a mobile-first world and everyone accesses information through digital media. This is a vital reason why you need to use digital marketing to reach your audience. You can read our blog to learn why digital marketing is important for business success for a better idea of why you should be leveraging it.

Know what digital marketing consists of

The 7 different areas of digital marketing include:

·   Search engine optimization (SEO)

·   Content marketing

·   Social Media Marketing (SMM)

·   Email marketing

·   Conversion rate optimization

·   Pay-per-click advertising (PPC)

·   Affiliate marketing

We could also add analytics into this mix, although it is more of a means of measuring the success of your digital marketing campaigns. You can assess where you are, where you start and measure as you go along.

You don’t have to get overwhelmed seeing the various areas of digital marketing. Your business probably won’t need your effort in all of them. You could use just 2-3 of these to grow your visibility and business online. For instance, you could use a mix of content marketing, SEO and social media marketing to start with. The main thing is to start and be consistent. Don’t be discouraged…

Simplifying the digital marketing process

Here is a step-by-step approach to digital marketing for making the process easier and more manageable.

1. Create a digital marketing strategy

Easier said than done, but things fall in line if you know where to start.

Begin with setting your digital marketing objectives. What do you wish to achieve through your digital marketing strategy?

• Do you want to increase traffic to your website?

• Are you looking at boosting conversions on your online store? 
• Do you want to increase your subscriber base? 

Your objective will serve as a framework for business decisions as well as providing focus in all your actions.

Here are some best practices for a digital marketing strategy to help you put an actionable marketing plan into place.

2. Decide: DIY or get the help of a digital marketer

Ideally, it’s best to outsource digital marketers or a digital marketing agency. But if you’re an entrepreneur with a budget that does not stretch that far, you have other options. You can do it yourself with a little help from Google and how-to videos on YouTube, or you could do it with a little help from a digital marketing coach.

If you choose to do it yourself – again, there’s no reason to be overwhelmed at the thought – remember that you don’t have to become an expert in all aspects of digital marketing. As aforementioned, grow your knowledge and skills in 1-2 areas and apply them to your business as your primary marketing methods. Of course, if you think you want to use all the methods, then hiring expert help will serve you best.

If you consider digital marketing coaching, the main question you may have is – what does a digital marketing coach do? You might feel greater confidence in learning from someone experienced in the field and having them guide you through the process.

3. Execute your digital marketing strategy confidently

The Internet is no place for the hesitant. Launch that website, post that tweet, publish that blog…and do it confidently. Once you start working consistently on your digital marketing efforts, you will have a better idea of what works and what doesn’t and you can adjust as you go. There is no such thing as perfection. Think ‘connection’ instead.

4. Analyze regularly

Analytics provides a wealth of actionable insights. It tells you, in hard numerical facts, what is working and what isn’t. Once you interpret the numbers (or have software do it for you), you will have a clear picture of what to do, which direction to go in, and how to fine-tune future strategies.

Digital marketing allows you to learn over a period of time, not just the core fundamentals and technical skills, but gain an understanding of your customers, how to engage and connect with them, understand their pain points and so on – how to provide value. It is ever-evolving because technology, as well as people and what they want, are changing constantly as well. The best way to go is to start today, and not let technology – or your own doubts hold you back. It’s definitely doable, and there is help, always.

You can also read our article that points out the 7 signs you need a digital marketing coach, to help you decide whether or not you need some assistance in this regard. 

At Them You & Me Digital, we speak friendly digital, as we guide you through the digital transformation of your business. If you’d like to discuss our digital marketing coaching sessions, please contact us at hello@themyouandme.com.

You can also visit our website to learn more about our services.

*Please consider our content as recommendations and not concepts to apply as is, without questioning it. Every business is unique, so find the solution and strategy that works especially for you. You may keep what you need and disregard what you don’t.