How To Become A Digital Strategist
A digital strategist provides solutions to a company’s business problems as they relate to the digital world. You will be responsible for creating marketing plans to improve, for example, a company’s performance in search engine results or enhance the delivery of services via its mobile platform.
To be able to craft the best solutions to a client’s problems in the digital sphere, you will first ask them about their goals. If they can’t exactly pinpoint what these are, you will be helping them set it. Once you have helped them identify these goals, you will set the steps that need to be undertaken in order for them to reach those goals.
It’s important to make these objectives SMART—that is, they must be smart, measurable, actionable, realistic and timely since you need to be able to monitor your plan’s progress objectively once these are implemented. It’s also important to identify who your client’s target audience is so you can craft the strategies that would speak to their interests, hobbies and consumption patterns.
Research is going to be very important at this point because it is from here where you will be able to get the motivations and specific behaviors of your target market that will be crucial to your marketing strategy. To know if you have attained success, it’s important to set benchmarks for success and measure them. Based on the results of the strategy you have implemented, you will know whether you should stay in the same course or still need to optimize it.
To succeed as a digital strategist, you need to be knowledgeable about everything related to the Internet, social media, analytics, customer relationship management, website development and other facets of Internet marketing. You also need to have an in-depth understanding of traditional marketing methods so you can develop an all-encompassing approach to getting the results you desire. You need to be creative and be able to communicate well with different kinds of people. The position also requires decision-making and analytical skills.
Why Become A Digital Strategist
Companies have taken their businesses to the Internet these days that individuals who possess the specialist knowledge needed to formulate and carry out a marketing strategy in the digital sphere are in demand. There are also a lot of opportunities in this profession as more firms use emails, newsletter subscriptions and social media to promote their products and improve their ranking in search engine results through better website content and social media strategy. It’s also a fulfilling career for those who live and breathe everything about the digital world.
Digital Strategist Work Environment
Digital strategists work with information technology, advertising and marketing firms. They may also run their own company as self-employed professionals. Salaried digital strategists work full-time during regular business hours but those who are self-employed have more flexibility in their schedules.
Digital Strategist Salary
The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics does not have salary data specifically for digital strategists. It does have salary information for advertising, marketing, promotions, public relations and sales managers— an occupational category that is similar to that of digital strategists. They receive a mean annual wage of $124,640. However, data from private surveys have revealed that digital marketing strategists receive anywhere from about $80,000 to a little above $120,000 a year.
Digital Strategist Career Outlook
The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics does not have job outlook projections for digital strategists since the field is fairly new. However, one can get an idea of the growth in this profession in the coming years by looking at the similar occupational group of advertising, marketing, promotions, public relations and sales managers. In the period covering 2012 to 2022, the employment rate for this category is set to grow seven percent, a rate that is slower than the national average. The increasing use of websites, social media and online marketing in the promotion of businesses will spur demand.
Digital Strategist Degree
The educational entry point for a career as a digital strategist is a bachelor’s degree preferably in marketing, business or journalism. In addition, the aspiring digital strategist must have experience in running social media campaigns, search engine marketing and optimization and similar activities. They must also have experience in similar fields to be considered for this post.
