Being, or hiring, a great online marketer is a proven road to success in the modern business world. But what does it mean to be a great online marketer? Here’s what it takes.
What An Online Marketer Does
Online marketing can take many forms but in general, a well-rounded online marketer should do some or all of the following things.
- Search Engine Marketing (SEM) – Sometimes called Paid Search or Pay-per-Click (PPC), it’s the placing of advertisements on search engine results pages (SERPs). Posts at the top of Google search results are Paid Search ads. Marketers bid for spots on SERPs based on user engagement rates.
- Search Engine Optimization (SEO) – SEO helps a website shows up better organically in search engine results. Instead of paying for ads, SEO marketers optimize the design of websites and web content to signal their authority and relevance to search engines.
- Content Marketing – As a part of SEO, content marketing tries to increase brand awareness, conversions, and sales using high-value, relevant, authoritative, written and visual content.
- Social Media Marketing – Through organic reach and paid advertising on social media, marketers can segment audiences and differentiate messaging.
- Email Marketing – Takes advantage of the personalization capabilities of email to create more effective messages.
What Makes Them Great
There are many traits that go into being a great online marketer. Here are ten that are essential.
- Creativity - Creativity and innovation make marketing stand out in the crowded marketplace. Creative thinking is the key to spotting opportunities and novel concepts. It’s an essential complement to the logical and methodical approach when it comes to problem-solving. Innovation can develop the creative thinking approach, transform campaigns, and enhance client relationships.
- Adaptability - From negative customer reviews to search engine algorithm updates and new data trends, online marketers face something new all the time. Online marketers are constantly faced with novel challenges, trends, and tools. To be effective, they have to adapt and embrace change. Failure to adapt means failure to compete.
- Leadership - Online marketers are managers. They have to be able to effectively communicate to specialists with a coherent strategy that meets customers’ needs. They use a mix of hard and soft skills to foster team-driven problem-solving.
- Communication - The job of an online marketer is to communicate targeted messages that address consumer needs. They have to craft brand or product stories that engage audiences on an emotional level. This requires written, visual, and even non-verbal communication. They also have to analyze data about user experience and pain points and share it with different people to drive strategy.
- Analytical - Online marketers are responsible for aggregating and analyzing the data that will inform strategy. They also have to be fluent in current and developing analytics tools and have the ability to read through data with attention to detail, in order to map out and communicate that strategy.
- Persistence - Online marketing is about processes, not events. What gets put out now may not pay off for many months and online marketers may not see returns on their efforts right away. Due to technologies and trends evolving, there’s a lot of trial and error. Effective online marketers are persistent problem-solvers who use uncertainty or even failure as growth opportunities.
- Curiosity - Online marketers need to be curious and have a love of learning. Rapidly changing technology and trends create demands for online marketers such as adapting to new search engine algorithms or learning how to use new analytics tools. A love of learning allows online marketers to change along with the industry.
- Business Minded - Great online marketers understand business in general, the marketplace, their own business, and the business of their customers. Online marketers have to balance external interests with the scope and interests of the business to satisfy customers and be profitable. They need to understand business best practices and the practices of their clients to make profitable decisions. Successful online marketers are great networkers, can see and grow opportunities, know their products and value proposition, and their competition.
- Strategic - An effective online marketer has to be able to do the daily work that needs to be done, see the bigger picture, and make plans for how to achieve long-term goals and position the company for growth.
- Attitude - Attitude affects everything an online marketer does, from creativity and productivity to getting along with team members and clients. Having a positive attitude leads to better results in everything that an online marketer does.
If you want to know more about great online marketing or you’re ready to put our Badass Marketing to work for you, Ellipsis is ready to help.
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