Digital Marketing for Beginners: How to learn about this area and stand out in the market?

Do you want to know the way to learn everything about digital marketing? We show you in this post!

Without a doubt, the emergence of the Internet was one of the greatest revolutions in the branches of technology and communication in the history of humanity.

Whereas before access to information was precarious and dependent on press and book vehicles, today it is a click away.

With such a powerful tool, the business world has changed. And, of course, the marketing environment followed.

Today digital marketing is part of the consumer's daily life, adapting to their customs and technological innovations.

Don't you think to Accompany some recent data on online strategies, only in Brazil:

• 92.1% of companies are on social networks;
• 69.3% of companies use SEO as one of their strategies;
• 99.5% of agencies use at least one digital marketing tool;
• 94% of agencies base their actions on metric web platforms;
• 71% of companies adopt content marketing;
• 98.8% of people have already bought in a virtual store.

And perhaps, the best statistic for you, that you are starting your career in digital marketing:

More than ⅓ of marketing managers believe that in the next 5 years, digital will be responsible for 75% of companies' expenses in the sector.

It is clear that the digital environment is as promising as it is vast. There are many actions, strategies, aspects and possibilities, which can end up scaring the novice professionals who intend to enter the area.

Many beginners feel more lost than Jon Snow beyond the wall, or when you first played Ocarina of Time on the Nintendo 64 (nostalgia, Zelda).

If you have a hard time understanding the world of digital marketing and want to know everything it takes to stand out in the area, this article has been made for you.

In the next few lines, you will know everything about digital marketing for beginners and how to boost your entry into the fantastic atmosphere of the web.

But what is digital marketing?

You don't have to be Sheldon Cooper to understand digital marketing.

In reality, its concept is quite similar to that of traditional marketing, with the difference that its actions are directed at the public that is connected to the Internet.

One of the most famous definitions is that of Philip Kotler, considered one of the most important names in the sector by various magazines and professionals in the area:

Marketing Management

That is, a tool for business and, as such, it has the ultimate goal of generating sales.

Jones and Ryan succinctly describe in their bestseller that digital would be the next stage of marketing strategies. The Supersayajin of business.

In summary, it is an activity that aims to use the processes of change to meet the wishes, needs, and expectations of customers, based on the habits and customs of the consumer and aiming to provide unique experiences.

You probably already understood that digital marketing aims to enhance business financial health through technology, right?

Related professions: Digital Marketing Analyst, eCommerce Analyst.

SEO

No, that's not a crazy acronym for a superhero organization from your favorite movie.

Think hard: when you have a question, what is your main resource to solve it?

If you answer: Google, it is good that you know that you are not alone. 77.43% of the global population would have the same answer on the tip of the tongue.

Every day, there are more than 4,000 million searches in that search mechanism. If we add others, such as Bing, Baidu, and Yahoo!, this number exceeds 6,500 million.

Scared, isn't it?

Search Engine Optimization (in Spanish, search engine optimization) is the strategy aimed at positioning pages on these platforms.

The Googlebot is an algorithm that analyzes the quality of the pages and tries to show the user which is the highest quality compared to the search performed.

It is one of the main reasons for companies to invest in the digital presence, being responsible for a large part of the traffic generated to corporate websites.

There are more than 200 criteria for positioning , some more important, others less. Some of the main ones:

• Keywords;
• Links that refer to the page;
• Authority of the page;
• Domain authority;
• Time spent on the page;
• Responsible design;
• Loading speed;
• Rejection rate;
• Quality of content.

It is no coincidence that there is a legion of professionals working daily to understand Google's algorithm and stay at the top of the results pages.

The Googlebot is constantly updated, making this specialization one of the most desired on the market.

Social networks

This is the strategy responsible for attracting a large part of professionals to the world of digital marketing.

After all, social media is a fever. In Brazil alone, 93.2 million people are connected to one of these platforms, which classifies it as the country with the largest number of users in Latin America.

They are powerful tools to acquire clients. However, many entrepreneurs still believe that social media is a mere display of products.

You probably already know someone who says that such work can be done by the nephew, right?

But social media is serious. Its administration requires technical knowledge for adaptation to the public, the definition of language, frequency, content, performance analysis, among other skills.

Here is a list of the 11 most used in the country, but the truth is that knowing which of them to position yourself in requires knowledge and research. After all, each audience has a greater affinity for a certain platform.

Some of the most important, as you should already know, are:

• Facebook ;
• Instagram ;
• Twitter ;
• YouTube ;
• LinkedIn ;
• Pinterest ;
• Google + ;
• Tumblr.

If you want to know more about each of them, just click on the inserted links on the names.

It is important to remember that the social media professional must always be vigilant because, with the change in consumer habits and customs, their preferences also change.

So much so that Snapchat and Foursquare, two previously widely used social platforms, suffered hard hits and had their user bases significantly reduced.

Email Marketing

This phrase was heard in discussions about the future of this strategy a few years ago. But, unlike Elvis Presley (another death much discussed in another time), he survived.

Today, it is used by 92% of adults online, a number that is opposed to a series of forecasts made in the mid-2000s.

It cannot be denied that this strategy still has its place, primarily for business purposes.

People still check their inbox daily. But of course, they expect to receive relevant content, not just advertisements, and offers.

Therefore, that is a channel that must be used wisely. Also, just like any digital marketing strategy, you should base your actions on relevant metrics.

There are also platforms that help with the shooting of mailing lists. Some good examples are:

• Mailchimp;
• RD Station;
• E-GOI;
• LeadLovers;
• MailJet;
• HelloBar

Sponsored links

Up to here, all the mentioned strategies can be executed for free, that is, conquering organic traffic.

However, all of them can be subsidized, either by paid platforms or by what we call sponsored links.

In the case of search engines, for example, the greatest exponent of this platform is Google Adwords, responsible for the largest source of income for the company created by Larry Page and Sergey Brin.

There is a different nomenclature. In search engines, paid results are considered SEM (Searching Engine Marketing) or Marketing Engineering strategies and work in an auction and keyword selection system.

You've probably already done a Google search and noticed that some results (usually the top three) have an ad alert next to them. These are the links sponsored by the Research Network.

They are also present on sites through the Adwords Display Network. They are Google partners who receive payment through clicks on content.

But they can also be separated into other services. Social media, search engines, markets, and even native ads are considered sponsored links.

Some of the best-known platforms are:

• Facebook Ads (incorporated into Instagram);
• Twitter Ads;
• Bing Ads;
• YouTube Ads;
• Yahoo Advertising;
• Free market;
• UOL sponsored links.

Here, it is also worth citing remarketing, an important paid media strategy that relies on consumer behavior to optimize sales.

There is a great demand for professionals of this strategy in the market. An extremely analytical profile is required, as it aims to generate the highest number of conversions using the expected income.

User experience (UX)

Do you remember that in the definition of marketing, the word experience was used?

You are right. In the digital environment, it is very important for the user to have good times when browsing the pages of your website, do you agree?

This is the role of the UX professional: to provide a pleasant experience. You will hardly have a conversion if your pages have broken links, huge fonts, or ads about the content, for example.

But a professional of this strategy is concerned with much more. It is responsible for providing friendly navigation at all levels of interaction, taking into account aspects such as:

• Design;
• Navigability;
• Scannability;
• Information architecture;
• Typography;
• Usability;
• Functionality. I don't know

This obviously goes for all screen sizes. Therefore, you should also be concerned with the user experience on mobile devices, such as tablets, smartphones, and laptops.

Web metrics

The biggest advantage of internet marketing is the ability to measure any action.

This means that, unlike offline media, it is possible to measure and analyze the effectiveness of any of the strategies used.

And that, friends, is the great differential of the web! Metrics are the foundation of any successful online venture. That amount of data is called Big Data.

Through the information gathering platforms, the so-called analysis tools, it is possible to access the numbers that guide digital actions.

Metrics such as click rates, engagement, and traffic sources are capable of bringing long-term results for companies.

Therefore, the web metrics professional needs to use intelligence to extract all the benefits that can bring to the business.

Some of the most important platforms are:

• Google Analytics;
• Facebook Insights;
• Twitter Analytics;
• Crazy Egg;
• Hotjar;
• RD Station;
• Moz.
• SumAll;
• Scup;
• HootSuite.

Each of them has different functionalities, and there are many others! Therefore, it is up to the professional in the area to decide which one to use, since there are many variations depending on the business.

Content marketing

This is one of the fastest-growing strategies in the digital marketing environment.

We can say that if the other strategies presented here form a court of nobles, content is king.

This strategy is already used by 71% of companies in Brazil. And is not for less.

It is the main responsible for generating traffic to websites. Its main objective is to answer the questions of the person in a business, bringing users segmented by interest and behavior to relate to the brand.

And there are several formats. For example:

• Blog posts;
• Ebooks;
• Videos;
• Infographics;
• Slide shows;
• Podcasts;
• Webinars.

This strategy focuses on the user approach and the acquisition of leads.

Inbound Marketing

Have you ever imagined if there was a strategy that added all the previous elements?

Well, I'm sorry to tell you that you haven't discovered the light. The union of all the above strategies is inbound marketing.

Unlike outbound marketing, which can be considered invasive to consumers, it has as one of its main characteristics the fact that the dialogue is initiated by the user.

The goal is simple: take the user through the sales funnel. At the end of this process, you will have gone from a simple visitor to a buyer.

The first stage is attraction, where articles are created to position in search mechanisms and disseminate on social networks. When a user finds it, they have the first contact with the brand, and they become a visitor.

Next, we have the conversion step. At the end of the articles, CTAs are included to stimulate the relationship to become lasting.

The most common is the invitation to sign a newsletter. By doing this, the visitor becomes a lead.

The third stage is the approach, when, through email marketing, the user receives useful and relevant content. This process is called lead nutrition.

By identifying that user's high engagement, it's time to make an offer. And the chances of becoming a customer are great since the company and the consumer have already established a relationship of trust.

Finally, the delight stage is reached, where the objective is to retain the client. It must continue to be nurtured with ever deeper content. After all, it is much easier to keep a buyer than to acquire new ones. It is even possible for him to become an advocate of the brand.

Related professions: All of the above

How to learn Digital Marketing?

Ufff ... Finally, right?

As you perceived, the world of digital marketing is as big as the map of Middle-earth.

Therefore, it is natural that the supply of content is proportional to demand. Many companies create educational materials to attract passionate digital marketing audiences.

On the one hand, it is beneficial for beginners in digital marketing, but on the other hand, it makes it difficult to filter the best content.

But do not worry. With this in mind, we have listed below a list of the best content on the subject available on the web. Keep reading and check out the best places to learn about the digital universe.

Blogs

Content marketing

The Rock Content blog, where you are reading this article, has a wealth of valuable articles covering all the steps of the sales funnel.

Therefore, it addresses topics such as social networks, email marketing, lead nutrition, conversions, among others.

In addition, we have a free course on Content Marketing. Sign up now!

Hubspot

Hubspot, one of the largest digital marketing companies in the world, disseminates regular and quality content.

The team of editors has great specialists, being a current and rich source of articles and other materials on the subject.

There is an English version, but if you don't speak the language much

Moz

The creator of one of the most used SEO tools in the world also has her own blog, where she disseminates various types of material rich in information and statistics.

The information disclosed brings the best of the latest in digital marketing. Unfortunately, it is only available in English.

Growth Hackers

In the marketing environment, hacking is not a word used to designate credit card password thieves.

On the contrary. Growth Hackers aim to find revolutionary methods to leverage the best results for the business.

In this blog, you will see revolutionary techniques and success stories that can inspire digital marketing strategies.

RD Station

One of the most successful companies in the field and provider of one of the most used software in inbound marketing, RD also has a blog in both Portuguese and Spanish.

The goal of the blog is the same: educate users on the best digital strategies today.

Kissmetrics

Developed in English, the Kissmetrics blog is one of Neil Patel's blogs and is aimed at digital marketing with a focus on numbers. It is ideal for those who want to learn about Big Data analysis.

Courses

You have seen that there is a lot of content for beginners in digital marketing available on the Internet. But if you want to dig deeper, there are several courses.

Some of them are free, but if you're willing to shell out some money, you can find even more dynamic certifications.

Hubspot academy

You may even think that we work for Hubspot, with so many recommendations. But the truth is that the content of the boys is really good.

At Hubspot Academy, you will find free courses, such as Inbound Marketing, Email Marketing, Content Marketing, Design, and Inbound Sales. All of them with a digital certificate. But they are all in English.

Main characteristics of a good digital marketing professional

Working with digital marketing is rewarding, but as in any profession, it requires dedication and commitment.

The market is very promising, but given the large number of people who work in it, you have to know how to stand out.

Next, see what are the main qualities to work in the best digital marketing companies:

Multitask

So are you from the humanities and want to run away from the numbers in marketing or vice versa? You should know that things don't work that way.

Learning to manage the different ramifications is what makes a professional differentiate himself.

Also, since things happen very quickly in the digital environment, the collaborator is expected to be able to multitask. The keyword here is organization.

Solve problems

It is one of the main characteristics of good digital marketing professional. You need to work with solutions, not questions. Simple like that.

Analytical

Knowing how to analyze the collected data is essential, no matter what your choice among the many strategies is.

It is not enough: all of them require that you know, at least, the importance of KPIs and how to adapt them to promote the growth of the company.

Antennas

In the midst of Digital Transformation, things seem to happen at the speed of light.

Therefore, it is very important that anyone who wants to pursue a career in marketing is a great reader. The information comes first in the text format, but can also consume other content formats.

The most important thing is that you find out about the news before your competitors.

Of course, it is recommended that you also train your writing skills. Both to interact with customers and partners and to disseminate content on the web.

Hacker

Audacity, insight, and speed of learning. These were the ingredients used to raise the Super Power Girls ... Err, pear, wrong phrase; To super powerful marketing professionals!

Putting jokes aside, a hacker must be one foot ahead of the competition and use intelligence to discover the best ways to take advantage of available resources.

In this article, you have learned everything a beginner in digital marketing needs to know.