TCS iON Digital Learning Hub | June 18,2019
7 surefire ways to future-proof your presence in Digital Marketing

TCS iON Digital Learning Hub
TCS iON Digital Learning Hub is a complete learning solution for a varied segment of learners. Learn and upskill your knowledge from the wide range of Courses offered. Prepare, test and analyse your knowledge through the Assessments. Share your ideas and learn from others by being a part of the Communities.

 

Digital presence is key for business success. Seeing a growing need for trained
  Digital Marketing professionals? Stay updated. Stay relevant. How? Read on.

It is no breaking news that the world of marketing, and digital marketing specifically at that, is ever-evolving. What worked for you a year back...a month back...or even a week back...may not quite work for you today! An algorithm change, a new & upgraded technology, a new digital player in the market, or even a new digital expert player in your own company, can shake up your unit’s strategy or business plan. Sounds a bit much? Well, not really.

While in its nascent stages digital marketing was just another avenue to try, it is now perhaps running head-to-head with traditional marketing channels at a near 80:20 mix (traditional, being the 20-piece here of course!). So it’s clearly not a passing phase you are seeing! 

Scope of digital marketing is vast, complex and layered. It is a task, not just for newcomers to navigate and find their niche, but also for professionals - who must learn to adapt and keep pace. 

It’s a nightmare for the uninitiated when say a new algorithm is rolled out and suddenly you see your numbers all out of alignment! Unless you are well versed and well-equipped with the right tools and techniques, your days in the world of digital marketing could very well be counted. 

So then how do you prepare to expect the unexpected and be ready for it? How do you ensure that you stay relevant to your organisation that is clearly leaning towards digital marketing & gunning for digital presence? How do you future-proof your secured spot in the digital marketing space? 

We are going to give you our Top 7 picks on ways to not just stay in the digital game, but ace it! 

1.   Sign up & keep up with the right information source 

"Scientia potentia est" - “Knowledge is power”

May sound cliche but this is unlikely to be outdated anytime soon. 

There is an abundance of information sources these days. Books, blogs, YouTube videos & tutorials, social media feed, newsletters...Pick what strikes you relevant, keeps you engaged, and keep up with the information source. Taking efforts to stay aware & updated is step 1 of your journey on this front. It’s only when you do this, do you practically realise what’s in store for you to learn or adapt!

One of the easiest ways to ensure that you are kept in the loop at all times is to hit the subscribe button without hesitation. Subscribe & follow if it’s giving you relevant information. 

They are bound to add value in terms of updates, and perhaps even have the potential to inspire you with ideas. Keep tab of things to learn or discuss with your peers/mentors along the way. Make notes even! And do follow up on it. Implement ideas or suggestions in your work to understand it better.

A fresh perspective. An out of the box idea. Be inspired. The possibilities are endless. The internet is a vast world. One of the best ways to ensure that you truly stand out is to keep yourself informed & stay on top of digital marketing trends. 

Spot something right? -  sign up & keep up.
You never know when, where or how your eureka moment could come up. 

2.    Get armed with the right tools 

So you have signed up on multiple platforms to keep yourself updated on ongoing trends and updates. You are reading, watching, following… How can this truly translate to your work desk? How do you start getting the true sense of how some of these things work and how relevant they are to you? How can you understand the impact it could have on your business or affect the reach of your prospects?

Arm yourself with the right tools and create an impact. With the right tools, you can analyse & measure your business better, your competition and your own performance, critically; you can present with clarity to your stakeholders; you can reach & engage your target audience faster than ever. 

There are highly intuitive tools and platforms available today that help you track your buyer’s journey through the funnel. They provide great insights that can perhaps even help you shake the existing funnels to accelerate business growth. 

Here are some key tools you need to have to stay on top of the game. 

a.    Marketing automation toolkit - Manage your pipeline efficiently, automate your campaigns, deliver personalised campaigns, track your marketing interactions across channels, and do much more; automate, streamline and simplify your entire marketing process with much more clarity & ease.

It is simply not possible to manually execute the multitude of required actions. Such tools help market effectively on multiple channels and help with automation for repetitive tasks too. It can help you focus your attention clearly on matters that will drive your business and revenue. 

b.    Analytics toolkit - Get insights into your company’s performance, what your competition is doing right, market trend, strategy adopted by top players and your current business positioning. As is frequently quoted – ‘numbers don’t lie’. Competitive intelligence can help you stay ahead of every curve. 
 

c.    Technological solutions that help drive customer engagement -
a)    AI: Scale your business with the intelligence of machines, incorporated by the human brain.
b)    Chatbot: Provide 24/7 support to your customers, on your website or on your social media platform.
c)    Voice search: One of the most important signals that Google is emphasizing today for ranking, is, of course, user experience.
d)    Heat-maps: Keep track of your customers as they visit your website. You can learn a lot about what they want by tracking their behaviour.

The right tools help you target the right audience, improve your ROI and ensure excellent customer relations, in a smooth manner. They are cost effective in nature and provide personalized touches to nurture your prospects. 

3.    Watch & study your competition 

You know what they say. Keep your friends close. Your enemies, closer. Study the competition and stay on top of their tricks and strategies. As mentioned above, use analytic tool kits that help you do this job in an organised, cohesive and insightful manner. 

On a simpler front, follow their social media handles, subscribe to their channels or newsletters, watch their promotions, check on the frequency of campaigns, and such other basics that can give great insights.

For instance, subscribe & analyse their email marketing. This is one of the best ways to spot new practices. It could help you create a trend yourself. 

Following bigger brands, with higher budgets, that tend to come up with some radical strategies, can help with your ideation process. Follow the pioneers in the field to study and learn. A truly priceless source of information. 


4.    Listen to your customers & stakeholders

You are nothing without your customers and your stakeholders. Hence, it would be a wise call to listen to them.

Understanding the needs and desires of your end customer is what helps you sell right and grow your business. In parallel, the inputs from the stakeholders of your business are key, as they drive your plans, operations and decisions. 

Your digital marketing strategy needs to ensure that these equations are addressed right and the focus clearly drives towards the end results - business growth & customer delight. 

Hence, when you want to make a mark in the world of digital marketing, it should start with this end in mind. 

Reach out to the root of the problem. Understand their pain points and try to come up with a solution to the problem. Then head back to them and register their response to your solution. It may sound like a vicious cycle, but is a time tested one.

In the earlier sections, we spoke on how you can keep yourself updated and clued-in on the digital marketing front - through information, tools etc. Here again, is a key source for staying relevant in your business. Listening to these two important people - your customer & stakeholder - can help you with some great thoughts on the way forward. Listen, engage, understand & implement for success.
 

5.    Tap into & enhance your digital marketing network 

Another word for ‘digital marketing’ could be ‘stay connected’. As simple as that. 

Networking is a thumb rule for staying ahead in the digital game. The wider your network, the greater your resource pool to tap into. Mutually beneficial associations, to stay updated, to create, engage or attract opportunities, to share & receive information, seek out potential partners, showcase your business and much more - something that is very important in the digital space.

It could be a support group or a forum of experts. Networks are a great source of staying updated in this field. Share your experiences and gain new insights. You may be stuck in a rut, and not know it. Exchanging ideas, taking the opinion of others, attending meet-ups, can bring in a world of a difference to your thought process and your business.

Grow a network of like-minded professionals. Build meaningful relationships. Join groups on social media marketing platforms. Get onboard with google alerts. Use hashtags. Stay on the lookout for relevant conversations and posts. Spend a certain amount of time to bring in new ideas. 

Remember who you are talking to and speak their language. Stay connected, and you will feel the difference. 


6.    Be open to changes! 

As the scope of digital marketing widens, so does the need to improve and adapt. Change is the only constant factor, and unless you put in efforts to adapt to the world, you are more than likely to be left behind. Be it a new platform, a new style of writing or a new budget. Changes are key to your growth.

Analysing the performance of your past strategy can throw a lot of light on what changes are needed. It can help you set targets better, plan better & deliver better. Your KPIs can start looking better too. 

Always make the time to step back and take a look at the bigger picture. Review your strategy ever so often to understand what’s working and what’s not. Be open to experimentation. Be open to ideas. As mentioned above, watch the market trends, competitor’s strategies, your stakeholders’ views, and customer feedback. Each can signal something crucial to your performance.

In order to keep up or create new industry trends, it is vital to look around, look within and observe your own path. Be critical of your strategy and be open to changes. Don’t shy away from the challenges that the change may pose! As the wise would say, turn those challenges into opportunities that you need to shine!

7.    Invest in certification and education 

We saved the most important for the last! 

Invest in yourself. Invest in education.
It’s never too late. Learn digital marketing in-depth and master it.

If you recall, our tips were to help you stay in the digital game and ace it. 

You should keep yourself updated with trends, become part of groups, automate your processes and follow all of our tips from above, to stay in the game. 

What would really help you ace it, is getting professionally trained and certified from a reputable institution on your digital marketing mastery. 

In today's world of digital learning, opportunities to certify and upgrade yourself are just a click away. You get to learn what you want, your choice of specialisation, at the time, pace and location of your choice. This means you do not need to break away from your career or compromise by taking a forced sabbatical. With digital learning, you have the opportunity to upgrade yourself, implement what you learn into your work, make it your culture and see your career shoot up, all in parallel. 

Investing in education is the best kind of investment you can make, especially in the world of digital marketing. Listen to podcasts. Sign up for digital marketing certificate programs online. Download e-books in your gadgets. The options and resources are endless.

To sum up:

The need for trained professionals has increased dynamically because customers are no longer simple-minded. Customers these days are way more informed, decisive than ever before, and fairly spoilt for choice. 

Capturing their attention, engaging them in meaningful conversation, making the sale, delighting them and making them your promoters, is no easy task. It needs focused, consistent efforts; especially in the highly dynamic digital front. It needs high proficiency.

The key to ensuring that you become a successful digital marketer and a thought leader in your space is by sharpening your skill-set. The difference you make, by displaying with confidence what you can do, is what will make you stand apart in the ever-growing digital crowd. 

And the best way to stand apart from the competition, and to fast-track your way up the corporate ladder is to get educated right and stay relevant at all times. Stay ahead of the digital marketing trends. Be prepared to expect the unexpected. 

You now know what you have to do to secure your rightful spot in the future.
Dedicate time, get certified in digital marketing and keep our tips handy! That’s your surefire way!

The world is your oyster. 
 

TCS iON Digital Learning Hub is a complete learning solution for a varied segment of learners. Learn and upskill your knowledge from the wide range of Courses offered. Prepare, test and analyse your knowledge through the Assessments. Share your ideas and learn from others by being a part of the Communities